﻿142 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  travel 
  were 
  not 
  always 
  believed, 
  but 
  were 
  heard 
  with 
  wonder. 
  

   Any 
  one 
  could 
  relate 
  his 
  own 
  deeds 
  ; 
  he 
  kept 
  in 
  memory 
  those 
  of 
  

   the 
  past. 
  Count 
  Zinzendorf 
  said 
  : 
  " 
  These 
  Indians 
  perpetuate 
  the 
  

   memory 
  of 
  their 
  heroes 
  in 
  heroic 
  poems, 
  which 
  are 
  so 
  accurately 
  

   handed 
  down 
  orally 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  impossible 
  for 
  any 
  one 
  to 
  boast 
  

   of 
  feats 
  which 
  he 
  has 
  not 
  performed." 
  Above 
  all, 
  the 
  marvelous 
  

   story-teller 
  dwelt 
  on 
  the 
  relations 
  of 
  man 
  to 
  the 
  lower 
  creation, 
  

   originating 
  or 
  keeping 
  in 
  mind 
  those 
  pathetic 
  or 
  comic 
  tales 
  

   wherein 
  men, 
  birds 
  and 
  beasts 
  meet 
  as 
  friends 
  or 
  foes 
  ; 
  often 
  as 
  

   kindred. 
  David 
  Cusick 
  recorded 
  briefly 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  gro 
  r 
  

   tesque 
  of 
  these, 
  telling 
  of 
  flying 
  heads, 
  stone 
  giants, 
  vampires, 
  

   monstrous 
  beasts, 
  serpents 
  and 
  witches, 
  but 
  gave 
  only 
  a 
  hint 
  of 
  

   the 
  Indian 
  tales 
  told 
  by 
  the 
  winter's 
  fire. 
  Welcome 
  w 
  r 
  as 
  the 
  

   story-teller 
  everywhere, 
  nor 
  was 
  his 
  fee 
  of 
  tobacco 
  ever 
  grudged. 
  

  

  There 
  was 
  a 
  higher 
  purpose 
  when 
  the 
  wampum 
  was 
  produced 
  

   and 
  its 
  meaning 
  revealed. 
  That 
  told 
  of 
  history, 
  established 
  cere- 
  

   monies, 
  moral 
  laws. 
  Songs 
  were 
  to 
  be 
  learned 
  that 
  religious 
  

   rites 
  might 
  be 
  duly 
  observed 
  ; 
  other 
  songs 
  preserving 
  the 
  names, 
  

   deeds 
  and 
  virtues 
  of 
  their 
  ancestors, 
  exactly 
  learned 
  for 
  condoling 
  

   the 
  dead 
  or 
  raising 
  new 
  chiefs 
  ; 
  points 
  of 
  etiquette 
  to 
  be 
  observed, 
  

   for 
  they 
  were 
  a 
  punctilious 
  people, 
  having 
  precise 
  rules 
  for 
  every 
  

   public 
  act 
  ; 
  how 
  to 
  speak 
  and 
  how 
  to 
  dance, 
  with 
  many 
  a 
  regu- 
  

   lation 
  for 
  private 
  life. 
  They 
  often 
  looked 
  on 
  their 
  white 
  friends 
  

   as 
  unpolished 
  people, 
  pitying 
  them 
  for 
  their 
  lack 
  of 
  good 
  man- 
  

   ners. 
  Sometimes 
  they 
  even 
  showed 
  them 
  the 
  better 
  way. 
  

  

  The 
  Algonquins 
  were 
  less 
  sedentary 
  than 
  the 
  Iroquois, 
  and 
  

   cultivated 
  the 
  soil 
  much 
  less. 
  Some 
  have 
  made 
  the 
  Iroquois 
  

   long 
  house 
  and 
  the 
  Algonquin 
  circular 
  hut 
  marks 
  of 
  distinction, 
  

   but 
  these 
  are 
  far 
  from 
  invariable. 
  The 
  Iroquois 
  have 
  been 
  con- 
  

   sidered 
  the 
  higher 
  intellectually 
  and 
  the 
  more 
  eloquent, 
  but 
  this 
  

   was 
  partly 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  their 
  frequent 
  regular 
  or 
  special 
  councils 
  

   as 
  a 
  great 
  power. 
  Indeed 
  they 
  adopted 
  captives 
  or 
  allies 
  so 
  

   largely 
  that 
  but 
  few 
  of 
  pure 
  Iroquois 
  blood 
  may 
  have 
  lived 
  in 
  

   historic 
  times. 
  The 
  training 
  alone 
  continued, 
  and 
  this 
  developed 
  

   a 
  high 
  type 
  of 
  aboriginal 
  life. 
  They 
  were 
  accustomed 
  to 
  plan, 
  

   fight 
  and 
  rule. 
  In 
  later 
  days 
  their 
  vantage 
  ground 
  between 
  the 
  

  

  