ABORIGINAL USE OF WOOD IN NEW YORK 



175 



stretched from the one part and the other ; they put within little 

 stones or little pebbles to make more noise ; the diameter of the 

 greatest drums is of two hands-breadth or thereabouts ; they name 

 it chichigonan, and the verb nipagahiman. I have played this drum. 

 They do not beat it as our Europeans do ; but they turn and shake 

 it, to make the pebbles sound which are within ; they strike it on 

 the ground, sometimes on the edge, sometimes as if. a dish. 

 Relation, 1634 



This was properly a kind of rattle, most rattles being used in this 

 way. In the French account of Iroquois customs in 1666, this name 

 is used in describing Indian pictures. " After the animal are the 

 prisoners they have made, with a chichicois, (or gourd filled with 

 beans which rattle), in the right hand." O'Callaghan, 1 : 5 



The picture is that of a long-necked gourd, still used as a rattle, 

 and called gus-da-zva'-sa by the Senecas. The general Onondaga 

 name is ka-sta-u'en'-saJi, and four kinds are in use. Figure 130 is 

 an Onondaga gourd rattle, 12 inches long. The small end is per- 

 forated for suspension, and the opening at the large end is plugged 

 after pebbles have been introduced. This is the kind represented 

 in early pictures, as before mentioned. Figure 131 is another, 

 enlarged from Morgan. Figure 119 is an Onondaga bark rattle, 

 cut in a long piece and doubled over. Over the edges of one half 

 are drawn the edges of the other, forming somewhat of a long tri- 

 angle, over a foot long, an inch wide at the top and about 4 inches 

 wide at the bottom. Pebbles are placed in this, and the opening 

 is corked up as with the gourd. This is very effective, and is an 

 old form now quite rare. The figure is half the actual length. 



Figure 1 is less antique, being an Onondaga rattle made from a 

 cow's horn. It has a long wooden handle which passes through 

 both ends, and which is nearly a foot long. It is supplied with 

 pebbles, as is usual. 



Figure 121 shows the usual turtle-shell rattle, reduced to one half 

 the length. This was obtained at Onondaga by the writer, and has 

 an extreme length of T2)% inches. Some are so large as to require 

 both hands. This shell is 6f/ 2 inches long and is that of the wood 

 terrapin. The animal is removed, and the head and neck are 

 stretched over a stick which enters the shell. Two hickory splints 



