﻿COUNCILS 
  AND 
  CEREMONIES 
  OF 
  ADOPTION 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  INDIANS 
  379 
  

  

  This 
  song 
  has 
  been 
  placed 
  after 
  this 
  account, 
  as 
  the 
  song 
  of 
  the 
  

   younger 
  brothers, 
  but 
  may 
  become 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  elder 
  three. 
  In 
  all 
  

   these, 
  Mr 
  Hale's, 
  translation 
  is 
  generally 
  followed, 
  but 
  with 
  vari- 
  

   ations. 
  It 
  will 
  be 
  observed 
  that 
  the 
  ceremonies 
  are 
  not 
  religious, 
  

   but 
  purely 
  civil 
  in 
  character, 
  a 
  public 
  installation 
  or 
  inauguration 
  of 
  

   chiefs. 
  For 
  this 
  reason 
  those 
  of 
  opposing 
  religious 
  beliefs 
  have 
  no 
  

   hesitation 
  in 
  taking 
  part, 
  and 
  as 
  all 
  are 
  interested 
  there 
  is 
  usually 
  a 
  

   large 
  attendance. 
  Condolences 
  are 
  often 
  several 
  years 
  apart. 
  It 
  

   may 
  here 
  be 
  remembered 
  that 
  Mr 
  Morgan 
  took 
  a 
  different 
  view 
  of 
  

   their 
  nature, 
  saying: 
  

  

  In 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  religious 
  councils 
  which 
  were 
  held 
  at 
  the 
  

   period 
  of 
  their 
  festivals, 
  the 
  mourning 
  council 
  was 
  always 
  made 
  an 
  

   occasion 
  for 
  religious 
  and 
  moral 
  instruction. 
  Many 
  of 
  its 
  exercises 
  

   were 
  of 
  strictly 
  religious 
  character, 
  and 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  more 
  proper 
  

   to 
  designate 
  it 
  as 
  a 
  religious 
  council, 
  than 
  by 
  any 
  other 
  name, 
  but 
  

   for 
  the 
  circumstance 
  that 
  its 
  object 
  was 
  to 
  raise 
  up 
  rulers, 
  and 
  its 
  

   ceremonies 
  were 
  entirely 
  distinct 
  from 
  those 
  at 
  the 
  regular 
  festi- 
  

   vals. 
  Morgan, 
  p. 
  125 
  

  

  With 
  the 
  full 
  text 
  before 
  him 
  the 
  reader 
  can 
  judge 
  of 
  the 
  corect- 
  

   ness 
  of 
  this. 
  A 
  moral 
  tone 
  may 
  be 
  said 
  to 
  run 
  through 
  all, 
  but 
  

   there 
  is 
  no 
  religious 
  instruction, 
  nor 
  does 
  religious 
  feeling 
  go 
  beyond 
  

   a 
  mere 
  expression 
  of 
  thankfulness. 
  There 
  is 
  no 
  act 
  of 
  worship 
  

   from 
  beginning 
  to 
  end. 
  It 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  Mr 
  Morgan 
  was 
  im- 
  

   pressed 
  with 
  the 
  solemnity 
  of 
  the 
  ceremonies, 
  and 
  did 
  not 
  sufficiently 
  

   take 
  in 
  the 
  meaning 
  of 
  the 
  words. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  some 
  allusions 
  in 
  this 
  delivery 
  of 
  the 
  wampum 
  which 
  

   are 
  not 
  of 
  themselves 
  clear. 
  " 
  It 
  was 
  valued 
  at 
  20 
  " 
  refers 
  to 
  the 
  

   fact 
  that 
  there 
  was 
  an 
  established 
  valuation 
  of 
  human 
  life. 
  The 
  

   losing 
  of 
  the 
  line 
  by 
  the 
  death 
  of 
  the 
  woman 
  recalls 
  the 
  other 
  fact, 
  

   that 
  descent 
  was 
  reckoned 
  in 
  the 
  female 
  line. 
  Leaving 
  the 
  horns 
  

   on 
  the 
  grave 
  was 
  a 
  command 
  not 
  to 
  fill 
  an 
  office 
  before 
  a 
  council 
  was 
  

   called. 
  Receiving 
  the 
  pouch 
  is 
  the 
  transmission 
  of 
  mourning 
  wam- 
  

   pum 
  at 
  or 
  for 
  such 
  council, 
  and 
  the 
  rising 
  smoke 
  refers 
  to 
  the 
  

   woodside 
  fire. 
  

  

  Another 
  statement 
  of 
  Mr 
  Morgan's 
  may 
  be 
  noticed. 
  It 
  will 
  be 
  

   seen 
  that 
  the 
  figure 
  kept 
  in 
  view 
  is 
  the 
  building 
  of 
  a 
  house, 
  and 
  that 
  

   there 
  is 
  no 
  allusion 
  to 
  the 
  planting 
  of 
  a 
  tree 
  of 
  peace, 
  so 
  frequent 
  in 
  

   speeches 
  in 
  council. 
  So 
  the 
  substance 
  of 
  what 
  Mr 
  Morgan 
  says 
  

  

  