﻿HISTORY 
  OF 
  THE 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  IROQUOIS 
  167 
  

  

  One 
  or 
  two 
  things 
  more 
  may 
  be 
  added 
  about 
  the 
  league. 
  At 
  

   first 
  it 
  seems 
  a 
  loose 
  alliance, 
  holding 
  periodical 
  councils 
  to 
  pre- 
  

   vent 
  internal 
  hostilities, 
  but 
  gradually 
  becoming 
  stronger 
  and 
  

   with 
  more 
  definite 
  laws. 
  In 
  1655 
  the 
  Mohawks 
  and 
  Senecas 
  were 
  

   almost 
  at 
  war, 
  and 
  the 
  former 
  took 
  defensive 
  measures. 
  Each 
  

   nation 
  made 
  war 
  or 
  peace 
  for 
  itself, 
  but, 
  while 
  this 
  continued 
  

   through 
  all 
  their 
  history, 
  they 
  were 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  time 
  a 
  united 
  

   people. 
  Aggressive 
  wars 
  were 
  popular, 
  and 
  all 
  might 
  heartily 
  

   engage 
  in 
  these. 
  When 
  they 
  were 
  invaded, 
  each 
  nation 
  took 
  care 
  

   of 
  itself, 
  sometimes. 
  proposing 
  aid 
  but 
  giving 
  none. 
  

  

  One 
  feature 
  should 
  not 
  be 
  overlooked, 
  the 
  rank 
  and 
  great 
  influ- 
  

   ence 
  of 
  women, 
  of 
  which 
  many 
  examples 
  could 
  be 
  given. 
  Some 
  

   New 
  York 
  treaties 
  bear 
  their 
  names. 
  The 
  children 
  followed 
  the 
  

   mother's 
  clan 
  and 
  nation, 
  and 
  the 
  chief 
  women 
  had 
  the 
  power 
  of 
  

   naming 
  principal 
  chiefs 
  for 
  their 
  clan 
  or 
  family. 
  Speeches 
  are 
  

   made 
  in 
  the 
  council 
  for 
  them 
  but 
  not 
  by 
  them, 
  and 
  Red 
  Jacket 
  

   was 
  long 
  their 
  speaker. 
  Peace 
  or 
  war, 
  matters 
  of 
  general 
  wel- 
  

   fare, 
  have 
  often 
  rested 
  on 
  their 
  decision. 
  Tilling 
  the 
  soil, 
  they 
  

   sometimes 
  claimed 
  its 
  ownership. 
  The 
  most 
  curious 
  testimony 
  

   to 
  the 
  estimation 
  of 
  women 
  is 
  the 
  old 
  Huron 
  and 
  Iroquois 
  rule, 
  

   that 
  for 
  a 
  woman's 
  life 
  the 
  atonement 
  should 
  be 
  double 
  that 
  of 
  

   a 
  man. 
  

  

  Chapter 
  5 
  

  

  Weakness 
  of 
  early 
  Iroquois. 
  Good 
  Iroquois 
  or 
  Hurons. 
  First 
  battle 
  with 
  

   Champlain. 
  Preparations 
  for 
  this 
  and 
  location. 
  Battle 
  of 
  1610. 
  Invasion 
  

   of 
  Iroquois 
  in 
  1615. 
  Route 
  of 
  Champlain. 
  Siege 
  of 
  Oneida 
  fort. 
  Brule's 
  

   adventures. 
  Coming 
  of 
  the 
  Dutch 
  and 
  their 
  maps. 
  Supposed 
  treaty 
  at 
  

   Tawasentha. 
  Insufficient 
  evidence. 
  Efforts 
  for 
  peace 
  between 
  Algon- 
  

   quins 
  and 
  Iroquois. 
  Dutch 
  attack 
  Mohawks. 
  Fort 
  Orange 
  built. 
  Re- 
  

   newed 
  war 
  between 
  Iroquois 
  and 
  Canadian 
  Indians. 
  Mahicans 
  sell 
  

   their 
  lands. 
  

  

  With 
  all 
  their 
  bravery 
  and 
  wisdom, 
  the 
  Iroquois 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  

   been 
  barely 
  holding 
  their 
  own 
  when 
  first 
  known 
  as 
  residents 
  in 
  

   New 
  York. 
  Champlain 
  came 
  to 
  Tadoussac 
  in 
  1603, 
  before 
  he 
  

   had 
  seen 
  them, 
  and 
  found 
  the 
  Indians, 
  " 
  rejoicing 
  for 
  the 
  victory 
  

   obtained 
  by 
  them 
  over 
  the 
  Irocois, 
  of 
  whom 
  they 
  had 
  killed 
  some 
  

   hundred, 
  whose 
  heads 
  (scalps) 
  they 
  had 
  cut 
  off, 
  which 
  they 
  had 
  

  

  