﻿COUNCILS 
  AND 
  CEREMONIES 
  OF 
  ADOPTION 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  [NDlANS 
  415 
  

  

  While 
  another 
  statement 
  is 
  not 
  official 
  it 
  goes 
  somewhat 
  beyond 
  

   this, 
  but 
  is 
  justified 
  by 
  it. 
  It 
  is 
  from 
  an 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  preaching 
  

   written 
  by 
  Jairus 
  Pierce 
  of 
  the 
  Onondaga 
  Reservation, 
  and 
  follows 
  

  

  He 
  said 
  he 
  met 
  Christ 
  by 
  the 
  way, 
  who 
  showed 
  him 
  his 
  hands, 
  

   the 
  scars, 
  the 
  nail 
  holes 
  in 
  his 
  hands 
  and 
  feet. 
  Christ 
  also 
  askec 
  

   him 
  how 
  he 
  was 
  getting 
  along 
  on 
  earth, 
  preaching 
  repentance 
  

   Handsome 
  Lake's 
  reply 
  was 
  that 
  about 
  half 
  and 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  people 
  

   believed 
  on 
  him. 
  Christ 
  said, 
  " 
  You 
  are 
  doing 
  better 
  than 
  I 
  did 
  

   while 
  on 
  earth. 
  But 
  very 
  few 
  believed 
  on 
  me. 
  They 
  only 
  sought 
  

   to 
  kill 
  me, 
  and 
  they 
  did 
  kill 
  me. 
  I 
  hear 
  their 
  prayers 
  now, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  

   too 
  late. 
  They 
  will 
  continue 
  to 
  pray, 
  but 
  it 
  availeth 
  nothing. 
  There 
  

   is 
  no 
  salvation 
  possible 
  for 
  white 
  men. 
  They 
  are 
  all 
  condemned 
  

   already, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  one, 
  and 
  that 
  one 
  is 
  Gen. 
  George 
  

   Washington. 
  You 
  will 
  find 
  him 
  on 
  your 
  way. 
  He 
  stands 
  at 
  the 
  

   very 
  entrance 
  of 
  heaven, 
  but 
  can 
  go 
  no 
  farther." 
  

  

  As 
  this 
  was 
  written 
  in 
  1897, 
  it 
  seems 
  a 
  report 
  of 
  the 
  preaching 
  

   at 
  Onondaga 
  in 
  1894, 
  but 
  in 
  any 
  case 
  the 
  tale 
  of 
  the 
  revelation 
  has 
  

   been 
  amplified 
  in 
  process 
  of 
  time. 
  A 
  summary 
  of 
  its 
  accepted 
  

   teachings 
  will 
  be 
  given. 
  

  

  The 
  broad 
  moral 
  code 
  is 
  much 
  like 
  our 
  own, 
  and 
  with 
  minor 
  

   details 
  regarding 
  particular 
  actions. 
  White 
  people 
  and 
  Indians 
  

   were 
  created 
  for 
  different 
  lands, 
  and 
  things 
  allowed 
  for 
  one 
  were 
  

   harmful 
  to 
  the 
  other. 
  They 
  ought 
  not 
  to 
  intermarry. 
  Card 
  play- 
  

   ing 
  and 
  fiddling 
  were 
  from 
  the 
  Evil 
  Spirit, 
  and 
  cards 
  and 
  violins 
  

   must 
  not 
  come 
  on 
  Iroquois 
  reservations. 
  They 
  use 
  wind 
  instru- 
  

   ments, 
  but 
  none 
  with 
  strings 
  except 
  pianos. 
  Intemperance 
  was 
  a 
  

   sin, 
  and 
  its 
  effects 
  and 
  punishments 
  were 
  graphically 
  described 
  : 
  

   causing 
  lack 
  of 
  care, 
  it 
  affected 
  the 
  material 
  world, 
  corn 
  and 
  the 
  

   products 
  of 
  the 
  ground. 
  Married 
  people 
  were 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  quarrel- 
  

   some 
  nor 
  were 
  they 
  to 
  part 
  except 
  for 
  very 
  serious 
  cause. 
  If 
  a 
  

   man 
  had 
  a 
  child 
  by 
  one 
  wife, 
  left 
  her 
  and 
  had 
  a 
  child 
  by 
  another, 
  

   and 
  in 
  turn 
  forsook 
  that, 
  he 
  could 
  not 
  enter 
  heaven. 
  Parents 
  were 
  

   to 
  arrange 
  marriages 
  for 
  young 
  people. 
  Orphans 
  and 
  poor 
  chil- 
  

   dren 
  might 
  be 
  adopted, 
  insuring 
  a 
  future 
  reward. 
  Children 
  were 
  

   not 
  to 
  be 
  whipped, 
  but 
  might 
  be 
  plunged 
  in 
  water. 
  As 
  each 
  was 
  

   a 
  gift 
  of 
  the 
  Great 
  Spirit 
  they 
  were 
  to 
  be 
  thankful 
  for 
  it, 
  nor 
  were 
  

   its 
  features 
  to 
  be 
  criticized. 
  Children 
  were 
  to 
  venerate 
  their 
  par- 
  

   ents 
  and 
  u 
  1 
  them 
  in 
  old 
  age. 
  Hospitality 
  was 
  to 
  be 
  generously- 
  

   extended, 
  ail 
  being 
  members 
  of 
  one 
  great 
  family. 
  Lands 
  ought 
  

   not 
  to 
  be 
  made 
  merchandise, 
  for 
  they 
  belonged 
  to 
  all, 
  and 
  the 
  living 
  

   only 
  held 
  them 
  in 
  trust 
  for 
  a 
  time. 
  

  

  