﻿COUNCILS 
  AND 
  CEREMONIES 
  OF 
  ADOPTION 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  INDIANS 
  413 
  

  

  Probably 
  the 
  best 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  his 
  mission 
  is 
  that 
  

   quoted 
  by 
  Morgan, 
  as 
  given 
  by 
  his 
  grandson 
  and 
  successor, 
  Sose- 
  

   ha-wa, 
  at 
  a 
  religious 
  council 
  in 
  1848. 
  This 
  is 
  substantially 
  the 
  same 
  

   as 
  that 
  related 
  by 
  a 
  later 
  preacher 
  at 
  Onondaga 
  in 
  1894, 
  of 
  which 
  

   a 
  full 
  report 
  was 
  secured. 
  After 
  telling 
  of 
  his 
  four 
  years 
  illness 
  

   Handsome 
  Lake 
  said 
  : 
  

  

  I 
  began 
  to 
  have 
  an 
  inward 
  conviction 
  that 
  my 
  end 
  was 
  near. 
  I 
  

   resolved 
  once 
  more 
  to 
  exchange 
  friendly 
  words 
  with 
  my 
  people, 
  

   and 
  I 
  sent 
  my 
  daughter 
  to 
  summon 
  my 
  brothers 
  Gy-ant-wa-ka, 
  or 
  

   Cornplanter, 
  and 
  Ta-wan-ne-ars, 
  or 
  Blacksnake 
  ... 
  A 
  man 
  spoke 
  

   from 
  without 
  and 
  asked 
  that 
  someone 
  might 
  come 
  forth. 
  I 
  arose, 
  

   and 
  as 
  I 
  attempted 
  to 
  step 
  over 
  the 
  threshold 
  of 
  my 
  door 
  I 
  stumbled, 
  

   and 
  would 
  have 
  fallen 
  had 
  they 
  not 
  caught 
  me. 
  They 
  were 
  three 
  

   holy 
  men, 
  who 
  looked 
  alike 
  and 
  were 
  dressed 
  alike. 
  There 
  was 
  

   another 
  whom 
  I 
  would 
  see 
  later. 
  The 
  paint 
  they 
  wore 
  seemed 
  but 
  

   one 
  day 
  old. 
  Each 
  had 
  in 
  his 
  hand 
  a 
  shrub 
  bearing 
  different 
  kinds 
  

   of 
  fruits. 
  One 
  of 
  them 
  addressing 
  me 
  said 
  : 
  We 
  have 
  come 
  to 
  com- 
  

   fort 
  you. 
  Take 
  of 
  these 
  berries 
  and 
  eat; 
  they 
  will 
  restore 
  you 
  to 
  

   health. 
  Morgan, 
  p. 
  234 
  

  

  Betore 
  his 
  daughter 
  returned 
  he 
  seemed 
  dead, 
  but 
  Blacksnake 
  

   found 
  parts 
  of 
  his 
  body 
  still 
  warm. 
  It 
  was 
  the 
  early 
  morning. 
  

   When 
  the 
  sun 
  was 
  halfway 
  to 
  the 
  zenith 
  he 
  opened 
  his 
  eyes, 
  but 
  

   answered 
  no 
  questions 
  and 
  closed 
  them 
  again. 
  At 
  noon 
  he 
  awoke 
  

   once 
  more, 
  telling 
  what 
  he 
  had 
  seen 
  and 
  rehearsing 
  it 
  next 
  day 
  

   to 
  the 
  assembled 
  people. 
  The 
  official 
  statement 
  at 
  Onondaga 
  was 
  

   to 
  the 
  same 
  effect, 
  but 
  the 
  common 
  story 
  is 
  that 
  he 
  lay 
  several 
  days 
  

   inanimate, 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  " 
  The 
  people 
  gathered 
  for 
  the 
  burial, 
  but 
  

   for 
  some 
  cause 
  Cornplanter 
  had 
  the 
  funeral 
  delayed, 
  and 
  after 
  

   three 
  days 
  the 
  spirit 
  of 
  Handsome 
  Lake 
  came 
  back 
  to 
  the 
  body 
  and 
  

   it 
  lived 
  again." 
  The 
  source 
  of 
  this 
  variation 
  is 
  obvious, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  

   not 
  supported 
  by 
  the 
  preaching. 
  

  

  For 
  full 
  information 
  on 
  the 
  doctrines 
  of 
  the 
  new 
  religion 
  refer- 
  

   ence 
  is 
  made 
  to 
  the 
  two 
  accounts 
  mentioned, 
  though 
  the 
  leading 
  

   features 
  will 
  be 
  sketched 
  now, 
  principal 
  stress 
  being 
  laid 
  on 
  the 
  

   gathering 
  in 
  its 
  mode 
  of 
  procedure. 
  It 
  is 
  called 
  by 
  sending 
  out 
  

   strings 
  of 
  white 
  wampum, 
  with 
  the 
  usual 
  tally 
  stick 
  attached, 
  as 
  

   in 
  figure 
  2. 
  White 
  wampum 
  only 
  is 
  used 
  while 
  the 
  preaching 
  lasts. 
  

   For 
  this 
  there 
  are 
  10 
  long 
  strings 
  united 
  in 
  a 
  bunch 
  as 
  in 
  figure 
  1. 
  

   At 
  the 
  meeting 
  at 
  Onondaga 
  in 
  1894, 
  the 
  return 
  of 
  the 
  invitation 
  

   wampum, 
  the 
  welcome 
  speeches 
  and 
  answers, 
  formed 
  one 
  day's 
  

  

  