436 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



beads to serve as wood and fuel, and added a large belt to these. — - 

 Leclerq, 1 :i26. A similar incident is related of the Mohawks in 

 1646; and this writer seems to have mistaken the date. The Al- 

 gonquin use of belts in Canada is often mentioned. To some ex- 

 tent this family used wampum in this form in New York. Amiong 

 the plunder in one Indian fort in the Esopus war of 1663 were 31 

 belts and some strings of wampum. 



Negotiations with the Iroquois brought a great deal of wampum 

 into Canada. When the Mohawk chief, Kiofsaeton, came to Quebec 

 in 1645, "he was as it were covered with porcelain." He brought 

 17 collars or belts, part on his body, part in a little sack. Of the loth 

 belt it is said, "this collar is extraordinarily fine." By the 13th he 

 referred to some Huron preparations for peace proposals five years 

 before, when that people "had a sack full of wampum all prepared to 

 come to seek the peace." This they should have done. After this 

 Mohawk belts often came to Canada in a less formal way. The 

 same year ambassadors brought 18 of these. The first Onondaga 

 presents made at Quebec in 1653 were but seven in number,, and 

 consisted of wampum and beaver skins. A great belt from the 

 Oneidas accompanied these. At the same time the Mohawks made 

 eight presents. The next February the Onondagas came again 

 with six great belts for the French. They secretly gave four others 

 to the Hurons. This was preliminary to another council in May,, 

 when the Onondagas presented 20 belts to confirm the peace. 

 Father Le Moyne's first visit to that people soon followed. After 

 he had made his 19 presents, the Onondaga speaker returned thanks 

 for the Onondagas, Mohawks and Senecas by two great belts for 

 each. An Oneida chief also returned thanks by four great belts. 



In September 1655, another Onondaga embassy came with " 24 

 collars of porcelain, which to the eyes of the savages are the pearls 

 and diamonds of this land." Chaumonot and Dablon returned with 

 this party and made their presents. The Onondagas replied, cast- 

 ing their first two presents at Chaumonot's feet. "The third and 

 the most beautiful of all those which appeared here, was a collar 

 composed of seven thousand grains of porcelain, which was as 



