﻿HISTORY 
  OF 
  THE 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  IROQUOIS 
  1 
  85 
  

  

  tribute 
  on 
  the 
  Indians 
  along 
  the 
  lower 
  Hudson. 
  The 
  Mahicans 
  

   had 
  left 
  Albany 
  before 
  this 
  and 
  all 
  the 
  circumstances 
  show 
  a 
  

   mistake 
  in 
  the 
  name. 
  The 
  Indians 
  left 
  their 
  homes 
  for 
  fear 
  of 
  

   these 
  Mohawks, 
  for 
  such 
  they 
  clearly 
  were, 
  sought 
  refuge 
  with 
  

   the 
  Dutch 
  and 
  were 
  massacred 
  by 
  them. 
  The 
  Mohawks 
  were 
  

   not 
  responsible 
  for 
  this. 
  Ruttenber 
  thought 
  these 
  visitors 
  

   were 
  Mahicans, 
  all 
  agreeing 
  in 
  the 
  name, 
  but 
  the 
  Dutch 
  

   did 
  not 
  see 
  them, 
  and 
  the 
  mere 
  name 
  was 
  liable 
  to 
  be 
  mis- 
  

   taken. 
  

  

  One 
  account 
  by 
  Jogues 
  is 
  of 
  the 
  Mohawk 
  sacrifice 
  to 
  

   Aireskoi, 
  where 
  a 
  woman 
  was 
  burned, 
  or 
  rather 
  roasted 
  and 
  

   eaten. 
  In 
  his 
  amiable 
  desire 
  to 
  exalt 
  the 
  Iroquois 
  character, 
  

   Mr 
  Hale 
  said 
  that 
  " 
  the 
  Iroquois 
  never 
  burnt 
  women 
  at 
  the 
  

   stake," 
  but 
  sex 
  made 
  no 
  difference 
  in 
  this, 
  as 
  many 
  incidents 
  

   show. 
  

  

  Several 
  early 
  writers 
  describe 
  this 
  particular 
  Mohawk 
  offering, 
  

   almost 
  in 
  the 
  words 
  of 
  Jogues, 
  but 
  without 
  reference 
  to 
  him. 
  

   Mourning 
  their 
  remissness 
  in 
  not 
  eating 
  some 
  captives 
  in 
  honor 
  

   of 
  Aireskoi, 
  they 
  had 
  substituted 
  bears 
  at 
  their 
  feast, 
  promising 
  

   to 
  do 
  better 
  in 
  the 
  future, 
  and 
  women 
  were 
  their 
  next 
  prisoners. 
  

   One 
  was 
  selected 
  as 
  a 
  victim 
  : 
  

  

  When 
  this 
  woman 
  was 
  tortured, 
  at 
  every 
  burn, 
  which 
  they 
  

   caused 
  by 
  applying 
  lighted 
  torches 
  to 
  her 
  body, 
  an 
  old 
  man, 
  in 
  

   a 
  loud 
  voice, 
  exclaimed, 
  " 
  Demon 
  Aireskoi 
  ! 
  we 
  offer 
  thee 
  this 
  

   victim, 
  whom 
  we 
  burn 
  for 
  thee, 
  that 
  thou 
  mayest 
  be 
  filled 
  with 
  

   her 
  flesh, 
  and 
  render 
  us 
  ever 
  anew 
  victorious 
  over 
  our 
  enemies." 
  

   Her 
  body 
  was 
  cut 
  up, 
  sent 
  to 
  the 
  various 
  villages 
  and 
  de- 
  

   voured. 
  

  

  The 
  Relation 
  of 
  1643 
  divides 
  the 
  Iroquois 
  into 
  Senecas 
  and 
  

   Mohawks, 
  and 
  says 
  they 
  were 
  once 
  inferior 
  to 
  the 
  Hurons, 
  but 
  

   now 
  surpassed 
  them 
  in 
  numbers 
  and 
  strength, 
  the 
  Mohawks 
  

   alone 
  having 
  300 
  guns, 
  well 
  used 
  by 
  them. 
  The 
  Iroquois 
  cap- 
  

   tured 
  23 
  Hurons 
  and 
  13 
  canoes 
  that 
  year 
  near 
  Montreal 
  and 
  

   attacked 
  the 
  French. 
  Eight 
  Algonquins 
  were 
  taken 
  near 
  Three 
  

   Rivers 
  and 
  a 
  war 
  party 
  was 
  defeated 
  with 
  much 
  loss. 
  In 
  this 
  

   party 
  was 
  Pieskaret, 
  a 
  brave 
  and 
  high-miiaded 
  Algonquin 
  chief, 
  

   of 
  whom 
  many 
  stories 
  are 
  told, 
  ^ 
  

  

  