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  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  right 
  in 
  certain 
  clans. 
  Each 
  of 
  these 
  clans 
  also 
  had 
  had 
  its 
  own 
  

   council, 
  regulating 
  tribal 
  affairs. 
  Two 
  clans 
  often 
  met 
  in 
  council 
  

   on 
  matters 
  concerning 
  themselves. 
  

  

  The 
  religious 
  council 
  is 
  modern 
  and 
  has 
  nothing 
  to 
  do 
  with 
  the 
  

   religious 
  feasts. 
  Strictly 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  a 
  council, 
  though 
  the 
  people 
  are 
  

   summoned 
  to 
  attend. 
  There 
  is 
  no 
  discussion 
  of 
  any 
  kind, 
  but 
  his 
  

   appointed 
  successor, 
  or 
  other 
  preacher, 
  relates 
  the 
  revelation 
  made 
  

   to 
  the 
  peace 
  prophet 
  over 
  a 
  century 
  since. 
  Each 
  day, 
  after 
  this 
  is 
  

   done, 
  dances 
  follow 
  but 
  only 
  as 
  a 
  means 
  of 
  enjoyment. 
  

  

  The 
  condolence, 
  or 
  mourning 
  council, 
  commenced 
  with 
  the 
  death 
  

   of 
  the 
  founders 
  of 
  the 
  Iroquois 
  League, 
  and 
  its 
  twofold 
  purpose 
  is 
  

   to 
  lament 
  the 
  dead 
  and 
  replace 
  them 
  with 
  living 
  chiefs. 
  Properly 
  

   it 
  gathers 
  representatives 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  nations, 
  but 
  its 
  work 
  is 
  execu- 
  

   tive, 
  not 
  that 
  of 
  consultation. 
  It 
  does 
  not 
  choose 
  chiefs 
  but 
  instals 
  

   them. 
  

  

  The 
  ancient 
  dead 
  feast 
  had 
  some 
  relation 
  to 
  this, 
  and 
  had 
  many 
  

   remarkable 
  features 
  among 
  the 
  Hurons, 
  which 
  were 
  soon 
  laid 
  aside 
  

   in 
  New 
  York. 
  Yet 
  the 
  Iroquois 
  formally 
  mourned 
  the 
  deaths 
  of 
  

   important 
  persons 
  in 
  each 
  nation, 
  and 
  the 
  chiefs 
  came 
  as 
  a 
  body 
  to 
  

   express 
  sympathy 
  and 
  offer 
  comfort. 
  One 
  and 
  another 
  spoke, 
  but 
  

   no 
  business 
  appeared. 
  The 
  nation 
  or 
  the 
  village 
  alone 
  had 
  part 
  

   in 
  this. 
  

  

  The 
  council 
  for 
  adoption 
  is 
  also 
  treated 
  here, 
  varying 
  much 
  in 
  

   character. 
  Adoption 
  and 
  the 
  giving 
  of 
  a 
  name 
  might 
  take 
  place 
  

   in 
  any 
  civil 
  council 
  and 
  was 
  often 
  attended 
  with 
  debate 
  and 
  cere- 
  

   mony. 
  In 
  important 
  cases 
  a 
  general 
  council 
  might 
  agree 
  on 
  the 
  

   name 
  to 
  be 
  bestowed. 
  In 
  such 
  case 
  there 
  would 
  be 
  a 
  formal 
  

   announcement, 
  without 
  the 
  ceremonies 
  usual 
  at 
  other 
  times. 
  In 
  

   other 
  cases 
  a 
  national 
  council 
  or 
  a 
  family 
  would 
  agree 
  on 
  the 
  name, 
  

   and 
  this 
  would 
  be 
  bestowed 
  with 
  attendant 
  speeches 
  and 
  songs. 
  

   Still 
  further, 
  any 
  person 
  might 
  bestow 
  a 
  name 
  and 
  then 
  the 
  cere- 
  

   mony 
  would 
  vary 
  with 
  his 
  taste. 
  

  

  All 
  these 
  are 
  considered 
  as 
  a 
  class 
  here 
  because 
  they 
  have 
  no 
  

   religious 
  observances 
  properly 
  belonging 
  to 
  them, 
  differing 
  essenti- 
  

   ally 
  from 
  those 
  festivals 
  which 
  embody 
  acts 
  of 
  worship. 
  They 
  are 
  

   not 
  all 
  strictly 
  councils, 
  but 
  have 
  somewhat 
  their 
  character. 
  

   Morgan 
  calls 
  the 
  most 
  striking 
  of 
  those 
  remaining 
  a 
  mourning 
  

   council. 
  The 
  Indians 
  uniformly 
  term 
  it 
  a 
  condolence. 
  Mourning 
  

  

  