﻿COUNCILS 
  AND 
  CEREMONIES 
  OF 
  ADOPTION 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  INDIANS 
  43 
  1 
  

  

  occasion 
  required. 
  Proper 
  notice 
  was 
  given 
  by 
  swift 
  runners. 
  The 
  

   great 
  council 
  met 
  annually 
  at 
  Onondaga, 
  and 
  for 
  a 
  time 
  its 
  main 
  

   purpose 
  was 
  the 
  peaceable 
  settlement 
  of 
  difficulties 
  between 
  the 
  

   nations. 
  Insensibly 
  the 
  bond 
  grew 
  stronger 
  and 
  the 
  power 
  of 
  the 
  

   Iroquois 
  greater. 
  Ambassadors 
  came 
  from 
  tributary 
  or 
  suppliant 
  

   nations, 
  nor 
  were 
  England 
  and 
  France 
  unrepresented 
  at 
  Onondaga. 
  

   For 
  convenience 
  Albany, 
  Montreal 
  and 
  Philadelphia 
  were 
  made 
  

   hearths 
  for 
  council 
  fires, 
  and 
  others 
  were 
  kindled 
  as 
  need 
  required. 
  

   Unconfederated 
  nations 
  were 
  less 
  particular 
  in 
  this, 
  and 
  no 
  place 
  

   in 
  New 
  York 
  had 
  national 
  importance 
  in 
  their 
  own 
  territory. 
  With 
  

   their 
  Iroquois 
  rulers 
  it 
  was 
  different. 
  Onondaga 
  was 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  

   power 
  and 
  justice. 
  To 
  appeal 
  to 
  it 
  was 
  like 
  the 
  ancient 
  appeal 
  to 
  

   Caesar. 
  Originally 
  merely 
  a 
  convenient 
  place 
  for 
  settling 
  disputes, 
  

   its 
  mandates 
  were 
  at 
  last 
  obeyed 
  by 
  all 
  the 
  Indians 
  of 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  

   states, 
  and 
  its 
  favor 
  was 
  sought 
  by 
  the 
  greatest 
  nations 
  of 
  Europe. 
  

   Though 
  the 
  pipe 
  was 
  smoked 
  at 
  all 
  councils 
  it 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  had 
  

   no 
  special 
  ceremonial 
  prominence 
  in 
  New 
  York 
  for 
  a 
  long 
  time. 
  

   As 
  a 
  feature 
  of 
  treaties 
  there 
  La 
  Honton 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  the 
  

   first 
  to 
  mention 
  the 
  calumet 
  in 
  the 
  council 
  at 
  La 
  Famine 
  in 
  1684, 
  

   and 
  then 
  as 
  distinct 
  from 
  the 
  ordinary 
  pipe. 
  He 
  said 
  of 
  this 
  and 
  

   its 
  high 
  esteem: 
  

  

  The 
  Grangula 
  sat 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  side, 
  being 
  plac'd 
  at 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  his 
  

   men, 
  with 
  his 
  pipe 
  in 
  his 
  mouth, 
  and 
  the 
  great 
  calumet 
  of 
  peace 
  be- 
  

   fore 
  him 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  The 
  calumet 
  of 
  peace 
  is 
  made 
  of 
  certain 
  stones, 
  or 
  

   of 
  marble, 
  whether 
  red, 
  black 
  or 
  white. 
  The 
  pipe 
  or 
  stalk 
  is 
  four 
  or 
  

   five 
  foot 
  long 
  ; 
  the 
  body 
  of 
  the 
  calumet 
  is 
  eight 
  inches 
  long, 
  and 
  the 
  

   mouth 
  or 
  head, 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  tobacco 
  is 
  lodged, 
  is 
  three 
  inches 
  in 
  

   length; 
  its 
  figure 
  approaches 
  that 
  of 
  a 
  hammer. 
  The 
  red 
  calumets 
  

   are 
  most 
  esteenrd. 
  The 
  savages 
  make 
  use 
  of 
  'em 
  for 
  negotiations 
  

   and 
  State 
  affairs, 
  and 
  especially 
  in 
  voyages, 
  for 
  when 
  they 
  have 
  a 
  

   calumet 
  in 
  their 
  hand, 
  they 
  go 
  where 
  they 
  will 
  in 
  safety. 
  The 
  calu- 
  

   met 
  is 
  trimm'd 
  with 
  yellow, 
  white 
  and 
  green 
  feathers, 
  and 
  has 
  the 
  

   same 
  effect 
  among 
  the 
  savages 
  that 
  the 
  flag 
  of 
  friendship 
  has 
  

   amongst 
  us 
  ; 
  for 
  to 
  violate 
  the 
  rights 
  of 
  this 
  venerable 
  pipe 
  is 
  among 
  

   them 
  a 
  flaming 
  crime, 
  that 
  will 
  draw 
  down 
  mischief 
  upon 
  the 
  

   nations. 
  Lahontan, 
  1 
  135 
  

  

  In 
  this 
  account 
  the 
  Onondaga 
  chief 
  smokes 
  his 
  own 
  pipe, 
  but 
  

   there 
  is 
  no 
  mention 
  of 
  his 
  smoking 
  the 
  calumet 
  or 
  of 
  any 
  other 
  per- 
  

   son 
  doing 
  so. 
  A 
  little 
  before 
  Bruyas 
  recorded 
  some 
  Mohawk 
  words 
  

   relating 
  to 
  its 
  use. 
  Gaiengwata 
  was 
  to 
  put 
  tobacco 
  in 
  the 
  calumet; 
  

  

  