Niagara — Historical and Reminiscent 



The Legend of Worship is the inhuman yet fascinating one 1906 

 that the Onguiaahras (one of the earliest-known orthographies Porter 

 of the word Niagara), who were a branch of the Neutrals, and 

 dwelt in the immediate vicinity of the Great Fall — and, accord- 

 ing to Indian custom, took their name from the chief physical 

 feature of their territory — long followed the custom of annually 

 sacrificing to the Great Spirit " the fairest maiden of the Tribe '*; 

 sending her, alive, over the Falls in a white canoe (which was 

 decked with fruits and flowers, and steered by her own hand) as 

 a special offering to the Deity for tribal favor, and for protection 

 against its more numerous and more powerful foes. 



And that, at the time of this annual Sacrifice, the tribes from 

 far and near assembled at Niagara, there to worship the Great 

 Spirit. If this Legend is based on fact, it would certainly have 

 made the locality a famous place of annual rendezvous. The 

 opportunities for the exchange of many and varied commodities — 

 " trade " — would surely not have been neglected. 



The Legend of Healing is, that anyone, Brave or Squaw, if 

 ill, would quickly be restored to perfect health could they but 

 reach the base of the Falls, go in behind the sheet of falling 

 waters, — entering, as it were, the abode of the Great Spirit, — 

 and, on emerging therefrom, be able to behold a complete cir- 

 cular Rainbow — which could symbolize the Deity's absolute 

 promise of restoration to perfect health. 



Of course, it was the difficulty and danger of descending into 

 the Gorge, and of scaling the face of the cliff in returning — 

 accomplishable in those days only by means of vines which clung 

 to the rocks, or by crude ladders (formed of long trunks of trees, 

 from which all branches had been lopped off about a foot from 

 the trunk, and set upright, close to the face of the cliff) — that 

 lends any plausibility to the legend. 



The Legend of Burial was, that Goat Island was especially 

 reserved as a burying-ground for famous chiefs and noted 

 warriors. 



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