﻿COUNCILS 
  AND 
  CEREMONIES 
  OF 
  ADOPTION 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  INDIANS 
  437 
  

  

  much 
  Joy 
  And 
  as 
  a 
  token 
  of 
  our 
  Rejoycing 
  We 
  present 
  a 
  few 
  Beavers 
  

   to 
  your 
  Lady 
  for 
  Pin 
  Money, 
  and 
  Say 
  withall 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  Customary 
  

   for 
  a 
  Brother 
  upon 
  his 
  Marryage 
  to 
  invite 
  his 
  Brethern 
  to 
  be 
  Merry 
  

   and 
  Dance. 
  O'Callaghan, 
  5 
  ".640 
  

  

  Of 
  course 
  the 
  happy 
  groom 
  responded 
  " 
  and 
  Ordered 
  them 
  some 
  

   Barrls 
  of 
  Beer 
  to 
  be 
  merry 
  with 
  all 
  and 
  dance 
  which 
  they 
  did 
  ac- 
  

   cording 
  to 
  their 
  Custom." 
  At 
  every 
  council, 
  however, 
  the 
  dead 
  

   and 
  the 
  bereaved 
  were 
  remembered. 
  Sometimes 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  special 
  

   mourning. 
  At 
  a 
  conference 
  in 
  Albany 
  in 
  1702, 
  "the 
  Sachims 
  of 
  

   ye 
  5 
  Nations 
  appeare 
  d 
  before 
  his 
  Excellencys 
  lodging 
  at 
  ye 
  place 
  

   prepared 
  for 
  their 
  reception 
  sung 
  a 
  sorrowful 
  Song, 
  which 
  they 
  had 
  

   made 
  upon 
  ye 
  death 
  of 
  his 
  late 
  Maj 
  ty 
  King 
  William 
  ye 
  third 
  of 
  

   blessed 
  memory." 
  — 
  O'Callaghan, 
  4:986 
  

  

  Thomas 
  Clarkson 
  gave, 
  in 
  his 
  biography 
  of 
  William 
  Penn, 
  an 
  

   account 
  of 
  his 
  great 
  treaty 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  way 
  in 
  which 
  he 
  was 
  dressed. 
  

   In 
  describing 
  the 
  Indian 
  attendants 
  he 
  mentioned 
  the 
  horn, 
  to 
  which 
  

   reference 
  is 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  condoling 
  council 
  as 
  an 
  emblem 
  of 
  au- 
  

   thority. 
  He 
  said 
  : 
  

  

  One 
  of 
  the 
  sachems, 
  who 
  was 
  the 
  chief 
  of 
  them, 
  then 
  put 
  upon 
  

   his 
  own 
  head 
  a 
  kind 
  of 
  chaplet, 
  in 
  which 
  there 
  appeared 
  a 
  small 
  

   horn. 
  This, 
  as 
  among 
  the 
  primitive 
  European 
  nations, 
  and 
  accord- 
  

   ing 
  to 
  Scripture 
  language, 
  was 
  an 
  emblem 
  of 
  kingly 
  power; 
  and 
  

   whenever 
  the 
  chief, 
  who 
  had 
  a 
  right 
  to 
  wear 
  it, 
  put 
  it 
  on, 
  it 
  was 
  

   understood 
  that 
  the 
  place 
  was 
  made 
  sacred, 
  and 
  the 
  persons 
  of 
  all 
  

   present 
  inviolable. 
  Upon 
  putting 
  on 
  this 
  horn 
  the 
  Indians 
  threw 
  

   down 
  their 
  bows 
  and 
  arrows, 
  and 
  seated 
  themselves 
  around 
  their 
  

   chiefs, 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  a 
  half 
  -moon 
  upon 
  the 
  ground. 
  Aborigines 
  

   Com. 
  p. 
  36 
  

  

  In 
  New 
  York 
  Indian 
  councils, 
  the 
  chiefs 
  do 
  not 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  

   worn 
  any 
  distinctive 
  badge. 
  In 
  battle, 
  war 
  chiefs 
  wore 
  certain 
  

   feathers 
  that 
  they 
  might 
  be 
  recognized, 
  but 
  we 
  have 
  no 
  intimation 
  

   of 
  any 
  distinct 
  mark 
  for 
  principal 
  chiefs. 
  In 
  councils 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  

   needed. 
  Even 
  the 
  introduction 
  of 
  medals 
  hardly 
  affected 
  this. 
  

   Most 
  sachems 
  had 
  them, 
  but 
  then 
  so 
  did 
  war 
  chiefs 
  and 
  brave 
  war- 
  

   riors. 
  They 
  were 
  more 
  marks 
  of 
  ability 
  and 
  actions 
  than 
  of 
  office, 
  

   a 
  recognition 
  of 
  worth, 
  but 
  conferring 
  no 
  rank. 
  This 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   curious 
  resemblances 
  in 
  our 
  national 
  political 
  system 
  and 
  that 
  of 
  

   the 
  Iroquois. 
  Unquestionably 
  exercising 
  great 
  power 
  their 
  sachems 
  

   had 
  no 
  official 
  distinction 
  in 
  dress. 
  The 
  horns 
  of 
  power 
  conferred 
  

   upon 
  them 
  were 
  but 
  figures 
  of 
  speech. 
  They 
  received 
  authority 
  

  

  