﻿COUNCILS 
  AND 
  CEREMONIES 
  OF 
  ADOPTION 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  INDIANS 
  429 
  

  

  council 
  might 
  see 
  them, 
  and 
  here 
  have 
  the 
  matters 
  in 
  remembrance, 
  

   in 
  confirmation 
  of 
  which 
  they 
  were 
  delivered. 
  Bartram, 
  p. 
  60 
  

  

  He 
  also 
  gave 
  an 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  opening 
  of 
  this, 
  with 
  judicious 
  

   comments 
  : 
  

  

  This 
  afternoon 
  the 
  chiefs 
  met 
  in 
  council, 
  and 
  three 
  of 
  them 
  spoke 
  

   for 
  nearly 
  a 
  quarter 
  of 
  an 
  hour 
  each, 
  two 
  of 
  these 
  while 
  speaking, 
  

   walked 
  backward 
  and 
  forward 
  in 
  the 
  common 
  passage, 
  near 
  2 
  thirds 
  

   of 
  its 
  length, 
  with 
  a 
  slow 
  even 
  pace, 
  and 
  much 
  composure 
  and 
  grav- 
  

   ity 
  in 
  the 
  countenance 
  ; 
  the 
  other 
  delivered 
  what 
  he 
  had 
  to 
  say 
  sit- 
  

   ting 
  in 
  the 
  middle, 
  in 
  a 
  graceful 
  tone 
  exhorting 
  them 
  to 
  a 
  close 
  in- 
  

   dissoluble 
  amity 
  and 
  unanimity, 
  for 
  it 
  was 
  by 
  this 
  perfect 
  union 
  

   their 
  forefathers 
  had 
  conquered 
  their 
  enemies, 
  were 
  respected 
  by 
  

   their 
  allies, 
  and 
  honoured 
  by 
  ah 
  the 
  world 
  ; 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  now 
  met 
  

   according 
  to 
  their 
  antient 
  custom, 
  tho' 
  several 
  imminent 
  dangers 
  

   stood 
  in 
  their 
  way, 
  mountains, 
  rivers, 
  snakes 
  and 
  evil 
  spirits, 
  but 
  

   that 
  by 
  the 
  assistance 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  Spirit 
  they 
  now 
  saw 
  each 
  others 
  

   faces 
  according 
  to 
  appointment. 
  This 
  the 
  interpreter 
  told 
  me 
  was 
  

   the 
  opening 
  of 
  the 
  diet, 
  and 
  was 
  in 
  the 
  opinion 
  of 
  these 
  people 
  abun- 
  

   dantly 
  sufficient 
  for 
  one 
  day, 
  since 
  there 
  is 
  nothing 
  they 
  contemn 
  so 
  

   much 
  as 
  precipitation 
  in 
  publick 
  councils 
  ; 
  indeed 
  they 
  esteem 
  it 
  at 
  

   all 
  times 
  a 
  mark 
  of 
  much 
  levity 
  in 
  any 
  one 
  to 
  return 
  an 
  immediate 
  

   answer 
  to 
  a 
  serious 
  question 
  however 
  obvious, 
  and 
  they 
  consequently 
  

   spin 
  out 
  a 
  Treaty, 
  where 
  many 
  points 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  moved, 
  to 
  a 
  great 
  

   length 
  of 
  time. 
  Bartram, 
  p. 
  58 
  

  

  Loskiel 
  gave 
  an 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  council 
  at 
  Onondaga, 
  which 
  Spang- 
  

   enberg 
  attended 
  in 
  1745 
  : 
  

  

  On 
  each 
  side 
  six 
  seats 
  were 
  placed, 
  each 
  containing 
  six 
  persons. 
  

   No 
  one 
  was 
  admitted 
  besides 
  the 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  council, 
  except 
  a 
  

   few 
  who 
  were 
  particularly 
  honored. 
  If 
  one 
  rose 
  to 
  speak, 
  all 
  the 
  

   rest 
  sat 
  in 
  profound 
  silence, 
  smoking 
  their 
  pipes. 
  The 
  speaker 
  

   uttered 
  his 
  words 
  in 
  a 
  singing 
  tone, 
  always 
  rising 
  a 
  few 
  notes 
  at 
  the 
  

   end 
  of 
  each 
  sentence. 
  Whatever 
  was 
  pleasing 
  to 
  the 
  council 
  was 
  

   confirmed 
  by 
  all 
  with 
  the 
  word 
  nee, 
  or 
  yes. 
  And 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  each 
  

   speech, 
  the 
  whole 
  company 
  joined 
  in 
  applauding 
  the 
  speaker 
  by 
  

   calling 
  hoho. 
  Loskiel, 
  p. 
  138 
  

  

  This 
  cry 
  of 
  approbation 
  is 
  often 
  noticed 
  and 
  described. 
  It 
  is 
  

   sometimes 
  written 
  Jo-hah 
  but 
  pronounced 
  Yo-hah. 
  William 
  Marshe's 
  

   account 
  is 
  good, 
  though 
  it 
  appears 
  in 
  his 
  journal 
  as 
  Jo-bab, 
  an 
  evi- 
  

   dent 
  error. 
  In 
  his 
  journal 
  of 
  the 
  council 
  at 
  Lancaster 
  in 
  1744, 
  he 
  

   said 
  : 
  

  

  The 
  Indians 
  thereupon 
  gave 
  the 
  cry 
  of 
  approbation 
  ; 
  by 
  this 
  we 
  

   were 
  sure 
  the 
  speech 
  was 
  well 
  approved 
  by 
  the 
  Indians. 
  This 
  cry 
  

  

  