﻿COUNCILS 
  AND 
  CEREMONIES 
  OF 
  ADOPTION 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  INDIANS 
  397 
  

  

  At 
  an 
  ordinary 
  council 
  in 
  1755, 
  the 
  chief 
  Oneida 
  sachem 
  presented 
  

   a 
  boy 
  before 
  the 
  other 
  nations 
  present, 
  raising 
  him 
  up 
  as 
  a 
  sachem 
  

   in 
  place 
  of 
  Connochquisie, 
  who 
  was 
  dead, 
  giving 
  him 
  the 
  same 
  name. 
  

   He 
  did 
  the 
  same 
  in 
  an 
  address 
  to 
  Johnson, 
  with 
  a 
  string 
  of 
  wam- 
  

   pum. 
  Later 
  in 
  this 
  council 
  the 
  Oneidas 
  and 
  Tuscaroras 
  presented 
  

   two 
  young 
  men 
  to 
  be 
  made 
  sachems, 
  and 
  " 
  desired 
  that 
  they 
  might 
  

   be 
  accepted 
  as 
  such, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  Col. 
  would 
  distinguish 
  them 
  with 
  

   the 
  usual 
  clothing 
  as 
  such." 
  There 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  no 
  elabo- 
  

   rate 
  ceremonial 
  at 
  the 
  time, 
  but 
  this 
  might 
  have 
  followed 
  among 
  

   themselves. 
  There 
  were 
  some 
  significant 
  utterances 
  at 
  this 
  council, 
  

   pointing 
  to 
  a 
  natural 
  variation 
  in 
  ceremonies. 
  The 
  speaker 
  said 
  to 
  

   Johnson 
  : 
  

  

  If 
  we 
  are 
  deficient 
  in 
  any 
  manner 
  of 
  form, 
  or 
  should 
  forget 
  to 
  

   answer 
  in 
  a 
  particular 
  manner 
  any 
  part 
  of 
  your 
  speech, 
  we 
  hope 
  

   you 
  will 
  excuse 
  us. 
  We 
  only 
  depend 
  upon 
  our 
  memories, 
  and 
  can 
  

   not 
  have 
  recourse, 
  as 
  you 
  may, 
  to 
  any 
  written 
  records 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  We 
  are 
  

   much 
  obliged 
  to 
  you 
  for 
  renewing 
  our 
  ancient 
  forms. 
  You 
  have 
  

   records 
  of 
  these 
  things, 
  and 
  we 
  thank 
  you 
  for 
  putting 
  us 
  in 
  mind 
  of 
  

   them. 
  

  

  About 
  this 
  time 
  notice 
  was 
  taken 
  of 
  the 
  division 
  into 
  elder 
  and 
  

   younger 
  brothers 
  in 
  mourning 
  ceremonies, 
  but 
  this 
  presence 
  did 
  

   not 
  seem 
  essential 
  in 
  the 
  raising 
  of 
  chiefs. 
  In 
  February 
  1756, 
  the 
  

   Oneidas 
  said 
  that 
  at 
  Canajoharie 
  they 
  had 
  " 
  lost 
  two 
  great 
  men 
  in 
  

   whose 
  stead 
  or 
  room 
  we 
  have 
  been 
  appointing 
  others. 
  Our 
  

   brethern 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  nations 
  have 
  passed 
  by 
  and 
  neglected 
  this, 
  

   which 
  we 
  think 
  wrong." 
  In 
  that 
  year 
  Johnson 
  himself 
  raised 
  a 
  

   sachem 
  for 
  the 
  Canajoharie 
  Mohawks, 
  saying: 
  

  

  As 
  a 
  proof 
  of 
  my 
  regard 
  for 
  your 
  choice 
  I 
  now, 
  in 
  the 
  presence 
  

   of 
  your 
  whole 
  castle, 
  invest 
  him 
  with 
  all 
  the 
  powers 
  of 
  a 
  sachem, 
  

   and 
  put 
  on 
  him 
  those 
  necessary 
  marks 
  of 
  distinction 
  which 
  I 
  wish 
  

   him 
  long 
  life 
  to 
  wear. 
  

  

  A 
  few 
  years 
  later 
  the 
  mourning 
  for 
  dead 
  chiefs 
  and 
  the 
  raising 
  of 
  

   the 
  new 
  are 
  more 
  directly 
  connected. 
  The 
  pleasure 
  which 
  the 
  Iro- 
  

   quois 
  had 
  in 
  the 
  share 
  the 
  French 
  took 
  in 
  raising 
  their 
  chiefs 
  led 
  

   Johnson 
  to 
  take 
  part 
  also, 
  and 
  he 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  aided 
  in 
  adding 
  to 
  

   the 
  earlier 
  ceremonies 
  and 
  making 
  them 
  more 
  effective. 
  The 
  fore- 
  

   going 
  notes 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  New 
  York 
  Colonial 
  Documents. 
  

  

  