﻿COUNCILS 
  AND 
  CEREMONIES 
  OF 
  ADOPTION 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  INDIANS 
  349 
  

  

  The 
  noblest 
  matron 
  in 
  the 
  tribe 
  or 
  in 
  the 
  nation 
  chuses 
  the 
  person 
  

   she 
  approves 
  of 
  most, 
  and 
  declares 
  him 
  chief. 
  The 
  person 
  who 
  is 
  

   to 
  govern 
  must 
  be 
  come 
  to 
  years 
  of 
  maturity 
  ; 
  and 
  when 
  j:he 
  heredi- 
  

   tary 
  chief 
  is 
  not 
  as 
  yet 
  arrived 
  at 
  this 
  period, 
  they 
  appoint 
  a 
  regent, 
  

   who 
  has 
  all 
  the 
  authority, 
  but 
  which 
  he 
  holds 
  in 
  name 
  of 
  the 
  minor. 
  

   These 
  chiefs 
  generally 
  have 
  no 
  great 
  marks 
  of 
  respect 
  paid 
  them, 
  

   and 
  if 
  they 
  are 
  never 
  disobeyed, 
  it 
  is 
  because 
  they 
  know 
  how 
  to 
  set 
  

   bounds 
  to 
  their 
  authority. 
  Charlevoix, 
  2 
  124 
  

  

  Several 
  instances 
  of 
  minor 
  chiefs 
  are 
  recorded 
  in 
  colonial 
  docu- 
  

   ments, 
  and 
  in 
  1895 
  a 
  5 
  year 
  old 
  boy 
  of 
  the 
  Onondaga 
  Bear 
  clan 
  was 
  

   publicly 
  made 
  a 
  chief. 
  As 
  such 
  he 
  will 
  attend 
  councils, 
  but 
  will 
  

   have 
  no 
  voice 
  or 
  vote 
  in 
  them 
  until 
  of 
  fit 
  age. 
  

  

  Mr 
  Chadwick 
  carefully 
  inquired 
  how 
  Iroquois 
  chiefs 
  were 
  nomi- 
  

   nated 
  in 
  Canada, 
  comparing 
  several 
  accounts 
  with 
  the 
  following 
  

   results. 
  

  

  The 
  right 
  of 
  nomination 
  vests 
  in 
  the 
  oldest 
  near 
  female 
  relative 
  

   of 
  the 
  deceased 
  chief, 
  that 
  is, 
  the 
  oldest 
  of 
  a 
  class 
  composed 
  of 
  his 
  

   maternal 
  grandmother 
  and 
  great 
  aunts, 
  if 
  living, 
  but 
  if 
  none 
  of 
  those 
  

   are 
  living, 
  then 
  the 
  oldest 
  of 
  a 
  class 
  composed 
  of 
  his 
  mother 
  and 
  her 
  

   sisters 
  (daughters 
  of 
  the 
  mother's 
  mother), 
  or 
  if 
  none 
  of 
  these, 
  

   then 
  of 
  his 
  sisters, 
  daughters 
  of 
  his 
  mother, 
  and 
  if 
  these 
  also 
  are 
  

   wanting, 
  then 
  of 
  his 
  nieces, 
  daughters 
  of 
  his 
  mother's 
  daughters; 
  and 
  

   if 
  all 
  these 
  fail, 
  then 
  the 
  right 
  passes 
  to 
  collateral 
  relatives 
  of 
  his 
  

   mother's 
  totem, 
  and 
  if 
  there 
  are 
  none 
  of 
  these, 
  no 
  nomination 
  can 
  

   be 
  made, 
  and 
  the 
  chiefship 
  becomes 
  extinct. 
  The 
  nominator 
  con- 
  

   sults 
  with 
  the 
  two 
  next 
  senior 
  women, 
  ascertained 
  by 
  the 
  same 
  

   order, 
  and 
  classification 
  of 
  the 
  family 
  is 
  thus 
  made. 
  It 
  does 
  not 
  

   seem 
  very 
  clear 
  what 
  occurs 
  if 
  the 
  three 
  do 
  not 
  agree 
  ... 
  If 
  a 
  

   chiefship 
  fails 
  in 
  consequence 
  of 
  the 
  family 
  to 
  which 
  it 
  belongs 
  be- 
  

   coming 
  extinct, 
  either 
  in 
  the 
  person 
  of 
  a 
  nominator, 
  or 
  of 
  a 
  qualified 
  

   nominee, 
  the 
  Great 
  Council 
  has 
  power 
  to 
  transfer 
  the 
  chiefship 
  to 
  

   another 
  family 
  (preferably 
  one 
  which 
  is, 
  or 
  is 
  considered 
  to 
  be 
  akin 
  

   to 
  the 
  extinct 
  family), 
  in 
  which 
  a 
  chief 
  is 
  then 
  nominated 
  by 
  the 
  

   senior 
  woman 
  and 
  her 
  associates, 
  and 
  assumes 
  the 
  title 
  in 
  the 
  usual 
  

   manner, 
  whereupon 
  the 
  succession 
  goes 
  in 
  that 
  family. 
  Chadzvick. 
  

  

  36-38 
  

  

  Of 
  original 
  titles 
  of 
  the 
  Five 
  Nations 
  in 
  Canada 
  11 
  have 
  thus 
  

   become 
  extinct, 
  and 
  the 
  sixth 
  nation 
  has 
  there 
  but 
  four 
  out 
  of 
  its 
  

   13 
  chiefs. 
  Most 
  of 
  those 
  in 
  New 
  York 
  keep 
  their 
  offices 
  filled. 
  

  

  .The 
  line 
  of 
  descent 
  was 
  often 
  through 
  the 
  woman 
  and 
  always 
  so 
  

   among 
  the 
  Huron-Iroquois. 
  Charlevoix 
  said 
  " 
  Among 
  the' 
  Huron 
  

  

  