﻿COUNCILS 
  AND 
  CEREMONIES 
  OF 
  ADOPTION 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  INDIANS 
  393 
  

  

  Mr 
  Morgan 
  did 
  not 
  give 
  the 
  meaning 
  of 
  all 
  and 
  adds 
  to 
  these 
  

   chiefs 
  two 
  great 
  Seneca 
  war 
  chiefs, 
  as 
  military 
  leaders 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  

   confederacy. 
  This 
  hardly 
  agrees 
  with 
  history 
  or 
  positive 
  Iroquois 
  

   statements. 
  So 
  shrewd 
  a 
  people 
  would 
  hardly 
  have 
  confined 
  this 
  

   office 
  to 
  one 
  nation 
  or 
  clan, 
  but 
  he 
  says 
  that 
  Ta-wan-ne-ars, 
  needle 
  

   breaker, 
  of 
  the 
  Seneca 
  Wolf 
  clan, 
  and 
  So-no-so-wa, 
  great 
  oyster 
  

   shell, 
  of 
  the 
  Turtle 
  tribe, 
  had 
  such 
  offices 
  by 
  hereditary 
  right. 
  On 
  

   the 
  other 
  hand 
  David 
  Cusick 
  said 
  that 
  the 
  laws 
  of 
  the 
  confederacy 
  

   provided 
  that 
  the 
  Mohawks 
  should 
  furnish 
  " 
  a 
  great 
  war 
  chief 
  of 
  

   the 
  Five 
  Nations." 
  An 
  Onondaga 
  was 
  chosen 
  to 
  lead 
  the 
  Iroquois 
  

   against 
  the 
  Eries. 
  

  

  As 
  now 
  conducted 
  a 
  condolence 
  lasts 
  several 
  hours, 
  and 
  those 
  who 
  

   attend 
  are 
  quite 
  ready 
  for 
  the 
  bountiful 
  feast 
  which 
  follows, 
  while 
  

   the 
  young 
  people 
  find 
  as 
  much 
  pleasure 
  in 
  the 
  evening 
  dances. 
  

  

  Early 
  writers 
  do 
  not 
  describe 
  the 
  condolence 
  fully, 
  though 
  some 
  

   •features 
  of 
  it 
  often 
  appear, 
  and 
  some 
  belonged 
  to 
  all 
  formal 
  occa- 
  

   sions. 
  The 
  forest 
  paths 
  were 
  symbolically 
  cleared, 
  thorns 
  were 
  

   taken 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  feet, 
  tears 
  were 
  wiped 
  away, 
  the 
  throat 
  and 
  ears 
  

   were 
  cleansed 
  that 
  all 
  might 
  speak 
  and 
  hear, 
  the 
  heart 
  was 
  restored 
  

   to 
  its 
  right 
  place, 
  and 
  clouds 
  were 
  removed 
  from 
  the 
  sun 
  in 
  the 
  sky. 
  

   Blood 
  was 
  washed 
  from 
  the 
  seat, 
  if 
  any 
  one 
  had 
  died, 
  graves 
  were 
  

   leveled 
  or 
  covered, 
  the 
  bones 
  of 
  the 
  slain 
  were 
  gathered 
  and 
  hidden 
  

   under 
  the 
  roots 
  of 
  some 
  great 
  tree, 
  temporarily 
  swayed 
  from 
  its 
  

   place. 
  It 
  sprang 
  back 
  and 
  they 
  were 
  seen 
  no 
  more. 
  The 
  special 
  

   song, 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  -given 
  in 
  full, 
  is 
  more 
  particularly 
  mentioned 
  

   in 
  Sir 
  William 
  Johnson's 
  account 
  of 
  his 
  coming 
  to 
  Onondaga, 
  June 
  

   18, 
  1756, 
  to 
  condole 
  the 
  death 
  of 
  Kaughswughtioony 
  : 
  

  

  About 
  an 
  English 
  mile 
  on 
  this 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  Castle, 
  3 
  Cayougas 
  met 
  

   him, 
  and 
  a 
  halt 
  was 
  made 
  of 
  two 
  hours, 
  to 
  settle 
  the 
  formalities 
  of 
  

   the 
  condolence, 
  agreeable 
  to 
  the 
  ancient 
  Custom 
  of 
  the 
  6 
  Nations. 
  

   Then 
  Sir 
  William 
  marched 
  on 
  at 
  the 
  Head 
  of 
  the 
  Sachems 
  singing 
  

   the 
  condoling 
  song 
  which 
  contains 
  the 
  names, 
  laws 
  and 
  Customs 
  of 
  

   their 
  renowned 
  ancestors, 
  and 
  praying 
  to 
  god 
  that 
  their 
  deceased 
  

   Brother 
  might 
  be 
  blessed 
  with 
  happiness 
  in 
  his 
  other 
  state, 
  this 
  

   Ceremony 
  was 
  performed 
  by 
  Abraham 
  the 
  chief 
  Mohawk 
  Sachem, 
  

   Tesanunda, 
  and 
  Canaghquayeson 
  chief 
  Sachems 
  of 
  Oneida. 
  When 
  

   they 
  became 
  within 
  sight 
  of 
  the 
  Castle 
  the 
  Head 
  Sachems 
  and 
  War- 
  

   riors 
  met 
  Sir 
  William, 
  where 
  he 
  was 
  stopped 
  they 
  having 
  placed 
  

   themselves 
  in 
  a 
  Half 
  Moon 
  across 
  the 
  Road 
  sitting 
  in 
  profound 
  

   silence, 
  there 
  a 
  Halt 
  was 
  made 
  about 
  an 
  hour 
  during: 
  which 
  time 
  

  

  