﻿No. 
  122] 
  'J'3 
  

  

  one. 
  The 
  string 
  represented 
  in 
  the 
  plate 
  was 
  obtained 
  of 
  an 
  On- 
  

   ondaga 
  on 
  Grand 
  river. 
  

  

  Both 
  in 
  strings 
  and 
  belts, 
  wampum 
  was 
  put 
  to 
  a 
  great 
  variety 
  

   of 
  uses. 
  Its 
  oilce 
  was 
  to 
  record 
  treaties, 
  and 
  preserve 
  such 
  trans- 
  

   actions 
  as 
  were 
  worthy 
  of 
  particular 
  remembrance. 
  Whatever 
  

   was 
  to 
  be 
  entrusted 
  to 
  its 
  keeping 
  was 
  " 
  talked 
  into" 
  the 
  belt 
  or 
  

   string 
  which 
  ever 
  afterwards 
  could 
  tell, 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  an 
  interpre- 
  

   ter, 
  the 
  exact 
  transaction 
  of 
  which 
  it 
  was 
  made 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  the 
  

   sole 
  evidence. 
  Operating 
  upon 
  the 
  principle 
  of 
  association, 
  the 
  

   belt 
  or 
  string 
  gave 
  fidelity 
  to 
  the 
  memory. 
  As 
  the 
  laws 
  and 
  usages 
  

   of 
  the 
  League 
  were 
  entrusted 
  to 
  the 
  guardianship 
  of 
  such 
  belts 
  

   and 
  strings, 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  Onondaga 
  sachems, 
  Ho-no-we-nd-io^ 
  was 
  

   made 
  hereditary 
  keeper 
  of 
  the 
  Wampum, 
  and 
  he, 
  and 
  his 
  succes- 
  

   sors, 
  were 
  required 
  to 
  be 
  versed 
  in 
  its 
  interpretation. 
  These 
  belts 
  

   and 
  strings- 
  were 
  the 
  only 
  visible 
  records 
  of 
  the 
  Iroquois, 
  and 
  

   were 
  of 
  no 
  use 
  except 
  by 
  the 
  aid 
  of 
  those 
  special 
  personages 
  who 
  

   could 
  draw 
  forth 
  the 
  secret 
  records 
  locked 
  up 
  in 
  their 
  remem 
  

   brance. 
  

  

  White 
  wampum 
  was 
  the 
  Iroquois 
  emblem 
  of 
  purity 
  and 
  of 
  faith, 
  

   It 
  was 
  hung 
  around 
  the 
  neck 
  of 
  the 
  White 
  Dog 
  before 
  it 
  was 
  burn- 
  

   ed; 
  it 
  was 
  used 
  before 
  the 
  periodical 
  religious 
  festivals 
  for 
  the 
  

   confession 
  of 
  sins, 
  no 
  confession 
  being 
  regarded 
  as 
  sincere 
  unless 
  

   recorded 
  with 
  white 
  wampum 
  ; 
  further 
  than 
  this, 
  it 
  was 
  the 
  

   customary 
  offering 
  in 
  condonation 
  of 
  murder, 
  although 
  the 
  purple 
  

   was 
  sometimes 
  employed. 
  Six 
  strings 
  was 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  a 
  life, 
  or 
  

   the 
  quantity 
  sent 
  in 
  condonation, 
  for 
  the 
  wampum 
  was 
  rather 
  

   sent 
  as 
  the 
  evidence 
  of 
  a 
  regretful 
  confession 
  of 
  the 
  crime, 
  with 
  a 
  

   petition 
  for 
  forgiveness, 
  than 
  as 
  the 
  actual 
  price 
  of 
  blood. 
  

  

  Wampum 
  has 
  frequently 
  been 
  called 
  the 
  money 
  of 
  the 
  Indian 
  ; 
  

   but 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  sufficient 
  reason 
  for 
  supposing 
  that 
  they 
  ever 
  made 
  

   it 
  an 
  exclusive 
  currency, 
  or 
  a 
  currency 
  in 
  any 
  sense, 
  more 
  than 
  

   silver 
  or 
  other 
  ornaments. 
  All 
  personal 
  . 
  ornaments, 
  and 
  most 
  

   other 
  articles 
  of 
  personal 
  prop'erty 
  passed 
  from 
  hand 
  to 
  hand 
  

   at 
  a 
  fixed 
  value 
  ; 
  but 
  they 
  appear 
  to 
  have 
  had 
  no 
  common 
  stand- 
  

   ard 
  of 
  value 
  until 
  they 
  found 
  it 
  in 
  our 
  currency. 
  If 
  wampum 
  had 
  

   been 
  their 
  currency 
  it 
  would 
  have 
  liad 
  a 
  settled 
  value 
  to 
  which 
  

   all 
  other 
  articles 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  referred. 
  There 
  is 
  no 
  doubt 
  

  

  