﻿244 
  NE 
  W 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  In 
  1694 
  the 
  Delawares 
  definitely 
  appear 
  in 
  Iroquois 
  history, 
  

   having 
  long 
  been 
  subject 
  to 
  them 
  in 
  a 
  quiet 
  way. 
  The 
  time 
  

   came 
  afterward 
  when 
  they 
  did 
  not 
  like 
  this, 
  and 
  said 
  they 
  were 
  

   deceived 
  by 
  the 
  Iroquois 
  when 
  persuaded 
  to 
  become 
  women 
  and 
  

   thus 
  peacemakers. 
  Heckewelder 
  says 
  of 
  this 
  office 
  : 
  " 
  It 
  must 
  

   be 
  understood 
  that 
  among 
  these 
  nations 
  wars 
  are 
  never 
  brought 
  

   to 
  an 
  end 
  but 
  by 
  the 
  interference 
  of 
  the 
  weaker 
  sex." 
  Then 
  he 
  

   tells 
  the 
  story 
  invented 
  by 
  them, 
  on 
  which 
  Albert 
  Gallatin 
  

   remarked 
  : 
  ' 
  The 
  tale 
  suggested 
  by 
  the 
  vanity 
  of 
  the 
  Delawares, 
  

   and 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  venerable 
  Heckewelder 
  placed 
  implicit 
  faith, 
  

   that 
  this 
  treaty 
  was 
  a 
  voluntary 
  act 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Delawares, 
  

   is 
  too 
  incredible 
  to 
  require 
  a 
  serious 
  discussion.'' 
  Heckewelder 
  

   gives 
  the 
  speech 
  and 
  acts 
  supposed 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  used 
  in 
  making 
  

   the 
  Delawares 
  women, 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  historic 
  

   ceremony 
  of 
  restoring 
  their 
  rights. 
  The 
  speech 
  had 
  three 
  parts 
  : 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  was, 
  that 
  they 
  declared 
  the 
  Delaware 
  nation 
  to 
  be 
  

   the 
  woman 
  in 
  the 
  following 
  words 
  : 
  " 
  We 
  dress 
  you 
  in 
  a 
  woman's 
  

   long 
  habit, 
  reaching 
  down 
  to 
  your 
  feet, 
  and 
  adorn 
  you 
  with 
  ear- 
  

   rings 
  " 
  ; 
  meaning 
  that 
  they 
  should 
  no 
  more 
  take 
  up 
  arms. 
  The 
  

   second 
  point 
  was 
  thus 
  expressed 
  : 
  ' 
  We 
  hang 
  a 
  calabash 
  filled 
  

   with 
  oil 
  and 
  medicine 
  upon 
  your 
  arm. 
  With 
  the 
  oil 
  you 
  shall 
  

   cleanse 
  the 
  ears 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  nations, 
  that 
  they 
  may 
  attend 
  to 
  

   good 
  and 
  not 
  to 
  bad 
  words, 
  and 
  with 
  the 
  medicine 
  you 
  shall 
  

   heal 
  those 
  who 
  are 
  walking 
  in 
  foolish 
  ways, 
  that 
  they 
  may 
  return 
  

   to 
  their 
  senses 
  and 
  incline 
  their 
  hearts 
  to 
  peace." 
  The 
  third 
  

   point, 
  by 
  which 
  the 
  Delawares 
  were 
  exhorted 
  to 
  make 
  agriculture 
  

   their 
  future 
  employ 
  and 
  means 
  of 
  subsistence, 
  was 
  thus 
  worded 
  : 
  

   ' 
  We 
  deliver 
  into 
  your 
  hands 
  a 
  plant 
  of 
  Indian 
  corn 
  and 
  a 
  hoe." 
  

   Each 
  of 
  these 
  points 
  was 
  confirmed 
  by 
  delivering 
  a 
  belt 
  of 
  wam- 
  

   pum, 
  and 
  these 
  belts 
  have 
  been 
  carefully 
  laid 
  up, 
  and 
  their 
  mean- 
  

   ing 
  frequently 
  repeated. 
  The 
  Iroquois, 
  on 
  the 
  contrary, 
  assert 
  

   that 
  they 
  conquered 
  the 
  Delawares, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  latter 
  were 
  

   forced 
  to 
  adopt 
  the 
  defenceless 
  state 
  and 
  appellation 
  of 
  a 
  woman 
  

   to 
  avoid 
  total 
  ruin. 
  

  

  What 
  the 
  Delawares' 
  earlier 
  statement 
  really 
  was 
  appears 
  in 
  

   a 
  conference 
  held 
  with 
  them 
  in 
  Philadelphia 
  July 
  6, 
  1694. 
  A 
  

   belt 
  was 
  produced 
  by 
  them, 
  sent, 
  they 
  said 
  

  

  