﻿COUNCILS 
  AND 
  CEREMONIES 
  OF 
  ADOPTION 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  INDIANS 
  343 
  

  

  they 
  fought 
  fiercely 
  they 
  always 
  hailed 
  peace 
  as 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  greatest 
  

   of 
  blessings. 
  The 
  highest 
  purpose 
  of 
  their 
  great 
  council 
  was 
  to- 
  

   remove 
  every 
  source 
  of 
  strife 
  among 
  themselves. 
  

  

  Charlevoix 
  had 
  most 
  of 
  his 
  information 
  from 
  others, 
  but 
  speaks 
  

   in 
  high 
  terms 
  of 
  Indian 
  councils. 
  He 
  doubted 
  whether 
  women 
  had 
  

   all 
  the 
  influence 
  which 
  some 
  claimed 
  for 
  them, 
  but 
  had 
  been 
  told 
  

   that 
  they 
  deliberated 
  first 
  on 
  whatever 
  was 
  to 
  be 
  proposed 
  in 
  

   council, 
  to 
  which 
  they 
  reported 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  this 
  consultation. 
  

  

  The 
  warriors 
  likewise 
  consult 
  together, 
  on 
  what 
  relates 
  to 
  their 
  

   particular 
  province, 
  but 
  can 
  conclude 
  nothing 
  of 
  importance 
  which 
  

   concerns 
  the 
  nation 
  or 
  town; 
  all 
  being 
  subject 
  to 
  the 
  examination 
  

   and 
  controul 
  of 
  the 
  council 
  of 
  elders 
  who 
  judge 
  in 
  the 
  last 
  resource. 
  

   It 
  must 
  be 
  acknowledged, 
  that 
  proceedings 
  are 
  carried 
  on 
  in 
  these 
  

   assemblies 
  with 
  a 
  wisdom 
  and 
  a 
  coolness, 
  and 
  a 
  knowledge 
  of 
  affairs, 
  

   and 
  I 
  may 
  add 
  generally 
  with 
  a 
  probity, 
  which 
  would 
  have 
  done 
  

   honour 
  to 
  the 
  areopagus 
  of 
  Athens, 
  or 
  to 
  the 
  senate 
  of 
  Rome, 
  in 
  

   the 
  most 
  glorious 
  days 
  of 
  those 
  republics 
  ; 
  the 
  reason 
  of 
  this 
  is, 
  

   that 
  nothing 
  is 
  resolved 
  upon 
  with 
  precipitation 
  ; 
  and 
  that 
  those 
  vio- 
  

   lent 
  passions, 
  which 
  have 
  so 
  much 
  disgraced 
  the 
  politics 
  even 
  of 
  

   Christians, 
  have 
  never 
  prevailed 
  amongst 
  the 
  Indians 
  over 
  the 
  

   public 
  good 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  What 
  is 
  certain, 
  is, 
  that 
  our 
  Indians 
  are 
  

   eternally 
  negociating, 
  and 
  have 
  always 
  some 
  affairs 
  or 
  other 
  on 
  the 
  

   tapis 
  : 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  concluding 
  or 
  renewing 
  of 
  treaties, 
  offers 
  of 
  

   service, 
  mutual 
  civilities, 
  making 
  alliances, 
  invitations 
  to 
  become 
  

   parties 
  in 
  a 
  war, 
  and 
  lastly, 
  compliments 
  of 
  condolence 
  on 
  the 
  death 
  

   of 
  some 
  chief 
  or 
  considerable 
  person. 
  All 
  this 
  is 
  performed 
  with 
  

   a 
  dignity, 
  an 
  attention, 
  and 
  I 
  may 
  add, 
  with 
  a 
  capacity 
  equal 
  to 
  the 
  

   most 
  important 
  affairs, 
  and 
  theirs 
  are 
  sometimes, 
  of 
  greater 
  conse- 
  

   quence 
  than 
  they 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  : 
  for 
  those, 
  who 
  are 
  deputed 
  for 
  this 
  

   purpose, 
  have 
  commonly 
  secret 
  instructions. 
  Charlevoix, 
  2 
  126-28 
  

  

  The 
  councils 
  here 
  considered 
  are 
  the 
  civil, 
  religious 
  and 
  mourn- 
  

   ing 
  councils, 
  those 
  for 
  adoption 
  and 
  those 
  for 
  bewailing 
  the 
  dead 
  

   without 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  new 
  relations 
  of 
  the 
  living. 
  Among 
  the 
  

   Iroquois 
  the 
  Grand 
  Council 
  represented 
  the 
  whole 
  confederacy, 
  

   and 
  treated 
  of 
  peace 
  and 
  war, 
  or 
  any 
  questions 
  affecting 
  general 
  

   interests. 
  This 
  had 
  at 
  first 
  a 
  fixed 
  number 
  of 
  members, 
  and 
  met 
  at 
  

   Onondaga 
  annually. 
  The 
  minor 
  matters 
  of 
  war 
  parties 
  were 
  left 
  

   to 
  the 
  war 
  chiefs. 
  This 
  great 
  council 
  often 
  had 
  long 
  sessions, 
  and 
  

   the 
  council 
  fire 
  was 
  never 
  extinguished; 
  the 
  embers 
  were 
  simply 
  

   covered. 
  The 
  chiefs 
  of 
  each 
  nation 
  composing 
  this 
  council 
  were 
  

   the 
  civil 
  rulers 
  of 
  their 
  own 
  nation, 
  and 
  were 
  elective 
  by 
  hereditary 
  

  

  