﻿COUNCILS 
  AND 
  CEREMONIES 
  OF 
  ADOPTION 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  INDIANS 
  345 
  

  

  is 
  its 
  great 
  feature, 
  but 
  then 
  chiefs 
  and 
  people 
  are 
  gathered 
  to 
  

   perform 
  a 
  great 
  duty, 
  with 
  mutual 
  agreement. 
  In 
  this 
  sense 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  

   council, 
  and 
  it 
  may 
  go 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  to 
  depose 
  chiefs 
  or 
  refuse 
  to 
  instal 
  

   them. 
  On 
  account 
  of 
  its 
  antiquity 
  and 
  prominence 
  a 
  full 
  account 
  

   is 
  given 
  here. 
  It 
  has 
  a 
  great 
  importance 
  in 
  tracing 
  the 
  history 
  

   and 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  Iroquois 
  League. 
  

  

  Character 
  and 
  power 
  of 
  chiefs 
  

  

  The 
  idea 
  of 
  reviving 
  the 
  dead 
  in 
  the 
  person 
  of 
  some 
  one 
  living 
  

   was 
  a 
  common 
  one 
  among 
  the 
  Indians 
  south 
  and 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  Great 
  

   Lakes, 
  but 
  it 
  took 
  somewhat 
  different 
  forms. 
  Among 
  the 
  Iroquois 
  

   it 
  was 
  shown 
  in 
  the 
  adoption 
  of 
  captives 
  in 
  the 
  place 
  of 
  those 
  

   deceased, 
  who 
  assumed 
  all 
  the 
  duties 
  and 
  privileges 
  of 
  the 
  one 
  

   dead, 
  but 
  there 
  was 
  an 
  official 
  resuscitation, 
  the 
  new 
  chief 
  taking 
  

   his 
  predecessor's 
  name 
  and 
  office, 
  but 
  not 
  his 
  family 
  relations. 
  

   Among 
  the 
  Algonquins 
  he 
  was 
  considered 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  dead 
  actually 
  

   alive 
  again. 
  The 
  Relation 
  of 
  1639 
  describes 
  this 
  in 
  Canada. 
  

  

  The 
  savages 
  have 
  a 
  custom 
  of 
  resuscitating 
  or 
  making 
  their 
  

   friends 
  revive, 
  particularly 
  if 
  they 
  were 
  men 
  of 
  distinction 
  among 
  

   them. 
  They 
  make 
  some 
  other 
  bear 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  the 
  deceased 
  ; 
  and 
  

   behold 
  the 
  dead 
  man 
  resuscitated 
  and 
  the 
  grief 
  of 
  the 
  relatives 
  en- 
  

   tirely 
  gone. 
  Observe 
  that 
  to 
  the 
  name 
  given 
  in 
  a 
  great 
  assembly 
  

   or 
  feast, 
  they 
  add 
  a 
  present 
  which 
  is 
  made 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  rela- 
  

   tives 
  or 
  friends 
  of 
  the 
  one 
  whom 
  they 
  have 
  revived, 
  and 
  he 
  who 
  ac- 
  

   cepts 
  the 
  name 
  and 
  the 
  present 
  is 
  obliged 
  to 
  take 
  care 
  of 
  the 
  family 
  

   of 
  the 
  deceased 
  so 
  well 
  that 
  the 
  wards 
  call 
  him 
  father. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Relation 
  of 
  1644, 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  full 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  installation 
  

   of 
  an 
  Algonquin 
  chief 
  in 
  Canada, 
  probably 
  much 
  like 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  

   same 
  family 
  in 
  New 
  York. 
  There 
  was 
  a 
  master 
  of 
  ceremonies 
  with 
  

   assistants, 
  who 
  arranged 
  the 
  presents 
  and 
  prepared 
  the 
  new 
  chief's 
  

   seat. 
  Two 
  officers 
  were 
  sent 
  for 
  him 
  and 
  conducted 
  him 
  to 
  the 
  

   place 
  where 
  his 
  old 
  robe 
  was 
  removed 
  and 
  a 
  fairer 
  one 
  put 
  on 
  him. 
  

   Wampum 
  was 
  put 
  abou* 
  his 
  neck 
  and 
  a 
  calumet 
  and 
  tobacco 
  in 
  

   his 
  hand. 
  Another 
  richly 
  dressed 
  chief 
  acted 
  as 
  herald 
  and 
  pro- 
  

   claimed 
  the 
  object 
  of 
  the 
  ceremony. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  a 
  question 
  of 
  resuscitating 
  one 
  dead, 
  and 
  of 
  bringing 
  to 
  life 
  

   a 
  great 
  captain. 
  Thereupon 
  he 
  names 
  him 
  and 
  all 
  his 
  posterity, 
  he 
  

   describes 
  the 
  place 
  and 
  manner 
  of 
  death, 
  then 
  turning 
  toward 
  the 
  

   one 
  who 
  is 
  to 
  succeed 
  him, 
  he 
  raises 
  his 
  voice 
  : 
  " 
  Behold 
  him," 
  he 
  

  

  