﻿COUNCILS 
  AND 
  CEREMONIES 
  OF 
  ADOPTION 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  INDIANS 
  423 
  

  

  Cammerhoff 
  was 
  in 
  the 
  council 
  at 
  Onondaga, 
  June 
  19, 
  1750, 
  he 
  

   said 
  : 
  " 
  To 
  our 
  astonishment 
  an 
  old 
  Oneida 
  began 
  to 
  sing 
  the 
  

   message 
  which 
  he 
  had 
  for 
  the 
  council, 
  in 
  a 
  very 
  high 
  tenor 
  voice. 
  

   He 
  continued 
  for 
  more 
  than 
  half 
  an 
  hour." 
  This 
  was 
  from 
  the. 
  Nan- 
  

   ticokes. 
  Two 
  days 
  later 
  Canassatego 
  acted 
  for 
  the 
  Moravians, 
  and 
  

   took 
  " 
  the 
  fathom 
  of 
  wampum 
  and 
  belt, 
  and 
  intoned 
  in 
  the 
  usual 
  

   Indian 
  fashion 
  the 
  signification 
  of 
  each." 
  When 
  he 
  explained 
  the 
  

   wampum 
  to 
  some 
  chiefs 
  in 
  private 
  he 
  intoned 
  his 
  words. 
  Allusions 
  

   to 
  this 
  practice 
  are 
  frequent. 
  

  

  The 
  speaker 
  usually 
  walked 
  to 
  and 
  fro, 
  and 
  the 
  way 
  in 
  which 
  

   he 
  held 
  the 
  wampum 
  was 
  significant. 
  Sometimes 
  this 
  was 
  passed 
  

   around 
  the 
  council 
  for 
  inspection. 
  If 
  held 
  in 
  the 
  open 
  air 
  the 
  

   chiefs 
  of 
  each 
  nation 
  would 
  gather 
  by 
  themselves 
  and 
  determine 
  

   what 
  their 
  vote 
  should 
  be. 
  In 
  the 
  Relation 
  of 
  1654, 
  after 
  describ- 
  

   ing 
  his 
  way 
  of 
  speaking 
  at 
  Onondaga, 
  Le 
  Moyne 
  said 
  : 
  "After 
  this 
  

   they 
  grouped 
  themselves 
  by 
  nations 
  and 
  bands 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  They 
  con- 
  

   sulted 
  among 
  themselves 
  by 
  the 
  space 
  of 
  more 
  than 
  two 
  good 
  hours 
  

   more. 
  At 
  last 
  they 
  recalled 
  me 
  among 
  them, 
  and 
  gave 
  me 
  a 
  seat 
  

   in 
  an 
  honorable 
  place." 
  The 
  four 
  nations 
  of 
  the 
  Hurons 
  had 
  the 
  

   same 
  custom, 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  nation 
  or 
  village 
  sitting 
  near 
  each 
  

   other 
  in 
  a 
  general 
  council. 
  Each 
  village 
  then 
  quietly 
  considered 
  

   what 
  its 
  vote 
  should 
  be, 
  thus 
  facilitating 
  business. 
  The 
  Hurons 
  

   named 
  this 
  council 
  " 
  Endionraondaone, 
  as 
  if 
  one 
  said, 
  A 
  council 
  

   equal 
  and 
  easy 
  as 
  the 
  plains 
  and 
  shaven 
  fields." 
  

  

  Miss 
  Powell 
  described 
  an 
  open-air 
  Iroquois 
  council 
  at 
  Buffalo 
  

   creek 
  in 
  1785, 
  which 
  was 
  largely 
  attended. 
  

  

  Each 
  tribe 
  formed 
  a 
  circle 
  under 
  the 
  shade 
  of 
  a 
  tree, 
  their 
  faces 
  

   toward 
  each 
  other. 
  They 
  never 
  changed 
  their 
  place, 
  but 
  sat 
  or 
  lay 
  

   upon 
  the 
  ground, 
  as 
  they 
  liked. 
  The 
  speaker 
  of 
  each 
  tribe 
  stood 
  

   with 
  his 
  back 
  against 
  the 
  tree. 
  The 
  women 
  walked, 
  one 
  by 
  one, 
  

   with 
  great 
  solemnity, 
  and 
  seated 
  themselves 
  behind 
  the 
  men. 
  

   Ketchum 
  

  

  Usually 
  after 
  proposals 
  were 
  made 
  there 
  was 
  an 
  adjournment 
  of 
  

   the 
  council 
  to 
  give 
  time 
  i6v 
  this 
  conference 
  and 
  agreement 
  on 
  a 
  

   vote. 
  If 
  the 
  matter 
  was 
  of 
  little 
  importance 
  it 
  might 
  be 
  decided 
  at 
  

   once. 
  In 
  a 
  Six 
  Nations' 
  council 
  attended 
  by 
  the 
  writer 
  in 
  Canada, 
  

   the 
  chiefs 
  of 
  the 
  elder 
  nations 
  quietly 
  conferred 
  and 
  voted 
  in 
  a 
  body 
  

   by 
  themselves, 
  and 
  the 
  younger 
  did 
  the 
  same, 
  the 
  Onondagas 
  hav- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  casting 
  vote 
  as 
  fire 
  keepers. 
  No 
  speaker 
  is 
  ever 
  interrupted, 
  

  

  