﻿New 
  York 
  State 
  Education 
  Department 
  

  

  New 
  York 
  State 
  Museum 
  

  

  John 
  M. 
  Clarke, 
  Director 
  

  

  Bulletin 
  113 
  

  

  ARCHEOLOGY 
  13 
  . 
  

  

  CIVIL, 
  RELIGIOUS 
  AND 
  MOURNING 
  

   COUNCILS 
  AND 
  CEREMONIES 
  OF 
  

   ADOPTION 
  OF 
  THE 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  

   INDIANS 
  

  

  BY 
  

  

  WILLIAM 
  M. 
  BEAUCHAMP 
  

  

  General 
  nature 
  of 
  councils 
  

  

  Councils 
  are 
  a 
  natural 
  feature 
  of 
  human 
  society. 
  In 
  a 
  single 
  

   family, 
  living 
  alone, 
  the 
  father 
  may 
  often 
  assume 
  all 
  responsibility, 
  

   but 
  more 
  commonly 
  he 
  will 
  advise 
  with 
  the 
  wife. 
  Where 
  two 
  or 
  

   more 
  families 
  are 
  associated 
  in 
  one 
  place, 
  mutual 
  consultations 
  are 
  

   the 
  result. 
  Make 
  the 
  families 
  ioo, 
  and 
  a 
  few 
  will 
  represent 
  the 
  rest 
  

   as 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  convenience. 
  Out 
  of 
  a 
  great 
  increase 
  come 
  courts, 
  

   parliaments 
  and 
  senates. 
  Even 
  if 
  the 
  chief 
  man 
  of 
  all 
  becomes 
  

   autocratic, 
  he 
  would 
  still 
  practically 
  have 
  a 
  council 
  for 
  advice. 
  The 
  

   aborigines 
  of 
  the 
  northern 
  United 
  States 
  may 
  sometimes 
  have 
  had 
  

   absolute 
  chiefs, 
  but 
  their 
  power 
  had 
  no 
  wide 
  extent. 
  In 
  the 
  main 
  

   each 
  organization 
  was 
  an 
  oligarchy 
  where 
  a 
  few 
  ruled 
  the 
  tribe 
  or 
  

   nation. 
  Some 
  chief 
  often 
  had 
  executive 
  power, 
  but 
  most 
  acts 
  were 
  

   those 
  of 
  a 
  council. 
  In 
  some 
  cases 
  this 
  had 
  stated 
  meetings, 
  as 
  with 
  

   the 
  Iroquois, 
  but 
  it 
  could 
  be 
  called 
  to 
  consider 
  special 
  business. 
  

  

  