108 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



come before the lords and request that the lordship title be restored 

 to them, then the lords must obtain the title and restore it 

 accordingly." 



Then the lords continued and said : " We now have completed 

 laying the foundation of our rules and methods (Kayanehrenokowa) 

 and we will now proceed to follow and carry out the working of 

 these rules and methods of the confederacy, and the local affairs 

 of our respective settlements, and whenever we discover a warrior 

 who is wise and trustworthy and who will render his services for 

 the benefit of the people and thus aid the lords of the confederacy, 

 we will claim him into our midst and confer upon him the title of 

 1 He has sprung up as a Pine Tree 1 ' (Eh-ka-neh-do-deh) and his 

 title shall only last during his lifetime 2 and shall not be hereditary 

 and at his death it shall die with him." 



Then the lord's (Rodiyaner) again considered and said: "We 

 have now completed the appointment of our lords. It may so occur 

 that before we may be quietly reseated in our respective places, 

 we may sustain another loss by death (of a lord) and in that case 

 we shall do this: While yet the dying lord is suffering in the 

 agonies of death, his brother lords will come and remove his deer's 

 horns from his head and place them beside the wall and if by the 

 will of the Great Ruler he recovers from his illness, he shall then 

 reclaim his crown of deer's horns and resume the duties of a lord. 

 They further considered this matter and said : " While the lord 

 is ill we will place a string of black wampum at the head of his 

 bed and if he dies anyone belonging to his clan may take this string 

 of black wampum and announce his death to the whole circle of 

 the confederacy as follows : 



" If a Lord among the three brothers, 3 Mohawk, Seneca and 

 Onondaga, dies, the chief warrior or a warrior will convey the 

 string of black wampum to their son, Ohdahtshedeh or Dehkaeh- 

 yonh, or their colleagues, and he will leave it there, and while on 

 his way from the home of the dead lord he will repeat at regular 



intervals the mourning cry, three times thus — ' Kwa ah ; 



Kwa ah ; Kwa ah.' 



" Then Ohdahtshedeh or Dehkaehyonh or their colleagues will 

 convey the string of black wampum to their four brothers, and so 



1 Waganeda'nyuk. 



2 E n kanedode n , the pine tree shall grow. 



3 A , se'nihondade I1 "ge n , three brothers. 



