﻿394 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  the 
  aforesaid 
  Sachems 
  sung 
  the 
  condoling 
  song: 
  This 
  being 
  over 
  

   Rozinoghyata, 
  with 
  several 
  other 
  councillors 
  or 
  Sachems 
  rose 
  up, 
  

   and 
  shook 
  hands 
  with 
  Sir 
  William 
  and 
  bid 
  him 
  and 
  his 
  company 
  

   wellcome 
  to 
  their 
  Town 
  or 
  Castle. 
  Then 
  Sir 
  William 
  inarched 
  on 
  

   at 
  the 
  Head 
  of 
  the 
  Warriors 
  the 
  Sachems 
  falling 
  into 
  the 
  Rear, 
  

   and 
  continued 
  singing 
  their 
  condoling 
  song. 
  O'Callaghan, 
  7:133 
  

  

  Conrad 
  Weiser 
  mentioned 
  something 
  of 
  ihe 
  kind 
  at 
  an 
  ordinary 
  

   council 
  at 
  Onondaga, 
  when 
  the 
  formation 
  of 
  the 
  union 
  was 
  recalled, 
  

   and 
  the 
  names 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  chiefs 
  repeated. 
  This 
  will 
  be 
  quoted 
  

   later, 
  and 
  occurred 
  July 
  30, 
  1743. 
  

  

  Before 
  Weiser 
  reached 
  Onondaga 
  in 
  1750, 
  Canassatego 
  had 
  died, 
  

   and 
  at 
  first 
  it 
  was 
  thought 
  no 
  council 
  could 
  be 
  held, 
  but 
  as 
  he 
  had 
  

   come 
  a 
  long 
  way 
  the 
  chiefs 
  reconsidered 
  the 
  matter, 
  and 
  sent 
  word 
  

   that 
  they 
  would 
  meet 
  him. 
  He 
  said, 
  on 
  this 
  point: 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  known 
  that 
  the 
  Six 
  Nations 
  don't 
  meet 
  in 
  Council 
  

   when 
  they 
  are 
  in 
  mourning 
  till 
  some 
  of 
  their 
  Friends 
  or 
  Neighbours 
  

   wipe 
  off 
  their 
  Tears 
  and 
  comfort 
  their 
  Heart; 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  certain 
  cere- 
  

   mony, 
  and 
  if 
  they 
  appear 
  in 
  Council 
  without 
  that 
  Ceremony 
  being 
  

   performed, 
  the 
  dead 
  Person 
  was 
  of 
  no 
  Credit 
  or 
  Esteem 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  

   certain 
  affront 
  to 
  the 
  deceased 
  Friends, 
  if 
  he 
  has 
  any. 
  Hazard, 
  

   5 
  -474 
  

  

  On 
  this 
  occasion 
  some 
  Onondaga 
  chiefs 
  met 
  him 
  on 
  the 
  way, 
  and 
  

   "one," 
  said 
  Weiser, 
  " 
  began 
  to 
  sing 
  a 
  Lamentation 
  Song, 
  just 
  when 
  

   we 
  set 
  out, 
  to 
  signify 
  to 
  me 
  in 
  an 
  allegorical 
  way, 
  that 
  the 
  Town 
  I 
  

   was 
  going 
  to 
  was 
  no 
  more 
  inhabited 
  by 
  such 
  good 
  Friends 
  as 
  for- 
  

   merly, 
  and 
  now 
  more 
  especially 
  since 
  the 
  Word 
  died, 
  meaning 
  

   Canassatego, 
  the 
  evil 
  Spirits 
  would 
  reign 
  and 
  bring 
  forth 
  Thorns 
  

   and 
  Briars 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  Earth." 
  

  

  Canassatego's 
  name 
  meant 
  Upsetting 
  a 
  house 
  placed 
  in 
  order, 
  but 
  

   he 
  had 
  long 
  been 
  their 
  speaker 
  or 
  Word, 
  and 
  this 
  expression 
  was 
  

   used 
  instead 
  of 
  his 
  name, 
  from 
  a 
  curious 
  Iroquois 
  custom 
  of 
  which 
  

   Weiser 
  took 
  note. 
  Reference 
  was 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  council 
  to 
  "the 
  

   Death 
  of 
  that 
  great 
  Man 
  our 
  Word, 
  who 
  died 
  but 
  the 
  other 
  day 
  (a 
  

   dead 
  man's 
  name 
  must 
  not 
  be 
  mentioned 
  among 
  the 
  People.)" 
  

   Hazard, 
  5 
  : 
  476. 
  This 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  awkward 
  at 
  times, 
  when 
  sev- 
  

   eral 
  were 
  condoled. 
  In 
  July 
  1751, 
  Weiser 
  met 
  the 
  Indians 
  at 
  

   Albany, 
  and 
  employed 
  Canaghquieson 
  to 
  perform 
  all 
  necessary 
  cere- 
  

   monies 
  for 
  him, 
  he 
  being 
  an 
  expert 
  in 
  such 
  matters 
  : 
  

  

  After 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  Indians 
  met, 
  Canachquaieson 
  stood 
  up 
  and 
  

   begged 
  me 
  to 
  walk 
  up 
  and 
  down 
  the 
  Floor 
  and 
  to 
  sing 
  Lamentation 
  

   Songs 
  in 
  very 
  melancholy 
  Time, 
  which 
  he 
  continued 
  till 
  all 
  were 
  

  

  