ABORIGINAL USE OF WOOD IN NEW YORK 169 



were used in painting it a second time. The hoop for the hood is 

 also carved as usual. 



In Canada these cradles were briefly described in 1611 and often 

 after, but not at much length, and in New York and New England 

 the early writers took little notice of them. 



Bruyas gives the Mohawk word gaon, meaning a bark fan, but 

 without description. In making maple sugar a bark vessel was 

 used for collecting and carrying the sap. Figure 33 shows one of 

 these. Part of the outer bark was removed, and the ends were 

 formed by turning up the inner bark. The Iroquois feast of the 

 maple was the earliest of the spring. 



A staff, often finely carved, might be used by an old person. Old 

 Aunt Dinah seldom appeared without one, and one $y 2 feet long was 

 made for a kind lady whom the Onondagas much admired. It was 

 well carved and proved useful in climbing the hills in her mission 

 work. Another had on it the word Onondaga, the council house, 

 three Indians joining hands on one side of this and three white men 

 on the other. 



Ceremonial articles 



Sticks or poles always had and still have a prominent place in 

 councils, for the better exhibition of wampum and presents. In the 

 condolence council the ceremonial wampum is hung on a stick, and 

 removed and returned a bunch at a time. The wampum sent out to 

 call a council has a small stick attached, on which notches are cut, 

 one for each day before the council. The recipient cuts away a notch 

 daily and thus preserves the date. The writer has a string of white 

 wampum, calling a religious council, and on the accompanying stick 

 the notches had been cut and removed. Figure 93 shows this of 

 actual size. Bruyas called the dry message stick gahzvengare. An 

 Indian friend of the writer had lost her son. She had a long stick 

 on which she cut a notch every day, a cross cut for Sunday, and thus 

 easily numbered the days and weeks after his death. When visitors 

 are now welcomed on solemn occasions, a messenger meets them and 

 then records and reports their number on a stick. The Onondagas 

 call the tally stick ose-sa-tah O-en-nah'-ka, counts on a stick. 



