﻿4 S 



NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



I 



f Fig. 4 Ceremonial paddle, 

 gus Seneca 



Cattarau- 



world tree, the scroll or helix, the 

 sun, the circle, the horn and the ^^f- 

 pent symbols were predominant. In 

 connection with this research has been 

 the study of pictographs and decora- 

 tive motifs. 



At the commencement of our plans 

 for the Governor Myron H. Clark 

 Hall of Iroquois Ethnology, when the 

 costuming of some forty casts of 

 Indians became a problem for con- 

 sideration, it was found that no de- 

 scription of the Iroquois costume 

 through the various periods existed. 

 It became necessary to make a special 

 study of the subject not only from 

 books but from the Indians them- 

 selves. By good fortune many valu- 

 able notes were obtained and we 

 may now represent with a degree of 

 accuracy the various costumes of the 

 Iroquois. Some of the existing pic- 

 tures of Iroquois costumes are errone- 

 ous, the peace garments and war 

 costume being represented together. 



The dressing of the hair, the face 

 painting and tattooing are other im- 

 portant details that have been studied 

 with enlightening results. 



Manuscripts and codes. Among 

 much interesting matter one import- 

 ant manuscript has come into the 

 possession of the division. This is 

 the Dekanawideh code of the Iroquois 

 by Seth Newhouse, a Canadian Mo- 

 hawk. Mr Newhouse has for twenty 

 years been compiling the manuscript, 

 which treats of the Hiawatha legend 

 and the Iroquois constitution. Horatio 

 Hale, in his " Book of Rites." 

 mentions the constitution but it is be- 

 lieved that it has not heretofore 



