I36 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



"explained to. us that the War Archives, which we had found on 

 the trees, had been painted by French Indians (their paintings can 

 be recognized by the crosses which they paint on them) when they 

 made war upon the Cherokees and brought back prisoners from 

 them. We named our quarters the French Camp ;" and Zeisberger 

 often stopped there afterward. 



One more incident of a similar kind appears in this journal. Their 

 Cayuga guide had been sent ahead with the horses, and at one of 

 their camps they heard from him. " By the paintings on the trees 

 we at once discovered that our Gajuka had been here. He had 

 shot 3 bears and 3 deer, and had slept here for 3 nights. All this 

 we could tell from the horses and figures painted on the trees." 



Mary Jemison, the White Woman, said that the war chief of 

 each Iroquois nation had a war post in the town to record great 

 events. It was a peeled stick, 10 or 12 feet high. For a campaign 

 he made a perpendicular red mark, about 3 inches long and half 

 an inch wide. On the opposite side a perpendicular cross, with equal 

 limbs, represented a scalp taken. On another side a prisoner was 

 represented by a St Andrew's cross, with a dot in the upper angle. 

 Her husband had such a post for his personal use and others had 

 the same. Heckewelder, in going to the Wabash river in 1792, 

 mentioned an Indian meeting place : " Three tall painted war 

 posts had been erected there, and there were three large distinct 

 encampments." 



The customs regarding the beginning of a war, the setting out 

 and return of parties were not always alike, and Mr Morgan has 

 given one of many. War was declared in council, and his remarks 

 about the war post alone are quoted: 



The existence of the war was indicated by a tomahawk painted 

 red, ornamented with red feathers, and with black wampum, struck 

 in the war-post in each village of the League. . . Dressed in 

 full costume, the war-chief who proposed to solicit volunteers and 

 conduct the expedition, went through the village sounding the war- 

 whoop to announce his intentions ; after which he went to the war- 

 post, Ga-on-dote', and having struck into it his red tomahawk, he 

 commenced the war-dance. Morgan, 1 : 330 



