﻿HISTORY 
  OF 
  THE 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  IROQUOIS 
  23 
  1 
  

  

  At 
  Albany 
  Aug. 
  2, 
  1684, 
  the 
  Onondagas 
  and 
  Cayugas 
  made 
  

  

  proposals 
  to 
  Governor 
  Howard 
  of 
  Virginia 
  and 
  Governor 
  Dongan. 
  

  

  They 
  called 
  the 
  former 
  by 
  a 
  name 
  derived 
  from 
  his 
  own, 
  Asha- 
  

  

  regowa, 
  or 
  Big 
  Knife. 
  As 
  provinces, 
  Virginia 
  was 
  Aragiske, 
  and 
  

  

  Maryland, 
  Jaquokranaegare. 
  To 
  the 
  Duke 
  of 
  York 
  they 
  gave 
  

  

  sovereignty 
  over 
  their 
  Susquehanna 
  lands 
  above 
  Washinta 
  or 
  the 
  

  

  falls. 
  They 
  said 
  : 
  

  

  Wee 
  have 
  putt 
  all 
  our 
  land 
  and 
  our 
  selfs 
  under 
  the 
  Protection 
  of 
  

   the 
  great 
  Duke 
  of 
  York, 
  the 
  brother 
  of 
  your 
  great 
  Sachim; 
  We 
  

   have 
  given 
  the 
  Susquehanne 
  River 
  which 
  we 
  wonn 
  with 
  the 
  

   sword 
  to 
  this 
  Government 
  and 
  desire 
  that 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  a 
  branch 
  of 
  

   that 
  great 
  tree 
  that 
  grows 
  here. 
  

  

  In 
  1686 
  the 
  Iroquois 
  were 
  still 
  seeking 
  the 
  Ottawa 
  alliance 
  as 
  

  

  agents 
  for 
  English 
  traders. 
  Governor 
  Dongan 
  had 
  a 
  sense 
  of 
  

  

  Iroquois 
  importance 
  : 
  

  

  The 
  five 
  Indian 
  Nations 
  are 
  the 
  most 
  warlike 
  people 
  in 
  

   America, 
  & 
  a 
  bulwark 
  between 
  us 
  & 
  the 
  French 
  & 
  all 
  other 
  

   Indians. 
  . 
  . 
  All 
  the 
  Indians 
  in 
  these 
  parts 
  of 
  America 
  are 
  

   Tributareys 
  to 
  them. 
  

  

  Colden 
  said 
  of 
  the 
  tribute 
  paid 
  them 
  : 
  

  

  Two 
  old 
  Men 
  commonly 
  go 
  about 
  every 
  Year 
  or 
  two, 
  to 
  receive 
  

   this 
  Tribute 
  ; 
  and 
  I 
  have 
  often 
  had 
  Opportunity 
  to 
  observe 
  what 
  

   Anxiety 
  the 
  poor 
  Indians 
  were 
  under, 
  while 
  these 
  two 
  old 
  Men 
  

   remained 
  in 
  that 
  Part 
  of 
  the 
  Country 
  where 
  I 
  was. 
  An 
  old 
  

   Mohawk 
  Sachem, 
  in 
  a 
  poor 
  Blanket 
  and 
  a 
  dirty 
  Shirt, 
  may 
  be 
  

   seen 
  issuing 
  his 
  Orders 
  with 
  as 
  arbitrary 
  an 
  Authority, 
  as 
  a 
  

   Roman 
  Dictator. 
  

  

  Regarding 
  the 
  proposed 
  intercourse 
  with 
  the 
  Ottawas, 
  Charle- 
  

   voix 
  said 
  : 
  " 
  Nothing 
  was 
  fraught 
  with 
  greater 
  danger 
  than 
  this 
  

   opening 
  of 
  trade 
  between 
  New 
  York 
  and 
  the 
  nations 
  whom 
  we 
  

   had 
  till 
  now 
  regarded 
  as 
  our 
  most 
  faithful 
  allies." 
  Father 
  Lam- 
  

   berville 
  had 
  been 
  away 
  from 
  Onondaga 
  for 
  a 
  short 
  time, 
  and 
  De 
  

   Nonville 
  sent 
  him 
  back 
  with 
  presents. 
  It 
  was 
  high 
  time, 
  for 
  

   Governor 
  Dongan's 
  men 
  had 
  been 
  busy 
  and 
  the 
  Onondagas 
  were 
  

   suspicious 
  and 
  angry. 
  Charlevoix 
  said 
  : 
  

  

  His 
  presence 
  in 
  a 
  moment 
  changed 
  the 
  face 
  of 
  affairs. 
  He 
  

   spoke 
  to 
  the 
  chiefs 
  with 
  that 
  frankness 
  and 
  that 
  insinuating 
  man- 
  

   ner 
  that 
  had 
  won 
  him 
  the 
  esteem 
  and 
  affection 
  of 
  that 
  nation 
  ; 
  

   he 
  dispelled 
  almost 
  all 
  the 
  suspicions 
  that 
  had 
  been 
  instilled 
  into 
  

   them. 
  

  

  