﻿39^ 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  of 
  the 
  new 
  sachems 
  — 
  the 
  impeachment 
  and 
  deposition 
  of 
  three 
  un- 
  

   faithful 
  sachems 
  — 
  the 
  elevation 
  of 
  others 
  in 
  their 
  stead, 
  and 
  the 
  

   performance 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  ceremonies 
  attendant 
  upon 
  these 
  pro- 
  

   ceedings, 
  consumed 
  the 
  principal 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  afternoon. 
  At 
  the 
  

   setting 
  of 
  the 
  sun, 
  a 
  bountiful 
  repast, 
  consisting 
  of 
  an 
  innumerable 
  

   number 
  of 
  rather 
  formidable 
  looking 
  chunks 
  of 
  boiled 
  fresh 
  beef, 
  

   and 
  an 
  abundance 
  of 
  bread 
  and 
  succotash, 
  was 
  brought 
  into 
  the 
  

   council 
  house. 
  The 
  manner 
  of 
  saying 
  grace 
  on 
  this 
  occasion 
  was 
  

   indeed 
  peculiar. 
  A 
  kettle 
  being 
  brought, 
  hot 
  and 
  smoking 
  from 
  

   the 
  fire, 
  and 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  council 
  house, 
  there 
  pro- 
  

   ceeded 
  from 
  a 
  single 
  person, 
  in 
  a 
  high 
  shrill 
  key, 
  a 
  prolonged 
  and 
  

   monotonous 
  sound, 
  resembling 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  syllable 
  wah 
  or 
  yah. 
  

   This 
  was 
  immediately 
  followed 
  by 
  a 
  response 
  from 
  the 
  whole 
  mul- 
  

   titude, 
  uttering 
  in 
  a 
  low 
  and 
  profoundly 
  guttural 
  but 
  protracted 
  

   tone, 
  the 
  syllable 
  zvhe 
  or 
  swe, 
  and 
  this 
  concluded 
  grace. 
  Schoolcraft, 
  

   p. 
  228 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  no 
  mourning 
  council 
  on 
  record 
  half 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  that 
  

   imagined 
  by 
  Mr 
  Morgan, 
  and 
  his 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  one 
  in 
  1847 
  would 
  

   suffice 
  for 
  the 
  one 
  attended 
  by 
  the 
  writer 
  in 
  1903. 
  Indeed 
  in 
  early 
  

   days 
  the 
  installation 
  of 
  a 
  chief 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  a 
  very 
  brief 
  and 
  

   simple 
  ceremony, 
  not 
  necessarily 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  mourning 
  

   council. 
  Certain 
  usages 
  had 
  been 
  linked 
  with 
  the 
  latter, 
  as 
  when 
  

   some 
  Cayugas 
  said, 
  in 
  1697 
  : 
  " 
  You 
  know 
  our 
  custom 
  is 
  to 
  con- 
  

   dole 
  the 
  dead 
  by 
  wampum." 
  Then 
  they 
  began 
  to 
  look 
  for 
  the 
  ap- 
  

   proval 
  of 
  the 
  French 
  and 
  English 
  colonists. 
  Two 
  Onondaga 
  

   sachems 
  had 
  died 
  without 
  the 
  customary 
  notice 
  of 
  death 
  to 
  the 
  

   English, 
  and 
  at 
  a 
  council 
  in 
  1698 
  the 
  speaker 
  said 
  : 
  

  

  That 
  before 
  the 
  approvement 
  of 
  this 
  government 
  they 
  could 
  nor 
  

   would 
  not 
  choose 
  any 
  other 
  in 
  their 
  room, 
  they 
  had 
  already 
  ac- 
  

   quainted 
  the 
  other 
  nations. 
  The 
  Lieut. 
  Gov. 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  usual 
  

   ceremonies 
  gave 
  a 
  bunch 
  of 
  wampum, 
  condoling 
  the 
  sachems' 
  loss, 
  

   and 
  approving 
  what 
  choice 
  they 
  should 
  make 
  among 
  themselves. 
  

  

  In 
  June, 
  1701, 
  the 
  Onondagas 
  informed 
  the 
  French 
  and 
  English 
  

   that 
  they 
  had 
  lost 
  one 
  of 
  their 
  chief 
  captains, 
  and 
  appointed 
  another 
  

   with 
  the 
  same 
  name, 
  giving 
  each 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  nations 
  a 
  bunch 
  of 
  

   wampum. 
  The 
  Cayugas 
  made 
  a 
  similar 
  announcement 
  with 
  

   bunches 
  of 
  wampum. 
  At 
  a 
  council 
  in 
  1737, 
  those 
  present 
  wished 
  

   the 
  business 
  deferred, 
  for 
  a 
  short 
  time, 
  " 
  because 
  they 
  would 
  this 
  day 
  

   condole 
  the 
  death 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  sachems 
  who 
  lately 
  died, 
  according 
  to 
  

   the 
  ancient 
  custom 
  of 
  their 
  ancestors, 
  and 
  until 
  that 
  was 
  done 
  they 
  

   were 
  like 
  children 
  under 
  age, 
  who 
  can 
  not 
  act 
  in 
  public 
  affairs." 
  

  

  