﻿HISTORY 
  OF 
  THE 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  IROQUOIS 
  1 
  37 
  

  

  western 
  Europe 
  one 
  community 
  is 
  known 
  to 
  exist, 
  speaking 
  a 
  

   language 
  which 
  in 
  its 
  general 
  structure 
  manifests 
  a 
  near 
  likeness 
  

   to 
  the 
  Indian 
  tongue. 
  Alone 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  races 
  of 
  the 
  old 
  continent 
  

   the 
  Basques 
  or 
  Euskarians 
  of 
  northern 
  Spain 
  and 
  southwestern 
  

   France 
  have 
  a 
  speech 
  of 
  that 
  highly 
  complex 
  and 
  polysynthetic 
  

   character 
  which 
  distinguishes 
  the 
  American 
  languages. 
  

  

  This 
  was 
  but 
  a 
  likeness, 
  but 
  it 
  led 
  Mr 
  Hale 
  to 
  say 
  of 
  western 
  

   Europe 
  : 
  " 
  The 
  derivation 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  population 
  from 
  this 
  

   source 
  presents 
  no 
  serious 
  improbability 
  whatever." 
  He 
  after- 
  

   ward 
  showed 
  how 
  the 
  many 
  Indian 
  dialects 
  might 
  have 
  origi- 
  

   nated 
  about 
  the 
  Columbia 
  river. 
  

  

  According 
  to 
  one 
  writer 
  12 
  letters 
  will 
  answer 
  for 
  all 
  Iroquois 
  

   sounds, 
  though 
  this 
  requires 
  the 
  hardening 
  of 
  some. 
  In 
  this 
  

   scheme 
  we 
  have 
  a, 
  e, 
  f, 
  h, 
  i, 
  k, 
  n, 
  o, 
  r, 
  s, 
  t, 
  w. 
  The 
  English 
  mis- 
  

   sionaries 
  used 
  16 
  for 
  the 
  Mohawk 
  tongue 
  : 
  a, 
  d, 
  e, 
  g, 
  h, 
  i, 
  j, 
  k, 
  n, 
  o, 
  

   r, 
  s, 
  t, 
  u, 
  w, 
  y. 
  L 
  is 
  much 
  used 
  by 
  the 
  Oneidas, 
  and 
  R 
  by 
  the 
  

   Mohawks, 
  D 
  and 
  T, 
  G 
  and 
  K, 
  are 
  interchangeable. 
  Dual 
  and 
  

   plural 
  numbers 
  have 
  proper 
  prefixes 
  in 
  most 
  cases. 
  Local 
  rela- 
  

   tions 
  are 
  shown 
  by 
  affixed 
  particles. 
  Adjectives 
  may 
  follow 
  sub- 
  

   stantives, 
  but 
  more 
  commonly 
  coalesce. 
  Pronouns 
  exceed 
  those 
  

   in 
  European 
  languages, 
  and 
  verbs 
  have 
  three 
  modes. 
  The 
  fre- 
  

   quent 
  differences 
  in 
  personal 
  nouns 
  are 
  often 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  dropping 
  

   of 
  a 
  pronoun 
  or 
  particle, 
  or 
  its 
  addition. 
  

  

  Chapter 
  2 
  

  

  Surrounding 
  nations. 
  Food, 
  houses, 
  forts 
  and 
  weapons. 
  Weaving 
  and 
  

   dress. 
  Sepulture. 
  Wampum. 
  Stories 
  and 
  songs. 
  Etiquette. 
  Adoption. 
  

   Orators 
  and 
  diplomats. 
  Intoning 
  and 
  pantomime. 
  

  

  Brief 
  notices 
  may 
  here 
  be 
  given 
  of 
  some 
  other 
  nations 
  with 
  

   whom 
  the 
  Iroquois 
  came 
  in 
  contact 
  at 
  various 
  times, 
  but 
  some 
  

   are 
  sufficiently 
  noticed 
  elsewhere. 
  Thus 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  enough 
  to 
  say 
  

   of 
  the 
  Hurons, 
  called 
  Quatoghies 
  and 
  Agaritkas 
  by 
  the 
  Iroquois, 
  

   that 
  they 
  and 
  the 
  Petuns 
  were 
  the 
  Wyandots 
  of 
  later 
  days, 
  

   Wendat 
  being 
  the 
  collective 
  name 
  given 
  in 
  1639. 
  

  

  Algonquin 
  was 
  contracted 
  from 
  Algomequin, 
  a 
  people 
  living 
  

   on 
  the 
  Ottawa 
  river 
  and 
  noted 
  in 
  their 
  day. 
  In 
  1736 
  but 
  20 
  of 
  

   their 
  men 
  lived 
  at 
  Montreal, 
  and 
  a 
  French 
  writer 
  said 
  : 
  " 
  This 
  

  

  