﻿342 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  For 
  such 
  calls 
  wampum 
  was 
  used, 
  with 
  a 
  tally 
  stick 
  attached 
  to 
  

   fix 
  the 
  date. 
  The 
  simple 
  tribal 
  council 
  might 
  do 
  little 
  to 
  develop 
  

   statesmanship, 
  but 
  Iroquois 
  sagacity 
  and 
  eloquence 
  were 
  largely 
  

   due 
  to 
  the 
  annual 
  or 
  more 
  frequent 
  meetings 
  of 
  their 
  five 
  divisions, 
  

   and 
  the 
  increasing 
  outlook 
  coming 
  from 
  these. 
  When 
  councils 
  

   with 
  the 
  French, 
  English 
  and 
  Dutch 
  became 
  frequent, 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  

   greater 
  stimulus, 
  and 
  when 
  distant 
  tribes 
  came 
  to 
  seek 
  their 
  favor 
  

   or 
  pay 
  them 
  tribute, 
  they 
  would 
  not 
  fail 
  to 
  become 
  lofty 
  in 
  their 
  

   bearing 
  and 
  farseeing 
  in 
  their 
  plans. 
  

  

  While 
  the 
  great 
  council 
  of 
  the 
  Iroquois 
  met 
  periodically 
  it 
  was 
  

   often 
  summoned 
  in 
  extra 
  session 
  for 
  special 
  purposes. 
  To 
  obviate, 
  

   too 
  frequent 
  calls, 
  they 
  had 
  the 
  expedient 
  of 
  delegating 
  powers. 
  

   One 
  might 
  speak 
  for 
  another 
  in 
  councils, 
  or 
  sometimes 
  the 
  Onon- 
  

   dagas 
  might 
  act 
  for 
  the 
  whole. 
  Local 
  affairs 
  were 
  left 
  to 
  national 
  

   councils, 
  as 
  in 
  our 
  general 
  and 
  state 
  governments, 
  those 
  of 
  general 
  

   importance 
  going 
  to 
  the 
  grand 
  council. 
  In 
  the 
  latter 
  case, 
  the 
  

   Onondagas, 
  or 
  others 
  who 
  might 
  be 
  present, 
  sometimes 
  held 
  a 
  

   preliminary 
  meeting 
  with 
  messengers 
  or 
  ambassadors, 
  not 
  as 
  a 
  

   matter 
  of 
  formal 
  business, 
  but 
  to 
  learn 
  the 
  business, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  

   better 
  prepared 
  when 
  the 
  council 
  assembled. 
  Sometimes 
  ambassa- 
  

   dors 
  consulted 
  with 
  a 
  prominent 
  chief, 
  so 
  that 
  he 
  might 
  know 
  the 
  

   matter 
  exactly, 
  and 
  guard 
  against 
  misunderstandings. 
  It 
  was 
  no 
  

   uncommon 
  thing 
  to 
  secure 
  his 
  favor 
  and 
  aid 
  by 
  timely 
  gifts. 
  In 
  

   such 
  a 
  case 
  he 
  was 
  understood 
  to 
  be 
  their 
  representative 
  and 
  

   speaker. 
  This 
  the 
  council 
  failed 
  not 
  to 
  remember. 
  

  

  Various 
  councils 
  had 
  different 
  names, 
  and 
  nationality 
  affected 
  

   this. 
  The 
  Senecas 
  called 
  a 
  civil 
  council 
  Ho-de-os'-seh, 
  advising 
  

   together, 
  while 
  an 
  Onondaga 
  might 
  term 
  it 
  Ka-hos'-ken, 
  and 
  some- 
  

   times 
  Kah-hah, 
  where 
  they 
  have 
  a 
  light. 
  The 
  names 
  of 
  other 
  

   councils 
  will 
  appear 
  under 
  their 
  proper 
  heads. 
  

  

  While 
  in 
  some 
  tribes 
  war 
  chiefs 
  had 
  a 
  prominent 
  place 
  in 
  coun- 
  

   cils, 
  they 
  had 
  none 
  in 
  the 
  national 
  councils 
  of 
  the 
  Iroquois, 
  as 
  such, 
  

   and 
  in 
  some 
  cases 
  a 
  sachem' 
  was 
  supposed 
  to 
  be 
  debarred 
  by 
  his 
  

   office 
  from 
  taking 
  part 
  in 
  war 
  at 
  all. 
  This 
  probably 
  went 
  no 
  

   further 
  than 
  to 
  give 
  him 
  exemption 
  on 
  high 
  grounds, 
  if 
  he 
  chose 
  

   to 
  avail 
  himself 
  of 
  it. 
  It 
  at 
  least 
  showed 
  that 
  this 
  people 
  recog- 
  

   nized 
  in 
  peace 
  something 
  far 
  better 
  than 
  war. 
  One 
  of 
  their 
  own 
  

   names 
  for 
  their 
  confederacy 
  was 
  that 
  of 
  Great 
  Peace, 
  and 
  though 
  

  

  