﻿COUNCILS 
  AND 
  CEREMONIES 
  OF 
  ADOPTION 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  INDIANS 
  405 
  

  

  This 
  was 
  of 
  a 
  personal 
  nature, 
  like 
  that 
  of 
  Colden's 
  as 
  described 
  

   by 
  him, 
  which 
  was 
  of 
  a 
  more 
  modern 
  type. 
  He 
  said 
  : 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  customary 
  among 
  them 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  Compliment 
  of 
  Naturali- 
  

   zation 
  into 
  the 
  Five 
  Nations 
  ; 
  and 
  considering 
  how 
  highly 
  they 
  value 
  

   themselves 
  above 
  all 
  others, 
  this 
  must 
  be 
  no 
  small 
  Compliment. 
  This 
  

   is 
  not 
  done 
  by 
  any 
  general 
  Act 
  of 
  the 
  Nation, 
  but 
  every 
  single 
  Per- 
  

   son 
  has 
  a 
  Right 
  to 
  it, 
  by 
  a 
  Kind 
  of 
  Adoption. 
  The 
  first 
  time 
  I 
  was 
  

   among 
  the 
  Mohawks, 
  I 
  had 
  this 
  Compliment 
  from 
  one 
  of 
  their 
  old 
  

   Sachems, 
  which 
  he 
  did, 
  by 
  giving 
  me 
  his 
  own 
  Name, 
  Cayenderongue. 
  

   He 
  had 
  been 
  a 
  notable 
  Warrior; 
  and 
  he 
  told 
  me, 
  that 
  now 
  I 
  had 
  a 
  

   Right 
  to 
  assume 
  to 
  myself 
  all 
  the 
  Acts 
  of 
  Valour 
  he 
  had 
  performed, 
  

   and 
  that 
  now 
  my 
  Name 
  would 
  echo 
  from 
  Hill 
  to 
  Hill 
  all 
  over 
  the 
  

   Five 
  Nations. 
  As 
  for 
  my 
  Part, 
  I 
  thought 
  no 
  more 
  of 
  it 
  at 
  that 
  

   Time, 
  than 
  as 
  an 
  Artifice 
  to 
  draw 
  a 
  Belly 
  full 
  of 
  strong 
  Liquor 
  from 
  

   me, 
  for 
  himself 
  and 
  his 
  Companions 
  ; 
  but 
  when 
  about 
  ten 
  or 
  twelve 
  

   years 
  afterwards, 
  my 
  Business 
  led 
  me 
  again 
  among 
  them, 
  I 
  directed 
  

   the 
  Interpreter 
  to 
  say 
  something 
  from 
  me 
  to 
  the 
  Sachems 
  ; 
  he 
  was 
  

   for 
  some 
  Time 
  at 
  a 
  Loss 
  to 
  understand 
  their 
  Answer, 
  till 
  he 
  asked 
  

   me 
  whether 
  I 
  had 
  any 
  Name 
  among 
  them: 
  I 
  then 
  found 
  that 
  I 
  

   was 
  really 
  known 
  to 
  them 
  by 
  that 
  Name, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  old 
  Sachem, 
  

   from 
  the 
  Time 
  he 
  had 
  given 
  me 
  his 
  Name, 
  had 
  assumed 
  another 
  

   to 
  himself. 
  I 
  was 
  adopted, 
  at 
  that 
  Time, 
  into 
  the 
  Tribe 
  of 
  the 
  Bear, 
  

   and 
  for 
  that 
  reason, 
  I 
  often 
  afterwards 
  had 
  the 
  kind 
  Compliment 
  of 
  

   Brother 
  Bear. 
  Colden, 
  I 
  : 
  xxviii 
  

  

  The 
  adoption 
  of 
  Father 
  Milet 
  when 
  a 
  captive 
  will 
  be 
  recalled, 
  

   which 
  resulted 
  in 
  his 
  being 
  an 
  Oneida 
  principal 
  chief, 
  and 
  the 
  adop- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  Joncaires 
  and 
  others 
  helped 
  the 
  French 
  greatly. 
  When 
  

   Kirkland 
  first 
  visited 
  the 
  Senecas 
  in 
  1765, 
  he 
  said: 
  

  

  Sir 
  William 
  likewise 
  told 
  me 
  that 
  if 
  I 
  was 
  cordially 
  received 
  by 
  

   the 
  Senecas, 
  I 
  should, 
  in 
  a 
  week 
  or 
  two, 
  be 
  adopted 
  into 
  some 
  one 
  

   of 
  their 
  principal 
  families, 
  and 
  that 
  I 
  must 
  pay 
  particular 
  attention 
  

   to 
  my 
  new 
  relations, 
  and 
  that 
  it 
  would 
  give 
  me 
  the 
  liberty 
  of 
  apply- 
  

   ing 
  to 
  them 
  for 
  anything 
  I 
  wanted. 
  Probably 
  I 
  might 
  receive 
  this 
  

   adoption 
  into 
  the 
  head 
  sachem's 
  family. 
  It 
  is 
  usually 
  performed 
  

   with 
  some 
  ceremony, 
  a 
  short 
  speech 
  being 
  made 
  on 
  the 
  occasion. 
  

   Ketchum, 
  1 
  :2i4 
  

  

  A 
  little 
  later 
  he 
  was 
  adopted 
  in 
  the 
  council 
  house, 
  " 
  the 
  mem- 
  

   bers 
  of 
  the 
  head 
  sachem's 
  family 
  being 
  present, 
  and 
  sitting 
  apart 
  

   by 
  themselves." 
  Mr 
  Kirkland 
  was 
  then 
  invited 
  there, 
  and 
  a 
  chief 
  

   addressed 
  him 
  and 
  the 
  rest: 
  

  

  I 
  am 
  appointed 
  to 
  say 
  to 
  you 
  and 
  our 
  young 
  white 
  brother, 
  that 
  

   our 
  head 
  sachem 
  adopts 
  him 
  into 
  his 
  family. 
  He 
  will 
  be 
  a 
  father 
  

  

  