of %
3&ifoer»itg nf Semite
G.H. Armstrong, Esq.
HANDBOUND
AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF
TORONTO PRESS
i?> {L:
^ARCH^OLOGICAL REPORT
i
. w 1.
BEING PART OF
APPENDIX TO THE REPORT
OF THE
MINISTER OF EDUCATION
ONTARIO.
PRINTED BY ORDER OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY.
TORONTO:
WARWICK BROS. & RUTTER, PKINTEBS, ETC., BIO., 68 AND 70 FBONT STBEKT WBST.
1898.
10!
"There has been a time in the history of every nation when the only supple-
ment to the organs of the body for the uses of Man were the stones in the field and
the sticks of the forest. To use these natural, abundant, and portable objects, was
an obvious resource with early tribes. If mind dawned in the past at all, it is with
such objects that we should expect its first associations, and as a matter of fact it
seems everywhere to have been so. Relics of a Stick Age would of course be oblit-
erated by time, but traces of a Stone Age have been found, not in connection with
the first beginnings (sic), of a few tribes only, but with the first beginnings — from
the point that any representation is possible — of probably every nation in the
world. The wide geographical use of stone implements is one of the most striking
facts in Authropolgy. Instead of being confined to a few peoples, and to outlying
districts, as is sometimes asserted, their distribution is universal. They are found
throughout the length and breadth of Europe, and on all its islands ; they occur
everywhere in Western Asia, and north of the Himalayas. In the Malay Penin-
sula they strew the ground in endless numbers ; and again, in Australia, New
Zealand, New Caledonia, the New Hebrides and the Coral Islands of the Pacific.
Known in China, they are scattered broadcast throughout Japan, and the same is
true of America. . . . If a child playing with a toy spade is a proof that it is a
child, a nation working with stone axes is proved to be a child-nation. Erroneous
conclusions may easily be drawn, and indeed have been, from the fact of a nation
using stone, but the general law stands. Partly, perhaps, by mutual intercourse,
this use of stone becomes universal, but it arose more likely, from the similarity in
primitive needs, and the available means of gratifying them. Living under widely
different conditions, and in every variety of climate, all early peoples shared the
instincts of humanity which first called in the use of tools and weapons. All felt
the same hunger ; all had the instinct of self-preservation ; and the universality of
these instincts and the commonness of stone led the groping mind to fasten upon it,
and make it one of the first steps to the Arts. A Stone Age, thus, was the natural
beginning. In the nature of things there could have been no earlier. If Mind
really grew by infinitely gradual ascents, the exact situation the theory requires is
here provided in actual fact."
Henry Drummond, LL.D., F.R.S.E., F.G.S. (author of "Natural Law in the
Spiritual World ") in The Ascent of Man, pp. 139-140.
[iii.]
CONTENTS.
PAOE.
Preface , 1
Presentation 3
Accessions to the Museum , 5
Notes on Some Specimens —
Pottery 43
Clay Pipes 45
Stone Pipes . 46
Gorgets or Pendants 49
Stone Adze 50
Bird Amulet 50
Cutting Tools 51
Bone Harpoon 52
Copper Tools 53
Indian Flute ; 54
The Pagan Iroquois ; 54
Pagan Conditions 56
Old Time Paganism : 58
Recent Indian Religions 62
Skaneodyo and Iroquois Paganism 75
Mid- Winter Festival 82
Burning of the White Dog 91
Why is the White Dog Burned ? 95
Scattering of Ashes 106
Opening Speech of the Leader at the Mid- Winter. Festival 115
The Cayuga Spring Sun Dance 117
The Seneca Spring Sun Dance 121
The Green Corn Dance 124
The Peach Stone Game 126
Feast of the Skeleton 128
General Opening Address at the Festivals 130
Children's New Year Feast 135
The Word " Niyoh " 136
Pagan Hell 137
Spraying of Heads 139
Dream Interpretation 142
Iroquois Music 143
Song Words 153
Society of the False Faces 157
Society of the Husk Masks ". 163
[v.]
VI. CONTENTS.
Some Myths —
The False Faces, or Flying Heads 160
Origin of the Husky Masked Dances *. 163
The Pigmies and Pigmy Dance 164
The Oh-kwa-ri-dak-san 165
The Bear Boy 165
A Big Turtle 167
Mixed Blood ; . . . . 167
Personal Names 168
Place Names 171
Iroquois Gentes 173
Chiefship 175
Dress 179
Dwelling Houses . 180
Brotherhood or Fellowship 180
Marriage and Separation 183
Death Customs . 184
A Chief's Death 185
Council Meetings 186
Maize as Food 187
Disease 189
Archaeological Notes, Victoria County, by G. E. Laidlaw 196
Corrections 202
Appendix —
Delawares 203
List of Indian Dances . . 205
ILLUSTRATIONS.
PAGE.
Gananoque Clay Pot 4&
Medonte Clay Pipe 45
Collingwood Clay Pipe 45
Penetanguishene Clay Pipe 45
Thunder Bird Stone Pipe 46
Tiny Township Stone Pipe 48
Tay Township Stone Pipe 49
Gorget (?) 49
Gorget-like Cutting Tool '. 49
Slate Amulet 50
Stone Adze 50
Bird Amulet 51
Large, Roughly Chipped Axe 51
Limestone Axe-like Tool 52
Bone Harpoon 52
Copper Knife 53
Copper Axe = 53
Indian Flute (recent) 54
A Dance at the Longhouse 83
Ka-nis-han-don 84
Position of Gamblers in the Peach-stone Game 127
Black Mask 159
Red Mask 162
Iroquois Woman and Child 179
PLATES.
PLATK T. — On the Grand River Reserve.
" II. — Ka-nis-han-don, Master of Ceremonies for 1898.
" III. — Ready to Dance at the Seneca Longhouse.
" IV.— Mohawk Chief and Daughter.
" V. — David Key, Seneca Master of Ceremonies for 1899.
" VI. — Old and New Onondaga Longhouses.
" VII. — South Cayuga Longhouse and Burying-Ground.
" VIII.— Pounding Corn.
" IX. — Daughter of Chief Shorenkowane (Mohawk).
" X. — Chief John Smoke Johnson.
" XI. -Minor Chief A. G. Smith.
" XII.— Chief Isaac Doxtater.
" XIII. — David Vanevery.
" XIV.— John Carpenter.
" XV.— Chief Medicine Man, and Chief of the False Face Society.
" XVI.— Mrs. Reuben.
" XVII.— A. Chief Henry and Mrs. Henry.
B. An Indian House.
" XVIII. — A. Dancers Ready for the Spring Sun Dance.
B. John Key, the Last Speaker of the Tutelo Language.
" XIX.— J. Ojijatekha Brant-Sero.
[viii.]
PREFACE.
While it is thought that in what follows concerning the Pagan
Iroquois the student of human nature will find something that is new,
it is quite certain he will discover many omissions, some errors, and
much respecting which it is desirable to know more. One worker
during one season cannot hope to cover all the ground.
Pains have been taken to give facts only, and these, when neces-
sary, have been verified out of the mouths of two or three witnesses
at least, and sometimes of many more.
It is hoped that the information will not only assist white people
in arriving at some intelligent conclusions respecting our Iroquois, but
that it will prove beneficial to the Indians themselves, as every word
has been written in a spirit of sympathy with the past, present, and
possible future of the Red Man.
Besides those to whom credit is given elsewhere for assistance
rendered, special thanks are due to Mr. Avern Pardoe, Legislative
Librarian of Ontario, for having enabled me to make use of books not
otherwise procurable in any city library to which I had access.
I have also to acknowledge courtesies on the part of C. C. James,
Esq., M.A., Deputy Minister of Agriculture ; and of the Rev. Dr
Harris, Dean of St. Catharines.
[l]
To the HONORABLE G. W. Ross, LL.D.,
Minister of Education :
SIR, — The report herewith presented is chiefly ethnological rather
than archaeological, consisting, as it does, mainly of a study undertaken
with your hearty approval, of Iroquois Pagans and Paganism on the
Grand River Reserve. As far as I know, nothing of the kind has ever
been done before. That very scholarly gentleman, the late Horatio
Hale, has given us in the "Iroquois Book of Rites," an exhaustive trea-
tise on the ceremonies connected with the appointment of a new chief,
and other writers have referred more or less fully to this or that cus-
tom, rite, or belief of the people in question, but there has always been
required, something like a connected account of the people and their
religion. In large measure, the Iroquois Pagans themselves have been
to blame, and yet when we call to mind the characteristics of their
race as well as the relations they have borne to white men, we can
scarcely wonder that native reticence, reserve, shyness, secretiveness,
or, call it what we may, has always stood in the way of our arriving
at a comprehensive view of the situation. Nor is it affirmed that this
has been done even now in its entirety. In accordance with modern
methods of investigation, it would not only require years of close
study, but of intimate social intercourse with the people, and the force of
this remark will be appreciated when to it is added the assertion that
even very few Christian Indians on the Reserve have anything but the
haziest of ideas respecting the " ways " of their Pagan brethren.
Notwithstanding the desire of many of the Pagans to communi-
cate information to me, it would have been utterly impossible to arrive
at anything approaching satisfactory results in many cases had it not
been my good fortune to enlist the co-operation of Mr. J. Ojijatekha
Brant Sero, one of the brightest and most intelligent Iroquois ever born
on the Reserve. A Caniengahaga, or Mohawk, with a good knowledge
of the dialects spoken by people of the other " nations," it was only
through him that I was able to get originals and translations of
speeches and addresses made by chiefs and others at the feasts, and,
when with your approbation, Ka-nis-han-don, a distinguished Seneca
leader was brought to Toronto for consultation, with the consent of the
Seneca Longhouse, Mr. Brant-Sero acted as interpreter with a full
appreciation of what was demanded by a desire for accuracy. By letter
and otherwise, he has also, at various times, assisted me in verifying or
correcting important statements, purely on account of the interest he
[3]
takes in his own people. Other Indians to whom I am indebted are
mentioned in connection with the information they supplied.
From the Ethnographical Survey Committee of the British Asso-
ciation there came a request for photographs and measurements of
Indians. This request it was found impossible to comply with at the
time, notwithstanding the desirability that such work should be done
in accordance with the terms of the committee's scheme, but it is hoped
that the interspersed portraits of leading Iroquois will, at least, illus-
trate physiognomical types and tendencies.
It must prove a source of pleasure to you, I am sure, to be
informed that increased interest continues to be manifested in all
matters of an archaeological nature. The demand for our more recent
annual reports has been beyond our ability to supply, and many letters
have reached us giving information relative to places of interest that
are yet unexplored. Perhaps this may be most clearly brought out by
the statement that during the twelve months from December 1st, 1897
to November 30th, 1898. 982 letters were received, in reply to which, as
well as with a desire to procure further information, 1,085 communica-
tions were sent out.
The only exchange effected was with the Field Columbian
Museum, Chicago, to which we sent a representative Ontario collection,
as an equivalent for pottery from Peru, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
It is to be regretted that the cranial measurements anticipated in
last report have not been made, owing to press of work on the part of
the physician who hoped to occupy some of his attention with this
task.
I have the honor to be,
Yours respectfully,
DAVID BOYLE.
ACCESSIONS TO THE MUSEUM.
Although absolutely no field- work has been done this year numer-
ous additions have been made to the museum by gift. Chief among
these is that of Mr. George E. Laidlaw, of "The Fort" on Balsam Lake.
Since early youth Mr. Laidlaw has been an ardent and intelligent col-
lector, and has, for some years ceased to be a mere amateur, as one may
gather from the articles that have appeared from his pen in the
American Antiquarian. The Laidlaw collection, most of which has
been in our cases ' on deposit ' since 1890, comprises, one might sup-
pose, examples of nearly every kind of artifact in stone, bone and horn,
employed by the people in what are now the townships of central and
north Victoria, and, when taken together with the excellent collection
from the same county, presented to the museum some years ago by
Mr. James Dickson, D.L.S., of Fenelon Falls, will place the representa-
tive material from that part of the province on a par with what we
have from the country of the Hurons ; from that of the Attiwandarons to
the south ; and with Dr. T. W. Beeman's collection made -in the Rideau
Valley, which was probably occupied by a pre-Iroquoian Algonkin
people.
A smaller, but still highy valuable collection came to us from Mr.
T. F. Milne, of Queensville, and as the greater part of Mr. Milne's col-
lection was made in North Simcoe, it adds much of great value to what
we already had from the Huron country. While engaged as a public
school teacher, Mr. Milne devoted considerable attention to archaeo-
logical pursuits, having made several excursions in company with Dr.
R. W. Large and others, through the most interesting portions of Sim-
coe county, in quest of specimens.
Mr. Wm. C. Perry, of Winnipeg, (formerly of New Westminster),
has also sent in a valuable little collection, most of which is from the
Balsam Lake district, but some from British Columbia.
Those from the former locality include a few that were required
to aid in completing series suggested by the Laidlaw collection.
Among those who to whom we are again indebted, or who are
now to be credited for the first time are Messrs. Alfred Willson, Toron-
to ; Dr. T. W. Beeman, Perth ; W. A. Brodie, Bethesda ; Chas. V. Fuller,
Grand Ledge, Mich.; Dr. McDiarmid, P.S.I,, Maxville, Glengarry; Rev.
Dr. John Maclean, Neepawa, Manitoba ; and A. F. Hunter, Barrie.
Through Mr. Freeman Britton, of Gananoque, we received, with
some other things, an almost perfect clay pot, and from Mr. W. J.
[51
Wmtemberg, of Washington, Ontario, a curiously carved stone pipe,
both of which are described and illustrated under " Notes on some
Specimens." Mr. Thos. Crawford, of Tiny has kindly placed a few
interesting specimens on deposit.
The following is a detailed list of the year's" additions: —
16,999. Dance (turtle) rattle used by the Pagan Indians on the Grand
River Reserve. John R. Davis.
17.000. Small grooved hammer, Rideau Lake. Dr. T. W. Beeman,
Perth.
17.001. Small stone gouge, lot 2, concession 3. Drummond Township.
Collected by J. H. Morris. Dr. T. W. Beernan.
17.002. Small double-pointed slate tool or ornament ; N. Elmsley
township. J. W. Beveridge, per Dr. T. W. Beeman.
17.003. Deer skin coat, used by the Indians and Whites in Manitoba
and the N W. Territories. Collected by Robert Jaffray. Mrs. R.
Jaffray, Toronto.
17.004. Clay pipe, Saugeen, Ontario. P. R. Jarvis, Stratford.
17.005. Skull (extremely brachycephalic) from grave near Blind
River, Algoma. John J. Walsh, Blind River.
17.006. Broad, thin, silver bracelet, found with 17,005.
17.007. Four small, European, sheet-copper crosses, found with 17,005.
17.008. Five tubular, European, sheet-copper bangles, found with
17,005.
17.009. Twenty, small, porcelain beads, found with 17,005.
17.010. Slate ornament or amulet, leaf shaped and notched all around
the edge — a cross cut on one side, found with 17,005.
17.011. Small glass bottle, bearing date January 26th, 1754, found
with 17,005.
17,002. Photograph of Aztec idol. Joseph Workman, Walsenburg,
Colorado.
17.013. Photograph of Aztec calendar stone. Joseph Workman,
Walsenburg, Colorado.
17.014. Longitudinal section of clay pipe- .stem showing that the
material was moulded around a coarsely twisted cord. " Old
Fort," Whitchurch township. W. A. Brodie, Bethesda.
17.015. Small discoidal stone (perforated) — may have been a spindle
whorl. " Old Fort," Whitchurch township. W. A. Brodie.
17.016. Part of bone chisel or gouge. " Old Fort," Whitchurch. W.
A. Brodie.
17.017. Small neckless arrow-tip. " Old Fort," Whitchurch. W. A.
Brodie.
17.018. Bone awl. " Old Fort," Whitchurch. W. A. Brodie.
17.019. Medal struck in commemoration of the hundredth anniversary
of the founding of Onondaga, N.Y. Historical Association of
Onondaga, Syracuse, N.Y.
17.020. Mask worn in false face dances among the Iroquois on Grand
River Reserve, Ont. Collected by David Boyle.
17.021. Mask worn in false face dances on the Grand River Reserve,
Ont. Collected by David Boyle.
17,022-3. Dance rattles used in Pagan ceremonies on the Grand River
Reserve, Ont. Collected by David Boyle.
17.024. Clay pipe, Norfolk county. Capt. J. G. Spain.
17.025. Clay pipe, lot 1, concession 5, Medonte township, Simcoe,
County. A. F. Hunter, M.A.
17.026. Clay pipe, Norfolk county. Capt. J. G. Spain.
17.027. Clay pipe, lot 4, concession 9, Nottawasaga. Collected by
David Boyle.
17.028. Bird amulet (cast), Michigan. C. V. Fuller, Grand Ledge,
Michigan.
17.029. Bird amulet, lot 9, concession 3, Caradoc township.
1 7,030. White-stone pipe bowl, near Creemore. W. and D. Melville.
17.031. Two fragments of soapstone pipes, from Brant township,
Brant county. E. C. Waters.
17.032. Part of soapstone pipe, Tuscarora township, Brant county
Collected by David Boyle.
17.033. Whitestone pipe-stem, lot 19, concession 3, London township,
Middlesex county, Ont.
17.034. Rough piece of catlinite from pipestone quarry, Minnesota.
A. Stevenson, B.A., Arthur.
17.035. Stone pipe, Calgary, N.W.T. John F. Holden, Toronto
Junction ,
17.036. Cast of stone pipe, Brant Township. J. H. Grouse, Auburn,
N.Y.
17.037. Small celt, west side Pelee Island, Lake Erie. John E. Gow,
Prescott.
17.038. Part of white-stone pipe, smoothed on under side of fractured
edge ; locality not known.
17.039. Piece of deer-horn and nine fragments of pottery, from the
Sand Banks, Hallowell township, Prince Edward county. Miss
Muriel Merrill, Picton.
17.040. Three pipe-stems, Harvey township, Victoria county. Jas.
Dickson, Fenelon Falls
17.041. Clay pipe-bowl (imperfect) Harvey township, Victoria. J.
S. Cairnduff, Bobcaygeon.
17.042. Soap-stone pipe, lot 12, concession 14, township of Tiny,
found by Edward Todd. Wilford McConnell, Randolph.
17.043. Scraper, lot 3, concession 10, Dunwich township, Elgin
county. D. G. Re veil, Toronto.
17.044. Cast of nondescript specimen found " by a Mr. Gennison of
Lansing, Michigan," said to have probably come from Ohio. C.
V. Fuller, Grand Ledge, Michigan.
17.045. Cast of stone tube, Oneida township, Eaton county, Michigan
C. V. Fuller.
17.046. Cast of bar amulet, Danby township, Ionia county, Michigan.
C. V. Fuller.
17.047. Cast of gorget, Watertown township, Clinton county. C. V.
Fuller.
17.048. Cast of bird amulet, found near Grand Ledge, Michigan. C.
V. Fuller.
17.049. Cast of bar amulet, Sandusky, Ohio. C. V. Fuller.
17.050. Cast of bird amulet, county, Ohio. C. V. Fuller.
17.051. Cast of banner-stone, Oneida township, Eaton county,
Michigan. C. V. Fuller.
17.052. Cast of one-armed banner-stone, Dalton township, Eaton
county. C. V. Fuller.
17.053. Small clay vessel, shallow, entire, lot 28, range 22,
township, Sunflower county, Mississippi. Wm. Williamson
Sloane, Blythe.
17.054. " War-club " with inserted flint blade, Made by Wm. Henry,
a Cayuga chief on the Six Nation Reserve, Grand River.
17.055. Grooved axe, mounted by Wm. Henry.
17.056. " War-club " made from a knotted branch in which seven
pins are inserted and left projecting about half an inch. Made by
Wm. Henry.
17,057-8. Double barred silver crosses, held for many years as heir-
looms in Indian families to whose ancestors they were given by
the early Catholic missionaries in N. Y. State. Collected on the
Six Nation Reserve by David Boyle.
17.059. Stone gouge, 4th line, Lake Road West, Stephen township,
Huron county. Alfred Willson, Toronto.
17.060. Gorget, (two holes) Lot 5, Lake Road West, Stephen town-
ship, Huron county. Alfred Willson.
17.061. Clay pipe, Lot 4, Lake Road West, Stephen township, Huron
county, found by R. Ravielle. Alfred Willson.
9
17.062. Object of Huronian Slate, 3| inches long, perforated at one
end and pointed at the other. Lot 5, Lake Road West, Stephen
township, Huron county. Alfred Willson.
17.063. Unfinished argillite knife or spearhead, Grand Bend, Bosan-
quet township, Lambton county. Alfred Willson.
17.064. Small well-shaped (woman's slate) knife, lot 6, Lake Road
East, Stephen township, Huron county. Alfred Willson.
17.065. Adze, (at first sharpened at both ends) lot 6, Lake Road West,
Stephen township, Huron county. Alfred Willson.
17.066. Iron " bill-hook " found on site of " Old Fort," near Clearville,
Orford township, Kent county, by G. H. White, Palmyra. Ont.,
and presented by him.
17,067 — ? Cline farm, N. Yarmouth, Elgin county.
17.068. Slate knife — no record.
17.069. Slate tablet or gorget, North Yarmouth, Elgin county.
17.070. Stone pipe, lot 34, Lake Road West, Bosanquet t ownship,
Lambton county, collected by D. H. Burley. Alfred Willson,
Toronto.
17.071. Small clay pipe, Indian Reserve, Tuscarora township, Brant
county. Collected by David Boyle.
17.072. Slate knife, from near Tyrone, Durham county, Ont. Mrs.
N. E. Manning.
17.073. Appears to be part of a belemnite, slightly bored at the small
end ; near Tyrone, Durham county, Ont. Mrs. N. E. Manning.
17.074. Small stone axe, Darlington township. Collected by W. J.
Roy. Mrs. N. E. Manning.
17,075-82. Fans, representing native work in Samoa, Honolulu, India,
Japan and Spain.
17,0^3. Model of Samoan surf-boat with outriggers.
17.084. Samoan war- club.
17.085. Samoan ceremonial spear, elaborately carved.
17,086 Samoan walking-stick of cocoanut wood.
17,087. Japanese bamboo walking-cane, richly carved.
17,088-9. Nulla-Nullas, or warclubs, Queensland, Australia.
17,090-1. Boomerangs (said to be of the "come-back" kind),
Queensland, Australia.
17.092. Large piece of tapa cloth, Samoa.
17.093. Fiji man's dancing skirt.
17.094. Arab basket of native bark, Aden.
17.095. Italian straw basket.
17.096. Pair of Chinese lady's slippers.
10
17,097-8. Two small bags composed of seeds woven on threads, New
Guinea,
17.099. Fiji bead bracelet. The beads are of European manufacture.
17.100. Samoan basket,
(The specimens numbered from 17,075 to 17,100 were procured from
Mrs. F. Smith, the collector.)
17.101. Iroquois whistle or flute, made by Abraham Buck, Grand
River Reserve. Joshua Buck, Onondaga.
17.102. Corn-pounder, Bind, Angola, S. W. Africa. Collected by Rev.
Walter T. Currie. Mrs. John Currie, Toronto.
17.103. Stone gouge, Lanark county. Dr. T. W. Beeman, Perth.
17.104. String of shell (columelloe) beads, said to have been given by
an Indian to W. D. King, of St. Catharines, early in the century.
H. D. King.
17.105. Casts of two (all that were found) fragments of human skull
from Egisheim, Germany. These are very old, but of a type
higher than that of the Neanderthal skull. Dr. D. G. Schwalbe>
Professor of Anatomy, Strasburg University, Germany.
17.106. Copper spear or knife, lot 7, concession 3, Darlington town-
ship, Durham county. Collected by Edmund Prout. Professor
John Squair, Toronto University.
17.107. Bog-butter, from near Dunlavin, County Kildare, Ireland.
Presented by Mrs. Hopkins, Blackball Castle, Kilcullen, Kilkenny
county, per B. St. G. Lefroy.
17.108. Cutting or scraping tool of soft stone, Indian Lands, Glen-
garry County, Ont. Dr. D. McDiarmid, Public School Inspector
Maxville.
17.109. Stone axe of schistose slate, Indian Lands. Dr. McDiarmid-
17.110. Small stone axe, Indian Lands, Glengarry. Dr. McDiarmid.
17.111. Small stone adze, Indian Lands, Glengarry. Dr. McDiarmid.
17.112. Slate gouge, Indian Lands, Glengarry. Dr. McDiarmid.
17.113. Stone gouge, degraded to use as an axe. Indian Lands,
Glengarry. Dr. McDiarmid.
17.114. Soapstone pipe. Indian Lands, Glengarry. Dr. McDiarmid.
17.115. Slate knife, " Britton" farm, near Gananoque, Leeds County,
Collected by M. Doray. Freeman Britton, Gananoque.
17.116. Stone axe, "Britton" farm. Collected by M. Doray. Free-
man Britton, Gananoque.
17.117. Clay vessel, almost perfect, " Britton " farm, near Gananoque.
Collected by M. Doray. Freeman Britton, Gananoque.
17.118. Bone harpoon, Percy Township, Northumberland County.
Collected by E. Fleming. Dr. R. Coghlin, Hastings.
11
T. F. MILNE COLLECTION.
17.119. Stone pipe roughly blocked out, Crawford farm, near Pene-
tanguishene, Simcoe county. Collected by A. Crawford.
17.1 20. Clay pipe, Fair Valley, Medonte township, Simcoe county.
17.121. Clay pipe, bored for a wooden stem after having been broken.
Simcoe county.
17.122. Clay pipe with effigy of human face, Crawford farm, near
Penetanguishene.
17.123. Small clay pipe, Crawford farm, near Penetanguishene.
17.124. Clay pipe, Crawford farm, near Penetanguishene.
17.125. Clay pipe, Fair Valley, Simcoe county. Collected by Miss
Susie Nelson.
17.126. Clay pipe, bored for a new stem, Vasey, Tay township, Simcoe
county. Collected by M. Brown.
17.128. Clay pipe, Waverley, Tay township, Simcoe county.
17.129. Clay pipe, Crawford farm, near Penetanguishene.
17,130-32. Clay pipes, Brown's farm, Vasey, Tay township.
17.133. Clay pipe, Crawford farm, near Penetanguishene.
17.134. Bird's head effigy from clay pipe, Crawford farm, near
Penetanguish ene.
17.135. Clay pipe, Price's Corners, Medonte township.
17.136. Widely flared edge of clay pipe, Bass Lake, Orillia township,
Simcoe county.
17.137. Peculiar stem of clay pipe, Simcoe county.
17.138. Part of unfinished stone pipe, Tiny township, Simcoe county.
17.1 39. Soapstone pipe representing a lizard (?) Bell's farm, Waverley,
Tiny Township.
17.140. Small and well made celt, C. Nelson's farm, Medonte town-
ship, Simcoe county.
17.141. Cut-oft piece of catlinite (?) Vasey, Tay township.
17.1 42. Woman's knife (slate), Bell's farm, Tay township.
17,143-4. Discs (gambling ?) Crawford's farm, near Penetanguishene.
17.145. Banner-stone, Holland Landing, East Gwillimbury, York
county.
17.146. Small banner-stone, (locality uncertain, but thought to be
near Hamilton.)
17.147. — (?) Soapstone, near Penetanguishene.
17.148. Water-worn stone, partly cut, as if to make beads, Holland
Landing, York county.
17.149. Small, rough celt, Holland Landing, York county.
17.150. Small hammer-stone, Bass Lake, near Orillia.
12
17.151. Stone bead, Vasey, Tay township, Simcoe.
17.152. Stone bead, Crawford's farm, near Penetanguishene.
17.153. Stone bead, Fair Valley, Medonte township, Simcoe county.
17.154. Quartzite knife or spear head, lot 119, concession 3. E.
Gwillimbury, York county.
17.155. Quartzite knife or spear head, Fairbairn's, Sharon, York
county.
17.156. Quartzite knife, broken, James Milne's farm, E. Gwillimbury,
York county.
17.157. Arrow-head of milky quartz, Rix's farm, Bass Lake, near
Orillia, Simcoe county.
17.158. Bone handle of stone flesh-scraper, Manitoba. Collected by
Jas. Kavanagh.
17.159. Wampum, Wagner, Simcoe county.
17.160. Gorget, West Lome, Elgin county. Collected by Mr. McColl.
(The specimens numbered from 17,119 to 17,160, as well as those
numbered from 17,778 to 17,786 in this list were presented to the
museum by T. F. Milne, of Queensville.)
17.161. Broken clay pipe, Indian lands, Glengarry county. Dr. D
McDiarmid, P.S.I., Maxville.
17.162. Cutting or scraping tool of unusual form, slate. Collected by
H. Hammond, North Cayuga, Haldimand county.
17,193. Small slate tube (cross section oval.) Collected by Baker,
North Cayuga,
17.164. Slate, tablet-like cutting tool, North Cayuga.
17.165. Small slate paint-pot, near Cayuga village.
17.166. Small slate paint-pot, J. R. Martin's farm, near Cayuga village.
17.167. Small bar amulet, McGillivray township, Middlesex county.
17.168. Pebble of fine sandstone with a hole bored near each end, and
one bored nearly through about the middle. Cayuga township.
17.169. Ogee bar amulet, near Stirling village, Hastings county.
17.171. Unfinished soapstone pipe, North-west Territory, (modern.)
17.172. Axe-like cutting tool of limestone. Head broken off, across
what seems to have been a hole intended for a handle. Clair,
North Cayuga.
17.173. Ogee bar amulet. North Cayuga township.
17.174. Bird amulet. Webster's sand-pit, North Cayuga township.
17.175. Small, slate, axe-like amulet or ornament extremely well
made ; no locality, known.
17.176. Small stone adze with hole partly bored near upper end, on
flat side.
13
17.177. Large tablet- like scraper of finely laminated slate.
17.178. Copper, semi-gouge tool, Dr. Davis's farm, North Cayuga.
17.179. Gorget with one hole : subsequently degraded to form a cut-
ting tool. Cayuga,
17.180. Slate gorget, two holes. Nissouri township, Middlesex
county.
17.181. Roughly made slate gorget. J. Burns's farm, Oneida town-
ship, Haldimand County.
17.182. Slate gorget, well made, two holes, Haldimand county.
17.183. Doubled-edged stone axe, May's farm, N. Cayuga.
17.184. Stone gouge, Bourn's farm, North Cayuga.
17.185. Large stone gouge, near Stirling, Hastings county.
17.186. Gouge, (limestone) near Stirling Hastings county.
17.187. Doubled-edged stone-axe, McGillivray township, Middlesex
county.
17.188. Stone gouge with angularly formed lip.
17.189. Small stone axe, Dr. Baxter, Cayuga.
17.190. Roughly made slate tool — perhaps unfinished. Cayuga.
17.191. Stone axe, very well made, North Cayuga township.
17.192. Unfinished or broken, triangular, stone tool, Oneida township,
Haldimand county.
17.193. Stone adze, small, McFarlane's farm, North Cayuga township.
17.194. Stone axe, upper part roughly chipped, lower end lightly
polished ; near Stirling, Hastings county.
17.195. Gorget, elliptical, two holes, broken across one, Middlesex
county.
17.196. Gorget, elliptical, imperfect, Ferguson's farm, Oneida town-
ship.
17.197. Gorget, nearly perfect, McGillivray township, Middlesex
county.
17.198. Stone axe, small and thin ; Oneida township.
17.199. Small axe, slightly gouge -mouthed, Hyde Park, near London,
Ont.
17.200. Small stone axe, near Coulter's farm, Port Maitland, Lake
Erie.
17.201. Slate pebble, slightly worked ; hole begun near middle on one
side. Collected by W. Humphrey in Cayuga village.
17.202. Small stone gouge, Ferguson's farm, Oneida township.
17.203. Imperfect stone tube, 3| inches long ; Blakeney's farm, North
Cayuga.
17.204. Small stone gouge, 2| inches long; Coulter's farm, near Port
Maitland.
14
17.205. Small slate gorget, a large pendant, one- hole near small end ;
McFarlane's Flats, North Cayuga.
17.206. Triangular stone blade, sharpened on one edge as for a knife
or scraper, Chatham, Ont.
17.207. Chisel or small axe, Oneida township.
17.208. Stone gouge ; near Stirling village, Hastings county.
17.209. Roughly made axe or celt ; Bell's farm, North Cayuga.
17.210. Heavy pendant, or thick gorget, Hyde Park, Middlesex county.
17.211. Small stone axe, Minnesota, U.S.
17.212. Slate gorget, one hole, McFarlane's farm, North Cayuga.
17.213. Small stone axe, McFarlane's farm, North Cayuga.
17.214. Small stone gouge, McFarlane's farm, North Cayuga.
17.215. Small stone adze, McFarlane's farm, North Cayuga,
17.216. Stone chisel or small axe, Walsh's farm, North Cayuga.
17,217-25. Flints from four to six inches long; various places in
Haldimand county.
17.226. Part of bar amulet, 3| inches long; McGillivray township,
Middlesex county.
17.227. Small and well made adze ; Hyde Park, Middlesex county.
17.228. Small slate gouge ; Hyde Park, Middlesex county.
17.229. Grooved axe, made from a pebble ; North Cayuga township.
17.230. Chisel or small adze; Murphy's farm, North Cayuga.
17.231. Gorget, micaceous schist, two holes bored near one end
across crosswise ; Glair's farm, North Cayuga.
17.232. Small, thick and much tapered stone axe ; Decewsville,
Haldimand county.
17.233. Stone axe, 6 inches long and very thin ; Decewsville, Haldi-
mand county.
17.234. Small stone axe, slightly groved ; North Cayuga.
17235. Well formed stone axe, unusually flat on both sides ; North
Cayuga.
17.236. Stone adze, thick, perfectly straight on one side and much
curved on the other ; Glair's farm; North Cayuga.
17.237. Small stone axe ; North Cayuga.
17.238. Small stone axe or chisel ; Coulter's farm, Port Maitland,
Haldimand.
17.239. " Butterfly " banner-stone ; N. Campbell's farm, North
Cayuga.
17.240. Stone gouge ; North Cayuga.
17.241. Cay pipe bowl ; no locality known.
17.242. Clay pipe ; " Old Fort," Hyde Park, near London.
17.243. Imperfect chert drill (?) North Cayuga.
15
17,244-5. Slate knives ; near Stirling, Hastings county.
17.246. Small and beautifully made, stone, axe-like blade ; Coulter's
farm, North Cayuga.
17.247. Slate amulet or charm, oval, hollowed on each side at
one end.
17.248. Water- worn partly worked ; Leechman's Flats, near Cayuga.
17.249. Slightly groved stone axe, rudely made ; Middlesex county.
17.250. Grooved stone hammer; Minnesota.
17.251. Large double edged stone axe ; Middlesex county.
17.252. Sli»hly grooved stone axe, badly made ; Coulter's farm, Port
Maitland.
17.253. Stone gouge, only slightly hollowed ; Middlesex county.
17.254. Stone adze ; South Cayuga, Haldimand county.
17.255. Large unfinished grooved axe, nearly ten inches long and five
inches wide ; Carlisle, Middlesex.
17,256-757. Flints from various parts in the south of Ontario.
17.758. Cylindrical wampum from Indian grave, near Scipioville,
Cayuga county, N. Y.
17.759. Cylindrical, coarse, red glass beads from Indian grave, near
Scipioville, Cayuga county, N. Y.
17.760. Coppei knife (with hole at haft end) ; near Stirling, Hastings
county.
17.761. Deer- horn tine, partly cut lengthwise; near London, Ont.
17,762-4. Bone awls or needles ; Hyde Park, near London, Ont.
17.765. Discoidal wampum ; from grave, near Delhi, Ont.
17.766. Nine long shell beads, from grave, near Delhi, Ont.
17.767. String of discoidal wampum, from grave, near Delhi, Ont.
17.768. Shell gorget ; North Cayuga, Haldimand County.
17.769. Stone gouge, very fine, deeply cut ; North Cayuga, Ont.
17.770. Stone adze, short and broad, well made ; Hyde Park, near
London, Ont.
17.771. Half of long-winged butterfly stone ; near Decewsville, Haldi-
mand county.
17.772. Small iron tomahawk, British make ; South Cayuga, Haldi-
mand county.
17.773. Small stone axe or chisel, triangular in cross section. Oneida
township, Haldimand.
17.774. Clay pipe ; lot 10, concession 1, North Cayuga, Haldimand.
17.775. Large fragment of pottery ; Hyde Park, near London, Middle-
sex, Ont.
17.776. Gorget, one hole ; Thomas McDonald's farm, North Cayuga,
Haldimand.
16
17.777. Large chert knife or other tool ; A. Lowe's farm, Walpole
township, Haldimand.
(Specimens numbered from 17,162 to 17,777 were procured from Mr.
A. F. Stevenson, Niagara Falls South.)
17.778. Small stone axe ; North Orillia township, Simcoe county.
17.779. Roughly made stone axe ; Hugh Milne's farm, West Gwillim-
bury township, Simcoe county.
17.780. Stone chisel ; Milne farm, near Queensville, East Gwillimbury ,
York county.
17.781. Small, flat, thin axe; Albert Milne, lot 1115, con. 2, East
Gwillimbury, York county.
17.782. Small, partly grooved axe ; H. Price, Price's Corners, Medonte
township, Simcoe county.
17.783. Small stone chisel ; Holland Landing, Simcoe county.
17,784«. Small stone axe ; Holland Landing, Simcoe county.
17.785. Stone axe ; J. S. Nelson, Simcoe county.
17.786. Fragment of ornamental gorget ; Mr. McColl, West Lome,
Elgin county.
(Specimens from 17,778 to 17,786, presented by Mr. T. F. Milne,
Queensville. See note under No. 17,160.
17.787. Clay pipe ; Nottawasaga township, Simcoe county, Wm. G.
Carruthers, Avening.
17.788. Small, recent mat, (Siwash) ; British Columbia.
17,789 Small glass bottle, covered with fine basket-work in colored
pattern, (Siwash) ; British Columbia.
17.790. Small basket-bowl, (Siwash) ; Yale, British Columbia.
17.791. Small jadeite axe or chisel ; Hope, British Columbia.
17.792. Seal (animal) carved from ivory ; Terra Nova, British Col-
umbia.
17.793. 378 very small, discoidal shell beads, from 2£ to 6 milli-
metres in diameter, most of them less than one-half millimetre in
thickness, and in all cases the hole about one-half millimetre in
diameter ; found on the surface, near graves, at Lytton, junction
of Fraser and Columbia Rivers, British Columbia.
These remarkably small and well-made beads are evidently of
native manufacture, as may be seen from the method employed in
drilling the holes.
(Specimens numbered from 17,788 to 17,793 were found by Mr. W. C.
Perry, of New Westminister, British Columbia, and by him pre-
sented to the museum.) See also after Laidlaw collection.
17,794-5. Small strombus (?) shells, perforated and otherwise slightly
worked ; N. £ lot 11, con. 10, Tiny township, Simcoe, Alex.
Santimo, per A. F. Hunter, M.A.
17
17.796. Ten beads (6 small and discoidal of shell, and 4 of glass) ; E.
|, lot 19, con. 20, Tiny township; W. H. Richardson, per A. F.
Hunter.
17.797. Small, neckless chert arrow-head; N. £ lot 11, con. 10, Tiny
township, Alev. Santimo, per A. F. Hunter.
17.798. Human head effigy from clay pipe bowl ; N. J lot 11, con. 10,
Tiny Township, Alex Santimo, per A. F. Hunter.
17.799. Rabbit-skin robe ; Manitoba.
17.800. Huronian slate pipe, stem 2J in. long ; Blackfoot Indian
Reserve.
18.801. Grooved hammer of granite ; 2| miles east of Gladstone,
Manitoba.
17.802. Stone pin, 4| in. long, rounded at both ends ; Manitoba.
17.803. Blue chert arrow-head. Middlesex county, Ont.
17.804. Grey chert arrow-head. Middlesex county, Ont.
17.805. Dark brown jasper arrow-head. Silver Islet, Lake Superior.
17.806. 7. Large, bone flesh scrapers, made from leg bone of moose
or buffalo. McCurdy homestead, Gilbert Plains, Manitoba.
17.808. Soapstone pipe (modern type) Manitoba.
17.809. Chert arrow-head. Middlesex county, Ont.
17.810. Small piece of raw-hide with paintings in black' of bear, deer
and other animals. Blood Indian, N. W. Ter.
17.811. Copper fish-hook, brought up from depth of 600 feet of water,
within fifteen miles from shore of Isle Royale, Lake Superior. J.
C. Dobie, Port Arthur.
17.812. Small brass cross — no locality yet given.
(Specimens numbered from 17,799 to 17,812 were presented to the
museum by Rev. Dr. John Maclean, of Neepawa, Manitoba).
17.813. Bone comb (native make) found wrapped in birch bark.
17,814-5. Two stone discs. 17,814 has an animal figure (fox ?) carved
on it, and 17,815 bears a phallic-like design.
17.816. Clay pipe bowl, with large, conventionalized human effigy.
17.817. Piece of soapstone perforated — apparently part of some
animal figure.
17.818. Human head effigy, from clay pipe bowl.
17.819. Owl head effigy, from clay pipe bowl.
17.820. Small carving of female human figure in bone. Most of the
legs gone. Details unusual in Indian workmanship.
(Specimens numbered from 17,813 to 17,820 are placed in the museum
on deposit, by Mr. Thomas Crawford, of lot 101, con. 2, Tiny
township, where they were found).
2 c.i.
18
17.821. Sfcone pipe-head, quadrangular in cross sections, bearing carv-
ings of the thunder bird, a man, a quadruped, a cross, and a
diagonal pattern; lot 23, con. 11, Blenheim township, Oxford
county. W. J. Wintemberg. See figures and description following.
17.822. Arrow or spear-head of silicified wood, from Tampa Bay,
Florida. B. E. Walker.
17.823. Large chipped fragment of tool, made from silicified wood,
Tampa Bay, Florida. B. E. Walker.
17.824. Arrow-head, two imperfect bone awls, beaver's tooth, blue
glass bead, and two imperfect soapstone specimens ; lot. 4, con. 8-
James Davis, per A. F, Hunter.
17.825. Three photographs, mounted, of stone circle at Callernish,
Isle of Lewis, Scotland. A. F. Hunter.
17.826. Engraved portrait of Quatrefages. A. F. Hunter.
17.827. Pen drawing of Memorial church at Penetanguishene. A. F.
Hunter.
17.828. Fine spear-head found near corner of Dufferin and Hep-
bourne streets, Toronto. W. N. Bacon.
GEO. E. LAIDLAW COLLECTION.
I7,828a to 19,291 includes nearly fifteen hundred specimens, or
about three-fourths of the very fine collection presented by Mr. George
E. Laidlaw, of " The Fort," Balsam Lake, Victoria county. The whole
collection numbers over two thousand pieces, of which upwards of five
hundred are well marked fragments of pottery, and defective speci-
mens of various kinds that need not be catalogued, but which are
valuable in many respects for comparative uses, and should therefore
be preserved.
Most of the Laidlaw collection is from Victoria county, but Scot-
land, our North-west Territories, British Columbia, Texas, Georgia,
Colorado and many places in Ontario besides the Balsam Lake district
are represented, e. g., Fort William, Richmond Hill, Guelph, Gait,
Woodstock, Midland, Branchton and Beverly.
Under the head of stone axes, adzes, chisels and gouges the num-
ber is 186, but only a few of these are highly finished specimens — still
they are none the less valuable on this account, for they thus indicate
a general taste, or want of taste, on the part of the people who resided
coterminous with the Hurons in whose country tools of this kind,
good or bad, are rarely found.
Spear-heads, arrow-heads, knives, drills and scrapers of chert are
comparatively scanty in number and not remarkable for elegence in
shape. Of all varieties, this collection has only 290.
19
Of gorgets or tablets, too, there are but eighteen of the usual forms.
Two of these, however, (one unfinished) are the largest in the museum.
In mortars or mealing-stones, and grinders or pestles, the number
is greater than from any other distiictof Ontario — twenty-seven; and
there are other proofs that the people were of comparatively sedentary
habits, for amid the numerous ash-heaps of the many village sites that
dot the country Mr. Laidlaw has succeeded in collecting 422 objects of
bone and horn, including awls, knives, harpoons, chisels, tallies, tubes or
long beads, and variously worked teeth of the bear, the wolf, and the
beaver.
Next to these in number (omitting the " flints," or chert specimens)
come the small discs of stone and pottery, the latter having been pro-
duced almost invariably from fragments of clay pots. In no
other part of this province have there been found so many discs.
Some of the stone ones, but fewer of the clay ones are perforated, and
on none is there any mark to distinguish a side as would .be necessary
in gambling, but this may have been done by the blackening of one side.
If this was the use of such specimens, when not bored, those made of
pottery would be distinguishable for this purpose by their rounded and
hollowed sides. In diameter they vary from five-eighths of an inch to
two inches and a half, and in thickness from an eighth to three-eighths
of an inch. A few clay discs seem to have been moulded for this
purpose.
Considerable use was made of the few shells procurable. Many
unio valves show signs of wear on the convex surfaces, and on the edges,
as if employed in the one case for smoothing or rubbing, and in the
other for scraping. Small and fragile helices seem to have been made
into beads or bangles by simply breaking a hole through the body-whorl
for stringing purpose. Strings of such shells may have been worn
round the leg, under the knee, to make a rattle during a dance, just as
bear's claws were. No example of anything made from Floridian or
Gulf shells has been found in Victoria, although several of the shells
themselves have been met with farther north and west, at Pene-
tanguishene.
As smokers the red men in North Victoria ranked not far behind
their neighbors the Hurons, and as pipe artists were quite their equals.
Indeed some of the stone pipes in the Laidlaw collection are superior
to anything we have from other parts of the country, and several of
the clay ones present peculiar features. Some of these pipes, of clay
as well as of stone, have been described and figured in former reports,
and some others will be referred to probably next year. Mr. Laidlaw
20
i
has brought together thirty-five stone and 167 clay pipes, more or less
perfect.
Ninety-three miscellaneous articles comprise worked pebbles, ham-
mer-stones, rubbing-stones and unfinished tools of 'different kinds, and
all of great interest.
Native copper tools, rare everywhere, are represented in the collec-
tion by only eight specimens, and one of these is from Fort William,
on Lake Superior.
A few iron, copper and brass weapons — tomahawks and knives —
serve to connect the locality with the appearance of the white man on
the scene.
(Where the name of no other person is given, Mr. Laidlaw, him-
self, was the finder).
17,828a, Small axe, West Bay, Balsam Lake, C. Mclnnis; 17,829,
Small axe, West Bay, Balsam Lake; 17,830, Stone axe, West Bay,
Balsam Lake ; 17,831, Chisel, Gait, Ont. ; 17,832, Small axe, Ayr, R,
McCullough; 17,833, Stone axe, West Bay, Balsam Lake; 17,834.
Square axe, West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 17,835, Stone axe, West
Shore, Balsam Lake ; 17,836, Small axe, North Bay, Balsam Lake, J.
Curry; 17,837, Square axe, West Bay, Balsam Lake; 17,838, Muller,
West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 17,839. Stone axe, West Bay, Balsam Lake ;
17,840, Slick stone, West Bay, Balsam Lake; 17,841, Square axe;
Ontario : 17,842, Stone skin dresser, Richmond Hill ; 17,843, Small
axe, Beverly, Ont. ; 17,844, Wedge axe, Gait, Addison ; 17,845,
Wedge axe, West Bay, Balsam Lake; 17,846, Stone axe, Gait; 17,847,
Stone axe, Glasgow, Scotland, J. Samson ; 17,848, Chisel, West Bay,
Balsam Lake; 17,849; Stone axe, Gait, Ontario; 17,850, Stone axe,
Fort William, Lake Superior, A. McNabb; 17,851, Chisel, Ontario;
15,852, Stone axe, West Bay, Balsam Lake, J. Barren ; 17,853, Stone
axe, Gait, Ont.; 17,854. Stone axe, Gait, Ont,: 17,855, Hand axe,
Richmond Hill; 17,856, Chisel, West Bay, Balsam Lake, F.King;
17,857, Axe, Gait; 17,858, Chisel, West Bay, Balsam Lake; 17,859,
Chisel, West Bay, Balsam Lake, C. Mclnnis; 17,860, Stone axe, West
Bay, Balsam Lake; 17,861, Stone chisel, West Bay, Balsam Lake;
17,862, Small axe, Ontario; 17,863, West Bay, Balsam Lake; 17,864,
Stone axe. West Bay, Balsam Lake; 17,865, Axe, Gait, Ont. ; 17,866,
Grooved axe, Fort Gratiot, Michigan; 17,867, Stone axe, West Bay,
Balsam Lake ; 17,868, Stone axe, West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 17,869,
Chisel, West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 17,870, Axe, West Bay, Balsam
Lake, 17,871, Grooved maul, Saskatoon, N.W.T. ; 17,872, Stone axe,
West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 17,873, Square axe, West Bay, Balsam Lake;
17,874, Stone axe, West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 17,875, Stone axe, West
21
Bay, Balsam Lake; 17,876, Stone file, West Bay, Balaam Lake; 17,877,
Stone axe, West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 17,878, Stone tool, Eldon, Dr.
Wood, probably hammer; 17,879, Chisel, West Bay, Balsam Lake;
17,880, Stone gouge, Toronto; 17,881, Muller, West Bay, Balsam Lake;
17,882, Small stone axe, Belleville, K. J. Bell; 17,883, Chisel, West
Bay, Balsam Lake, W. Graham ; 17,884, Stone axe, West Bay, Balsam
Lake; 17,885, Hand axe, large, West Bay, Balsam Lake; 17.886,
Hand axe, small, West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 17,887, Paint pot, Lake
Superior, Port Arthur; 17,888, Half of small axe, West Bay, Balsam
Lake; 17,889, Fragment of small celt, West Bay, Balsam Lake; 17,890,
Small axe, West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 17,891, Small axe, West Bay,
Balsam Lake; 17,892; Slick-stone, West Bay, Balsam Lake; 17,893,
Blade axe, West Bay, Balsam Lake; 17,894-99, Fragments of stone
axes, West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 17,900, Stone axe, West Bay, Balsam
Lake ; 17,901, Square axe, North Bay, Balsam Lake ; 17,902, Stone
axe, North Bay, Balsam Lake ; 17,903, Fragment of axe, North Bay,
Balsam Lake; 17,904, Long chisel, North Bay, Balsam Lake; 17,905,
Stone axe, North Bay, Balsam Lake ; 17,906, Small hammer stone,
grey slate, North Bay, Balsam Lake; 17,907, Small axe, Balsam Lake;
17,908, Fragment of knife or lance of slate ; 17,909, Hammer stone,
West Bay, Balsam Lake; 17,910, Small rough axe, West Bay, Balsam
Lake ; 17911, Rough axe, West Bay, Balsam Lake; 17,912, Unfinished
implement, West Bay, Balsam Lake; 17,913, Stone axe, West Bay, Balsam
Lake ; 17,914, Stone axe, bevelled corners, lot 5, con. 5, Bexley ; 17,915,
Waterworn stone in shape of an axe, Balsam Lake ; 17,916, Small celt,
West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 17,917, Small slick-stone, West Bay, Balsam
Lake ; 17,918, Long, large, square axe, Portage Road, Bexley, J.
Lylle ; 17,919, Broad thin axe, bright green, West Bay, Balsam Lake,
J. Pollard; 17,920, Polished axe, Raven Lake, Bexley, R. Pearce ;
17,921, Polished axe, Raven Lake, Bexley ; 17,922, Woman's semi-lumar
slate knife, Logan's Hill, lot 22, con. 3, Eldon ; 17,923, Rough square
celt, Logan's Hill, lot 22, con. 3, Eldon ; 17,924-5, Large grey axes,
Bolsover, Dalgleish ; 17,926-29, Axes, Markham, J. Barren ; 17,930,
Small brown axe, Balsam Lake, A. Fountain ; 17,931-33, Axes, Balsam
Lake, found under a flat rock with pottery, J. Earls , 17,934-35, Stone
axes, Balsam Lake ; 17,936, Small chisel, lot 9, con. 3, Bexley, G.
McKague; 17,937, Small chisel; 17,938, Slickstone, West Bay, Balsam
Lake ; 17,939, Stone axe, village site on plan, Eldon ; 17,940, Hammer
stone, degraded axe, Bexley, Calder Hills ; 17,941, Small slight gouge,
worked surface, West Bay, Portage Road; 17,942, Gouge, worked
surface, lot 9, con. 3, Bexley, G. McKague; 17,943, Light colored, green
stone axe, polished, Bexley, A. Peel; 17,944, Small axe, made of,
22
fragment of larger one, Bexley, G. McKague ; 17,945, Stone axe,
Bexley; 17,946. Stone axe, North Bay, Bexley, J. Bailley ; 17,947,
Chisel, Corson's Hill, lot 5, con. 5, Bexley ; 17,948, Chisel, Heaslip's
Point; 17,949, Stone axe, Heaslip's Point ; 17,950, Thin, wide, flat celt,
Eldon; 17,951, Thick axe, broken edge, Heaslip's Point; 17,952,
Duck-billed axe, Long Point, Balsam Lake,Thos.McNish ; 17,953, Long
double edged chisel, Coboconk, D. Smith ; 17,954, Triangular axe ;
17,955, Stone axe, Bexley, H. Reid; 17,956, Chisel, Bexley, H. Reid ;
17,957, Small chisel, Heaslip's Point ; 17,958, Small chisel, Long Point,
Balsam Lake, Jas. Rae; 17,959, Gouge, Eldon, C. Fry; 17,960, Polished
axe, Eldon, C. Fry; 17,961, Celt, Eldon, D. Wright; 17,962, Hammer,
cylindrical, grave, Coboconk, J. Bouns ; 17,963, Blocked-out, unfinish-
ed axe, Bexley ; 17,964, Small rough axe, club head, lot 9, con. 3,
Bexley, G. McKague ; 17,965, Gouge, polished argillite, chisel ended,
Bolsover, Eldon, Jas. McGirr; 17,966, Hand cut argillite, Somerville
Township; 17,967, Small flat axe, Somerville Township; 17,968, Small
chisel, Somerville Township ; 17,969, Argillite axe, Eldon, C. Fry ;
17,970, Part of woman's semi-lunar slate knife, Eldon, C. Fry; 37,971,
Large Huronian slate axe, showing pecking, polishing and flaking,
Bolsover, Jas. McGirr ; 17,972, Stone axe, Bolsover, Jas. McGirr ;
17,97-'J, Large axe, split and re-worked, Bexley, M. McNerney ; 17,974,
Square axe, lot 44-5, con. 8, Eldon village site, Jas. McDonald ; 17,975
Axe, partly polished, lot 44-5, con. 8, Eldon village site, Jas. McDonald;
17,976, Large rough axe, Eldon, S. Trainan ; 17,977, Blade of large
polished axe, Eldon ; 17,978, Smoothing stone or hand hammer, Eldon;
17,979-80, Two small axes, one rather flat, Bexley, M. Nevin ; 17,981,
Small axe, Laxton, W. Peel; 17,982, Skin dresser, Elbow, Saskatche-
wan ; 17,983, Bone harpoon, incised sides, West Eay, Balsam Lake,
C. Laid la w ; 17,984, Horn implement, West Bay, Balsam Lake;
17,985, Horn implement, perforated, West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 17,986,
Spawl bone, perforated, West Bay, Balsam Lake : 17,987, Bone
arrowhead, West Bay, Balsam Lake; 17,988, Bone arrowhead, West
Bay, Balsam Lake; 17,989-98, Bone ornaments, either for neck-
lace or for sewing on garments, West Bay, Balsam Lake ;
17,999-18,002, Bone awls, West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,003-4, Pottery
markers. West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,005-8, Bone awls, West Bay,
Balsam Lake; 18,009-20, Bone tubes or beads, West Bay, Balsam
Lake; 18,021, Bone tube and tally incised marks, West Bay, Balsam,
Lake; 18,022, Bone spawl, West Bay, Balsam Lake; 18,023, Bone
spawl, West Bay, Balsam Lake; 18,024, Bone spawl, West Bay, Bal-
sam Lake ; 18,025, Horn Implement, West Bay, Balsam Lake ;
18,026-27, Small bone awls, West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,028, Large
23
bone needle, West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,029-32, Bone spawls, West
Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,033, Incised bone spawl, West Bay, Balsam
Lake ; 18,034-35, Unfinished bone implement, West Bay, Balsam Lake ;
18,036, Fragment of bone tally, West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,037, Frag-
ment of bone tube, West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,038-39, Bone tubes,
West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,040, Awl, West Bay, Balsam Lake ;
18.041, Awl, village site on plan, West Bay, Balsam Lake, W. Pollard;
18.042, Bone ornament, Portage road, Bexley, W. Pollard ; 18,043, Har-
poon, 3 barbs, hole at end ; 18,044-7, Awls ; 18,048, Bone tubes ;
38,049-54, Bones worked, but use not known (from 18,043-54, A.
Burns farm, Village site No. 1 on plan near Portage Road, Bexley) ;
18,055, Awl, Markham, Ont, J. Barren ; 18,056, Bone awl, Heaslip's Pt.,
West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,057, Sawed bone, Heaslip's Pt., West Bay,
Balsam Lake ; 18,058, Tine, village site, lot 9, concession 3, Bexley,
McKague ; 18,059, Curved bead, village site, lot 9, concession 3, Bexley,
McKague ; 18,060, Hollow, worked bone, village site, lot 9, concession 3,
Bexley, McKague : 18,061, Fragment of large bear tusk, village site,
lot 9, concession 3, Bexley, McKague ; 10,062, Fragment of worked
bone, knob at end, village site, lot 9, concession 3, Bexley, McKague ;
18,063-4, Bone awls, village site, lot 9, concession 3, Bexley, McKague;
18,065, Bone awl, village site, lot 5, concession 5, Bexley, McKague :
18,006, Skin- dresser of elk horn, Alberta, North- West Territories :
18,067,Hollow bone.Bexley ; 18,068-70, Bone awls, Capt. Corson's farm ;
18,071, Bone beads, square off at end, lot 5, concession 5, Bexley ;
18,072-3, Carpal bone, lot 5, concession 5, Bexley; 18,074, Perforated
fish-head bone ; 18,075, Horn weapon, Logan's Hill, lot 22, concession
3, Eldon, R Stanley ; 18,076, Bone awl, Logan's Hill, lot 22, concession
3, Eldon, R. Martin ; 18,077, Worked bone, Logan's Hill, lot 22, con-
cession 3, Eldon, R. Martin ; 1 8,078, Hollow bone, squared-off ends, lot
22, concession 3, Eldon, R. Martin ; 18,079, Metacarpal bone, one per-
foration at end, eight perforations at other, Coboconk, D. Smith ;
18,080, Bone awl, Somerville township, Mrs. White; 18,081, Bone
arrow -point, Somerville township, Mrs. White ; 18,082-85, Bone awls,
lot 9, concession 3, JBexley, G. McKague ; 18,086, Bone weapon or club-
head. Bexley ; 18 087, Horn showing tracings of work, Bexley ;
18,088, Worked bone, Bexley ; 18,089, Canine tooth, Bexley; 18,090,
Gorget, 2 holes, Gait; 18,091-3, Bone awls or needles, W. Benson's
farm, west half of lot 5 and 6, concession 2, Bexley; 18,094-7, Bone
beads, found by D. Boyle on W. Benson's farm, west half of lots 5 and
6, concession 2, Bexley; 18,098-100, Bone awls, Balsam Lake, Eldon,
Jas. McGirr ; 18,101-06, Bone awls> Corbett's Hill, lot 5, concession 5,
Bexley; 18,107, Large bear's tusk, ground on one side, Corbett's Hill,
24
lot 5, concession 5, Bexley ; 18,108, Perforated wolf's tusk, Corbett's
Hill, lot 5, concession 5, Bexley ; 18,109, Unworked wolf's tusk, Cor-
bett's Hill, lot 5, concession 5, Bexley; 18,110-11, Bone awls, Corbett's
Hill, lot 5, concession 5, Bexley ; 18,112, Worked bone, Corbett's Hill,
lot 5, concession 5, Bexley ; 18,113, Bear's tusk, lot 45, concession 8,
Eldon, Jas. McDonald ; 18,114, Bear's tusk, lot 45, concession 8, Eldon,
J.Campbell; 18,115, Bone harpoon, Bolsover, Jas. McGirr; 18,116,
Large bone awl, Bolsover, Jas. McGirr ; 18,117, Horn chisel, edge tool,
Bolsover, Jas. McGirr; 18,118, Bone bead, Benson's farm, Bexley;
18,119, Worked spike horn, found on J. McDonald's farm, lot 45, con-
cession 8, Eldon, C. Grilse; 18,120, Worked broken horn, found on J.
McDonald's farm, lot 45, concession 8, Eldon, C. Grilse; 18,121-33,
Bone awls, found on J. McDonald's farm, lot 45, concession 8, Eldon,
C. Grilse; 18,134-36, Small bone beads, found on J. McDonald's farm,
lot 45, concession 8, Eldon, C. Grilse ; 18,137-38, Large bone beads, found
on J. McDonald's farm, village site No. 10, on plan, Eldon, C. Grilse ;
18.139, Horn arrow-head, found on J. McDonald's farm, lot 45, con-
cession 8. Eldon, C. Grilse ; 18,140, Bear's tusk, one-half ground down,
found on J. McDonald's farm, lot 45, concession 8, Eldon, C. Grilse :
18,141, Fragment of needle with perforated eye, found on J. McDonald's
farm, lot 45, concession 8, Eldon, C. Grilse ; 18,142, Perforated tally
for suspension, found on J. McDonald's farm, lot 45, concession 8,
Eldon, J. McDonald ; 18,143, Worked horn tool, found on McDonald's
farm, lot 45, concession 8, Eldon, J. McDonald; 18,144-5, Socketed
points of horn, found on J. McDonald's farm, lot 45, concession 8,
Eldon, J. McDonald ; 18,1 46, Large bone awl, lot 9, concession 3, Bex-
ley, Ont., G. McKague ; 18,147, Pottery marker, Eldon, J. Stanley ;
18,148, Bone awl, Eldon; 18,149-50, Large bone beads, Eldon;
18,151, Perforated wolf tooth, Eldon ; 18,152-61, Bone awls, lot 5, con-
cession 5, Bexley, G. Irwin ; 18,162, Bone awl tally, lot 5, concession 5,
Bexley, G. Irwin : 18,163-4 Large bone beads, lot 5, concession 5, Bex-
ley, G. Irwin ; 18,165-69, Bone beads, lot 5, concession 5, Bexley, G.
Irwin; 18,170, Bone bangle, lot 5, concession 5, Bexley, G. Irwin;
18,171, Bear's tusk, ground for a tool, lot 5, concession 5, Bexley, G.
Irwin; 18,172, Beaver's tusk, ground for a tool, lot 5, concession 5,
Bexley, C. Irwin ; 18,173, Perforated wolf's tooth, lot 5, concession 5,
Bexley, G. Irwin ; 18,174-5, Perforated needle bone, lot 5, concession 5,
Bexley, G. Irwin ; 18,176, Perforated fish-head bone, lot 5, concession 5,
Bexley, S. Harbaugh ; 18,177, Horn arrowhead, lot 5, con. 5, Bexley, G.
Irwin ; 18,178; Worked horn chisel edge, lot 5, con. 5 Bexley, G. Irwin;
18.179, Sioux calumet (Standing Buffalo), Fort Qu'Appelle, J. Leader;
18.180, Blackfoot calumet, North-west Territory ; 18,181, Pipe, (Mis-
25
sissauga) Belleville, R. J. Bell ; 18,182, Unfinished pipe, West Bay,
Balsam Lake, J. Linwood ; 18,183, Squaw pipe, Piegan Indian, Fort
McLeod; 18,184, Eagle pipe, grave, Midland City, Dr. "Wood;
18,185-7, Pipes Winnipeg, Northwest Territory, Lyman Dwight;
18,188, Polished black grey vase pipe bowl, Eldon, A. Burns; 18,189,
Polished white stone pipe, double stem-hole, found in Fenelon some
years ago ; two holes meeting at an acute angle, beneath another hole
for attaching ornament, Cambray, N. Jackson ; 18,190, Bear pipe,
Dalgleish, Bolsover; 18,191, Stone pipe stem, Balsam Lake; 18,192,
Locomotive pipe, Indian Hill, A. Burns; 18,193, Panther pipe, Mud
Lake, Garden, Ont., G. Fox ; 18,194, Square stone pipe with diagonal
cross lines, village site lot 9, con. 3, Bexley, McKague ; 18,195, Un-
finished vase pipe, Coboconk; 18,196, Stone " cigar-holder " pipe, lot 5,
con. 5, Bexley; 18,197, Stone pipe, modern western type, found
in excavating for railway, Edmonton, N.W.T., Jas Laidlaw ; 18,198,
Stone pipe, modern, Alberta ; 18,199, Fragment of a pipe, man's head
on bowl and animal on stem, North-west coast, A. McNabb; 18,200,
Square stone pipe, diagonal lines incised at side, long and slender,
bear's head in relief, Corbett's Hill, lot 5, con. 5, Bexley; 18,201, White
stone pipe, Woodville, J. Gilchrist ; 18,202, Oval red slate gorget, 2
holes, Woodstock, Ont., J. Petheram; 18,203, Oval slate gorget, 2 holes,
West Bay, Balsam Lake; 18,204, Gorget, concave, 2 holes, N. Cameron;
18,205, Gorget evidently larger and broken, with three holes, then
smoothed down ; 18,206, Slate, green, plate apparently being shaped for a
gorget, West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,207 Blocked-out slab of slate for
gorget, West Bay, Balsam Lake; 18,208, Slate pendant bracer-like,
West Bay, Balsam Lake; 18,209, Rough pendant, West Bay, Balsam
Lake; 18,210, Fragment of bracer or pendant, West Bay, Balsam Lake!
18,211, Ovate pendant, Bolsover, Dalgleish; 18 212, Slab slate, probably
intended for gorget, Bexley; 18,213, Piece of slate, probably intended
for gorget, Bexley ; 18,214, Micaceous schist slab unfinished, Eldon;
18.215, Fragment of pendant of Huronian slate, Garden, Jas. McKee ;
18.216, Perforated slate pendant, Balsam Lake, Eldon, Jas. McGirr ;
18,^17, One-half of slate crescent broken at perforation, Balsam Lake,
Eldon, Jas. McGirr ; 18,218, Large slab of Huronian slate, evidently
an unfinished gorget, lot 1, con. 10, Thorah, Chas. Youill; 18,219, Large
finished square gorget, Huronian slate, found with the preceding due,
Chas. Youill; 18,220, Copper pick, Fort William, Lake Superior, A.
McNabb ; 18,221, Copper arrowhead, socket formed by bending the
edges inwards, West Bay, Balsam Lake, G. Bemis ; 18,222, Copper
knife found twenty years ago, Dalgleish, Bolsover; 18,223, Copper
knife found near line of Trent Valley Canal, lot 3, South Portage
26
Road, Bexley, Duncan McPhail ; 18,224, Copper spear, Bexley, M.
Sayers ; 18,225, Copper implement found under a large pine stump,
implement eleven inches long, two and a half maximum width; 18,226,
Copper spear, Beaverton, Ont; 18,227, Copper scraper, found in canal
excavation where it crosses Portage Road, eight feet deep, Eldon, Alex.
Miles ; 18,228, Clay pipe, human face effigy, pointed nose, West Bay,
Balsam Lake; 18,229, Clay pipe, human face effigy, Indian Hill, West
Bay, Balsam Lake, J. Richardson; 18,230, Clay pipe, semi cornet
shaped. West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,231, Clay pipe, plain cornet
shaped, Indian village, West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,232, Clay pipe,
(small) four rings, West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,233, Clay pipe, (small,
rough) West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,234, Clay pipe, (flat front) arms
at the side, Indian Hill, J. Richardson; 18,235, Clay pipe, (stem);
18,236, Clay pipe, plain cornet shaped. Indian village, West Bay,
Balsam Lake, J. Richardson; 18,237, Clay pipe, plain cornet shaped,
West Bay, Balsam Lake, J. Cameron ; 18,238, Clay pipe, plain cornet
shaped, West Bay, Balsam Lake, J. Cameron; 18,239, Clay pipe, plain,
West Bay, Balsam Lake; 18,240 Clay pipe, plain and stem, West Bay,
Bal>am Lake; 18,241, Clay pipe, rings on ridge, West Bay, Balsam Lake;
18,242, Clay pipe, semi-cornet-shaped, ornamented end stem, West Bay,
Balsam Lake; 18,243, Clay pipe, semi-cornet-shaped, plain, small, West
Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,244, Clay pipe, plain cornet-shaped and stem,
West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,245, Clay pipe, cornet-shape, ornamented,
West Bay, Balsam Lake; 18,246, Clay pipe, plain cornet-shaped and
stem, Indian village, West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,247, Clay pipe, ridged
top, West Bay, Balsam Lake; 18,248, Clay pipe, semi-cornet-shaped,
(small) West Bay, Balsam Lake; 18,249, Clay pipe, five incised rings
on bowl, West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,250, Clay pipe, ornamented cornet-
shaped, Indian village, West Bay, Balsam Lake, J. Richardson; 18,251,
Clay pipe, plain cornet-shaped, West Bay, Balsam Lake; 18,252, Clay
pipe, plain cornet shaped, West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,253, Clay pipe,
ornamented lower part of bowl and stem, West Bay, Balsam Lake ;
18,2-54, Clay pipe, small (and stem), incised rings on bowl, West Bay,
Balsam Lake; 18,255, Clay pipe, plain, cornet-shaped (and stem), West
Bay, Balsam Lake; 18,256, CJay pipe and stem (fragment of) showing
mode of making hole for smoke by means of a cord being inlaid and
then burnt out, West Bay, Balsam Lake; 18,257, Clay pipe, large,
cornet shaped, West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,158, Clay pipe, incised
rough bowl, West Bay, Balsam Lake; 18,259, Clay pipe, ornamented
bowl, longtitudinal ridges, West Bay, Balsam Lake; 18,261, Clay pipe
and stem (fragment of) perforated, West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,262,
Clay pipe (fragment of) bowl with square top, West Bay, Balsam Lake;
27
18.263, Clay pipe and stem (fragment of), West Bay, Balsam Lake ;
18.264, Clay pipe and stem (fragment of) snake entwined, West Bay,
Balsam Lake ; 18,265, Clay pipe, bulged, ringed top, West Bay, Balsam
Lake ; 18,266, Clay pipe, five ringed top, four holes, Balsam Lake, D.
McGillivray; 18,267, Clay pipe, small, Heaslip's Point; 18,268, Clay
pipe, very small round bowl, village site, lot 9, con. 3, Bexley ; 18,269,
Clay pipe, top ground off, village site, found on Capt. Corson's farm,
lot 5, con. 5, Bexley ; 18,270, Clay pipe, square top, village site, found
on Capt. Corsen's farm, lot 5, con. 5, Bexley; 18,271, Clay pipe, rough,
thick and course, found on lot 9, con. 3, Bexley ; 18,272, Clay pipe,
rough cornet shaped, found on lot 9, con. 3, Bexley ; 18,273, Clay pipe,
stem (ornamented) lot 9, con. 3, Bexley; 18,274, Clay pipe, Huron, with
a square mouth, lot 5, con. 5, Bexley ; 18,275, Clay pipe, rough, semi-
cornet shaped, four indentations, lot 2, con. 3, Logan's Hill, Eldon, R.
Stanley; 18,276, Clay pipe, common cornet shaped, scalloped rim,
Logan's Hill, Eldon, R. Stanley ; 18 277, Clay pipe, traders, early type,
Portage Road, J. Merry ; 18,278, Clay pipe, double faced, J. Bartley ;
18,279, Clay pipe, large semi-cornet shaped, four indentations, orna-
mented top, West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,280, Clay pipe, small, semi-
cornet shaped, bowl of four convex sides, dotted angles, lot 9, con. 3,
Bexley ; 18,281, Clay pipe, face, back with five scollopes, G. McKague's
farm, Bexley; 18,282, Clay pipe, fragment of, with five angled top,
indentations at angles and ornamented with concave between, found
on G. McKague's farm, Bexley ; 18,283, Clay pipe with large face,
Woodville, C. J. Gilchrist ; 18,284, Clay pipe, stem large, Woodville,
C. J. Gilchrist ; 18,285, Clay pipe, solid, seven scalloped rings on top,
Woodville, C. J. Gilchrist; 18,286, Clay pipe, semi-cornet-shaped, orna-
mented top; Woodville, C. J. Gilchrist ; 18,287, Clay pipe, stem flattened
(fragment of) three rows of holes at side, Logan's Hill, lot 22, con. 3,
Eldon, R. Stanley; 18,288, Clay pipe, small, plain cornet-shaped, rough
bowl, Logan's Hill, R. Stanley; 18,289, Clay pipe, small, plain, bowl
with face high up and looking in, Logan's Hill, R. Stanley ; 18,290,
Clay pipe, small, plain, hole bored in bowl for stem, Logan's Hill, R.
Stanley ; 18,291, Clay pipe, small bowl, five scalloped rings, row of
holes below, Logan's Hill, R. Stanley ; 18,292, Clay pipe, semi-cornet
shaped, ornamented top. Logan's Hill, R. Stanley ; 18,293, Clay pipe,
upper part of bowl indentations, 2 rings, Kirkfield ; 18,294, Clay pipe,
human face effigy, Lake Nipissing, J. Richardson.
18,295, Green stone spearhead, Ayr, Ont., R. McCulloch ; 18,296,
Greenstone knife or spearhead, Puslinch, Ont., D. Cameron ; 18,297,
Flanged implement, (grave) Gait, Ont., N. Goodall ; 18,298-9, Scraper
lance-shaped knife, Gait, Ont.; 18, 300-1, Circular implement, West
28
Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,302, Implement, West Bay, Balsam Lake ;
18,303, Leaf-shaped implement, Belleville, Ont. ; 18,304-6, Notched
base spearheads, Gait, Ont. ; 18,307-13, Stem base spearheads, Gait,
Ont. ; 18,314-15, Spearhead, Gait, Ont. ; 18,316, Double notched spear-
head, Belleville, K. J. Bell; 18,317, Spearhead, Gait, Ont.; 18,318,
Bart stem spearhead, Gait ; 18,319, Spearhead, West Bay, Balsam
Lake ; 1 8,320, Long, slender, narrow, white spearhead, West Bay, Bal-
sam Lake ; 18,321, Stemmed, concave, sided spearhead, Branchton,
Ont,; 18,322, Slender notch base spearhead, Gait; 18,323, Triangular
spearhead, Puslinch, D. Cameron ; 18,324, Leaf implement, Gait, Ont. ;
18,325, oval implement, West Bay, Balsam Lake, N. Thacker ; 18,326,
Leaf implement, Guelph, Ont. ; 18,327, Large implement, West Bay,
Balsam Lake ; 18,329, Stem spearhead, West Bay, Balsam Lake ;
18,329, Notched broad base spearhead, Puslinch, D. Cameron ; 18,330,
Large implement, convex sides, square base, West Bay, Balsam Lake ;
18,331, Large implement, convex sides, square base, Guelph Ont ;
18,332-3, Two flake knifes, Ont, ; 18,334, Stemmed spearhead, Guelph ;
18,335, Notched broad base spearhead, Branchton ; 18,336, Stem spear-
head, West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,337, Stem spearhead, serrated barb,
Ont. ; 18,338, Notched broad based spearhead, Belleville, R. J. Bell ;
18,339-40, Stem spearheads. Guelph; 18,341-2, Small notches, Gait ;
18,343-4, Broad based arrowheads, West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,345-6,
Short, broad barb arrowheads, Gait, Ont. ; 18,347, Notched arrow-
head, West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,348, Broad base arrowhead, West
Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,34'J-50, Stemmed arrowheads, Gait Ont. ;
18,351, Long arrowhead, notched broad base, Gait ; 18,352-53, Stem
arrowheads, New Jersey ; 18,354, Notched arrowhead, Woodstock, J.
Petheram ; 18.355-56, Broad arrowheads, base notched, Ont. ; 18,357-58,
Broad stem arrowheads, Toronto ; 18,359, Long fish jigger, Ont. ;
18,360-61 Implements, West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,362-64, Notched
base, short, broad triangular arrowhead, Gait ; 18,365-66, Fragments
of oval implements, Beverly, R. Burke : 18,367, Arrowhead, Belleville,
R. J. Bell ; 18,368-9, Arrowheads, Gait ; 18,370, Arrowheads, double
cut notches, Eglinton ; 18,371, Arrowheads, Branchton ; 18,372, Arrow-
heads, Ont. ; 18,373-4, Arrowheads, Gait ; 18,375, Arrowheads, serrated,
Puslinch, D. Camerom ; 18,376, Arrowhead, serrated, Guelph ; 18,377,
Arrowhead, West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,378, Awl, club-based, West
Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,379, Awl, club-based, Ont. ; 18,380, Almond
scraper, West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,381, Arrowhead, West Buy, Bal-
sam Lake ; 18,382, Arrowhead, Guelph, Ont. ; 18,383, Large slate fish
jigger, Belleville, R. J. Bell ; 18,384, Small slate fish jigger, Belleville,
R.J.Bell; 18,385, Carnelian(?) arrowhead, broad notched base, Puslinch,
D. Cameron; 18,386-8, Small arrowheads, California, Addison; 18,389,
Arrowhead, convex base, Lambton, Ont., G. Shaw ; 18,390, Arrowhead,
triangular, California, U. S. A. ; 18,391, Arrowhead, Gait ; 18,392,
Arrowhead, Branchton, Ont. ; 18,393, Almond-shaped scraper,Beverley.
Ont., R. Burke ; 18,394, Semi-circular scraper, West Bay, Balsam Lake ;
18,395, Almond-shaped scraper, West Bay, Balsam Lake; 18,396, Arrow-
head, barbed, triangular, concave base, Gait; 18,397, Arrowhead, barbed,
serrated, Branchton ; 18,398, Arrowhead, West Bay, Balsam Lake ;
18,399, Arrowhead, Gait ; 18,400, Arrowhead, Guelph ; 18,401, Arrow-
head, (curved) Gait ; 18,402, Arrowhead, West Bay, Balsam Lake ;
18,403, Arrowhead, small, triangular, Puslinch, D. Cameron ; 18,404,
Arrowhead, Ontario, 18,405, Arrowhead, Gait; 18,406, Arrowhead,
square based, Gait, Ont. ; 18,407, Club based awl, Gait, Ont. ; 18,408,
Arrowhead, West Bay, Balsam Lake; 18,409-11, Arrowhead, Gait;
18, t!2, Arrowhead, Guelph ; 18,413-15, Arrowhead, State of Georgia ;
18,416, Arrowhead, Ontario ; 18,417, Arrowhead, triangular, West Bay,
Balsam Lake ; 18,418, Arrowhead, small, West Bay, Balsam Lake ;
18,419, Arrowhead, small, Ont.; 18,420, Arrowhead, small, Simcoe ;
18,421, Arrowhead, Pacific coast, G. Shaw ; 18,422, Arrowhead, Beverly,
R. Burke; 18,423, Arrowhead, Guelph; 18,424, Arrowhead,. Branchton,
18,425-26. Arrowhead, Gait; 18,427, Arrowhead, Ontario; 18,428,
Arrowhead, Ontario ; 18,429, Arrowhead, Toronto ; 18,430, Arrowhead,
West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,431, Arrowhead, Beverly, R. Burke ;
18,432, Arrowhead, white, Ont. ; 18,433-35, Arrowhead, slender, Gait ;
18,436, Arrowhead, white, West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,437, Arrow-
head, Blair, Ont. ; 18,438, Arrowhead, Schenectady, N. Y., J. Cooper ;
18,439-43, Arrowhead, West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,443, Leaf shape
implements, West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,444, Awl, West Bay, Balsam
Lake; 18,445 -47, Arrowheads, West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,448, Arrow-
heads, triangular, convex base, West Bay, Balsam Lake; 18,449-51,
Arrowheads, small, white, West Bay, Balsam Lake, A. Burns ; Metal
relics showing contact with white men, West Bay, Balsam Lake —
18,452-4, Tomahawks, brand, Maltese cross on the right side, pick back,
West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,455, French axe, brand, three Maltese
crosses on both sides, Gait ; 18,456, French axe, brand, three Maltese
crosses on both sides, West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,457, Tomahawk,
brand, Maltese cross on both sides, West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,458,
Spoon, pewter, found in grave with other relics, West Bay, Balsam
Lake; 18,459, Knife, West Bay, Balsam Lake; 18,460, Knife blade,
West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,461, Piece of rifle barrel, West Bay, Bal-
sam Lake; 18,462, French axe, root through eye, found under an
upturned cedar, West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,463, French iron axe,
. 30
brand three Maltese crosses on both sides, West Bay, Balsam Lake ;
18,464, French iron axe, brand, one Maltese cross on both sides, West
Bay. Balsam Lake ; 18,465, String of bells, found in grave on the
shores of West Bay, Balsam Lake; 18,466. Brooch, silver, found in
grave on the shores of West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,467, Copper pot,
found in grave on the shores of West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,468,
Tomahawk, iron, found by an old fire place, WTest Bay, Balsam Lake,
G. Pollard ; 18,469, Part of an iron gun barrel, WTest Bay, Balsam Lake ;
18,470, Brass spearhead, Portage Road, Bexley, A. Burns ; 18,471,
Scalping knife, found in grave with pipe, Edmonton, North West Ter-
ritory ; 18,472,, Ghost arrowhead found in Laidlaw's garden, head of
Portage Road, G. Pollard ; 18,473, Brass pipe, tomahawk, dovetailed
(bit) of steel, engraved scroll work, D. McNeil ; 18,474, Steel spearhead,
Eldon, S. Truman ; 18,475-77, Three pieces of sheet copper, Eldon,
S. Truman ; 18,478, Ghost arrowhead, sheet copper, Beaverton, C. Mor-
rison; 18,479, Steel for striking fire, Bolsover, J. McGirr ; 18,480, Iron
adze gouge-edged, Coboconk, J. Moore ; 18,481, Heavy gouge, wide
lipped, lot 9, con. 3, Bexley, G. McKague.
18,482-60, Pottery stones, may be circular hand hammers, West
Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,487-8, Corn grinders ; 18,489, Pottery stone,
Indian Hill, lot 1 north portage road, Bexley ; 18,490, Pottery stone,
West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,491, Polished pebble, West Bay, Balsam
Lake ; 18,492, Corn grinder, West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,493, Pottery
stone, West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,494-95, Mortars, North Bay, Bal-
sam Lake; 18,496, Mortar, North Bay, Balsam Lake. D. Graham;
18,497, Mortar on boulaer, shore of West Bay, Balsam Lake; 18,498,
Corn grinder, near village site, block E ; 18,499, Pottery stone, Raven
Lake, Bexley, H. Pearce ; 18,500, Polished pebble, Bexley ; 18,501,
Mortar, Big Island, Balsam Lake, V. Middleton ; 18,502, Arrowhead,
triangular stem, serrated Chili, South America ; 18,503, Mortar, Heas-
lip's Point ; 18,504, Mortar, Heaslip's Point ; 18 505, Mortar, Heaslip's
Point ; 18,506, Arrowhead, Branchton ; 1S,507, Pestle, West Bay, Bal-
sam Lake; 18,508, Corn grinder, upper stone, ash-bed, Rummerfield
Hill ; 18,509, Half of mealing stone, upper stone, ash-bed, Rummerfield
Hill, lot 1, north portage road, Bexley; 18,510-11, Stone and pottery,
beads and discs, perforated stone discs, West Day, Balsam Lake ; 18,-
512, Unfinished stone disc, West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,513, Fragment
of a clay bead, West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,514, Perforated clay disc,
West Bay, Balsam Lake; 18,515, Perfoiated clay disc, (unfinished),
West Bay. Balsam Lake; 18,516-7, Pottery discs, (unfinished), West
Bay, Balsam Lake; 18,518, Pottery disc, (unfinished), West Bay, Bal-
sam Lake ; 18,519-21, Pottery discs, village site on plan, lot 1-2, North
31
Portage Road, Indian Hill, Bexley, A. Burns ; 18,522, Pottery disc,
village site on lots 1-2 North Portage Road, Indian Hill, Bexley,
(perforation being started) A. Burns ; 18,523, Pottery disc, village site,
plan No. 5, on McKague's farm, lot 9, con. 3, Bexley ; 18,524-5, Stone
discs, village site on plan 5, and found on McKague's farm, lot 9, con.
3, Bexley ; 18,526, Stone discs (perforation started on both sides),
Bexley; 18,5^7, Pottery disc, village site on plan 3, found on Capt. Cor-
son's farm, lot 5, con. No. 3, Bexley ; 18,528, Stone disc, small, village
site on plan 3, found on Capt. Corson's lot 5, con. 5, Bexley ; 18,529,
Stone ball, village site on plan No 3, found on Capt. Corson's lot 5,
con. 5, Bexley; 18,530, Pottery disc, found on Benson's farm ; 18,531;
Pottery disc, Corbett's Hill ; 18,5-32, Pottery disc, one-half, small, split,
Corbett's Hill ; 18.533, Stone disc, unfinished, Corbett's Hill, lot 5, con.
5, Bexley ; 18,534, Large stone disc (fragment of) Corbett's Hill, lot
5, con. 5, Bexley; 18,535, Perforated stone disc, Corbett's Hill, lot 5,
con. 5, Bexley ; 18,536, Unfinished stone disc, Corbett's Hill, lot 5, con.
5, Bexley ; 18,537, Unfinished stone disc, Logan's Hill, lot 22, con. 3,
Eldon, R. Stanley : 18,538, Small bead, lot 22, con. 2, R. Stanley ;
18,539, Perforated stone disc, Coboconk, D. Smith ; 18,540, Small per-
forated stone disc, Coboconk, D. Smith ; 18,541 , Polished and perforated
stone disc, Coboconk, D. Smith ; 18.542, Large perforated broken stone
disc, Coboconk, D. Smith ; 18,543-4, Large unfinished stone disc, Cobo-
conk, D. Smith ; 18,545, Very small bead stone, Coboconk, D. Smith ;
18,546 Unfinished pottery disc, lots 44 and 45 S. Portage Road, Eldon,
D. Boyle ; 18,547, Perforated large stone disc, lot 5, con. 5, Corbett's
Hill ; 18,548, Perforated small stone disc, lot 5, con. 5, Corbett's Hill ;
18,549, Large white disc, Sornerville twp. ; 18,550, Part of pottery
disc, Bexley ; 18,551-4, Pottery discs, found on Benson's farm, west
half lot 5, 6, con. 2, Bexley.
18,555, Arrowhead, Grass River, Eldon, A. Burns ; 18,556, Arrow-
head, Portage Road, West Bay, Balsam Lake, Bexley : 18,557, Drill (?)
Portage Road, West Bay, Balsam Lake, Bexley ; 18,558, Arrowhead,
Portage Road, West Bay, Balsam Lake. Bexley, G. Pollard ; 18,559,
Arrowhead, Portage Road, West Bay, Balsam Lake, Bexley ; 18,560,
Arrow head (triangular), Portage Road, West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,-
561: Carnelian(?) scraper, Portage Road, West Bay, Balsam Lake, Bex-
ley ; 18,562, Broken drill, Portage Road, West Bay, Balsam Lake;
18,563, Arrowhead, West Bay, Balsam Lake, A. Burns ; 18,564, Arrow-
head, Balsam Lake. A, Burns ; 18,565, Arrowhead, taken from a grave
and along with a large implement, near Gait, N. Goodall ; 18,566, Drill,
Balsam Lake, A. Burns ; 18,567, Slate arrowhead, Bolsover, Dalgleish ;
18,568, Broad spearhead, Markham, Ont.; 18,569, Quartz arrowhead
32
found at the head of Portage Road, West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,570,
Arrowhead, Ant Island, Balsam Lake; 18,571, Arrowhead, Texas,
U.S.A., J. McNabb ; 18,572, Arrowhead implement, Texas, L. McNabb;
18,573, Arrowhead, Balsam Lake ; 18,574, White arrowhead, West Bay,
Balsam Lake, found at the head of Portage Road, A. Burns ; 18,575-6.
Broad based arrowhead, West Bay, Balsam Lake, found at the head of
Portage Road, A. Burns ; 18,577, Round point arrowhead, West Bay,
Balsam Lake, found at the head of Portage Road, A. Burns; 18,578,
Flint drill, broken point, Green county, Texas, J. McNabb ; 18,579,
Arrowhead, long fish jigger, (?) Green county, Texas, J. McNabb; 18,-
580-2, Arrowheads, Green county, Texas, Miss Fergusson ; 18,583-93,
Arrowheads of various shapes and sizes, San Angelo, Texas, Miss Fer-
gusson ; 18,594, Arrowhead, West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,595, Point ol
drill, West Bay, Balsam Lake; 18,596-610, Paloeolithic-like implements
Texas, Miss Fergusson ; 18,611-12, Oval implement, Texas, Miss Fer-
gusson; 18,613, Knife, implement, Texas, Mis? Fergusson; 18,614-19
Flake implement, Texas, Miss Fergusson ; 18:620, Awl, Texas, Miss
Fergusson ; 18,621, Implement, Texas, Miss Fergusson ; 18,622-27,
Arrowheads, Texas, Miss Fergusson ; 18,628-29, Large arrowheads,
Texas, Miss Fergusson; 18,630, Triangular arrowheads, Texas, Miss
Fergusson ; 18,631, Arrowhead, West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,632,
Broad based arrowhead, West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,633, Oval scraper,
West Bay, Balsam Lake; 18,634, Semi-circular scraper, West Bay, Bal-
sam Lake ; 18,635, Semi- circular scraper, Colorado, R. 0. Cariuthers ;
18,636-37, Arrowheads, Saguache county, Colorado ; 18,638-40, Small
arrowheads, Saguache county, Colorado ; 18,641, Small scrapers,
Saguache county, Colorado ; 18,642, Rough arrowhead, round top, Sagu-
ache county, Colorado ; 18,643-46, Palceolitbic-like, Texas, Miss Fergus-
son ; 18,647-8, Flakes, Texas, Miss Fergusson ; 18,649-52, Oval scrapers,
Texas, Miss Fergusson; 18,653-54, Leaf scrapers, Texas, Miss Fergusson ;
18,655-56. Barbed arrowhead, Texas, Miss Fergusson; 18,657, Barbed
arrowhead, Texas, Miss McNabb ; 18,658, Rough arrowhead, Texas,
Miss McNabb ; 18,659, Flint knife, Woodville, C. J. Gilchrist; 18,660,
Woman's slate knife, Long Point, Balsam Lake ; 18.661, Oval-curved
scraper, Miles Hay garth, Fenelon ; 18,662, White quartz arrowhead
point, found four feet deep, Eldon, D. Wright ; 18,663, Pure quartz
drill, lot 9 con. 3, Bexley ; 18,664, Very small arrowhead, found on
Benson's farm, Bexley, D. Boyle ; 18,665, Woman's slate knife, Bolsover,
Eldon, J. McGirr ; 18,666, Circular flint spearhead, Bolsover, Eldon, J.
McGirr ; 1 8,66 7-8, Palaeolithic (?) arrowheads.rough , very much weathered,
Bolsover, Eldon, J. McGirr ; 18,669, Small barbed arrow point, Bols-
over, Eldon, J. McGirr; 18,670, Small notched-based arrow point,
PLATK II.
Ka-mis-han-don (William Williams), Seneca. He was leader in the :
festivals, as well as at intervals during several previous years. Ka-
mis-han-don sang the songs for the musical notation following.
PLATE IV.
Chief Dehayadgwayeh, Outstretched Arms — (Johnson Williams) and daughter
(Seneca). This chief took an active part in the Midwinter and
other festivals in the Seneca Longhouse.
Miss Williams was an active participant in the dances.
PLATE V.
David Key (Seneca). In the festivals of 1898 he took an active part as assistant,
and has been appointed leader for 1899. He is a man of much
energy, and a good impromptu speaker.
33
Bolsover, Eldon, J. McGirr ; 18,671, Large notched based arrow point,
head of Portage Road, West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,672, Chert knife,
Eldon, S. Truman : 18,673, Perfect chert awl, Eldon, S. Truman ; 18,-
674, Perfect chert arrowhead, Eldon, S. Truman ; 18,675, Narrow leaf-
shaped arrowhead, Bolsover, J. McGirr ; 18,676, Small triangular con-
cave based arrowhead, lot 45, con. 8 South Portage Road, Eldon ;
18,677, Leaf-shaped tuitle-backed scraper, Bexley, W. Nevins; 18,678,
Curved leaf-shaped scraper, Raven Lake, R. H. Pearce ; 18,679, Black
flint arrowhead, Cambray, H. Fear ; 18,680, Oval chipped implement
(chalcedony ?) Rummerfield Hill ; 18,681, Scraper, Lt 9, con. 3, Bexley ;
18,682, Curved flint knife or scraper, lot 5, con. 5, Bexley.
18,683, Perforated mussel shell, Bexley; 18,684, Broken shell
perforated, lot 9, concession 3, Bexley ; 18,685, Perforated shells, lot 5,
concession 5, Bexley ; 18,688-9, Perforated helix shells, lot 45, conces-
sion 8, South Portage Road,Kirkfield,David Boyle; 18,690-1, Shell disc,
west half lots 5, 6, concession 2, David Boyle, Benson's farm, Bexley ;
18.692, Arrowhead, triangular, concave based, West Bay, Balsam Lake:
18.693, helix shell, Benson's farm, Balsam Lake; 18,694-6, helix,
shell, lot 5, concession 5, Balsam Lake ; 18,697, Unio shell, lot 5, con-
cession 5, Balsam Lake ; 1 8,698 (Fragment of perforated shell), lot 5,
concession 5, Balsam Lake ; 18,699, Perforated unio shell, Benson's
farm, Balsam Lake ; 18,700, Partly worked unio perforated shell, lot
5, con. 5, Balsam Lake , 18,701, Perforated, worked unio shell, lot 5,
concession 5, Balsam Lake ; 18,702, Perforated helix shell, lot 45, con-
cession 8, A. Campbell ; 18,703, Perforated helix shell, Eldon S. Tru-
man ; 18,704, One box of helix shells, lot 45, concession 8, Eldon ;
18,705, Perforated spiral shell, Benson's farm, Bexley ; 18,706, Perfor-
ated clam shell, lot 45, concession 8, Eldon; 18,707, One box of perfor-
ated helix shells, lot 45, concession 8, Eldon; 18,708, One box of per-
forated helix shells, etc., lot 22, concession 3, Eldon; 18,709, Perforated
clam shell, lot 22, concession 3, Eldon; 18,710, One box of perforated
helix shells, Bexley, W. Nevins; 18,711, Graphite, lot 5, con. 5, Bexley ;
18,712, Quartz pebble, West Bay, Portage Road ; 18713, Quartz pebble,
(doubtful), West Bay, Portage Road; 18,714, Worked stone, lot 22f
concession 3, R. Stanley ; 18,715, Worked pebble, Eldon, C. Fry ;
18,716, Worked shale slab, Eldon, D. Wright ; 18,717, worked slab
of micaceous schist, Coboconk, D. Smith; 18,718, Worked flake red
slab, Coboconk, D. Smith: 18,719, Graphite, Coboconk, D. Smith;
18,720, Hematite, Coboconk, D. Smith; 18,721, Worked soapstone
pebble, Coboconk, D. Smith; 18,722, Worked pebble, Coboconk, D.
3 c.i.
34-
Smith ; 18,723, Silurian crinoid fossil, lot 5, concession 5, Bexley
18,724-5, White quartz, lot 9, concession 3, Bexley; 18,726, White
quartz, lot 45, concession 8, Kirktield, Eldon ; 18,727-28, White quartz,
West Bay, head of Portage Road, Bexley ; 18,729-31, Worked chert,
West Bay, head of Portage Road, Bexley ; 18,732, Rubbing slab of
Hudson shale, West Bay, head of Portage Road, Bexley ; 18,733, Large
unfinished implement (hoe), Huronian slate, head of Portage Road,
West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,734, Fragment of pure quartz, head of
Portage Road, West Bay, Balsam Lake; 18,735-7, Fragment of black
flint, head of Portage Road, West Bay, Balsam Lake ; 18,738 Tool -of
unknown material, head of Portage Road, West Bay, Balsam Lake ;
18,739, Piece of graphite, lot 5, concession 5, Bexley ; 18,740, Frag-
ment of small pot, lot 5, concession 5, Bexiey ; 18.741, Piece of pure
quartz, lot 5, concession 5, Bexley ; 18,742, Unknown material, lot 5,
concession 5, Bexley, W. Nevins ; 18,743, Rubbing stone, lot 5, con-
cession 5, Bexley, A. Irwin ; 18,744, Portion of worked stone turtle,
found in Laidlaw's garden; 18,745, Rubbing stone, syenite pebble,
Benson's; 18,746, Part of stone ring. Eldon, S. Truman; 18,74-7, Box
of carbonized corn and plum pits, Eldon, S. Truman; 18,748-9, Rub-
bing stones, lot 5, concession 5. Bexley, W. Irwins; 18,750, Worked
slate, Coboconk, I). Smith; 18,751, Piece of hematite, Eldon, S. Tru-
man ; 18,752, Pipe, man sitting, Balsam Lake, Long Point, T. Hoyle ;
18,753, Large pipe, vase type, Coboconk, D. Smith; 18,754-, Pipe, vase
type, Coboconk, D. Smith; 18,755, Small pipe, vase type, lot 45 con-
cession 8, Eldon, R. Monroe, Kirkfield ; 18,756-7, Fragments of stone
pipe bowls, N. Benson's farm, Bexley ; 18,758, Fragments of stone
square bowl, Bolsover. Eldon, J. McGirr ; 18,759, Wolf st'»ne pipe, same
pattern as bear and panther pipes found in Whitby township, Chat-
terson's farm, G. Doolittle ; 18,760; Soapstone pipe, cork shaped, lot
45, concession 8, Eldon; 18,761, Pyramidal soapstone pipe, lot 5, con-
cession 5, W. Irwin; 18,762, Stone pipe, broken, second hole drilled
in side, Bexley, N. G. Peel ; 18,763, Base of square stone pipe, hole for
suspensions, notched corners, lot 22, concession 8, Eldon ; 18,764, Frag-
ment of small clay pipe, showing cord mark in stem hole, Bexley ;
18,765, Fragment of clay stem pipe, showing cord mark in stem hole,
Bexley ; 18,766, Clay pipe, half of a plain bowl, W. Benson's, Bexley ;
18,767 8, Clay pipe, tops of ringed bowls, W. Benson's, Bexley ;
18,769, Clay pipe, flat bottomed bowl, moulded hole, tally, W. Ben-
son's, Bexley, David Boyle; 18,770; Clay pipe, plain, cornet shaped bowl,
Balsam Lake, Eldon, J. McGirr ; 18,771, Slender clay pipe, ringed top
bowl, Balsam Lake, Eldon, J. McGirr; 18,772, Clay pipe, large, orna-
mented, cornet shaped bowl, Balsam Lake, Eldon, J. McGirr ; 18,773,
35
Clay pipe, square top, ornamented, cornet shaped bowl, Balsam Lake,
Eldon, J. McGirr ; 18,774, Clay pipe, partly ringed top bowl, Balsam
Lake, Eldon, J. McGirr ; 18,775, Clay pipe, partly ornamented incised
lines, Balsam Lake, Eldon, J. McGirr ; 18,776, Clay pipe bowl, four
indentations on top, Balsam Lake, Eldon, J. McGirr ; 18,777, clay pipe
bowl, ringed top, Balsam Lake, Eldon, J. McGirr; 18,778, Clay pipe,
bulged bowl, Balsam Lake, Eldon, J. McGirr ; 18,779, Clay pipe, one
half stein showing cord marks, Balsam Lake, Eldon, J. McGirr ; l.s 800,
Clay pipe, square ornament top. lot 5, concession 5, W. Irwin ; 18 801,
Clay pipe, square mouthed, lot 5, concession 5, W. Irwin ; 18,802, Clay
pipe, large stem, lot 5, concession 5, W. Irwin ; 18,803, Clay pipe,
square mouthed, lot 45, concession 8, Eldon ; 18,804, Clay pipe, stem
showing cord marks, lot 45, concession 8, Eldon ; 18,805-9, C!ay pipe,
lot 45, concession 8, Eldon; 18,810-15, Fragments of clay pipe, show-
ing ornamentation, lot 45, concession 8, Eldon ; 18,816, Fragment of
stem, showing cord marks, Benson's f.xrm, Bexley ; 18,^17, Clay pipe
bowl, lot 9, concession 3, Bexley; 18,818-19, two stems, showing
extreme sizes, lot 9, concession 3, Bexley ; 18,820, Clay pipe (face from
a), lot 9, concession 3, Bexley ; 18,821, Clay pipe, fragment of bowl,
showing moulded hole for suspension, lot 9, concession 3, Bexley ;
18,822, Clay pipe (face from a), lot 5, concession 5, Bexley ; 18 823-4,
Clay pipe (face from a), lot 5, concession 5, Bexley ; 18,825, Clay
pipe, double faced, lot 5, concession 5, Bexley, S. Harbaugh ; 18,826,
Clay pipe, with faces of man and racoon, lot 5, concession 5, Bexley ;
18,827, Clay pipe, scalloped top, face ground off, W. Irwin ; 18828,
Clay pipe, scalloped top, face ground off, W. Irwin ; 18,829, four sided,
mouth piece, ground off, W. Irwin ; 18,830, Clay pipe mouth piece, end
drilled out, Coboconk, Smith; 18,831, Clay pipe (port' on of serpent
or fish) Rummerfield Hill, Somerville township; 18,832-5, Clay pipes,
fragments of — showing four-indented and dotted tops, sifted ash-
bed, Rummerfield Hill, SomerviUe township ; 18,836, Clay pipe, frag-
ment of bowl, ringed top, Rummerfield Hill, Somerville township ;
18,837, Clay pipe, fragment of bowl, flared top, Rummerfield Hill,
Somersville township ; 18,838 9, Clay pipe stems, broken and then
ground to fresh mouth piece, Rummerfield Hill, Somerville township;
18.840, Clay toy -pipe stem, Rummerfield Hill, Somerville township ;
18.841, Clay pipe, three faces, lot 5, concession 5, Bexley ; 18,842, Clay
pipe mouth piece, ground at broken part for a bead, lot 5, concession
5, Bexley; 18,843, Clay pip*1, part of stem showing raised figure and
cord stem hole, lot 5, concession 5, Bexley ; 18,844, Clay pipe, frag-
ment of bowl showing top rings and dots, lot 22, concession 3, Dr.
Ross; 18,845, Clay pipe, rough flared bowl, three rings, ash heap,
36
Benson's ; 18,846, Clay pipe, four indentations on bowl, ash heap, Ben-
son's ; 18,847, Clay pipe, plain bowl, ridged top, ash heap, Benson's ;
18,84-8, Clay pipe, fragment of indented bowl, ash heap, Benson's ;
18,849, Clay pipe, large stem, ash heap, Benson's; 18,850, Clay pipe
mouth piece, broken part ground for bead, ash heap, Benson's ; 18,851,
Clay pipe, lot 9, concession 8, Bexley ; 18,852 Clay pipe, lot 5, conces-
sion 5, Bexley ; 18,853-5, Clay pipe stems, lot 5, concession 5, Bexley ;
18,856, Clay pipe, top of bowl ; 18,857, Clay pipe, from Benson's farm,
J. Shields; 18,858-62, Pottery discs, W. Benson's farm, west half lots
5, 6, concession 2, Bexley, David Boyle ; 18,863, Circular lump of baked
clay, west half lots 5, 6, concession 2, Bexley, David Boyle; 18,864, Unfin-
ished disc, white crystallized, west half lots 5, 6, concession 2, Bexley,
D. Boyle; 18,863, Unfinished part of perforated stone disc, lot 5, con-
cession 5, Bexley, D. Boyle ; 18,866-7, Large unfinished stone disc, lot
5, concession 5, Bexley, David Boyle; 18,868-9, ? unfinished stone
disc, lot 5, concession 5, Bexley,David Boyle; 18,870-2, Small unfinished
stone disc, lot 5, concession 5, Bexley, David Boyle; 18,873-5, Pottery
discs, unfinished stone, Lilyhorn ; 18,876, Unfinished disc, W. Benson's
farm, west half lots, 5, 6. concession 2, Bexley ; 18,877, Perforated
stone disc, Fenelon, F. Hay garth ; 18,878, Perforated stone disc, lot 5,
concession 5, Bexley, C. Wilson ; 18,879, Part of large pottery disc, lot
5, concession 5, Bexley, C. Wilson ; 18,880, Unfinished pottery disc,
lot 5, concession 5, Bexley, C. Wilson; 18,881, Unfinished stone disc,
lot 5, concession 5, Bexley, C. Wilson ; 18,882-3, Pottery disc, lot 45,
concession 8, South Portage Road. Eldon, Mrs R Campbell ; 18,884,
Unfinished stone disc, lot 45, concession 8, South Portage Road, Eldon,
Mrs. Campbell ; 18,885, Pebble disc, lot 45, concession 8, South Port-
age Road, Eldon ; 1 8,886, Soapstone pebble in process of being manu-
factured into a disc, lot 45, concession 8, South Portage Road, Eldon ;
18,887, Unperforated pottery disc, lot 45, concession 8, South Portage
Road, Eldon, S. Truman ; 18,888-91, Pottery discs, lot 5, concession 5,
Bexley ; 18,892-902, Stone disc in process of manufacture, lot 5, con.
5, Bexley ; 18,903, Soapstone pebble, partly formed, lot 5, con. 5, Bex-
ley ; 18,904, Pottery disc, lot 5, concession 5, Bexley ; 18,905, Large
disc, Coboconk, D. Smith; 18,906, Large stone disc, lot 45, concession
8, South Portage Road, Eldon, Mrs. R. Campbell; 18,907-14, Pottery
disc, lot 45, concession 8, South Portage Road, Eldon, Mrs R. Camp-
bell; 18,915, Large unfinished stone disc, lot 45, concession 8, South
Portage Road, Mrs. R. Campbell ; 18,916, Perforated stone disc, lot 45,
concession 8, South Portage Road, Eldon, Mrs. R. Campbell; 18,917-18,
Circular i small) polished pebbles, ashbeds, lot 45, concession 8, South
Portage Road, Eldon, Mrs. R. Campbell ; 18,919-21, Pottery discs,
37
Benson's, west half lots 5, 6, concession 2, Bexley ; 18, 22-23, Large
and small stone beads, lot 45, concession 8, South Portage Road, Eldon,
C. Guise ; 18,924, Stone disc, lot 9, concession 3, Bexley ; 18,925, Stone
disc, worked depression in one side, lot 3, concession 3, Bexley ; 18,926,
Pottery disc, lot 22, concession 8, Eldon ; 18,927, White soapstone
disc (very small), lot 22, concession 8, Eldon ; 18,928, Unfinished stone
disc, lot 45, concession 8 South Portage Road, Bexley ; 18,929-30, Per-
forated soapstone discs, lot 45, concession 8, South Portage Road,
Bexley ; 18,931-32, Unperf orated soapstone discs, lot 45, concession 8,
South Portage Road, Bexley ; 18,933, Small stone bead, lot 45, conces-
sion 8, South Portage Road, Bexley ; 18,934, Unfinished pottery discs,
Coboconk, D. Smith ; 18,935, Soapstone (unfinished) disc, Coboconk,
D. Smith ; 18,936: Pottery bead, Somerville township, J. Wallace ;
18,937-87, Pottery discs, unfinished, from ashbed on Rummerfield Hill ;
18,998-19,001, Stone discs, from ashbed on Rummerfield Hill ; 19,002-4,
Pottery discs, lot 5, concession 5, Bexley; ] 9, 005-6, Perforated soap-
stone discs, lot 5 concession 5, Bexley; 19,007, Perforated stone disc,
lot 5, concession 5, Bexley ; 19,008, Unperforated soapstone disc, lot 5,
concession 5, Bexley ; 19,009, Stone disc, lot 22, concession 8, Bexley ;
19,010-13, Stone disc, ashbed, west half lots 5, 6, concession 2, Bexley ;
19,014-32, Pottery discs, west half lots 5, 6, concession 2, Bexley ;
19,033, Discs, tally (clay or stone), west half lots 5, 6, concession 2,
Bexley ; 19,034, Stone disc, lot 45. concession 8, South Portage Road ;
19,0o5-40, Pottery discs, lot 5, concession 5, Bexley ; 18,041, Large
disc, or " chunkee stone," 3£ in. dia., lot 5, concession 5, Bexley ;
19,042-7, Stone discs, lot 5, concession 5, Bexley; 19,050, Small soap-
stone, lot 5, concession 5, Bexley ; 19,051, Circular polished pebble,
Raven Lake, R. H. Pearce ; 19,052, Grooved soapstone pebble, Cobo-
conk, J. Bowens; 19,053, Soapstone sinker or plummet (perforated
longtitudinally) lot 5, concession 1, Bexley, N. McNerney ; 19,054,
Rubbing stone, Nottawasaga sandstone, Eldon, Mrs. J. W. Sims ;
19,055-56, Fragments of hematite used for paint, lot 5, concession 5,
Bexley; 19,057, Bar amulet, Thorah, Ont., D. McRae; 19,058, Piece of
graphite, Eldon, S. McDonald ; 19,059, Fragment of unusually orna-
mented pottery, S. McDonald ; 19,060, Water- worn pebble hammer,
ashbed, S. McDonald ; 19,061-2, Unusually ornamented pottery,
Bolsover, Jas. McGirr; 19,063, Box containing turtle shells from
ashbed, west half lots 5-6, con. 2 Bexley ; 19,064, Carbonized
corn, lot 45, con. 8, South Portage Road, Eldon ; 19,065, Rub-
bing stone, lot 9, con. 3, Bexley ; 19.066. Box of carbonized corn
lot 22, con. 8, Eldon; 19,067, Worked stone sinker (?); 19,068
Piece of micaceous worked schist, Coboconk, D. Smith ; 19,069
38
Flat oval slate rubbing stone, Coboconk, D. Smith ; 19,070-1, Red and
black hematite, Coboconk, D. Smith ; 19,072, Piece of mica, lot 22,
con. 8, Eldon ; 19,073, Piece of mica, Rummerfielcl Hill, Somerville ;
19,074, Piece of rubbing stone, Rummerfield Hill, Somerville ; 19,075,
Piece of worked slate, Mud Lake, J. Newby ; 19,076, Box of soap-
stone, lot 1, con. 8, Somerville, J. Spring ; 19,077, Nugget of native
copper, lot 20, con. 5, Lutterworth, Haliburton, A. Cameron ; 10,078
Piece of iron, lot 45, con. 8, South Portage Road, Kirkfield, C. Grilse ;
19,07!), Worked quartz pebble, lot 45, con. «, South Portage Road,
Kirkfield, C. Grilse ; 19,080, Box containing corn, beans, turtle-egg,
Somerville township, J. Wallace ; 19,081, Package of corn, lot 45, con. 8,
South Portage Road Kirkfield, C. Grilse; 19,082; Fish-scales and
recent small scales, ashbed. Somerville, J. Wallace ; 19,083, Plum pits,
ashbed, Rummerfield Hill, J. Wallace ; 19,084, Carbonized corn, ashbed.
Rummerfield Hill, J. Wallace ; 19,085, Lump of baked clay showing
marks of work, ashbed, Rummerfield Hill, J. Wallace ; 19,086, Fossil,
sifted from ashbed, Rummerfield Hill, J. Wallace ; 19,087, Fragment
of soapstone ornament, ashbed, Rummerfield Hill, J. Wallace ; 19,088,
Small ball of either clay or stone from ashbed, Rummerfield Hill,
Somerville; 19,089, Silurian fossil, sifted from ashbed, Rummerfield
Hill, Somerville ; 10,090. Bottom of small pot, lot 5, con. 5, Bexley ;
19,091, ornamented piece of pottery, lot 5, con. 5, Bexley; 10,092, Por-
tion of waterworn stone flaked at edge, lot 5, con. 5, Bexley ; 19,093-4,
Box of corn, plum pits, turtle shells, etc, sifted out of ashbed, west half
lots 5-6, con. 2, Bexley ; 19,095, Fossil (coral) showing traces of work,
Somerville, J. Eads ; 19,096, Small axe, Bolsover, Jas. McGirr ; 19,01)7,
Small axe, lot 9, con. 3, Bexley ; 19,098, Small axe, lot 22, con. 8,
Eldon; 10,096, Small axe, Rummerfield Hill, Somerville, R. LeRoy ;
19,100, Long axe, Rummerfield Hill, Somerville, R. LeRoy; 10,101,
Long heavy axe, Coboconk, J. Moore; 19,102, Small axe, Coboconk,
J. Moore; 19,103, Wide chisel or adze, Coboconk, J. Moore; 19,104-5,
Very small celts or chisels, lot 45, con. 8, South Portage Road, Eldon ;
19,106, Small axe Raven Lake, R. H. Pearce ; 19,107, Wide celt slate,
Hedley Fair, Cambray ; 19,108, Small axe or chisel, lot 45, con. 8,
Kirkfield; 19,10910, Axe, Rummerfield Hill, Somerville; 19,111,
Small square scraper, West Bay, Balsam Lake; 19,112, Small axe,
Somerville, J. Wallace ; 19,1 13, End of pick from ashbed, Rummerfield
Hill, J. Wallace ; 19,114, Small axe, lot 9, con. 3, Bexley ; 19,115, Very
small axe, lot 5. con. 5, Bexley ; 19,116-17 Circular hand hammer,
ashbed, west half lots 5-6, con. 2, Bexley (probably degraded from
celt); 19,118, Axe from ashbed; 19,119, Long slender chisel, polished
surface, Long Point, T. McNish; 19,120, Adze, Deer Lake, Laxton,
39
Wm. Campbell ; 19,121, Degraded axe hammer- stone, lot 9, con. 3,
Bexley; 19,122, Very small double-edged chisel, lot 9, con. 3, Bexley ;
19, 23, Large, flat celt, lot 22, con. 8,Eldon ; 19,1 '24-5, Small axe, adze-
like, lot 5, con. 5, Bexley; 10,126, Long narrow chisel, Eldon, M.
Mitchell ; 19,127, Rough axe, Eldon, S. Truman ; 19,1 28-29, Perforated
helix shell, lot 45, con. 8, South Portage Road, Eldon, C. Grilse ;
19,130, Box of recent helix shells for purposes of comparison, Balsam
Lake; 19,131, Perforated helix, Somerville, J, Wallace; 10,132, Half
of large worked mussel shell, Somerville township, J. Wallace ; 19,133,
Mussel shell showing traces of use, Somerville, J. Wallace ; 19,134,
Shells (marine and freshwater), some perforated, from ashbed, Rum-
merfield Hill, Somerville township I 19,135-36, Mussel shells, showing
use as in smoothing pottery, from ashbed, Rummerfield Hill, Somer-
ville township; 19,137, Piece of worked shell, lot 22, con. 8, Eldon ;
19,138, Shells (marine and freshwater), also a long shell bead, west
half lots 5 and 6, con. 2, Bexley ; 19,139-42, Mussel shells used in
smoothing inside of pots, ashbed, west half lots 5 and 6, con. 2, Bexley ;
19 143, Large horn spike, showing work, lot 5, con. 5, Bexley ; 19,144,
Small horn spike, showing work, lot 5, con. 5, Bexley ; 19,145, Small
horn spike, showing work, lot 5, con. 5, Bexley ; 19,146, Seven in. bone
awl, lot 5 con. 5, Bexley ; 19,147-49, Small awls, lot 5, con. 5, Bexley ;
19.150, Worked bone, lot 5, con. 5, Bexley ; 19,151-3, Two bone beads,
hollow sections, lot 5, con. 5, Bexley ; 19,155-5, Beavers' teeth ground
for knives, lot 5, con. 5, Bexley ; 19,156, Beavers' teeth, ground at base,
lot 5, con. 5, Bexley ; 19,157-59, Perforated wolves' fangs, lot 5, con. 5,
Bexley ; 19,160, Bone awl, west half lots 5-6, con. 2 Bexley, J. Shields ;
91 101-2, Perforated discs, lot 45, con. 8, Bexley ; 19,163, Mussel shell
scraper from ashbed, west half lots 5-6, con 2, Bexley ; 19,164, Recent
small shells from ashbed, west half lots 5-6, con. 2, Bexley; 19,165,
Helices (Box of), lot 22, con 8, Eldon ; 19,166, Disc of clam shell, lot
2 '2, con. 8, Eldon ; 19,167, Small unio, horn on one side, lot 22, con 8,
Eldon; 19:168, Shells, lot 5, con. 5, Bexley; 19,169-70, Perforated
mussel shells, lot 5, con. 5, Bexley ; 19,171, Horn (carved) flattened on
one side, Cobosonk, D Smith ; 19,172, End of bone awl, Coboconk, D.
Smith; 19,173-5, Bone awl, Somerville, G. Rumney; 29,176. Eyed
needle, broken, Somerville, G. Rumney ; 19,177-8, Bone beads, Somer-
ville G Rumney ; 19,169-80, Metacarpal bones, worked, Somerville,
G. Rumney ; 19,181, Pottery marker, G. Mathewson's, Bexley ; 19,182,
Worked beaver tooth tool, G. Jackson; 19,183, Bone awl; 19,185,
Worked bone bead, Somerville, G. Rumney ; 19,186-7; bone beads,
Somerville, J. Wallace ; 19,188. Worked bone, Somerville, J. Wallace;
19,189, Worked bone, Somerville, G. Rumney ; 19,190-91, Perforated
40
bone needles, broken, Somerville, J. Wallace ; 19,192, Beaver tooth
tool; 19,193-5, Fragment of tooth tool, Somerville, J. Wallace;
19,196-7, Bone awls, Somerville, J. Wallace; 18,198 9, Fragment of
bone beads, Somerville, J. Wallace ; 19,200, Carpal bone, Somerville, J.
Wallace ; 19,201.3, Carpal bones (fragments of) worked, ashbed, Rum-
merfield Hill, Somerville ; 19,204, Bone with portion cut off, ashbed,
R/ummerfield Hill, Somerville ; 19,205, bone awl, ashbed, Rummerfield
Hill, Somerville; 19,206, Pottery marker, ashbed, Rummerfield Hill,
Somerville ; 19,207-19, Hollow bone sections of various lengths, ash-
beds, Rummerfield Hill, Somerville ; 19,220-22, Large hollow sections
bones, lot 5, con. 5, Bexley ; 19,223-25, Bone awls, lot 5, con. 5, Bexley ;
19,226-7, Beaver teeth ground for tools, lot 5, con. 5, Bexley ; 19,228,
Beaver teeth ground for tool, Bexley; 19,229, Section of hollow bone,
lot 22, con. 8, Eldon ; 19,230, Awl, lot 22, con. 8, Eldon ; 19,231, Sharp-
ened prong of deer horn, lot 22, con. 8, Bexley ; 19,232, Deer horn
with sharpened prong, ashbed, west half lot 5-6, coil. 2, Bexley ;
19,233-34, Fragments of worked horn, ashbed, west half lots 5-6, con.
2, Bexley ; 19,235, Small bone dagger or large awl, ashbed, west half
lots 5-6, con. 2, Bexley; 19,236-41, Bone awls, ashbed, west half lots
5-6, con. 3, Bexley ; 19,242-46, bone beads (hollow sections of bone),
ashbed, west half lots 5-6, con 2, Bexley ; 19,247, Worked metatarsal
bone, ashbed, west half lots 5-6, con. 2, Bexley ; 19,248, Bone in pre-
paration for needle, ashbed, west half lots 5-6, con. 2, Bexley ; 19,249,
Eyed needle, ashbed, west half lots 5-6, con. 2, Bexley; 19,250-51,
Bones from which pieces have been cut for beads, ashbed, west half
lots 5-6, con. 2, Bexley ; 19,252, Beaver tooth ground for tool, west
half lots 5-6, con. 2, Bexley: 19,253, Bone awl, lot 9, con. 3, Bexley;
19,254, Horn flaker, lot 9. con. 3, Bexley ; 19,255, bone bead, lot 9,
con. 3, Bexley ; 19,256, Bone dagger, inscribed, ashbed, west half lots
5-6, con. 2, Bexley ; 19,257, Bone skin dresser, ashbed, Rummerfield
Hill, lot 1 North Portage Road ; 19,258, Harpoon, 2 barbs, hole, ash-
bed, Rummerfield Hill, lot 1 North Portage Road : 19,259, Large awl,
ashbed, Rummerfield Hill, lot 1, North Portage Road ; 19,260, Eyed
needle, ashbed, Rummerfield Hill, lot 1, North Portage Road: 19,261,
Bone awl, ashbed, Rummerfield Hill, lot 1, North Portage Road ;
19,262-65, Bone awls, lot 22, con. 8, Eldon ; 19,266, Large bear tusk,
lot 22, con 8, Eldon ; 19:267, Small canine tusk, lot 22, con. 8, Eldon ;
19,26s-77, Pottery discs, lot 45, con. 8. Bexley ; 19,278, Pottery discs,
lot 5, con. 5, Bexley ; 17,279, Water worn pebbles, ashbed, Rummerfield;
19,280: Perforated helix shell, Coboconk, D. Smith; 19,281, Part of
small clay cup, ashbed, west half lots 5 6, con. 2 Bexley ; 19,282, Toy
pot from ashbed, Rummerfield Hill, Somerville; 19,283, Large oval
41
stone, worked surface, North Victoria Co.; 19,284, "War-club" of
modern make, with an iron spike in the bulb forming the head. This
" trade ' weapon, was the property of the late Admiral Van Sittart,
of Bexley, Ont.— about 1840. It is probably of Mississauga make.
19,285, Wooden, cleaver-like weapon, 2 ft. 2| in. long, and 2f in. wide
in the blade, used by the Mississaugas to kill fish hooked or speared in
the water, before taking them into the canoe. 19,286, Small wooden
drumstick -looking weapon 17| in. long, used by the Rama Mississ-
augas to kill fish when " landed " in a boat. 19,287-6, Wooden clubs
or mauls used for pounding black ash to separate the layers for bas-
ket making. Mississaugas. 19,289, Pair of Sioux moccasins, from
Standing Bull's band, Fort Qu'Appelle Agency, N.W.T. 19,290,
"Trade war- club," handle 21 inches long; thong, enclosing a stone,
17 inches long, ornamented with tufts of wool and fur, and brass-
headed nails, Stoney Indians, Territory of Alberta; 19,29', Small ash-
splint hat, the work of a Rama Mississauga child.
W. C. PERRY COLLECTION.
19,292-302, Bone awls or needles, lot 45, con. 8, Eldon ; 19,303-5,
Imperfect, flat, perforated needles, lot 45, con. 8, Eldon ; 19,306-7, Large
bone beads, Iot44, con. 8, Eldon ; 19,308-13, Small bone beads, lot 45. con.
8, Eldon ; IP, 3 14, Piece of small antler partly perforated from each side
near tha middle, lot 45, con. 8, Eldon ; 19,315, Wolf or fox tooth per-
forated at root end, lot 45, con. 8, Eldon ; 19,316, Half of well-made clay
lot 45, con. 8, Eldon ; 19,317, Bowl of small, plain, clay pipe, lot 45, pipe,
con. 8, Eldon ; 19,318, Flint spud or scraper, lot 4£, con. 8, Eldon ;
19,319, Small stone disc, If in. in dia., and f in. thick, lot 45, con. 8,
Eldon; 19,320, Small stone disc bead, 7-16 in. dia., lot 45, con. 8,
E'don ; 19,321, Soapstone bead £ in. dia., lot 45, con. 8, Eldon;
19,322-5, 4 pottery discs, lot 45, con. 8, Eldon; 19,3'26, Small quantity
of carbonized Indian corn, lot 45, con. 8, Eldon ; 19,327, Half of clay
disc If in. in dia., and nearly f in. thick, not made from a pottery
fragment, but moulded purposely for a disc, lot 45 con. 8, Eldon ;
19,328, Fragment of a mealing stone or mortar, found in an ashbed
3 ft. 6 in. below the surface. The ashes were in a pit 5* feet deep, 4
feet wide and 7 feet long, lot 45, con. 8, Eldon ; 19,329, soapstone pipe,
rough, lot 45, con. 8, Eldon ; 19,330, Soapstone pipe, well made, lot 45,
con. 8, Eldon; 19,331, Clay pipe, owl face, lot 45. con. 8, Eldon;
19,332, Stone (granite) disc, large, lot 45, con. 8, Eldon, found by Dr.
McKenzie ; 19,333, Axe of quartz, roughly chipped, lot 45, con. 8,
Eldon; 19,334, 8 helix shells perforated in body- whorl for beads or
bangles, lot 45, con. 8, Eldon ; 19,355-8, 4 well-marked fragments of
pottery — one showing where one ear had been luted, lot 45, con. 8,
42
Eldon : 19,339-40, 2 hammer-stones, lot 22, con. 8, Eldon township ;
19,341-50, 10 flint arrow heads ; 19,351, Bone awl (much like Ontario
specimens) ; 19,352. Bone shovel, 12 in. by 4| in, made from shoulder
blade of some large animal ; 19,353, Flint spear-head, 5| in. long and 2J
in. wide ; 19,354, about 300 small discoidal shell beads; 19,355, About
50 shells formerly used as currency; 19,356, Jade celt, small and well
made; 17,357,Small stone sinker(?); 19,358-9,2 elk-horn chisels, notched
From 19,341 to 19,359 were surface finds at the junction of the
Fraser and Thompson rivers, Lytton, British Columbia.
19,360-74, Flint arrow-heads, Kamloops, B.C ; 19,361-2, Jasper
drills, Kamloops, B.C.; 19,363-5, Pieces of sea-shells, Kamloops, B.C.;
19,366, White arrow-head, Kamloops, B.C.; 19,367-8, Pestles, Lillooet,
British Columbia ; 19,369, Jade celt, Hope, British Columbia; 19,370,
Salmon knife of whitish slate, British Columbia ; 19,371, Piece of
blue stone showing marks of preparatory cutting on all sides, Hope,
British Columbia ; 19,372, Jade celt well made and highly polished,
Port Moody, British Columbia; 19,373-4, Jade celts, Port Moody.British
Columbia ; human skull, Lillooet, 15 miles from Fraser River Valley.
See also 17,788 to 17,793.
19,375, Horn comb, four inches long, and an inch and three-eighths
wide ; five teeth ; incised cross lines on convex side for ornamentation.
The specimen bears some resemblance to a band ; lot 5, con. 5, Bexley.
G. E. Laidlaw; 19,376, Very fine small soapstone pipe, scarcely more
than an inch long. This bowl exactly resembles a thistle top in
form ; lot, 5, con. 5, Bexley, G. E. Laidlaw ; 19,377, Brass ghost arrow-
head ; Bexley township, G. E. Laidlaw; 19,378, Sheet copper ghost
arrow-head ; Beaverton, Thorah township, Ontario county, G. E. Laid-
law ; 19,379, Bear's tooth from ash bed, lot 45, South Portage Road,
Eldon, W. C. Perry ; 19,380, Bear's tooth rubbed down to a cutting
edge to form a knife ; lot 45, South Portage Road, W. C. Perry, Win-
nipeg ; 19,381-2, Two mealing stones ; lot 45, con. 8, Eldon, W. C.
Perry, Winnipeg ; 19,383-5, Three finger-holders, made of woven
splints and used for amusement ; Mississaugas of Rama, G. E. Laidlaw.
BOOKS AND PAMPHLETS.
Certain Aboriginal Mounds of the Georgia Coast, by Clarence B.
Moore. Clarence B. Moore, Philadelphia.
Certain Aboriginal Mounds in South Carolina ; Certain Aboriginal
Mounds of the Savannah River ; Certain Aboriginal Mounds of the
Altamaha River, Etc., by Clarence B. Moore. Clarence B. Moore,
Philadelphia.
43
Smithsonian Reports, 1886-87-88-90-91-92-93-94-95. Smithsonian
Institution, Washington.
On the contents of a Bone Cave in the Island of Anguilla (West
Ind-s), by Edward D. Cope, Smithsonian Institution.
The Gliddon Mummy Case in the Smithsonian Institution
Museum, by Chas. Pickering, M.I)., Smithsonian Institution.
Archaeological Researches in Nicaragua, by J. F. Bransford, M.D.,
Smithsonian Institution.
The Palenque Tablet in the U. S. National Museum, by Chas. Rau.
Smithsonian Institution.
A discovery of Greek Horizontal Curves in the Maison Carree at
Nimes, by W. H. Goodyear. Smithsonian Institution.
The Methods of Archaeological Research, by Sir Henry Ho worth,
F.R.S. Smithsonian Institution.
Polychromy in Greek Statuary, by Maxime Collignon. Smithson-
ian Institution.
Report of Prof. Spencer Baird for the year 1878. Smithsonian
Institution.
The Latimer Collection of Antiquities from Porto Rico in the
National Museum, by O. T. Mason. Smithsonian Institution.
Bosnia-Herzegovina and Dalmatia, by R. Munro, M.A., M.D.,
F.R.S.E. Dr. Munro, Edinburgh.
Prehistoric Problems, being a selection of essays on the evolution
of man and other controverted problems in authropology and archae-
ology, by R. Munro, M.A., M.D., F.R.S E. Dr. Munro, Edinburgh.
Complete set of reports of the Kelvingrove Museum, Glasgow,
from 1876 to 1896. Curator of the Museum.
Ethnological Studies among the North-West Central Queensland
Aborigines, by Walter E. Roth. Sir Wm. Mcllwraith, Brisbane.
NOTES ON SOME SPECIMENS.
POTTERY.
Anything like entire specimens of pottery are not often found in
this country, and as the question is frequently asked why is this so, when
fragments are quite numerous, it may be well to repeat what has been
said in effect in former reports. Seldom anywhere north of Mexico,
and never in this part of the continent, has Indian pottery been so
thoroughly burnt as to give it very much tenacity, and the practice
of tempering the clay with burnt granite, while no doubt advantageous
(17,117). Fig. l.
at the time of firing, tends rather to make it somewhat brittle after
exposure to the elements for more than a century. Thus we may,
in a measure, account for the large
numbers of sherds found on old vil-
lage sites, especially in ash beds,
where, too, a great many of the ves-
sels must have been broken in the
first place. Even where clay pots
I were buried with human remains,
we now nearly always find them in
pieces, either because they have been
crushed by the subsidence of the
earth and bones as the latter decayed
in the graves (ossuaries), or because
they had not been placed beyond the
reach of moisture and frost for, as the
surfaces of such graves in time became
hollows, instead of elevations, the water naturally finds its way to
greater depths in places of this kind than elsewhere ; and when it is
borne in mind that the soil covering the bone-deposits seldom exceeds
eighteen inches in depth, it [is easy to understand why destruction
awaits the fragile pottery that may be lying beneath.
The vessel here figured, although not perfect, is nearly enough so
to make it valuable As usual, the bottom is rounded, and in this case
somewhat more sharply so than we generally find. The ornamen-
tation is very simple, consisting of minute impressions much in
vogue for the purpose, but with what these were made, we do not
know.
Clay pots were among the Indians' most valuable possessions, and
when they began to crack, the owners frequently attempted to pre-
serve them by boring holes on each side of the flaw, for the purpose of
binding or lacing the parts with a thong or sinew.
For the excellent specimen (six inches high) illustrated by figure 1,
we are indebted to the good offices of Mr. Freeman Britton, of Gan-
anoque, on whose farm, near the town, it was found by his tenant, Mr.
Dorey.
The valley of the Gananoque river formed part of an old Iroquois
trail to the splendid fishing and hunting grounds in what are now the
counties of Leeds, Lanark and Frontenac, and the Britton specimen
may have belonged to some old Canienga or Cayuga woman, although
its main features are more suggestive of Ojibwa origin.
45
It was found
CLAY PIPES.
Most of the clay pipes we find are, like the pots, of a dark gray
color, whatever they may have been before they were buried, but the
pipe represented here is dark red, resembling a well burned brick, and
by means of a fracture at the back, it may be seen
that the whole body of the pipe is of this color. The
finished surface has been highly polished, or in some
other way has had a gloss imparted to it that has
withstood years of exposure. The face is not at all
Indian-like, the nose being too broad, and the cheek-
bones (as far as the fracture allows us to judge) too
low. Two slight punctures are made for nostrils.
Both mouth and eyes are of the same shape, and are
Fig. 2.'— 4 dia. expressed by an enclosing ridge.
This pipe was found near Price's Corners, Medonte, by a Mr.
Smith, and was given to us by Mr T. F. Milne.
The figure of an odd little clay pipe is shown here,
by Mr. John Bailey, on lot 14, con. 2, Collingwood
township, in the old Huron country, and was pre-
sented to us through A. F. Hunter, M.A., of Barrie.
The cavity in the bowl is only about seven-sixteenths
of an inch in diameter, and five-eighths of an inch
deep, so that at best it was probably never more than
a toy.
The clay has not been tempered as for pottery.
The markings on the bowl are of a pattern common on vessels of
this material, and they have been made by a sharp-edged tool.
The pipe illustrated here (fig. 4) is part of the valuable collection
presented to the museum by Mr. T. F. Milne. It was
found near Penetanguishene, on the farm of Mr. A.
Crawford.
As a specimen of simple art in imitating human
features, it is better than usual in many respects.
The chin, generally weak in such portrayals, is
brought out strongly, and the nose is more sharply
marked than we often find it. A small, irregular
(17 122) no^e rePresents the mouth. Stretching from cheek
Fig. 4.— i dia. to cheek round the back of the head is a series of lines
for ornamentation
(16,895).
Fig. 3.— \ dia.
46
STONE PIPES.
There was no more widely spread myth among Algonkin and
some other peoples than was that of the Thunder Bird, nor was there one
respecting which there existed a wider divergence of opinion in matters
of detail. It was as small as the end of one's little finder according to
some, and large enough to cover acres of ground in the belief of others.
It produced thunder by the flapping of its wings, by the swish of its
powerful tail, simply by means of winking, and by the snapping of
its bill ; while there were those who claimed that it did not make
thunder at all, its only duty being to lay eggs, and that the thunder
was caused by the crunching of these by a rattlesnake which was con-
(17821). Figs. 5-8.— Thunder Bird Stone Pipe.
Btantly on the lookout, determined that there should be no increase in
the progeny of a bird capable of doing so much mischief — hence,
probably the respect, if not the worship, paid to the rattlesnake. The
methods of depicting it varied with the belief and skill of the artist
— it was shown in profile, in full face, with extended wings, and at
rest. Sometimes considerable pains were taken to bring out details,
and all shades of finish may be found between this and three or four
conventional and scrawly lines which, to the uninitiated eye, require a
label.
47
The most elaborate representation of the Thunder Bird hitherto
met with in Canada is worked in porcupine quills surrounded by a
really beautiful design in colors, an excellent representation of which
was given in our fourth annual report.
Of a totally different style of work is the bird shown on the side
of a plainly formed stone pipe, found by Mr. W. J. Wintemberg (an
intelligent and enthusiastic student of archaeology) on lot 23, conces-
sion 11, Township of Blenheim, Oxford county. Mr. Wintemberg's
reading enabled him to identify the rude carving on one side of this
pipe as the symbol in question, and I have no doubt he was right,
although the front view is one seldom attempted. It is probable that the
two zig-zag lines coming down obliquely to the right side of the head
are intended to represent lightning. Similar lines, but very faint, are
on the left side. Tf the tree-like figure at the left has any significance
I do not know what it is, but the pointing of one branch to the left
eye, as the lightning seems to be directed to the right, would seem to
have a purpose.
Exigency of space probably accounts for the disproportionately
small wings, the descending lines being no doubt meant to represent
feathers. The talons, one at each side, and the three tail-feathers are
well shown. The markings on the latter may be significant, but are
just as likely to be only ornamental.
The zig-zag mark at the right of the tail is no doubt meant to
stand for another lightning stroke, or, perhaps for a snake.
One of the most remarkable features of this design is the presence
of the upright line and three cross bars on the breast. There can
scarcely be a doubt that these have some significance.
On the side to the right of the bird is the figure of a man with
what may be called an unfinished head, but perhaps the chief
peculiarity is the arrow-like design on the breast, not quite so distinct'
as shown here.
On the side opposite to the Thunder Bird are series of diagonal
lines making a pattern we often find on pottery.
The remaining side has a remarkable feature in the form of a
cross beneath the stem-hole. As is well known to students of Ameri-
can archaeology, the cross as a symbol antedates the appearance of
Europeans on the continent, and is now generally acknowledged to
have had reference to the four quarters of the world.
Above the two deep hollows over the stem -hole is the figure of a
quadruped — probably a deer, but for the length of its tail. The marks
at the base of the bowl on this side are perhaps for ornament alone.
It is evident that the lines made to surround the edge of the bowl are
48
an afterthought, as they cut the upper part of the design. Even the
lightning- stroke near the head extends beyond where it is seen
plainly.
The drawings have been made in simple outline to bring the
designs out clearly, because the pipe is somewhat dark on the side
showing the bird, rendering the lines indistinct when not closely
examined. The stone is argillaceous.
As the pipe here figured was found in what was at one time
Neutral (Attiwandaron) territory, it may either be of comparatively
recent deposit, or, if of olden time, it may have been brought there as
a spoil of war, or it may have belonged to those who preceded the
Huron -Iroquois in this part of the continent.
• In any case the pipe is a remarkable one, showing what is perhaps
as good an example of stone carving as is to be found anywhere.
The latest reference I have seen to the Thunder Bird, and one,
too, which tends to show how widely spread is the belief, I find in Mr.
C. Hill-Tout's report on the Ethnographic Survey of Canada to the
British Association at Bristol.
Mr. Hill-Tout says on page 11 : "This widespread myth is found
also among the Haidas [Hydahs, of British Columbia]. They regard
the Thunder Eagle as their deadliest foe. They suppose that he dwells
as a lonely god among the most awful recesses of the mountains, and that
when he is hungry he robes himself in eagle form and swoops down upon
the land, darkening it with the shadow of his widespread wings, whose
motions give rise to the thunder. The lightning is supposed to come
from the tongue of a fish which the eagle carries under his pinions."
The soapstone pipe here figured is severely plain in shape. Cross-
wise, the side of the bowl next the stem is nearly flat. The only
attempt to relieve the plainess of the out-
side is a rudely cut cross on the opposite or
front side. As the cross was an ancient
American symbol, it isdiflficult tosay.whether
it stands for this, here, or whether it is of
post European, and therefore of Christian
significance. It is the only pipe in the
museum so marked, except the preceding
(17,042). Fig. 9.— & diameter, one, and is interesting on this account. It
was found by Mr. Ed. Todd, on his farm, lot 12, con. 14, township of
Tiny, Simcoe county and was presented to us by Mr. Wilfrid McCon-
nell, Randolph.
49
In figure 10 we have a soapstone pipe of a somewhat more pre-
tentious pattern than is commonly found. What seems to have
been intended for a lizard, is carved on the front
side, resembling in this respect, a pipe found on lot
8, con. 6, Nelson Township, and presented to us by
the late G. D. Corrigan some years ago.
Figure 10 shows signs of long usage. Through
the nipple at the base, is a string-, or attachment -hole.
This very good specimen was found near
Waverley, in the township of Tay, Simcoe county,
by Mr. T. F. Milne, and forms part of the collection
he has presented to the Provincial Museum.
(17,139)
Fig. 10. — ^ diameter.
(17,247)
Fig. 11. — \ diameter.
GORGETS, OR PENDANTS, ETC.
The specimen represented by figure ] 1 is, in point of shape and
finish, one of the best slate objects we have. It is two and one-eighth
inches Jpng, one and a quarter wide, and three-
eighths thick in the middle, being nicely rounded
on each side, leaving the edges less than an
eighth of an inch in thickness. At one end it
O
is grooved on each side for fully half its length
(a little more than the engraving shows), and
the finish of the whole piece is perfect — so perfect, that one cannot be
sure that it is not of French, rather
than of Indian origin. The appear-
ance of the surface indicates con-
siderable age. It is unusual to
find anything of this kind without
a hole in it.
Figure 12 differs in many ways
from anything else in the museum.
Five inches long, four inches wide
at the lower end, and half an inch
in uniform thickness, except where
it is brought to an edge ; it is made
from a finely laminated slate, just
enough weathered to show ten or
twelve lines of cleavage along the
thick edges. Its outline is sugges- (17,177). Fig. 12.— \ diameter.
tive of a gorget or tablet, but it is much thicker than gorgets usually
are, and the fact that the lower and wider end has been brought to a
4 C.I.
50
(17176)
sharp edge, would indicate that a subsequent intention was to use the
speciman as a too], perhaps in dressing of leather. It was found on
Leechman's Flats in North Cayuga township.
Fig. 13 is of the common striped slate, but is unique as to shape.
In finish, it could scarcely be surpassed by any workman to-day.
Although each end of the hole is slightly counter-
sunk, suggesting Indian methods of boring, the
strice left by the finishing drill are so close and so
regular that one cannot imagine any aboriginal in-
strument likely to make such marks, and except
the slight countersinking there is nothing to indi-
cate that the hole has been partly bored from each
end. On the convex edge, a little below the hole,
another one has been begun, but whether before or
after cannot be said — if before, it may have been
thought too low — if afterwards, the purpose may Fig. 13. — \ diameter.
have been to make a second hole so close* to the first that the junction
of the two, with a little cleaning out, would have formed an oval
aperture, at least two examples of which we have in this kind of slate
— one from Middlesex, and one from Brant.
On the whole, it must be said that this specimen (fig. 13) betray«s
STONE ADZE. marks of comparatively modern origin, in finish
as well as in design. The exact locality in which
it was found is not known, but is supposedly
from western Ontario. It is probably the
work of some one connected with the early
French missions, if, indeed, it be not of still
more recent origin.
The little granite adze here represented,
figure 14, is fairly straight on the side shown,
but very much curved on the other, its greatest
thickness near the middle being seven-eighths
of an inch, but its chief peculiarity is the
presence of a small hole about a quarter of
an inch in depth, within an inch and a half
the pole.
(16,175). Fig 14.— J diameter.
BIRD AMULET.
Fig. 15 is a bird -amulet found in a sand-pit en the right bank of
the Grand River, opposite Cayuga. It is not made from the usual
slate, but from an amygdaloid, the light colored or almond-like portions
51
of which are much softer than the body of the material. On the
base are two short bars running crosswise, each of which is perforated.
This specimen is almost as perfect as
when it was made. It is two and five-
eighth inches long, and an inch and
five-eighths in height, being smaller
than the average bird-amulet. There
are but two others in our collection
(17,174). Fig 15.— \ diameter. (found in Ontario) made of this
material, one from Port Rowan in the same district, and one from
Middlesex county.
The meaning or use of these so-called " bird-amulets " remains
unknown, but it may be worth while to repeat here that such speci-
mens are always found disassociated, and each find only adds signifi-
cance to the observation that no natives met with by Europeans seem
to have had any knowledge regarding them, the inference being that
they were the work of prior occupants of the soil.
CUTTING TOOLS.
The making of grooved celts never reached as high a degree in
Ontario as in Ohio and other southern and western localities. With
us, the groove is usually shallow and not sharply defined — some-
times, too, it exists on the edges only, or goes clean
around, whereas in southern examples it is often
formed round two sides and one edge, lead-
ing us to infer that in the former cases the
tools were used as adzes, and in the latter
as axes. Fig. 16 is unusually large, being
ten inches in length and nearly half as wide, but
its chief value consists in its being unfinished,
and in the quality of the stone (limestone) being
quite unlike what was generally selected for
tools of this kind. The result of the rough
blows struck to reduce it to shape are beauti-
fully exemplified in this specimen, and enough
work has been done to show that the intention
was to groove the edges only, that it might be
handled as an adze, and perhaps to be used as a
wedge. It was found in Middlesex county.
(17,225). Fig. 16, i dia.
52
Fig. 17 represents an interesting specimen, although in all proba-
bility not a very old one. It is of tine-grained lithographic limestone
of dark creamy color, marked with irregular
gray veins. Although partly polished it still
bears marks of the chipping and pecking
required to bring it into shape, but the most
remarkable feature is the large hole it has had
only half of which remains. It is plain that this
hole has been designed for a handle, an unusual
feature in American celts. Whether a perfor-
ation was first made by means of a drill is
uncertain, (although probable) as the surface
now shows marks of a tool used by thrusting
from each end.
It is difficult to conceive of any use to which
an object of such soft material could have been
(17,172). Fig. 17. put, otherwise than as a weapon.
The only other celt we have with a hole large enough to receive
a handle, was found by Dr. Clark of Tamworth, at Beaver Lake,
Addington county, and presented to us by Dr. T. W. Beeman of Perth?
The specimen here described is from the township of North Cayuga
county of Haldimand.
BONE HARPOON.
This somewhat unusual and rather pretty form of bone harpoon
was found by Mr. E. Fleming, on his farm in the township of Percy ,
Northumberland county, Ontario, and reached the museum through Dr.
R. Coghlin of Hastings, Peterboro' county. With a flat base as seen
in the cut, it forms in cross section a com-
pressed triangle, and in outline strongly
resembles one, a little larger, figured in
Dr R. Munro's " Prehistoric Problems," (17,118). Fig. 18, 4 dia.
page 73, 1897. Prof. Boyd-Dawkins describing the latter specimen
which was found in the Victoria Cave at Settle, Yorkshire, says, " The
harpoon is a little more than three inches long, with the head armed
with two barbs on each side, and the base presenting a mode of securing
attachment to the handle which has not before been discovered in Great
Britain." The chief difference between the Ontario specimen and the
English one is, that in the latter the barbs are more deeply notched.
53
COPPER TOOLS.
The copper knife represented here is five and three -eighth inches
long, and was found near Stirling, in the county of Hastings. The
hole at the haft end was
probably rather for
carrying purposes by
means of a string, than
(177,60. ) Fig. 19, 4 dia. to attach the knife to any
handle. The latter use would imply a rivet — something unknown to
the Huron- Iroquois mechanic.
Both edges of the blade are sharp, and as they are somewhat
rounded at the large end, it is probable that the tool was held directly
in the hand.
The copper tool here figured is five inches long,
and an inch and a half wide at the edge. The back,
or convex side is roughly flat, transversely, except at
the broad end where it is slightly curved to make the
blade gouge-like, and on the opposite side a hollow
extends from end to end. The weathering and general
appearance leave no doubt that it is of native copper,
as well as of native workmanship. It was found on
a field belonging to Dr. Davis, in the township of
North Cayuga.
Very few objects of copper have been found in
Neutral territory, if one may form an opinion from
the localities represented in the small collection we
have in the museum coming from the whole province.
Judging in this way, the lines of distribution would seem
to have been down the Ottawa, and the Georgian Bay.
An extremely interesting specimen is a copper fish-hook brought
up from a depth of 600 feet, within 15 miles of Isle Royal e, Lake
Superior. It is an inch and seven eighths long, making a curve three-
fourths of an inch wide, and half an inch high at the point, outside
measurements. The shaft is less than an eighth of an inch wide, and
about as thick, the bend being being made edgewise. The end of the
shaft is slightly flattened to hold the fastening in place, much like
what may be seen on some steel fish-hooks.
This specimen was given by Mr. Dobie of Port Arthur, to the
Rev. Dr. Maclean of Neepawa, and was by him presented to the
museum along with other articles.
(17,178.)'
Fig. 20, i dia.
54
INDIAN FLUTE.
(17,101). Fig. 21.
The wind-instrument above figured is of native make, and, it is
claimed, of native origin. The latter claim is a doubtful one. This
flute, fife, or perhaps, rather, whistle is made of cedar, in two pieces,
lengthwise, very neatly jointed, and bound at short intervals with soft
string. It is sixteen inches and half long, and nearly an inch in
diameter, and is provided with six finger-holes. Musicians say the
scale is incomplete, but perhaps with perfect skill in playing this
defect would be removed. Apart from the construction of the body
of the instrument, its most peculiar feature is a wooden slide made to
move in a shallow groove over the sound-hole, apparently for the
purpose of modifying the pitch of the notes. On the lower side of
same hole is bound a piece of sheet tin, evidently to correct an error
in the size or position of the perforation. Sound is produced by blowing
through a hole little more than an eighth of an inch in diameter in the
centre of the end.
The workmanship is excellent. The tubular hole is nearly three-
fourths of an inch in diameter so that the tube itself is barely an eighth
of an inch in thickness.
No one who has seen this instrument can afford any information
respecting the origin of the slide, that is, as to whether any similar
device is known in any other instrument of the kind, used by white
people.
This peculiar whistle was made by Hy-joong-kwas, Chief of the
False Face Society, and head medicine man of the Longhouse people,
and was presented to us by his nephew Da-ha-wen-non-yeh.
THE PAGAN IROQUOIS.
It is extremely interesting, some would say it is extremely sad, to
know that we have within easy call a band of pagan Indians number-
ing nearly a thousand, or about twenty-five per cent, of all the
Iroquois and some scattered Dela wares,* Nanticokesf and TutelosJ
*See Appendix.
t The Nanticokes came originally from the coast of Maryland. They were
adopted by the Delawares, who, in turn, were adopted by the Six Nations.
$ " The Tutelo habitat in 1671 was in Brunswick county, southern Virginia.
The Earl of Bellomont (1699) saj s that the Shateras were ' supposed to be
the Toteros, on Big Sandy River, Virginia,' and Pownall, in his map of North
on the Grand River Reserve. More than once it has appeared in
print that these people have persistently clung to their ancient beliefs
through all the vicissitudes arising from contact with Europeans, and
despite the numerous efforts that have been made to woo them into
the fold of Christianity. But this is scarcely true, for while it is
undeniable that many remain steadfast in paganism, it is paganism
considerably modified as a result of some three hundred and fifty
years' more or less intimate association with white people. During
the latter half of this time, but especially during the last third of it,
the modifying agencies have worked with much more effect than
formerly. From 1535, when Cartier met with Huron-Iroquois at
Stadacone and Hochelaga, until about the beginning of the eighteenth
century, when the Iroquois had attained the highest limit of their
power, direct proselytizing influences were confined to the efforts of a
few French Catholic, and Dutch Protestant missionaries who here and
there succeeded in detaching some from open indulgence in pagan
practices, but the indirect results accomplished during the same period,
by means of trade, and through the necessarily consequent changes in
warfare, food, clothing, and general habits, were as powerful in effect
as they had been quiet and steady in action.
I am not aware of any record giving the proportion of pagan to
Christian population at the clo^e of the seventeenth century, but it is
probable that not more than one third of the Iroquois at this time
were professing Christians, and it is still more probable that the num-
ber was considerably less.
Now it was that the Indian " prophet," or rather reformer,
appeared, and in the notice of him that follows the careful reader will
not fail to mark numerous teachings strongly tinctured with European
influence. But even thus, it is not the less remarkable that so many
people, surrounded for three centuries and a half by Christianizing
agencies direct and indirect, should retain so much that connects their
religious beliefs with those of their pre-historic ancestors, for it is
undoubted that in spirit as well as in performance we may see to-day
in a slightly altered form civilized Iroquois engaging in rites and cere-
America (1776), gives the Totteroy (i.e., Big Sandy) River. Subsequen ly to 1671
the Tutelo left Virginia and moved to North Carolina. They returned to Virginia
(with the Sapona), joined the Nottaway and Meherrin, whom they and the Tus-
carora followed into Pennsylvania in the last century ; thence they went to .New
York, where they joined the J-ix Nations, with whom they removed to Grand
River Reservation, Ontario, Canada, after the Revolutionary War. The last full-
blood Tutelo died in 1870." — From Indian Linguistic Families, p. 114 in Rep. of
Bur of Ethnology for 1*85-6
The Tutelos called themselves Ye-sahn'.
It may be here mentioned that John Key, Gostango (Below the Rock), the
last Indian able to speak the Tutelo language, died last spring (1898). See plate
XVIII. B.
56
monies they have inherited from a time long antecedent to the dis-
covery of the continent, and even anterior to the appearance of
Hiawatha (allowing him not to have been a pure myth), who was a
political, rather than a religious, reformer.
To be present at a pagan festival is an experience not soon to be for-
gotten. In the music, songs, dances, speeches and peculiar rites that go
to constitute a feast of this description one may picture to himself what
an event of the same kind must have been when celebrated by savages
in the old-time long-house, lighted only by the glare of two huge fires,
the uncertain gleams of which were reflected on the dusky, sinewy and
lithe bodies of the performers, men and women, in concert with even
such whoops and other accompaniments as one may yet see and hear.
It should be observed also that those who continue pagans are as
bright and intelligent as their Christian confreres are. Neither are
they at all proud on account of their paganism. They deal freely with
their fellows in every way, not even disdaining to intermarry with
them, arid it is remarked that when a " mixed marriage " takes place 4-
it just as often happens that the Christian relapses to paganism as
that the pagan becomes a Christian.
PAGAN CONDITIONS.
The religious belief of the Indians who occupied the greater part
of North America, when they first became known to Europeans, was
little more than a mass of unsystematized myth — confused, contradic-
tory, and therefore utterly illogical. Scarcely any two persons (not
to mention tribes or peoples) were found to agree in particulars, and
many were at variance even in the matter of generality.*
Algonkian manitous and Iroquoian okis innumerable, infested
earth and air. Many of these were animated by malice towards the
Indian, -f- whose duty it was, therefore, to placate them in one or other
* " Th« y vary so greatly in their belief that we can have no certainty about
it." — Le Jeune's Relation, 1637, Cleveland ed., Vol. 12. p 31.
Still, we must accept such statements guardedly, because the seeming incon-
sistencies may have been largely owing to misunderstanding on the part of the
enquirers. Making due allowances, however, for such mistakes as were likely to
arise from an imperfect knowledge of the natives' languages and their methods of
thought, the wholly unlettered peoples were more likely to misconceive and mis-
construe their myths than are those of our own kind and time with superior advan-
tages, and yet we know what ' jumbles of doctrine ' many white people entertain.
f So high an authority as Dr. Brinton asserts that the Indians, before their
contact with white people, did not acknowledge the existence of bad spirits, as
such; they were merely 'k spirits of the terrible phenomena." — (American Hero
Myths, p. 234, 1882), not beings whose duty or delight it was to war against man-
kind, or to thwart the intentions of the good ones.
57
of numerous ways. If they had any superior object of reverence, it
was probably the sun,* as the source of light, or as the abode of the
Spirit of Day.
The missionaries found great difficulty in convincing the Indians
that the Christian religion was for them as well as for the white people.
Arguments to this effect were met by the reply, " We don't understand
this," or " We don't believe it — you are so different from us in every
way that it is nonsense to think we should believe as you do." In
course of time " conversions " were made, but lapses were frequent and
caused the missionaries much grief. Some tribes eventually became
and remained, at least nominally Christian by force of circumstances,
but even among these tribes there were many who clung stubbornly
to their ancient practices. This was the case with a large number of
the Iroquois, yet those who refused to become Christians have readily
accepted a code of morals which is largely tinctured with the teachings
of the white man's religion, t
Dr. Brinton's contention is summed up in the following paiagraph from the
last edition (p. 82) of his Myths of the New World. :
'• Some gods favored man and others hurt him; some, like the forces they
embodied, were beneficent to him, other injurious. But no ethical contrast beyond
that which this would imply, existed to the native mind."
This may have been the original idea, but it would seem that in time, (even
before the appearance of the white man), some of the spirits were credited with
motives of pure malignity.
* " An Iroquois was to be burned in a rather distant [Huron] village,
having ascended the scaffold, he Taised both his eyes and voice to Heaven
shouting in a loud voice, ' Sun, who art witness of my torments, listen to
my words.'" — Jesuit Relations, Cleveland ed., Vol. 21, p. 171.
Father Vimont, in describing the doings of Kiotsaeton, an Iroquois peace
envoy at Three Rivers in 1645, says, "He rose and gazed at the Sun," and that
after singing and parading before those present he again looked heavenward, fixing
his eye upon the Sun.
"They (the Iroquois) first thanked the Sun for having caused us to fall into the
hands of their fellow-countrymen." — Jogues, MI Relation of .Z6'47, Cleveland ed.,
Vol. 31, p. 31.
t The ceremonies of the Pagan Iroquois present two distinct features ; first,
those that have come down from one dare not say how many centuries, and second,
those that date only from the beginning of the nineteenth century.
In the former are included some of the ritual speeches, the various dances, the
national gambling customs, dream interpretation, the spraying or blowing of
sweetened water on invalid heads, the anointing of heads and many minor practices.
To the latter are assignable most of the admonitions of the preachers at the New
Year or Mid-winter and some other festivals, the greater part of these addresses re-
lating either to morals, the inculcation of which had no reasons for existence in pre-
Columbian days, or they refer to views of a future state which, even in their Indian
guise, are plainly derived from C hristian sources. As the Indian mind is not of
metaphysical bent, and is seldom even profoundly logical, the incongruity of this
composite belief does not occur to those who entertain it. Respecting the more
ancient customs they have no doubt, for were these not in vogue long before the
white man's day in America ? Has not their efficacy been put to triumphant test
ten thousand times ? And what more can anybody want 1 Then, as to the modern
grafts, the inquiry is made why should not the Great Spirit take means to teach the
58
It would perhaps be difficult to find two human beings, no matter
how isolated, of whom one is not a myth-maker, and the other a blind-
believer. It has always been so. In larger groups, the boldest and
shrewdest myth-maker becomes the shaman — the medicine man — the
sorcerer — the priest. While, with still wider scope for the exercise of
his talents, there appears occasionally one whose fervor or whose
audacity constitutes him a prophet.
Indian character and mode of life are peculiarly congenial to the
development and acceptance of this class of pretender — yet, when we
remember James Naylor, Joanna Southcote, Lodowick Muggleton,
Joseph Smith, and many others with their troops of followers in
England and America, white folk cannot very well undertake to cast
the first stone at their Indian brethren for that measure of overweening
confidence we call gullibility.
OLD TIME PAGANISM.
"At first," in the language of an Indian friend, " the world was no
good — all over water, and big frogs, — but the place away above the
clouds had people in in it — lots of them." This, in a way, corresponds
with the missionary accounts, according to which Ataensic, the wife
of a skyland inhabitant fell through a cloud-cleft, in her attempts to
save her favorite dog from the attack of a wolf or a bear ; or, as some
say, the accident happened when she was trying to cut down a tree,
the pith or the leaves of which were necessary for the cure of her sick
husband. The tree dropt through the sky, so did her dog, and, like
Jill, when " Jack fell down and broke his crown," she " came tumbling
after." A big turtle kindly offered her accommodation on' its back,
where she remained for four days to recover from the shock of her
descent which must have been very great, especially in view of the
fact that she was soon to become a mother. Having, at the end of this
time, succeeded in procuring a little earth from the bottom of the sea by
means of some animal possessed of good diving powers, she managed
by sprinkling the dried and powdered earth over the surface of the
water to form an enormous island, much in the same way as the Algon-
kin myth attributes to Nanabush.* In course of time a daughter was
Indian in an Indian way, just as white men say He taught them according to their
way ? And this is not an easy question to answer satisfactorily, either to the
Indians or to ourselves.
* Other accounts make it appear that the beaver, mink, muskrat and loon
(Urinator imber) seeing Ataensic coming down, prepared a resting-place for her by
placing a quantity of mud on the back of the tortoise, and that from this the world
grew. According to Megapolensis, the woman herself scooped up the earth from
her position on the turtle's back. See appendix to Fourth Ontario Archaeological
Report.
59
born to her, and this daughter, growing to womanhood, became the
mother of twin sons, the first men this newly created world ever saw.
One of these boys was good, and one was bad, and the bad one showed
how very bad he was even before he was born, for, becoming impatient
of delay, he determined not to wait for the convenience of his mother,
and so made his way into the world by issuing from her side, or arm-
pit, in consequence of which she died. Nothing is said respecting the
birth of the other boy, but he was born, and was called Joskeha, while
the name of his turbulent brother was Tawiskara. We are left in ignor-
ance as to how their mother, and her mother, Ataensic, subsisted up to
this time, but in whatever way this may have been, when the former
died, from her body sprung all the plants we now have — notably the
" Supporters " or the " Three Sisters," the pumpkin coming from her
head, the corn from her breast, and the beans from her arms ; the legs
supplying roots for them all.
The boys having agreed to a division of the world, separated to
live far apart, but Tawiskara still bent on mischief, created an enor-
mous frog to swallow all the springs that had been benevolently
made by Joskeha, and thus the rivers and lakes disappeared leaving
the earth as dry as ever. When Joskeha discovered this frog in the
country of Tawiskara he stabbed it in the side, from which, and hence-
forth, the waters flowed as usual over the land.
By and by the brothers met, for the spirit of their mother had
informed Joskeha that Tawiskara intended to kill him, but how he
meant to do so it is hard to conceive, for as they were both gods this was
impossible. However each brother knew of one thing that would
come nearer to the accomplishment of this than anything else, and they
agreed to a mutual communication of the secrets. Joskeha said a bag
of corn if well aimed would almost kill him, and Tawiskara informed
him that what he feared most was a wound from a deer's horn. They
fought. Joskeha fell and seemed to be dead, but he revived, and with
an antler stabbed Tawiskara in the side ; and the blood gushed in great
streams from the wound, as the bad brother utterly discomfited made
his way westwards followed by Joskeha. The clots of blood turned
into flint from which, ever since, the Indian has made his arrow -points,
spears and knives.*
* As common chert is not very suggestive of blood the story may at first have
referred to red jasper, of which such articles are sometimes made, and the legend
may have originated where this kind of quartz was tolerably plentiful. At any
rate, jasper may have originated the idea, without reference to place.
60
Tawiskara was so badly beaten that he was compelled to remain
at " sundown " where he had in his keeping the spirits of all dead
Indians.
Joskeha then devoted his attention to improving the world From
an underground cave he brought every kind of animal, one of which,
the tortoise, taught him how to make fire. He next made men and
women, and showed them how to make bows and arrows, how to catch
fish, and how to grow corn, beans, pumpkins and tobacco. He lived in
the east with his grandmother Ataensic, and was ever ready to assist
the needy Indian in any way. To him thanks were returned for suc-
cess in war, in hunting and in fishing, as well as for abundance of
vegetable food.
His grandmother was a witch -god assuming at pleasure any shape,
and had as her prerogative the fixing of human fate.
Other deities were Ta-ron-ya-wah-gon and Ar-esk-wior Areskoui,
the former said by some to be but another name for Hiawatha, and the
latter, for Joskeha.
Of this myth, Dr. Brinton says :* " So strong is the resemblance
loskeha [Joskeha] bears to Michabo [Nanabush], that what has been
said in explanation of the latter will be sufficient for both. Yet I do
not imagine that the one was copied from the other. We cannot be
too cautious in adopting such a conclusion. The two nations were
remote in everything but geographical position.
I call to mind another similar myth. In it a mother is also said
to have brought forth twins, or a pair of twins, and to have paid for
them with her life. Again, the one is described as the bright, the
other as the dark twin ; again it is said they struggled one with the
other for the mastery. Scholars, likewise, have interpreted the mother
to mean the Dawn, the twins either Light and Darkness, or the Four
Winds. Yet this is not Algonkin theology ; nor is it at all related to
that of the Iroquois. It is the story of Sarama in the Rig Veda, and
was written in Sanscrit, under the shadow of the Himalayas, centuries
before Homer.
Such uniformity points not to a common source in history, but in
psychology. Man, chiefly cognizant of his existence through his
senses, thought with an awful horror of the night which deprived him
of the use of one and foreshadowed the loss of all. Therefore light and
life were to him synonymous ; therefore all religious promise to lead
' From night to light,
From night to heavenly light ;'
* Myths of the New- World (3rd ed. revised), pp. 205-6. 1896.
61
therefore He who rescues is ever the Light of the World ; therefore it
is said 'to the upright ariseth light in darkness;' therefore everywhere
the kindling East, the pale Dawn, is the embodiment of his hopes, and
the centre of his reminiscences."
This is as learned and ingenious as all that Dr Brinton writes is,
but allowing that Joskeka. like Michabo, or Manibozho, or Nanabush,
was " the Great Light," " the Spirit of Light," "the Great White One,"
" the lord of the winds," " the grandson of the moon," and the child of
a maiden, it does not make sufficient allowance for historical consan-
quinity, if not for historical identity.
This is not the place to enter into argument, but it may be pointed
out that even when peoples, whether near or far apart, were bitter
enemies, and spoke totally different languages, the almost universal
customs of adoption, slavery, and marriage by capture* must have exer-
cised no small influence on primitive mythology.
The spirit of one myth may be similar to, or even identical with
that of another originating independently far distant from it, in space
or in time, but when the details — the scenery and stage accessories —
correspond very closely, we are justified in attributing much to a com-
mon historical source.
To illustrate this contention, let us take the story of Glooscap's
Origin as given to Dr. Silas T. Rand, by a Micmac of Fredericton.f
In a prefatory note Dr. Rand says he questions whether the legend
"does not refer to some other fabulous person " than Glooscap, but this
is immaterial.
" Glooscap was one of twins. Before they were born they con-
versed and consulted together how they would better enter the world.
Glooscap determined to be born naturally ; the other resolved to burst
through the mother's side. These plans were carried into effect.
Glooscap was first born ; the mother died, killed by the younger as he
burst the walls of his prison. The two boys grew up together, mir-
aculously preserved.
After a time the younger inquired of Glooscap how the latter
could be killed. Glooscap deemed it prudent to conceal this, but pre-
tended to disclose the secret, lest his brother, who had slaughtered the
mother, should also kill him. But he wished at the same time to know
* The Caribs so often procured wives in this way that their women did not
often speak the language of the men." McLennan's P/imitive Marriage, p. 321.
t Legends of the Micmaca, by the Rev. Silas Tertius Rand, D.D. , D.C.L.,
LL.D., Wellesley Philological Publications, New York and London. 1894, pp.
339-40.
62
how the younger one could be despatched, as it might become con-
venient to perform the same operation upon him. So he told his
brother very gravely that nothing would kill him but a blow on the
head dealt with the head of a cat-tail flag. Then the brother asked,
"And how could you be killed?" 'By no other weapon,' was the
answer, ' than a handful of bird's down.'
" One day the younger brother tried the experiment. Procuring a
cat-tail flag, he stepped up slyly behind his friend and gave him a
smart blow on the head, which stunned him ; he left him on the ground
for dead. But after a while he came to ; and now it was his turn. So
he collected a handful of down, and made a ball of it ; and with this
ball he struck his younger brother and killed him."
That the Glooscap myth is a mere variant of the Joskeha one, or,
vice versa, would appear plain. The Eskimo have a third form, and
according to Hale and others the original home of the Iroquois lay
between these people to the north, and the Micmacs to the south.
RECENT INDIAN RELIGIONS.
Before proceeding to refer more particularly to Ska-ne-o-dy'-o,
the "prophet" of the Iroquois, whose teachings have done so much to
influence the life of those who still refuse to accept Christianity, it
may be well to pass in brief review what has taken place in other
parts of the continent, in connection with the appearance of religious
teachers during the historic period, and more particularly since about
the beginning of the present century. Only by means of some such
f comparison may we estimate the character of supply as well as of
\ demand to satisfy the psychological craving among a primitive people
I not wholly uninfluenced by contact with another race, and who are
{therefore of profound interest to us in such a transitional condition.
It is quite certain that during the centuries before the Discovery
there appeared here and there, from time to time, one and another
claiming superior knowledge respecting the performance of rites, the
movements in dances, the singing of songs, the interpretation of
dreams, the existence and power of spirits, and the influences of
natural phenomena.
As mere impostors, many would set up claims to such knowledge
for the sake of power, profit, or notoriety, but there were undoubtedly
others, who, acting under the influence of dreams, or of hallucinations,
spoke and taught as " having authority," — believing thoroughly in
themselves and in their message. Bold assertion in the one case, and
earnest iteration in the other would accomplish changes and even make
63
additions, but in no instance would it appear possible for the false or
the conscious innovator to rise above his surroundings. He might
teach a new rite, invent a new movement, compose a new song, or
endow a spirit with a new quality, but in so doing he would find it
impossible to go beyond himself, that is, to get outside of his environ-
ment. Having no belief in a supreme being he could not appeal to
one, nor could he claim that such a one had given him instructions. It
was not until after his intercourse with white men that he was enabled
to add to the story of his dream that he had seen the Creator, or the
Great Spirit, or the Mastf r of Life — or; that he was in a position to teach
some of the higher moralities, and to offer a promise of post mortem
and eternal happiness.
We find accordingly that all Indian "prophets" who have
appeared during the historic period have been, consciously or uncon-
sciously, indebted to the white man very considerably for the tone and
tenor of their teachings.
The Delaware Prophet.
A Delaware prophet, whose name has, in an unaccountable way,
been forgotten, appeared in 1762 declaring himself possessed of a
mission from the Great fepirit who had also taught him to draw an odd
looking map on a piece of deerskin, which he called " The Great Book,
or Writing " to shew the Indians where they were, and where they
ought to be, with the only way to get there.*
Of this prophet it is said he dreamt that by undertaking a jour-
ney he would reach the spirit-world, and early the next morning he
set out, travelling until sunset of the eighth day when he reached
three divergent paths. Having tried two of these he was, in each
case, driven back by a fierce fire, but by means of the third, and after
climbing a very steep and slippery mountain by the instructions of a
woman whom he met, he reached the abode of the Master of Life, who
commanded him to exhort his people to cease from drunkenness, wars,
polygamy, and the medicine song; to live independently of the whites
to use only the bow and arrow when hunting; to wear skins for cloth-
ing; to drive away the white man; to ask only Him (the Master of
Life) for food, and that if they became good, they would want for
nothing; when meeting, to give one another the left hand, or hand
*For these particulars, and most of what follows relating to Indian prophets,
I am indebted to vol. 14, part 2, Report of the Bureau of Ethnology Washington,
1896. The article is ent tied the Ghost Dance Religion, by James Mooney, who,
however, must not be held responsible for the phraseology here used, as the stories
are necessarily much condensed.
64
nearest the heart, and, above all, to repeat morning and night a prayer,
which was taught him on the spot, accompanied with the gift of a
"prayer stick" on which some hieroglyphics were carved.
The missionary Heckewelder, who knew him well, adds that in
his discourses, the prophet used to say, " Hear what the Great Spirit
has ordered me to tell you ! You are to make sacrifices in the manner
that I shall direct ; . . . you must abstain from drinking their
deadly beson, [rum ?] which they have forced upon us for the sake of
increasing their gains and diminishing our numbers. Then will the
Great Spirit give success to our arms ; then will he give us strength
to conquer our enemies, drive them from hence, and recover the
passage to the heavenly regions which they have taken from us. ...
And now, my friends, in order that what I have told you may remain
firmly impressed on your minds ... I advise you to preserve, in
every family at least, such a book or writing as this, which I will
finish off for you, provided you bring me the price, which is only one
buckskin, or two doeskins apiece.'''
All through these admonitions it is easy to trace European
influence, but the final provision is ludicrously suggestive of the
school in which this anonymous Delaware prophet received his lessons,
if not his inspiration.
Pontiac, the Ottawa chief, and the greatest of Algonkin leaders,
taking advantage of the ' religious ferment produced by the exhorta-
tions of the Delaware prophet, [which] had spread rapidly from tribe
to tribe,' was thus enabled with comparative ease, to organize his
great confederacy of north-western tribes against further encroach-
ments by the British.
The Shawnee Prophet.
After the close of the American Revolutionary war, the Indians
for some years continued hostilities against the newly-formed repub-
lic. After twenty years of warfare, in which, though often successful^
they found the contest an unequal one, they gave up their claims to
the better portion of the Ohio valley, and fell back dispirited towards
the setting sun. Then (Nov. 1805) appeared Laulewasikaw, a man
thirty years of age, who announced that he had a message from the
Master of Life. " He declared that he had been taken up to the
spirit world . . . had seen the misery of evil-doers and learned
the happiness that awaited those who followed the prophets of the
Indian God." He denounced witchcraft, medicine-juggleries, and the
use of firewater ; condemned marriages with white people, and the
Go
use of all European customs — even fire, he said, should be made in
the old way — and he taught that by compliance with his directions,
the old time condition of happiness would return to the people.
"It is stated that the prophet was noted for his stupidity and in-
toxication until his fiftieth year (?) year, when, one day, while light-
ing his pipe in his cabin, he suddenly fell back apparently lifeless and
remained in that condition until his friends had assembled for the
funeral, when he revived from his trance, and, after quieting their
alarm, announced that he had been to the spirit-world, and commenced
then to call the people together that he might tell them what he had
seen. When they had assembled, he declared that he had been con-
ducted to the border of the spirit-world by two young men, who had
permitted him to look in upon its pleasures, but not to enter,
and who, after charging him with the message to his people
already noted, had left him, promising to visit him again at a near
future time." (Drake, Ab. Races)
This story so circumstantially resembles the one told regarding
Ska-ne-o-dy'-o, the Onondaga prophet, at least five, and perhaps fifteen
years before, that there is an evident confusion of the persons con-
cerned, and this becomes clearer when we compare Laulewaskiaw's age,
(which is said to have been about thirty) when he received his revela-
tion, with statement that he had led a dissolute life until he was about
fifty — a statement that applies correctly enough to Ska-ne-o-dy'-o.
On the death of hi? celebrated brother, Tecumseh, at the battle of
the Thames, October 5th, 1813, Laulewasikaw, or Tenskwatawa as he
subsequently called himself, returned to Ohio from Upper Canada,
and afterwards removed with his people to the west. He was living
in 1832, when Catlin had a conversation with him.
The Kickapoo Prophet.
West of the Mississippi there have appeared numerous Indian
prophets. One of the most prominent of those was Ka~nakuk, a Kick-
apoo, who appeared about 1820 to champion the rights of his people
when it was decided to remove them from Illinois to Missouri. He
also claimed that he had had an interview with the Great Spirit, by
whose direction he was to tell the people •' to throw away their
medicine-bags, not to steal, not to tell lies, not to murder, not to
quarrel," and to pray to Him every night and every morning.
Kanakuk was also instructed by the Great Spirit that the land was
His, and to tell the white people so. This prophet, too, employed
prayer-sticks of maple, not unlike those of the Delaware seer. These
5 c.i.
66
he carved himself and sold to the people, thus " increasing his influ-
ence both as a priest and as a man of property."
Believers in Kanakuk met for worship on Sundays and Fridays —
on the latter days they " made confession of their sins, after which,
certain persons appointed for the purpose, gave each penitent several
strikes \\ith a rod of hickory, according to the gravity of his offence."
The Winnebago Prophet.
It was asceitained by Mr. Mooney, during his "personal investi-
gation among the Winnebagos" that, "about 1852 or 1853, while
the tribe was still living on Turkey river, Iowa, a prophet known as
Patheske, or Long Nose, announced that he had been instructed in
a vision to teach his people a new dance, which he called the friend-
ship dance (chukoraki)" This dance, he claimed, "to have seen,
performed by a band of spirits in the other world, whither he had
been taken after a fast of several days' duration." Although his
teachings do not appear to have made much headway, and although
he himself was denounced as an imposter, he did not lose caste among
his people, for, a few years afterwards, he was one of a delegation of
his tribe to Washington. Such a state of society is quite credible to
those who know anything of Indian character.
The Paiute Prophet.
About 1870, Tavibo, ("White Man") the father of Wovoka
the " Messiah " of the Ghost Dance religion, preached, prophesied, and
introduced a new religious dance among the Paiutes in Nevada. He
held his ground as a teacher for twenty-two years, and exercised con-
siderable influence over Indians from Oregon and Idaho, — among the
Bannocks and Shoshonis, and all the scattered bands of the Paiutes.
He claimed te have met the Great Spirit on three occasions, at the
top of a mountain, when he was informed that " within a few moons
there would be a great upheaval or earthquake," during which all
the whites with their property of every kind would be swallowed up,
and that the Indians would be preserved to enjoy themselves. As
many did not believe this, Ta'vibo had another revelation declaring
that both Indians and whites would be destroyed, but that in a short
time the Indians would come to life, and live forever in plenty. This
seemed a more reasonable revelation, and was somewhat popu ar for a
time, but Ta'vibo was not satisfied, and so climbed the mountain a
third time after fasting and prayer, to commune with the Great Spirit,
who, angry at the unbelief of the Paiutes, told the prophet that only
67
those who accepted his teachings would be once more brought to life
and made happy — all others "would stay in the ground and be
damned forever with the whites."
Ta'vibo also is said to have gone into trances during which he
had communication with the Master of Life.
The Apache Prophet.
Nakai' dokli'ni announced himself in 1881, as a medicine man
possessed of wonderful supernatural powers in southern Arizona,
claiming that he could raise the dead, and hold converse with spirits.
As with most of his kind too, he predicted that'the whites would soon
be driven out of the land. Failing to resurrect two chiefs for which
task he had been given by his own request, a considerable number
of ponies and blankets in payment, he declared that the -chiefs
refused to come forth as long as the white people were in the country.
As this teaching was likt-ly to cause trouble, Nakai' doklini' was
arrested by the military authorities, and in a skirmish that followed
he was killed.
The Pottawatorrd Prophet.
In north-eastern Kansas, about 1883, there was a revival of what
closely resembled the teachings of Kanakuk, fifty years before. Rem-
nants of the Sauk, Fox, Pottawatomi and Kickapoo peoples in Okla-
homa as well as in Kansas became believers. This religion taught the
morality of the ten commandments, forbade liquor-drinking, gambling,
and horse-racing, and was, on the whole, so beneficent in its effects
that it was rather encouraged than otherwise by the Indian agent,
who declared that flagiant crime had been reduced seventy -five per
cent, since the introduction of the new faith.
The Crow Prophet.
Cheez-tah-paezh or Wraps his Tail, a Crow medicine man, who
had attracted special attention on account of his fortitude during the
terrible tortures of a Cheyenne sun-dance, announced himself as the
possessor of supernatural power in 1887. Heading a movement
against the whites he was killed, "and as he had boasted himself
invulnerable, and promised that his warriors should be invulnerable
also if they would follow him, the hearts of the latter became as water
and they broke in every direction."
68
The Wa'nap'Am Prophet.
Smohalla (chief of the Wanapums, a small tribe in Washington
State), as a young man had frequented a Catholic mission, and thus
become familiar with the service of the Catholic church. As a medi-
cine man his reputation stood very high.
About 1860 a noted chief named Moses, on the Columbia river,
having reason to believe that Smohalla was " making medicine "
against him, picked a quarrel, fought with and nearly killed the big
medicine man, who, however, " revived sufficiently to crawl into a
boat " and float down the Columbia, until, meeting some white men, he
was taken care of during his recovery, which was very slow. After
this, ashamed to go back among his own people, and still fearing the
anger of Moses, he set out on what Mr. Mooney characterizes as " one
of the most remarkable series of journeyings ever undertaken by an
uncivilized Indian," going all along the Pacific coast as far south as
Mexico and returning by way of Arizona., Utah, and Nevada to his old
home," where he announced that he had been dead and in the spirit
world and had now returned by divine command to guide his people.*
Accepted by his tribe who believed fully in his statement, he began
to have trances during which he was insensible to pain, and on recov-
ering from these he told what he had seen and heard in the spirit-land.
He declared that Sa'galhee Tyee, the Great Chief above, desired the
Indians to return to their primitive manners, and that " their present
miserable condition was due to their having abandoned their own
religion and violated the laws of nature and the precepts of their
ancestors." He claimed power to control the elements, and having
predicted some eclipses, with the aid of an almanac and the help of a
party of surveyors, we must conclude that mingled with Smohalla's
delusions there was not a little of deception.
" You ask me to plough the ground !" said he, " shall I take a
knife and tear my mother's bosom ? Then, when I die, she will not
take me to her bosom to rest.
* We are apt to regard Indians as a strictly stay-at-home people, but there are
numerous instances of long wanderings on the part of individuals. Henry and
Harman mention meeting with stray Iroquois near the Rocky mountains. Zeis-
berger refers to a Carib woman and her daughter who resided with his people, the
Delawares, at Fairfield on the Thames, Upper Canada, near the end of last cen-
tury. One of the Canienga (Mohawks) found his way a few years ago to England,
where he married well, and ultimately figured in the Divorce Court. Among the
Ojibwas on the Chemong Reserve I have met with John Brant, a lineal descendant
of Thayendeiiaga, and another Indian from the Grand River Reserve is known to
have made his way to one of the western states where he became a very wealthy
man. These, it is true, are exceptions, for, as a rule, the Indian seldom removes
far from hhe home of his own people.
69
" You ask me to dig for stone ! Shall I dig under her skin for her
bones ? Then when I die I cannot enter her body to be born again."
' You ask me to cut grass and make hay and sell it, and be rich
like white men ! But how dare I cut off my mother's hair ? "
Referring to this belief, Mr. Mooney very graphically says : " The
idea that the earth is the mother of all created things lies at the base,
not only of the Smohalla religion, but of the theology of the Indian
tribes generally and of primitive races all over the world. This ex-
plains Tecumtha's [Tecumseh's] reply to Harrison : ' The sun is my
father, and the earth is my mother. On her bosom I will rest.' In
the Indian mind the corn, fruits, and edible roots are the gifts which
the earth-mother gives freely to her children. Lakes and ponds are
her eyes, hills are her breasts, and streams are the milk flowing from
her breasts. Earthquakes and underground noises are signs of her
displeasure at the wrongdoing of her children. Especially are the
malarial fevers, which often follow extensive disturbance of the sur-
face by excavation or otherwise, held to be direct punishments for the
crime of lacerating her bosom."
Many of Smohalla's followers, " The Dreamers," as they have been
called, believe that as there is only one Sa'ghaleee Tyee, or Great
Spirit, so will all men fare alike, according to their deserts, in the
future state, but some of the wilder sort declare that there is no resur-
rection for the white man.
The Smohalla ritual is extensive and complicated, and as with all
Indians, consists mainly of song, dance, and festivities, but, in addi-
tion, it possesses a sort of litany in which the principal articles of their
belief are recited in the form of question and answer.
The Skookum Bay Prophet.
John Slocum, an Indian of Puget Sound, had lived for some years
among Protestant and Catholic worshippers, and possessed in this way
a fair knowledge of the white man's religion which he turned to good
account in the promulgation of what has come to be called the
"Shaker "faith.
As a matter of course, John " died," and on his revival said he
tried to get into Heaven but was not good enough. He was told to
return to earth and induce his people to become Christians. This was
in the fall of 1882.
Besides prayer to God, belief in Christ, the use of the cross and
numerous other doctrines and practices based on Protestant and Catho-
lic forms of worship, the " Shakers " went into an hypnotic state, "their
70
arms at full length shaking so fast that a common person not under
the excitement could hardly shake half as fast." They gazed heaven-
ward, while their heads would shake for hours, or for half the night,
and one of their most remarkable performances was the brushing of
each other to remove sins which they declared were so much grosser in
Indians than in white people, that in the former the wickedness found
its way to the surface of the body, and the ends of their fingers " so
that it could be picked oft." " Sometimes they brushed each other so
roughly that the person brushed was made black for a week, or even
sick."
" Brushing, " in this case, would be the equivalent of what we call
by a similar euphemism, licking. I
In the cure of ailments they make much noise ; prayer, and
bells are rung over the part of the invalid where the sickness is sup-
posed to be, while some attendants get on their knees, and hold a
candle in each hand sometimes for an hour, believing that by this
means the bell-ringers will be aided in removing the sickness.
They keep the sabbath, believe in hell, and always regard the
end of the world as being at hand. They forbid " drinking, gambling,
betting, horse-trading, the use of tobacco and the old incantations over
the sick." Their religion is thus " a mixture of Catholic, Protestant
and Indian ceremonies, with a thorough belief in John Slocum's per-
sonal visit to heaven, and his return with a mission to save the Indians
and so guide them that they, too, shall reach the realms of bliss."
They do not believe in the Bible, because they claim to know all
that is required through the revelations of God to their own prophet.
These people suffered much persecution at the hands of the Rev.
Myron Eells the missionary on the reserve. Of late the Presbyterians
have countenanced the Indian Shakers, and are disposed to regard
them as members of the Presbyterian church.*?
The Nevada Messiah.
Wovoka the " Messiah " of Nevada, said to have been the son
Ta'vibo, already mentioned, began to pose as a prophet about 1876,
but claimed to have received a revelation shortly after the death of his
father in 1870. At this time he was little more than fourteen years of
age, and may have been predisposed along this line either by heredity,
or by association with his father, or both.
^Report of James Wickersham, in the Report of the Bureau of Ethenology,
p. 760, part 2, Washington, 1896.
71
During an eclipse, or when " the sun died," he fell asleep and was
taken to heaven, where " he saw God, with all the people who had
died long ago, engaged in their old-time sports and occupations, all
happy and forever young." After God had shown him all this, and
that the place had an abundance of game, He told him to return and
teach the people " to be good, to love one another, not to quarrel
among themselves, to live in peace with the whites, to work diligently,
not to lie, not to steal, to put away all their old war practices," and
that by obeying these directions they would join their friends in
heaven, never knowing sickness or death any more.
He claimed to have been given power to control the elements, and
had five songs for " making rain," the first " brought on a mist or cloud,
the second a snow-fall, the third a shower, and the fourth a hard rain
or storm," while the fifth cleared the weather. By his direction a
letter was written to the President of the United States, offering for
a " small regular stipend," to reside on the Reserve, supply the people
with news from Heaven, " and to furnish rain whenever wanted." but
the letter was not sent.*
Notwithstanding Wovoka's instructions " to live in peace with
the whites," and inferentially, to wish them well, it soon became
an article of belief among the disciples of the Ghost Dance Religion,
that the whites would be eternally destroyed, and all the good things
set apart for themselves.
One of the chief ceremonies connected with the teaching of
Wovoka is, or was, that the dance should be engaged in every six
weeks, and as " everything connected with this dance relates to the
coming of the spirits of the dead from the spirit world;' it is generally
known among white people as the Spirit or Ghost Dance.
This dance differs from all other similar performances known
among Indians in having no drum, rattle, or musical instrument of
any kind as an accompaniment.
The author of the very excellent volume from which I have
summarized these notes on Indian prophets and religions says that
" among most of these tribes [ Paiute, Shoshone, Arapaho, Cheyenne
and Pawnee] the movement is already extinct, having died a natural
death, excepting in the case of the Sioux, and that among fragments
of several tribes in Oklahoma, the Ghost Dance has become a part of
* On the 19th of July, 1898, Mayor Shaw, of Toronto, received a letter from a
white man in Winnipeg, offering to supply showers, varying in copiousness accord-
ing to need, in the different parts of Ontario then suffering somewhat from drought.
The writer proposed to do so by means of prayer, and was careful to explain that
he was "neither a child nor a lunatic." What was he ?
72
the tribal life, and is still performed at frequent intervals. As for the
great Messiah himself,* when last heard from, Wovoka was on exhibi-
tion as an attraction at the Midwinter Fair in San Francisco. By
this time he has doubtless retired into his original obscurity."
The Micmac Prophet.
In Dr. Rand's " Legends of the Micmacs," page 230, we read of
Abistanaooch " who [about 1770] became deranged on the subject of
religion, and persuaded himself that he was God ; he succeeded in
deluding also an entire village of Indians into the same fanaticism.
He introduced new doctrines, new forms of worship, and new customs.
Dancing was [re] introduced into their worship ; day was turned into
night and night into day, as they slept in the day time and had their
prayers and did their work in the night."
All that we can gather further from the extremely meagre
account of the Mirimichi prophet is that he used to sit behind a cur-
tain while his followers kissed his exposed feet ; and that he taught a
belief in hell, whence we have no difficulty in tracing the source of his
" inspiration."
But a hard-headed uncle on his mother's side, and "who thus had
more control over him than his father had, demolished all this prophet's
plans by appearing one day in the wigwam temple and giving
Abistanaooch a sound thrashing, accompanied with many wholesome
admonitions, after which a priest was sent for, to receive the submis-
sion of the schismatics, and to impose penances. Thus summarily
ended the Church of the Abistanaoochians.
A slight analysis of these summary accounts shows us that out of
the eleven United States prophets mentioned, three "died," two went
into trances, one became ecstatic after a fast, and one fell asleep.
Nothing is said respecting the condition of four when the revelations
came to them. All but three are reported to have communed with
God, the Master of Life, the Great Spirit or the Great Chief, or to have
been simply "in the spirit- world."
Of him who fasted, and of him who went to sleep, it may be said
they were in trance conditions, and it is probable that something of
the kind affected the four of whom no particulars are given, in which
case, they too, would claim to have visited the world of spirits. There
is thus seen to have been a sameness of conditions in connection with
all, or nearly all these cases, and we can hardly hesitate believing that
* It is only fair to say that Wovoka himself made no claim to Messiahship.
73
to intercourse with Europeans we may, in large measure look for the
cause of the form taken by the revelations, coupled, no doubt, with the
universal aboriginal readiness to attribute spiritual influences to dreams.
The idea of eternal punishment is not congenial to the Indian
mind, and this seems the more strange when we take into account the
disposition of the people themselves and their usual desire to mete out
an equivalent for wrongs, if not on the wrongdoer himself, at any rate,
on some substitute.* In nearly all the foregoing cases the incentive
ottered for good behaviour was heaven as a reward, without hell as a
deterrent. Ta'vibo alone declared that the bad Paiutes "would stay
in the ground and be damned forever with the whites," but even this
was more like a mere negation of happiness than the infliction of ever-
lasting pain, which, to the Indian, does not appear compatible with the
attributes of the Great Spirit.
It will be observed from what follows that Ska-ne-o-dy-'o, the
Onondaga prophet, denied only to white folk the privilege of entering
heaven, without assigning them to a place of woe.
The reasons assigned in the foot-note statements respecting hell
are "missionary." Grimm says, "The idea of a devil is foreign to all
primitive religions."
But we must not attribute imposture -motives to the native prophets
any more than to Mahomet, Swedenborg, Edward Irving, and many
others that might be named. Psychologically, the Indian differs from
the white man immeasurably more than he does physically. His
habits of thought are totally unlike ours and force him to correspon-
dingly different conclusions. A true child of nature, unless when (as
in modern times) contaminated by contact with a civilization he cannot
readily assimilate, except in so far as it ministers to the very lowest of
his instincts, he is governed mainly by phenomena and tradition. His
every turn is dominated by a spirit of religion or of superstition, just
as we may choose to view it. His faith in the mediation and direct
agency of spirits is unbounded. He engages in no act without taking
* "If thou wishest to speak to me of Hell" they sometimes say, "go out of my
cabin at once. Such thoughts disturb my rest and cause me uneasiness among my
pleasures." " I see very well that there is a God," another will say ; "but I can-
not endure that he should punish our crimes."
"No," said an impious man, "I wid not listen to what they preach to us about
hell. It is these impostors who, because they have no other defence in this country,
intimidate us by such penalties in order to save their own lives."
Lalemdnt's Relation of 1642 pp. 189 and 190. Cleveland ed. vol. 23,
74
them into account.* They are part, and a very large part of his
existence, asleep as well as awake. To him, undoubtedly, " We are
such stuff as dreams are made on," and dreams regulate his life. "Like
begets like," so dreams beget dreams. No one has more frequent or
more vivid dreams than has he who believes in them, and primitive man
everywhere, by heredity, by association with others like-minded, and
no small degree on account of indigestion, is the most successfully
realistic of dreams. From dream to vision is not a very long step
when the subject is controlled by a powerful imagination ; for violent
emotion, rhapsody or ecstasy, convulsions or epilepsy, hypnotism and
trance often intervene, all of which manifestations are attributed by
him and his friends to supernatural agency. And why not ? It has
always been so taught — the people have always believed thus, and in
the whole of their experience nothing has happened to discredit this
belief. Between his every day life and such events he makes no dis-
tinction. To him a vision and a revelation are as natural as a dream
or a trance — nothing to him is supernatural, unless we are pleased to
state it the other way, and say that he regards every event as super-
natural. The effect is the same.
The " prophets," when the trance or vision stage has been reached,
and who up to that point may have been without guile, now begin to
feel the flush of importance, and a consequent disposition to maintain
the dignity they have attained, and, either pretend edly, or really and
with full intention, assume the trance or hypnotic condition, and, in
the latter case, once that has been done successfully, subsequent
*The early missionaries regarded this as a placing of dependence on the devil-
Lalemant in 1645 wrote, ''Not that, after examining their superstitions more
closely, we find that the devil interferes and gives them any help beyond the
operation of nature ; but nevertheless they have recourse to him ; they believe that
he speaks to them in dreams ; they invoke his aid ; they make presents and sacrifices
to him ; sometimes to appease him, and sometimes to render him favorable to them
they attribute to him their health, their cures, and all the happiness of their lives."
Lalemant had begun to disbelieve in the devil's direct collusion with the savages,
as many of the other missionaries then believed, and continued to believe. Else-
where he says, " The greatest opposition that we meet in these countries to the
spirit of the Faith consists in the fact that their remedies for diseases, their greatest
amusements when in good health, their fishing, their hunting and their trading ;
the success of their crops, of their wars and of their councils —almost all abound in
diabolical ceremonies."
Relation of 1645-46. Cleveland edition, vol 28, p. 53.
Father Paul Ragueneau, however, did not accept this view at all. In his Rela-
tion, (1647-48) he wrote, " I do not think that the devil speaks to them or has any
intercourse with them in that way " [by dreams], and this conclusion he says he
arrived at " after having carefully looked into the whole matter." Cleveland ed.
vol. 33, p. 197.
75
attempts become comparatively easy.* On such occasions new revela-
tions are vouchsafed, and should these prove neither too wild nor
impossible on the one hand, or meet with a reasonable amount of
corroboration in the course of events, on the other, the prophet may
pass away " in the odor of [Indian] sanctity."
SKA-NE-O-DY'-O AND IROQUOIS PAGANISM.
Even as among ourselves, the aboriginal adventurer has sometimes
proved himself a real reformer, and, thus far, a true prophet. In this
class we must reckon Ska-ne-o-dy'-o, or Ska-ne-o-di-re'-o-f- (Beautiful
Lake) who professed to receive his message in the year 1790.J Almost
since boyhood§ he had lived a dissolute life, and at the time he
received his revelation he had been suffering a four years' illness-
According to Morgan, 1 1 Ska-ne-o-dy'-o said, "I began to have an inward
conviction that my end was near. I resolved once more to exchange
friendly words with my people, and I sent my daughter to summon
my brothers Gy-ant'-wa-ka, or Cornplanter ; and Ta- wan'-ne ars,1F or
* The practice of bringing on swoons or fits by religious exercises, in reality or
pretence, is one belonging originally to savagery, whence it has been continued
into higher grades of civilization. Tylor, Primitive Culture, vol. II., p. 579.
t This is the Mohawk form of the word, a name formerly applied to Lake
Ontario, The termination, io, now meaning beautiful as in Ohio and Ontario, Hale
and Cuoq, say, meant great or principal formerly, as in Onontio, Great Mountain,
and Hawenio or Rawennio, the Great Master. Ska-ne-o-dy'-o, is the Onondaga
form, here used because the prophet was of the Onondaga nation.
The name is still used as the title of an Onondaga chief.
£ Although in any case the date is recent, still there is a difference of opinion
to the extent of ten years, some authorities claiming that Ska-ne-o-dy'-o got his
revelation in 1800.
For many of the statements that follow connected with Ska-ne-o-dy'-o and his
teachings, I am indebted to Morgan's " League of the Iroquois," and to a paper by
the Rev. Dr. W. M. Beauchamp, "The New Religion of the Iroquois " in the
Journal of American Folk Lore for July-September, 1897, pp. 168-180. I have to
thank this gentleman also for some information on the same subject communicated
by letter Further particulars were gleaned on the Grand River Reserve from
conversations with the best informed chiefs and others.
§ He is said to have been born in Ganawaugus, New York State, about 1735.
|| " League of the Iroquois, p. 234, and following pages.
ITSka-ne-o-dy'-o, on the Grand River Reserve, insisted that this name should be
Ta-wan-nyas, or To-wan- fias, but it may be noted that in the various dialects of the
Iroquois, names as well as other words take more or less different forms.
On the same authority, Gy-ant-wa-ka was only half brother to the prophet, and
Ta-wan-nas was his nephew. This statement merely serves to show how much the
new is driving out the old from the minds of the Indians, for according to the scale
of Huron-lroquois relationship, not only is a father's brother a father, and a
mother's sister a mother, but a father's brother's son, and a mother's sister's son
are called brothers, not nephews. See tables of relationship by L. H. Morgan and
Sir John Lubbock, the latter facing p. 161, in Origin of Civilization and Primitive
Condition of Man, Appleton, New York, 1882.
76
Black Snake. ... A man spoke from without and asked that
someone might come forth. I arose, and as I attempted to step over
the threshold of my door I stumbled, and would have fallen had they
not caught me. They were three holy men, who looked alike and
were dressed alike.* The paint they wore (sic) seemed but one day
old. Each held in his hand a shrub bearing different kinds of fruits.
One of them addressing me, said : ' We have come to comfort you.
Take of these berries and eat ; they will restore you to health.'"
This is the story as told by So-se-ha-wa. Ska-ne-o-dy'-o's grandson
at a religious council forty-eight years after the event, and we all
know how much allowance is to be made in the case of merely verbal
narratives, even at second or third hand.
Another story is that near the end of his four years' sickness, on
going out-of-doors in obedience to someone's call, " he was so much
astonished at seeing a man and woman whom he had never seen before,
that he dropped dead on the spot," and still another is that of Clark,
quoted by the Rev. Dr. Beauchamp, thus: — " About the year 1790,
while lighting his pipe, he suddenly sank back upon his couch, upon
which he was then sitting, and continued in a state of insensibility for
six or eight hours."
As a matter of study in the veracities respecting so comparatively
recent an event, these accounts are valuable.
In the concluding part of the story there is more agreement, but
still some clashing.
When his daughter returned with Cornplanter and Rattlesnake
(having travelled all night) the former at first declared Ska-ne-o-dy'-o
dead, but Blacksnake having felt the body very carefully,
thought not, and Cornplanter himself becoming doubtful, refused to
sanction burial, although many people had come together for this cere-
mony. After three days he became conscious, or, as the Indians put
it, " the spirit returned to the body, and Ska-ne-o-dy'-o opened his
eyes."
The story of So-se-a-wa is, that his grandfather lay seemingly
dead for only half-a-day, and " When the sun was half-way to noon he
opened his eyes."
* In Dr. Beauchamp's quotation of Beautiful Lake's remarks in the American
Journal of Folk Lore, this sentence is followed by, "There was another whom I
wonld see later." This does not occur in the copy of Morgan's Leagiie of the
Iroquois, to which I have access, but the substance of it appears farther on, p. 236.
As it stands here it may be an interpolation of some recent preacher ; at any rate,
the form of expression was not in use in the days of So-se"-a-wa (Ska-ne-o-dy'-o's
grandson,) who tells the story. To see one " later " is only a few years old. An
Indian told Dr. Beauchamp that the fourth person undoubtedly was Christ.
77
However this may have been, we are more concerned to know
what Ska-ne-o-dy'-o saw and heard during his vision. The three
persons or angels, were young-looking, finely dressed in Indian
costume, and carrying bows and arrows. One of them held a
huckleberry branch full of berries (some say each had a branch
bearing a different kind of fruit) and these he ate at the request
of the "three persons," who forthwith proceeded to deliver to
him a message from the Creator or the Great Spirit. They informed
him that the Great Spirit made man and intended men and women to
marry and have families ; that they should be very kind to their
children, teaching them to be respectful and respectable, and to take
care of their aged parents ; that children are not to be despised on
account of deformity or any kind of ugliness : they are not be pro-
voked ; not even to be whipped ; and married persons having no
children of their own, should adopt orphans or homeless children.*
Husband and wife should not separate, if possible, but if they
could not live together peaceably they might separate.
" The angels," so the stoiy goes on, " said to me ' Tell the people
on the earth that the husband and wife must love one another, and
continue to live and love thus until death separates them, except when
such marriages are unfruitful. Then separation may be right, and
each one may marry again.f It is pleasant to the Great Spirit when a
mother has ten children born to her ; so much so, that all her sins will
be forgiven, and after this life she shall enter into the presence of
Ha-wa-ne-yu.' "j This is the teaching observed on the Onondaga
Reserve in New York, but on our Grand River Reserve, I was informed
by the present Ska-ne-o-dy'-o (John Gibson) and Dah-ha-wen-nond-yeh
(Words come flying), that the Great Spirit prefers families of twelve.
The Great Spirit is strongly opposed to miscegenation, and accord-
ingly has advised that no Indian should marry a white person or a
negro.
The rites of hospitality are inculcated through this revelation.
No one in want is to be turned away from the door. A white person
* Although Pagan Indians seldom punish their children, considerable care is
taken to make the latter " keep their place." Until six or seven years of age they
are not allowed to occupy seats at table — they must stand ; and no child will keep
a seat at any time should an old person enter the house and all the seats be in use.
t In direct opposition to this is another statement, viz., that the angels told
Beautiful Lake, "If a man and wife have no children, they ought not to dispute
with one another, or leave one another, but should remain man and wife as long as
they live."
J A form of Rawen Niyoh, the Creator.
78
is to be treated just as well as an Indian, even to sharing the last bite
with him.* '
The white man's medicine should not be used on 'any account.
The Great Spirit intended that the Indian should employ medicines
taken from plants only ; and He will always see that certain persons,
both men and women, shall know how to prepare them. Neither
should any Indian communicate this knowledge to a white man unless
he "belong " to the Indians. So-se-ha^wa taught — " Our Creator made
tobacco for us. This must be used in administering medicine. When
a sickfperson recovers, he must return his thanks to the Great Spirit
by means of tobacco, for it is by His goodness he is made well." The
medicine-man should make no charge, but ought to accept what the
patient can afford to give him — if poor, he need not pay anything at
all. When there is no Indian at hand who knows of a proper remedy,
then a white doctor's services may be employed.
In matters of religion, according to the preacher Hoh-shah-honh.
" The angels also said, ' You shall worship the Great Spirit by dancing
the turtle-dance at the new moon when the strawberry ripens. .At
the new moon of the green corn you shall give a thanksgiving dance.
In the mid-winter, at the new moon you shall give another thanks-
giving dance— it shall be the New Year's dance, but you mtfst not burn
the white dog as you have been doing. You shall have a thanksgiving
dance at the new moon at the time of the making of sugar. You shall
dance at the new moon of planting time, and pray for a good harvest.
You shall dance at the new moon of the harvest time and give thanks for
what the Great Spirit has given you. You shall make your prayers
and dance in the forenoon, tor at mid-day the Great Spirit goes to rest
and will not hear your worship.' " Hoh-sha-honh said also, " Our
religion teaches that the early day is dedicated to the Great Spirit,
and the late day is granted to the spirits of the dead."
On the Grand River Reserve the preachers observe this forenoon's
injunction. During the preparatory days of a feast they always de-
liver their addresses before mid-day, but the people themselves when
performing their share of the ceremonies pay little attention to this
direction, as we shall see farther on.
The successors of Ska-ne-o dy'-o in the priestly or preacher's office
denounce the use of the fiddle at dance-feasts, only drums and rattles
are used, the sounds from which can scarcely be called music, although
by means of these time is beaten to give rhythm to the dance. Only
* A surly old Indian once refused a niyht's lodging to a poor white boy, and
next day the house was struck by lightning and the Indian was killed !
79
in a few dances is it allowable to use a wooden fife or flute, having six
finger holes, and which is blown by means of a small round hole in
the end.
It is mentioned by Dr. Beauchamp that " cornets and organs have
come in " at Onondaga, but our Canadian Iroquois adhere closely to
the old instruments alone. It is not clear that Beautiful Lake himself
ever forbade the use of the fiddle, or of cards, which are also tabu, but
both Hoh-shah-honh and So-se'-ha-wa declare that the " Four Persons "
told Ska-ne-o-dy'-o it would be a sin for Indians to employ the one for
music, or the other as a game. " Card-playing is wicked," said Hoh-
shah-honh, "your people must not play cards. Violin-playing is
wicked. The Great Spirit has not given your people the fiddle. The
white men brought cards across the great salt lake, but you must not
take them in your hands. They are from the Evil Spirit. They also
brought the fiddle across the great lake for you to play. That you
must not touch." But Ska-ne-o-dy'-o himself was very explicit in his
remarks on drunkenness, and he spoke feelingly. He declared that
rum was a white man's drink, although it does not do even him any
good, and that it is ten times worse for an Indian. He said, " If you
are driving a horse, the smell of rum will make him run away — if you
try to catch fish, the fish will hide — if you go after deer, the deer will
smell you a mile off — if you try to dance, or to run, or to sit still, you
will have no sense — your dog will not like you, your things will not
grow."
The inhibitions respecting the use of fiddle, cards, and alcoholic
drinks, whether having in each case come directly from Ska-ne-o-dy'-o
or but secondarily from the preachers as a result of his teaching, show
a full knowledge of Indian character and a desire to guard the Indian
against white contamination. Gambling on general principles is not
only not prohibited — it is encouraged.
In this connection should be mentioned also the strict injunction
of Ska-ne-o-dy'-o against the sale of land to the whites. In his day
alienation of lands had worked much mischief among his own people
and he was corresponding strong in denunciation of the usage.
The prophet said very little about religious observances, except
that the people on arising and retiring should offer short prayers, but
Hoh-shah-bonh has amplified these directions by insisting on a prayer -j
at each of their three daily meals.
In addition to these precepts the moral code of the Indians in
question follows our own so closely as to make one sometimes doubt
80
the propriety of applying the term Pagan to them, although this name
does not necessarily imply anything disreputable. In conduct and
habits, as members of the community they are quite equal to Chris-
tians, but notwithstanding the amount of quiet, undemonstrative tol-
eration they exhibit towards others, they allow only a scant measure
of mercy to the white man, who, according to their teaching, cannot go
to the Indian heaven, and they do not appear to recognize the exis-
tence of any other. A single and provokingly limited exception was
made in the case of General George Washington, who, on account of
repeated kindness to the Indians, has been permitted to get half way,
but here he must forever remain. Although lonely, he is contented,
and is always pleased to give a kindly look to those who pass him on
their way higher ! Dr. Beauchamp was told that Washington had
been allowed to reach the gate of heaven, and that he stood there with
his pet dog. The same writer adds, " All agree that he was permitted
to leave the earth because of his kindness to the Indians after the
Revolution. They say that their allies left them to their fate, and
said he might exterminate them if he wished. He answered that the
Great Spirit made them as well as him, and this would be a sin. So
he let them go to their homes and live. For this good deed he comes
as near Heaven as a pale face can. They could not have put a high
estimation on William Penn and others. Mercy was more to them
than mere justice. This is what Beautiful Lake saw, and what the
angels told him. ' He looked and saw an enclosure upon a plain, just
without the entrance of Heaven. Within it was a fort. Here he saw
the Destroyer of Villages [Washington], walking to and fro within the
enclosure. His countenance indicated a great and good man. They
said to Beautiful Lake, The man you see is the only pale face whoever
left the earth. He was kind to you, and extended over you his
protection. But he is never permitted to go into the presence of
the Great Spirit. Although alone, he is perfectly happy. All
faithful Indians pass him as they go to Heaven. They see him
and recognize him, but pass on in silence. No word ever passes his
lips.'"
One might reasonably have supposed that if any white man had a
claim to associate with his red brothers in their Kalevala, or Home of
Heroes, that that man was Sir William Johnson, of whom it has been
asserted that he was 'just and honorable' in all his dealings with the
Indians ; that ' he treated them affably and with dignity ;' that ' he won
their confidence and respect,' ' sometimes assumed their dress,' and was
PLATE IX.
Miss Lizzie Davis (daughter of chief Shorenhowane — Isaac Davis, a Mohawk) in North-West Indian
costume, from a photograph presented by Mrs. Brant-Sero.
PLATE X.
The late chief (Sa-ka-wen-kwa-rah-ton) Vanishing Smoke — John Smoke Johnson
(Mohawk). He was the last Indian who was personally acquaint-
ed with Joseph Brant. He laid the corner stone of
the Brant Monument in Brantford, in 1886,
and died three weeks afterwards,
aged nearly 94.
PLATE XI.
Junior Chief Deh-ka-nen-ra-neh — Two rows of People — A. G ."[Smith
(Mohawk). Recently Speaker of the Six Nations' Council.
Deh-ka-nen-ra-neh has also acted as Interpreter
for the Council, and served several
years as clerk in the Indian
Agent's Office,
Brantford.
PLATE XII.
Chief Isaac Doxtater, senior, Mohawk. Subordinate, assistant or
minor chief to Hiawatha.
PLATK XIII.
Sa-ke-jo-wa — David Vanevery (Seneca).
PLATB XIV.
John Carpenter (Mohawk).
PLATE XV.
Hy-joong-kwas (He tears Everything) Abraham Buck, (Onondaga). He is chief of the False Face Society
and Chief Medicine Man of the Longhouse people, or Pagans. Hy-joong-kwas is a brother
of the late Skanawti, John Buck, Onondaga Fire-Keeper, and of Mrs. Reuben,
whose portrait appears elsewhere, Their mother was a Tutelo.
Hy-joong-kwas is a very dignified and amiable
old gentleman.
PLATE XVI.
Mrs. Reuben, a Tutelo on her mother's side. Sister of Hy-joong-kwas, and aunt of Mrs. Davis, who is
represented in the corn-pounding illustration. She is 84 years of age.
81
elected a sachem * by the Mohawks. Governor Clinton made him
Indian Commissioner,hewas subsequently appointed Superintendent of
Indian Affairs, and ' even after the surrender of Canada to Great
Britain, he retained his influence over the Indians.' Surely such a one
was well qualified to take a place at least outside of the gate, and even
a little nearer to it than George Washington, but for some reason pecu-
liar to Indian notions of propriety, Sir William has been wholly over-
looked.
One explanation offered is that as he had been dead for twenty-
six years before Ska-ne-o-dy'-o received his 'revelation,' the 'Four
Angels ' forgot all about him. Another is that in all probability Sir
William had found cause to reprimand, or otherwise offend the future
prophet during some of the time when the latter was not on his good
behavior. A third is that the ' revelation ' came in 1790, and as Wash-
ington did not die until 1 799, it was utterly impossible that Beautiful
Lake could have mentioned the General in any such connection then,
and that for this reason the statement must be regarded as a future
' revelation ' vouchsafed to the prophet or to one of his successors while
the death of the great man was yet of recent occurrence, and a very
general subject of conversation.
In accordance with the instructions of Hoh-shah-honh, the dis-
ciples of Ska-ne-o dy'-o are provided with ample opportunities for
social gatherings of a public kind, for he instructed them to " forget
not the assembling of themselves together " on stated festival occasions,
mainly as religious duty, but, no doubt, in large measure for purposes
of good felloe ship.
Beginning with the mid- winter or New Year Festival, lasting ten
days, they are commanded to hold another at the new moon of maple-
sugar-making-time, one at the new moon of seed ing- time, one at the
new moon when the strawberries ripen, one when the green corn
becomes fit to eat, and, last of all, one at the new moon of harvest-
time. But in addition to these authoritative or incumbent festivities,
public dances may be arranged for in connection with any important
event, to exemplify which it may be stated that at the Seneca Long-
house a public dance (and feast of course) was appointed to signalize
* An erroneous belief exists respecting white chiefship among the Indians,
When a white man is, for any reason, adopted by the Indians, it does not follow
that he is made a chief, Indeed, it is beyond the power of the Indians to " make
a chief " in this way. The ceremony of adoption really implies little more than the
bestowal of a name, although in former times it meant all that was involved in
kinship. See Chiefship, following.
6 C.I.
82
the return of Ka-nis-han-don from Toronto after he had spent some
time here supplying the words of speeches and the music of songs for
use in this report ; for he came with the consent and approval of the
Seneca Longhouse as the best man that could be chosen for such a
purpose.
MID- WINTER FESTIVAL.
On the first day after the new moon in the Indian month corres-
ponding to the end of January and the beginning of February, the
Mid- Winter Festival begins.
Runners are sent out to summon the people to the Longhouse,
where what may be called a service is conducted by one or more men
of advanced years, who are known as " preachers." At the meetings
which are held every forenoon for three or four days, the preachers
address the people in set speeches with reference to the gooHness of
the Master of Life or the Great Spirit, and with exhortations respect-
ing the behavior of those present. This year (1898) the preacher at
the Seneca Longhouse was the venerable John Styres, and his assist-
ants were the equally venerable and even more dignified -looking
Abraham Buck, and the Head Man of the ceremonies for the year,
William Williams (Ka-nis-han-don). A portion of each forenoon is
occupied by the people in making short speeches in which they offer
general confessions of shortcomings.
The last two nights are known as " Ashes," but no reason is given
for this beyond the statement that it is by direction of the Four
Persons or Angels, to whom particular reference has been made in the
remarks respecting Ska-ne-o-dy'-o.
During the five following afternoons and nights the proceedings
are of a totally different character, being directed wholly by the Head
Man, or Master of Ceremonies, and consisting mainly of addresses by
himself and others, interspersed with song, dance, dream interpreta-
tion, spraying and anointing of heads, scattering ashes, feasting and
burning the white dog.
As special reference will be made to these as they are mentioned
in the subjoined account, or in separate sections thereafter, nothing
more need be said regarding them at this point, where it may also be
well to impress upon the reader that the proceedings were conducted
throughout with the utmost gravity, unless a slight exception be made
to the occasional breaking out of a smile on some faces during a few
of the most vigorous dances, or among those who were engaged in the
interpretation of dreams. Solemnity, sincerity, unanimity and good
83
humor prevailed, and, as a somewhat inquisitive guest, I received
unqualified Indian courtesy, perhaps to some ,extent on account of
being an adopted Mohawk.
Ceremonies preceding lite burning of the white dog.
The proceedings of what may be called the irregular drama, per-
formed on several nights, are so much alike that a description of what
took place on one occasion will answer for all. For this purpose,
therefore, those of the Sunday night and Monday morning, preceding
the Burning of the White Dog may be taken.
According to the announcement made at the close of the meeting on
the previous night, or, rather early morning, the Sunday night services
were to begin at 8 o'clock, but punctuality is not characteristic of the
A Dance at the Longhouse.
Indian, and I was assured that nothing would be done before half-past
eight at any rate. As Ka-nis-han-don, (Slope on the Side of a Valley)
the Master of Ceremonies, resided in the house of Dah-ka-he-dond-yeh,
who kindly accepted me as a guest, I arranged to go with him to the
Seneca Longhouse, being thus assured that nothing could be done
before our arrival. We reached the place about a quarter to nine
o'clock to find only some six or seven women seated at the Four
Brothers' end. Some of these were smoking clay pipes, and all of them
seemed to be comfortable, yet uttering not a syllable to one another !
Their dresses were mostly of plain stuff — woollen, or cotton print,
but in every case the head and most of the body were closely covered
84
with a bright tartan shawl. As the number increased, a few appeared
wearing highly colored dresses — green, yellow, and red — and one or
two wore plain red shawls, but tartans of lar^e check and of
bright colors predominated — Rob Roy, Royal Stewart, and Gordon
were represented, but many were of fancy patterns. Girls of all ages,
from babyhood up, were similarly provided, with few exceptions. One
had a ' store ' hat with ribbons and feathers, and two or three wore
red kerchiefs, which they removed from time to time as they engaged
in the dances.
Ka-nis-han-don.
The men as a rule, did not appear in anything superior to their
everyday clothing. Even some of the chiefs and warriors who took
85
active parts in the ceremonies were conspicuous proof that in their
case the tailor did not make the man.
At half past nine o'clock, the Longhouse being well-filled, Ka-
nis-han-don, from his place on the north side, and the Two Brothers'
end rose, with head uncovered, and facing the west or Four Brothers'
end, addressed those present for fifteen minutes. Nearly two-thirds
of this time he spoke in a somewhat high tone — a sort of pulpit voice
— this was followed by a rather monotonous delivery of what sounded
like a dull chant, and he concluded his remarks with a sentence or two
in his natural tones. (See Brant- Sero's version of the original, and
his English reading of it, following).
Chief Johnson Williams, from the opposite side, spoke for five min-
utes, after which, and till four o'clock the next morning without intermis-
sion, the proceedings consisted mainly of music, song, dance and speech.
Prolix as it may appear to mention even briefly, the frequent re-
petitions that occurred during the six hours' performance, there is
perhaps no other way by means of which the reader may so well form
anything like an intelligent idea of this pagan ceremony. I copy,
therefore, from notes made at the time, just as the sounds and move-
ments occurred.
Rattles - Song — Big Feather Dance * (Ostohraogwah). Men and
women join in the dance : the men behind each other, and the women
arranged similarly. One women ninety years of age takes her place
with the younger ones.
*I have tried in vain to find something relating to the origin of the Feather
Dance, which I am convinced is of ancient date. As it is at present conducted,
there is nothing to connect it with its name, but there must have been at one
time. It is said to have originated when Hiawatha formed the Great League, but
references to this mj thical per&onage and his time are not uncommon in the face
of such difficulties.
Among primitive folk, dancing is largely a substitute for prayer, or, as Heine
says somewhere, 'dancing is pra} ing with the feet.' Ceremonies for the cure of sick-
ness, in declaration of war, in ratification of peace, and on important occasions of
every kind are marked by numerous dances.
Those connected with their New Vear ceremonies most assuredly possess
a religious significance.
One Sunday, while I was on the Reserve, a dance was given and a game of
lacrosse played for the recovery of a young man of the Upper Cayugas, who was ill
with lung trouble.
An incident of this kind serves to bring out how tenaciously some of these
people cling to their ancient faith and customs.
Some of our own ancestors indulged in solemn dances until a comparatively
recent date.
Prof. Gummere points out (Introduction to old English Ballads, p. Ixxviii)
that "dance and song were common at mediaeval funerals, and a pretty little song
known as Dans der Maechdekens, known as late as 1840 and sung on the occasion
of a young girl's funeral, by the maidens of her pHrish, seems to be a distinct sur-
vival of the earliest choral dancts at a funeral, — thote pagan affairs against which
the church made war."
86
Dance ends. Men take off their hats. All but two of the women
and seven of the men remain on the floor.
Another dance.
Small drum is now added to the rattles for musical purposes.
Three boys from 4 to 6 years of age join in the second dance.
Long pause.
Ka-nis-han-don speaks.
One man is sprayed by several men. (See remarks on spraying,
elsewhere).
Meanwhile, drum, rattle and song go on — Song: — "Hoh-huh'-hi,
hoh-huh'-hi, hoh-huh'-hi," thirty times. *
Each " Hoh-huh'-hi " to beats of the drum and rattle.
Closing syllable of song " Yoh " in a loud tone.
Pause.
Rattle at first slowly — as it becomes faster the drum is beaten.
Bear Dance. Men and women.
Head man speaks.
Buffalo-horn Dance. Men and women. Dancers sometimes facing
outwards, stooping slightly.
Johnson Williams speaks.
Drum and rattle.
Another spraying while a women's dance is going on.
David Sky sings.
Women sing also as they move around the song bench. Their
song like a wail (in minor key).
Head man speaks.
Spraying — men and women sprayed by men and women — indis-
criminately, apparently.
Johnson Williams speaks.
Head man speaks.
Women's and Girls' Dance. Five rattles and drum.
Head man speaks (he announces another bear dance).
Singing led by Peter Williams.
Bear Dance concluded with a whoop.
Head man speaks.
*Describing a sacred pipe song at the Kansa worship of the Thunder Being .
Mr. Dorsay says of the last line : —
" Yu ! yu ! yu ! Hii-hii ! Hii-hii ! " which is the chorus sung by all the
large and small Hanya men, ' ' This last line is an invocation of the Thunder Being."
Bur. of Ethn. Reps. p. 385, 1889-90.
It is probable that the similarity of this chorus to that of the Iroquois is purely
co-incidental, but it is none the less striking 011 this account.
87
*
While he is speaking two masked dancers in costume run through
the Long-house entering at the east and going out by the west.
Head man sings.
Isaac Williams sings.
Chief George Key speaks.
Drum and rattles for Women's Dance.
Head man speaks.
Another Bear Dance during which the singing is led by Wallace
Crow.
David Key speaks.
Seven boys in husk masks (made up of corn-husks) enter.
Head man speaks, and while he does so the dancers are performing
antics among those on the floor — shaking rattles and making subdued
sounds with their mouths. [This was explained as being for the
purpose of making room for themselves ].
When the Head man ceases to speak the masked boys give the
Husking Dance.
False Face Dance — followed by Bear Dance, and speeches by the
Head man and David Key.
Wm. Echo leads the singing.
Others repeat "Heh-heh-heh-heh-heh," and the song is closed by
a very loud "Wah-h-h-h-h-h!"
John Styres (the preacher) addresses the people, and is understood
to say he is not quite sure about the propriety of a 'chiel being amang
them takin' notes/ but he said it in Seneca. It is explained that the
'chiel' is an Indian by adoption, and this is satisfactory.
Head man speaks a short time in a low and impressive tone, then
sings the song of the Burned White Dog. At intervals others join
witha"Wah-h-h-h!"
Short speeches by George Silversmith, William Williams, John
Styres and Johnson Williams.
Chauncey Peter sings the Bear Dance Song.
Drum and rattle.
Several persons of both sexes, young and old, seat themselves on
the song-bench to be sprayed, while forty-two men, twelve boys and
twenty-five women circle about the bench in the Bear Dance. One
women is sprayed five times, by two men, two women and one boy.
David Key speaks.
Drum and Rattle.
Women's Dance, engaged in by twenty-one women, all apparently,
wives.
Johnson Williams and the head man speak.
Drum, rattles and song — introducing the False Face Dance.
John Silversmith sings with an accompaniment of six rattles and
the drum ; during this time the women have another dance, occasion-
ally turning a little from side to side, and moving the hands alter-
nately up and down in front of their breasts.
A husky- masked dancer passes erratically through the Longhouse
from east to west.
Chief George Key speaks.
Drum, and rattle introduce the Fish Dance in which a hundred
and four join. At intervals men (in pairs) face each other, and women
(in pairs) face each other. Then, following in single file, dance with a
quick step round the room, requiring all the available floor space.
Louis Dixon speaks.
Drum and rattle — very quick beat — for Husking Dance, in which
eighteen husk-masked dancers take patt in fast time.
The Head man speaks.
Wallace Crow sings.
Drum and rattles beat for another Bear Dance, during which a
man and woman are sprayed.
Johnson Williams speaks aud announces the Wild Pigeon Dance
(O-ri-deh).
In this dance the performers do not follow each other in single file
round the song-bench, but march trippingly three and four deep — pro-
bably in allusion to the flight of pigeons in immense numbers.*
This dance concludes with a united " Heh-h-h-h-h-h ! "
Five rattles and the drum introduce another Women's Dance, in
which a " new song " is sung. In this dance all the women for the
first time appear bareheaded.
Head man speaks.
Ka-zeesh-sah (Corn-husk False Face Dance).
Seven dancers in fantastic costume, with masked faces and feather
head-dresses perform wildly for a few minutes. Part of the time they
are on their hands and knees rushing about among one another. A
whoop is the signal to stop, and they seat themselves on the song-
bench, which has been removed to the north side of the house to allow
room for this dance.
* Even within the memory of man flocks of these birds have been known to
darken the sky, and when alighting in the woods their weight has broken the
branches of the trees.
La Hontan states (Nouveaux Voyages, 1705) that their numbers were so im-
mense, and the damage they did to the crops so great, near the close of the seven-
teenth century, that the Bishop of Montreal was obliged to exorcise them !
89
Chief George Key speaks, and then is made what is called " the
first offering," of food or tobacco.
This is followed by a scream, and next comes another dance by
the maskers. The "second offering" is made, another scream or
whoop is given — the dancers sit with heads bowed for a little, then
engage in a third scrambling on the floor, when, on taking their seats
the " third offering " is made. In connection with each offering, a
different chief made a short speech.-f-
A tap produced perfect silence, when Ka-nis-han-don spoke
apparently by rote (as no doubt all the speaking was), while the
dancers sat with their heads bowed.
Conclusion signalized by a whoop.
Rattles, drum and song.
Another dance followed by a whoop.
Head man speaks, announcing War Dance, which as in other
cases is introduced with music of drum and rattles. Only men take
part. Dance a vigorous one. Ends with a grand whoop.
War Dance repeated.
Head man speaks.
A number of men appear in fancy dresses, ornamented with bead-
work, bangles, spangles and feathers. Wild whoop at 'the conclusion
of Ka-nis-han-don's speech.
Another War Dance.
David Key speaks, and is answered by three whoops.
Another War Dance, at the close of which three whoops are given.
Again they dance the War Dance.
Head man and George Key speak.
Rattles (turtle-shell this time) and drum. Dance in very quick
time, and kept up with great vigor. A brief pause follows this dance.
Turtle-shell rattles (no drum), several whoops — another extremely
vigorous dance follows, all the men shouting " Hoh-ho-ho-ho-ho-hoh."
David Key speaks.
Rattle, drum and dance — men in costume, women join them.
" Hoh-ho-ho-ho-hoh ! " Lively dance. Whoops. More " Hoh-ho-ho-hoh's !"
Slow walk round the song-bench.
Rattles, drum, song, whoops. Rapid dance — " Hoh-ho-ho-ho-hoh ! "
Pause — march round — rattles, drum, song.
Rapid and noisy dance to " Hoh-ho-hoh ! " many times.
t The offerings, it is probable, refer to a time when there was a strictly secret
society of False Faces, the members of which, to avoid recognition, thus accepted
their portions of the feast, that they might retire to some secluded place to eat.
See Morgan's remarks on the False Faces, elsewhere.
90
Pause — march round — rattles, whoops. " Hoh ho-ho-ho-hoh ! "
many times.
Similar rounds were repeated nine times. By the time the end
of the tenth round was reached, the excitement was high, and the
dancers perspired freely. There were several old men who took part
in this dance and went through the whole of it. There were also
seven boys. During the last few rounds the drummer and rattlers
were beating with the greatest possible speed.
Pause.
Delaware Corn Dance, engaged in by both sexes, young and old.
The trip in this dance was short and about as quick as the ticking
of a watch. All say " Yoh-yoh ! " All the men had their hats off.
The dance came to an end by some one vociferating " Heh ! "
Chief George Key, David Key, Chas. Silversmith, and the Head
man speak.
Grandfathers' or False Face Dance (in masks).
Rattle, drum and song.
Dance by men and women, all the men saying, " Heh-heh-heh-
heh ! '' Keeping time to a fast trip-trip step.
After a pause this is repeated
Head man speaks.
Another False Face Dance.
After a short pause the drum and rattles again go, and once more
there is the Pigeon Dance (0-ri-deh).
In this dance four small husk maskers take part, the women
singing to the beat of drum — no rattles. When the women stop sing-
ing the men begin.
Preacher John Styres speaks.
Music — Skin dance. Very lively — many join. Conclusion —
" Wah-h-h-h-h-h-h ! "
Ai» this dance ended seven bedizzened men wearing grotesquely
hideous masks enter by the Two Brothers' door in a very disorderly
manner and producing a variety of guttural and other sounds. After
pawing about along the floor and in the air with apparent aimlessness
for a few seconds they make a rush for the stove, the damper of
which they remove, open the door, and pull out the hot coals and ashes
on the floor, take up some in their hands, and placing their hands,
palms upwards, before the mouths of their masks, blow the ashes
on the heads of several men and women who have taken their
places awaiting this result. Besides this blowing of the ashes, some
91
of the maskers simply transferred the ashes from their hands to the
heads in question and " rubbed them in," blowing at the same time.*
After this, some of the chiefs made short addresses in the course
of, and at the conclusion of which, the maskers responded with a
quivering and decidedly derisive " Ho-o-o-o-o-o, ho-o-o-o-o, ho-o-o-
o-o ! " uttered with great rapidity.
With this ceremony the proceedings closed at 4 o'clock on Monday
morning.
In the preceding tedious and, withal, imperfect account of one
night's doings, the only object is to record a programme, without any
reference to what may be called the philosophy of the proceedings.
BURNING OF THE WHITE DOG.
The ceremonies connected with the Burning of the White Dog,
which were announced to begin at sunrise on Monday morning, Jan.
31st, were delayed until after noon. Some difficulty had been exper-
ienced in procuring a suitable animal, for, as an Indian stated to me,
" It must not be a Newfoundland dog, nor a collie dog, nor a bull dog,
only just a nice little Indian dog, all white, you see."^
Perhaps the delay was on account of the dog not having been
delivered by the owner before ten o'clock, but the fact that this was
* Among our Hurons also this handling of live coals formed no unimportant
part in certain ceremonies, as the following quotation will show : —
•' He (Chihwatenhwa) had been for twenty years steeped in the practice of the
Aoutaenhrohi, or festival and dance of fire, the most diabolical, and at the same
time the most general remedy for maladies that there is in this (Huron) country.
. . . He related to us . . . that when he saw, he had not, like the others,
hands and mouth that were fire proof, he made only * pretence of [touching what
was too hot] and played his part to the best of his ability.
At the end of some time he had a dream in which he saw himself at one of
these dances or festivals, and handling fire like the others, and he heard ... a
song which he was astonished to know perfectly on waking. At the first feast of
this kind ... he began to sing his song . . . and felt himself becoming
frenzied — he took the burning embers and the hot stones with his hands and teeth
from the midst of the live co Is, he plunged his forearm to the bottom of the boil-
ing kettles and all without any injury or pain, in a word, he was master of his
trade, and since then he has been present at three or four dances of this kind in one
day, for the healing of the sick." — Jesuit Relation, 1640-41, Cleveland edition, vol.
21, pp. 151 and 153.
Lord Lindsay testified that under hypnotic suggestion he had "handled and
seen others handle, red-hot coals with impunity. Apparitions and TJwught Tians-
ference, by F. Podmore. Contemporary Science Series, p. 377.
tin illustration of the good fellowship that exists among these people, it may
be mentioned that the pagans on this occasion were indebted to the services of a
Christian Indian, who, not only at some trouble, procured a suitable animal and
paid for it, but provided also the beef required for the closing feast, making him-
self responsible for the payment. In both cases this was made good to him by
the pagans.
92
riot carefully guarded against, shows how much laxity has been
allowed to creep in.*
The dog having been taken to the house of, David Key, some
three or four hundred yards from the Longhouse, was there strangled
by George Silversmith, and decked with ribbons and painted by Peter
Williams.
Meanwhile the fire was prepared by We-ho-goh-yeh or Loud
Voice (John Buck) a younger son of the late highly respected
Ska-naw'-a-ti, the old Onondaga Fire keeper. I am unable to say
whether the choice of young John for this duty had any connection
withTthe office formerly help by his father. -j- John Sugar assisted him.
After the dog was strangled, fully an hour and a half elapsed
before it was sufficiently cold to be removed, meanwhile, however
the decoration was going on.
In the Longhouse, which was not at all crowded, Chief Johnson
Williams appeared in due time (or rather in over-due time) carrying
suspended from his left shoulder, the object of sacrifice, plentifully
marked with red spots about the size of a half-dollar. Round its neck
body, tail and legs were tied silk ribbons, red, blue, green and white -
Its feet were also connected by ribbons to the neck and hips in such a
way that the legs remained at right angles to the body as if standing.
Another ribbon extending loosely from the fore to the hind feet served
as a strap for carrying purposes, the dog hanging body downwards
and head forwards. In addition to these ribbons a feather decoration
was fitted to the head so as to form a small crest pointing backwards
and round the neck was a small string of wampum.J
The bearer placed the dog on its right side on the song-bench in
in the middle of the building, head towards the Four Brothers' end,
and near to its tail he set a small old chip-basket containing from half
a pound to a pound of home-grown tobacco. Having made an ad-
dress lasting only a few minutes, most of the men went outside, but
the women kept their seats. Standing at the south-east corner of the
Longhouse several of the men gave a prolonged whoop which was
followed by the firing of two or three rifles simultaneously, the rifles
*In former times, on the New York Reserve, it was customary to strangle the
door, (sometimes two of them) on the first day of the New Year ceremonies, after
which it was suspended fifteen or twenty feet from the ground until the fifth day
when it was taken down and burned. The Capugas on the Grand River Reserve kill
the dog the first day and hang it against the building by its hind legs until the time
for burning, five days afterwards.
tSince this was written I have made inquiry and am informed by Ka-nis-han-
don that young John Buck was chosen on this account.
J To show that it 13 an accredited messenger to Ta-ron-ya-wa-gon, the Holder
of the Heavens.
93
being pointed skywards* and southwards. This was answered by
whoops from Ka-nis-han don and a companion who were now seen
standing near the house of David Key to the south, where the dog
had been strangled.
The whoop and volley, and the reply, having been repeated, the
Head man's messenger, (who had been sent from the Long house to tel
him that all was ready) came forward leaving his superior to approach
more leisurely, while the men again entered the Long-house and took
their seats with uncovered heads — nobody smoked, and the air of seri-
ousness that pervaded the assembly reminded one of a good old Pres-
byterian country congregation on the occasion of " fencing the tables."
In the meantime Ka-nis-han-don was leisurely approaching the
Longhouse, singing plaintively. On opening the door at the Two
Brothers' end, he paused before entering, and ceased his song as his eye
fell upon the white dog."!* He then walked slowly and with downcast
head to the song-bench, looked for a second at the dog, again began to
sing, and continued to do so while he walked three times round the
song-bench, when he was stopped at the starting-point by Chief John-
son Williams. After a brief address from this chief, he goes round the
bench again, singing, and is this time stopped by Louis Dixon, who
delivers to him a short address, at the conclusion of which the male
portion of the audience gives a whoop.
Ka-nis-pan-don then indulged in a brief soliloquy, the men
giving another whoop at its conclusion.
He next sang for a little while, the audience accompanying him
with " Heh-heh-heh," the syllable being uttered fifty times, by actual
count on my part.
After another monologue, he again sang, walking round the dog
as before. This time he was stopped and addressed by John Silver-
smith. When Silversmith was done, the audience again whooped.
Once more Ka-nis-pan-don talked as it were to himself, in a low
tone, and was answered by another whoop from the men.
He then walked back and forth on the north side of the song-
bench, singing in a more lively tone than formerly to a general accom-
paniment of '' Heh-heh-heh," and as soon as he stopped, the men set up
a"Wah-h-h-h-h!"
Indulging in another monologue, he once more sang as he walked
sorrowfully-looking, round the dog, and on completing the circuit he -
* The intention of firing towards the sky is to attract the attention of Ta-ron-
ya-wa-gon.
t According to the tenor of his speech (which follows) he is not supposed to see
the dog, but this is how his appearance struck me at the time.
was stopped and addressed by Jacob Hill. When this warrior finished,
Ka-nis-han-don uttered a loud " Hooh !" which was the signal for a
general whoop.
Standing on the north side and looking towards the Four Broth-
ers' end he again spoke, as it were, to himself, and at last broke out
into a song, walking as before, on the north side. In a short time the
men gave the whoop — " Wah-h-h-h-h !" and as he continued singing,
they all accompanied him with " Heh-heh-heh-heh." At the conclusion
of this song some one gave a loud " Hooh-h !" and immediately all
joined in "Wah-h-h-h-h !"
Once more he indulged in another soliloquy or monologue* then
took to singing as he walked around the white dog, and left the room
by theTwo Brothers' door. Singing all the time,hema'rched slowly round
the Longhouse, proceeding along the north side westwards, and back
by the south to the same door, which he again entered, and (still singing)
walked round the dog for the last time.
Having finished this song he proceeded after a brief pause, towards
the Four Brothers' door, followed by Chief Johnson Williams carrying
the body of the victim suspended .from his left shoulder, and the basket
containing the tobacco in his right hand.-f- Three or four warriors
accompanied them to the fire which all this time had been burning on
the south side of the building, and within fifteen feet of it near the
Four Brothers' end. Here the dog was laid upon a small platform of
pine boards that seemed to have been made on purpose for its reception.
Its head was in the same direction as when the body was lying on the
song- bench, and as in that case also, the basket with the tobacco was
set down at the animal's tail. After the dog is outside, it is said to be
immaterial how its head points, but inside it must be directed towards
the west.
Ka-nis-han-don said a few words as he stood beside the dog on the
south side of the fire, and he was followed by Chief Johnson
Williams who first gave three subdued whoops, after which he made a
long speech. Within ten minutes from the time of beginning he placed
the dog on the fire, and after another short interval he threw on the
fire a small gift of ribbons in a loose bunch* Afterwards, at each of
*T have used these words in connection with such utterances, because on the
occasions in question the speaker seemed rather to be talking to himself than to the
people, his head being slightly bent and his eyes fixed on the floor.
t This, I have since learned, was a mistake. The dog should have been carried
over the right shoulder, and the tobacco in the left hand.
|A11 the decorations used on the dog were gifts from the pious, and the bunch
of ribbons here mentioned came too late to be arranged on the dog, and was there-
fore thrown on the fire that its "heart" might accompany that of the dog.
95
six intervals he threw a handful of tobacco on the burning dog, and
last of all he placed in the fire the basket itself with the tobacco that
remained in it. At the conclusion of his speech he gave three whoops.
Next, four "warriors," one at a time, sang doleful songs as they
walked slowly back and forth across the west end of the fire, while
those who were gathered round kept up the constant "Heh-heh-heh-
heh ! " and thus ended the Burning of the White Dog.
Ka-nis-han-don, the Master of Ceremonies, during the celebration
of the sacrifice was dressed in white, having a dark blue sash across
his shoulder, and a blue cap ornamented with numerous feathers.*
Five others, (one chief and four warriors) were similarly dressed
in white, but variously diversified with spangles and ribbons. All of
them had their faces painted with vermilion.
Ka-nis-han-don's face was merely highly colored as if to give the
appearance of rosy cheeks, while that of Chief Johnson Williams was
marked by three bright lines about one-fourth of an inch wide and
three inches long running obliquely downwards from his nose across
his cheek.'f Of the others I failed to make note.
The proceedings were characterized by earnestness and by a sin-
cerity which, I have no doubt, was as real as it was apparent.
Reference has already been made to the admirable spirit of tole-
ration that exists as between Christian and Pagan worshippers on the
Reserve, and this was still further evidenced when some of the
Christians not only took part in the dances, and in the ashes ceremony,
but assisted very actively at the sacrifice of the White Dog.
The effect of creeds on Indian character all over the continent
(unless when a new doctrine is preached by a new prophet) is passive
rather than active; at any rate it is seldom violently or virulently active,
and as a rule Indians get along admirably, and wholly to their own
satisfaction on the old principle of "You let me alone, and I'll let you
alone."
WHY IS THE WHITE DOG BURNED ?
Even if we accept the earliest date, 1790,J as that of the year in
which Ska-ne-o-dy'-o is said to have received his revelation from
the Four Persons, or Angels, the ceremonies connected with his teach-
*The Leader or Master of Ceremonies is permitted to dress as he pleases, so
long as he wears nothing that is red. As all the Leaders or Speakers must be
buried in ceremonial costume, and as red is a forbidden color in grave clothes, it is "
easy to see why it is objected to in the dress. A Leader may officiate in ordinary
garb, but at his death, his people must provide a suit of official garments.
t So marked because Williams is a chief.
J Clark's History of Onondaga. The "preacher " in all his addresses refers to
the time that has elapsed since the revelation to Skaneyodyo.
96
ing are scarcely more than a hundred years old, yet there are
numerous evidences that during the century many changes have
taken place in the ritual, the body of which is no doubt mainly
an adaptation, and to some extent, a modification of still older rites and
ceremonies.
Originally it was taught that all religious performances must come
to an end at mid-day, and while it is true that the ' preachers,' so-
called, observe this injunction very strictly, no regard is paid to it by
others who perform offices that are considered quite as sacred as are
those of the preachers. The reason assigned by the latter both here
and in New York, for this prohibition is that the Great Spirit rests
during the afternoon, but the pagan laity in both places seem to
credit him with being more wide-awake. On the Grand River
Reserve they do not appear to think He needs much sleep at
all, or perhaps they only think, as I heard an Indian say with
apparent seriousness, that if they can stand to be up the greater part
of the night performing acts of worship, the least thing He can do is to
keep awake and listen. One of their preachers, himself, did not appear
to know of any injunction respecting night performances, and when
assured that this was the case, he professed to explain that the night
doings here were not a part of the real religious ceremonies, but were
intended only for the amusement of the people. Others equally well-
informed, insist that he is in error on this point.
There can be no doubt that the Burning of the White Dog is not
only a part, but a very important part of the purely religious ten days'
ceremonies, yet, we have seen that in connection with the Seneca
observances last New Year, the sacrifice was not offered until after one
o'clock p.m.
It was news to our Ska-ne-o-dy'-o that So se'-ha-wa, the Founder's
grandson, and successor in the preacher's office, wholly ignored the
burning of the dog, and that the practice had been distinctly forbidden
by Hoh-shah-honh, the Omar of our Onondaga Mahomet.
That the burning of the dog as a religious rite long antedates the
revelation of Ska-ne-o-dy'-o, there cannot be a doubt, and the proba-
bility is that Hoh shah-honh's " You must not burn the white dog as
you have been doing," was inspired by a feeling of false shame in the
presence of white people's criticisms. It is, however, abundantly evi-
dent that perhaps for many centuries, certainly for one at least before
this, some idea of sacredness, if such a term may be used, was con-
nected with burning the dog, and sometimes with feasting upon its
97
flesh, irrespective of the animal's color, as may be gathered from the
subjoined quotations. Golden says: —
" When any of the young Men of these (five) Nations have a Mind
to signalize themselves, and to gain a Reputation among their Country-
men by some notable enterprize against their Enemy, they at first
communicate their Design to two or three of their most intimate
Friends: and if they come into it, an Invitation is made, in their
Names, to all the young Men of the Castle to feast on Dog's Flesh ; but
whether this be because Dog's Flesh is most agreeable to Indian
Palates, or whether it be as an emblem of Fidelity, for which the Doo-
is distinguished by all Nations, that it is always used on this Occasion)
I have not sufficient Information to determine. When the Company
is met, the Promoters of the Enterprize set forth the Undertaking in
the best Colors they can: they boast of what they intend to do, and
incite others to join, from the Glory there is to be obtained ; and all
who eat of the Dog's Flesh, thereby inlist themselves."*
Sometimes dog-eating was employed to charm evil influences or
to act as a spell, as when we read ; —
"It was also said that they pretended to try to carry him away,
but that he resisted them so well that they left him to make a feast of
a dog — threatening to come and get him next day, in case he failed to
do this." (Told of some demons who addressed one Tsondacouane',
threatening to carry him off unless he complied with certain condi-
tions.)
"The latter having reported the matter in open council, a dog was
immediately found, with which he made a feast on the same day."f
From the following it will be observed that only men of adult age
— full grown " braves " or " warriors " were permitted to make dog-
feasts : —
" At the beginning, when he [Rene' Tsondihwane] was at an age
to make feasts ... he had a dream, in which he was forbidden
to make a dog feast, or to permit that any one should make one for
him. . . . Last year, having gone on a visit to some village, one
of his friends desired to make a dog feast for him.' £
Writing of " a certain man [who] had dreamed, whilst in the
soundest slumber, that the Iroquois had taken and burned him as a
Captive," Lalemant says that after the man's fellows had punished him
*Colden's History of the Five Indian Nations, Introduction, p. 6. London 17 — ?
tLe Jeune's Relation, 1637, p. 229, vol. 13. Cleveland ed.
I Jesuit Relation 1640-41. Cleveland ed. vol. 21, p. 161. On the next
page, it is said, he was ordered in his dream " to make a sacrifice or feast of two
'V C.I.
98
severely that " The ill fortune of such a dream might be averted," the
sufferer, as he escaped " seized a dog that was held there ready for
him, placed it at once on his shoulders, and carried it among the
Cabins as a consecrated victim, which he publicly offered to the Demon
of war, begging him to accept this semblance instead of the reality of
his Dream. And in order that the Sacrifice might be fully consum-
mated, the dog was killed with a club, and was singed and roasted in
the flames ; and, after all this, was eaten at a public feast, in the same
manner as they usually eat their Captives."*
Evidence is not wanting that the custom was widely spread, as
we find it noticed among Athabaskan, Algonkian and Siouan peoples
as well as among those of Iroquoian origin. The Rev. William Ham-
ilton, a Presbyterian missionary to the Sacs and lowas, of Nebraska,
from 1837 to 1853, saw dogs hung by their necks to trees, or to sticks
planted in the ground, and he was told these dogs were offerings to
Watanka ; and an Indian named No Heart telling him about a small-
pox epidemic, said, •' We threw away (i. e. sacrificed) a great many
garments, blankets, etc., and offered many dogs to God."-f-
In Mexico, I have read somewhere, that attempts were made to
get rid of sickness by placing outside the patient's door the image of a
small dog, made from corn-meal, in the hope that some passer-by
would pick it up, in which case the disease left the afflicted one within,
and affected him who lifted the dough-dog — a case of supposed
substitution.
In the Journal of American Folk Lore for October, 1897, Mr.
Harlan I. Smith, in a brief article entitled " An Ojibwa Myth," (Michi-
gan) says that the monster of the story told the man to go home and
bring him six white dogs, and the writer adds, " Among the very
Indians from which this myth was procured, the white dog sacrifice
was practiced as late as 1819."
Instances like these add nothing to our knowledge respecting the
origin of the custom ; they are but the outlying, and therefore expir-
ing ripples resulting from some far-off movement in the sea of time, or
they may be compared to faint surface ebullitions that serve
merely to indicate the existence of a force at some great depth, for it
can scarcely be doubted that the practice is based on an old-time
belief on the part of a people from whom it has been transmitted by
*Relation of 1642, p, 173, vol. 23. This was among the Hurons, whose man-
ners and customs were similar to those of the Iroquois.
t A Study of Siouan Cults, by J. O. Dorsey, in Bur. of Ethnol. Report for
1889-90, p. 426.
99
devious ways and in numerous corrupted forms, until no one in our
day is able to offer any authoritative explanation regarding the original
symbolism.
The idea of atonement may be at once banished from our minds,
for in no Indian religion or form of faith is there any trace of this
principle.
The late Horatio Hale who was deeply interested in this subject
has offered a " conjecture," but that he himself did not attach much
value to it is evident from the concluding sentence of the paragraph
in which he says : — " A probable conjecture is that the dog was selected
merely as being the animal most prized by the Indians, and therefore
most suitable for a sacrifice to their divinity. A white one would be
preferred for the natural reason that among the Indians, as is shown
by their wampum belts, and in other indications, white is an emblem
and declaration of peace and good will. Whatever may be the origin
or signification of the rite, it is undoubtedly one of the most curious
and interesting of Indian usages."*
But, while, as has just been stated, the atoning principle finds no
place in American aboriginal beliefs, that of substitution holds a very
important one. Ticarial adoptions and punishments were character-
istic of Indian life — the mother who lost her son in battle, claimed a
captive enemy whom she forthwith treated as her own offspring — a
dead chief was said to be made alive again when his successor was
appointed, and nothing was more common than the infliction of tor-
ture on any foe in retaliation for similar treatment by one of his
people, or by all of them to one or more of those belonging to the
retaliators. In every case the l< make-believe " seemed to become a
well settled conviction. When adoption took place, grief for the lost
one ceased, and where punishment was involved it was not inflicted
vendetta-like, but purely with the motive of making one suffer for
another, and so completely does this idea govern the actions of some
Indians even at the present day, that natives of the western plains bite
(some say eat) lice they find in the heads of each other, for the reason
that the lice bite them.
I am well aware how extremely dangerous it is to construct
theories on flimsy foundations,or to generalize on a scanty supply of facts
yet I cannot forbear remarking the strong probability that in the burn-
ing of the white dog, or of any dog, we may have a realization of the
substitutional idea as a survival from the time when human remains
*The Iroquois Sacrifice of the White Dog, by Horatio Hale, in the American
Antiquarian.
100
were so treated as offerings to the Sun, or for any other reason, and that
this is all we have left of a ceremony when the dog was burned along
with his deceased master.
It is almost needless to quote in proof of the statement that crema-
tion was an ancient Indian method of disposing of the dead, and in some
parts of North America the custom was maintained until almost with-
in the memory of man. In Harmon's Journal of Voyages and Travels
(1800 — 1819) page 335, the following occurs: "All Indians are very
fond of their hunting dogs. The people on the west side of the Rocky
Mountains appear to have the same affection for them that they have
for their children, and they will discourse with them as if they were
rational beings. They frequently call them their sons or daughters^
and when describing an Indian, they will speak of him as father of a
particular dog which belongs to him. When these dogs die it is not
unusual to see their masters or mistresses place them on a pile of
wood and burn them in the same manner as they do the dead bodies
of their relations, and they appear to lament their denths by crying
and howling, fully as much as if they were their kindred."
In any case, Harmon's observation is a valuable one, not only as
showing the high estimation in which these Denes* held their dogs,
and in attributing to them something akin to human intelligence, but
in going to the absurd length of calling them sons and daughters.
And, carrying as they did this substitutional idea to so great a length
during the lifetime of the dog, we are prepared to understand why the
animal should have been honored by them so highly after its death.
Although Major Powell, on his " Map of Linguistic Stocks of
American Indians," does not give the main body of this stock as wide
a southern range as that mentioned by the Rev. A. G. Morice, still the
extent of territory covered by the D6ues or Athapascans (including
those in Arizona, New Mexico and Northern Mexico) is second only to
the area occupied by the Algonkins, and their culture influence we
may reasonably suppose to have been correspondingly great. By what
* Harmon's reference to " the people on the west side of the Rocky Mount-
ains " applies to the Carriers among whom he lived for several years, and of whom
the Rev. A. G. Morice says they are " the most important of the western tribes '
of the Denes, " that large faiidly of Indians more commonly known under the
inappropriate names of Thine, Tinneh, or Athabaskan. It extends west of the
Rockies from the 51° latitude north, and east of that range of mountains from the
southern branch of the Saskatchewan to the territory of the Esquimaux. Apart
from the Nabajoes [Navahoes] of New Mexico who are ethnologically connected
therewith, it is divided into a dozen or more tribes speaking as many dialects."
Trans, of the Can. Inst., March, 1891, p. 171.
101
means it could have been possible for such influence to reach those of
Iroquoian stock, or whether it ever did, there is no means of knowing
any more than there is to account for the separation of the present
unpacific Navahoes and Apaches from their comparatively docile and
peace loving northern congeners, or to explain why such extreme dif-
ferences of disposition should exist at all.
It is quite certain that even in Harmon's day it would have been
difficult for an Indian to state whether he burned the dog because he
looked upon it as his son or daughter, or whether he indulged in the
fiction of so believing because it was customary to treat the dog in
such human fashion, for it will be observed that the animal was not
killed for this purpose, but merely so treated when it died, and herein,
it may be, we have another phase of the lingering substitutional idea
dating from a time when it was customary to burn the dog with the
remains of its former owner. Be this as it may, it is tolerably clear
that the Iroquois ceremony is one that points to a time long prior to
the appearance of these people on the eastern slope, and to a condition
of life respecting which we are at liberty to make only wild guesses.
Dr. Brinton, to whom I wrote asking for his opinion as to the
philosophy of this ceremony, very courteously replied. " I am fully
persuaded that the sacrifice of the white dog among the Iroquois had
a deeper symbolism than was suggested by our late friend, Mr. Horatio
Hale. In American religions, the dog was extensively connected with
Beliefs in the life after death, and the journey of the soul to the land
of joy. In Mexico, among the Aztecs, Zapotecs and others, a reddish
dog was sacrificed during the funeral rites ; and a dog is often repre-
sented in the Maya MSS. as a mythical, symbolic animal. The graves
of the ancient Peruvians often contain canine bones.
" Von Tschudi claims that in many native religions they were
'closely related with cosmogonical and culture myths.' He is certainly
correct, and in the Iroquois ceremonial I would recognize the survival
of an ancient belief which connects the advent of the New Year with
faith in personal immortality. Of course the color, white, is symbolic
of light, life, and re-birth.
" The words in the original, the chants and formulas, would hint at
O *
the meaning, and though Hale gives them in translation, we should
like them in native form."
With some such hope as that suggested in the last sentence of
Prof. Brinton 's letter, I had made an effort to secure as much as pos-
sible of the ritual in the Mohawk dialect of the Iroquois tongue, and
it is satisfactory to know that the plan commends itself to so high an
102
authority.* The last hope of arriving at any knowledge respect-
ing the symbolism of the rites (so far as the Iroquois are
concerned) lies in a critical examination of what may be hidden in
in some archaic word or turn of expression concerning which the
Indians themselves are profoundly ignorant. As is pointed out else-
where, the words employed in most of their songs have long since lost
their meaning, and no doubt this is also the case respecting numerous
words used in speeches and addresses.
General J. S. Clark, who has given much thought to this and
kindred subjects connected with the social and religious customs of the
Iroquois, writes to me respecting their religious beliefs, more especially
as these seem to have a bearing on the Burning of the White Dog,
that while he has some difficulty in harmonizing the material in his
hands relating to the Great White Wolf, the Infernal Wolf and the
Devil, he is of the opinion that these refer "to the God of war,
Agreskoui, as known to the Hurons and Iroquois." He points out
that " Megapolensis makes a clear distinction between Tharonhiawa-
gon and Agreskoui of the Mohawks, making the latter represent
the Devil, and the former the Supreme God," because " sacrifices were
never made to Tharonhiawagon " whereas " they did worship and
present offerings to Agreskoui."
In proof of this the General cites Jogue's account of the burning
and eating of a woman and two bears ; and Brebeuf's story concerning
a similar horrible feast in the Huron country, to placate Agreskoui.
After pointing out that Parkman believed Agreskoui to be identical
with the sun, General Clark proceeds.
" There is much to warrant this conclusion ' — Parkman says also
that Agreskoui was the same as Jouskeha, but with different attri-
butes. This appears also to be in accord with the very general beliefs
of the more advanced tribes three hundred years ago. The Aztecs,
the Mayas, and others had a way of subdivision to make six, eight, or
ten different deities from the same person, according to their attri-
butes, giving them distinct names and distinct forms.t Now as the
Jesuit missionaries among the Hurons identified the ' Infernal Wolf '
as the veritable devil, and the early writers respecting the Mohawks
describe Agreskoui as the same character, it appears highly probable
* Too much praise cannot be given to Ka-nis-han-don, who acted as Master of
Ceremonies at last New Year's Festival in the Seneca long house, for the great
trouble he has taken to repeat word for word the most important parts of the ritual
in the Seneca dialect. I have to thank him also for numerous personal favors by
way of explanation, afforded to me before and after the Sacrifice of the White Dog.
tThe Greeks, Romans, Hindoos and others did the same thing.
103
that the Infernal Wolf was also the 'Great White Wolf the proto-
type and original of the Wolf gens of the Hurons, Iroquois and
kindred tribes. We know that the white animals, such as the buffalo,
deer, bear and wolf, are held at the present day as having peculiarly
close relations to their Pagan deities, for t^e reason that the deities
themselves and all their subordinates are supposed to be white. The
representative tribe among the Iroquois, having closer relations with
the deities than any other, was the Mohawk, from whom all the others
descended — the most eastern of all, where the sun rises — 'the white
land,' ' the bright land.'
The great divinity of the Algonkins was " the great White One,"
or the White Hare, and Jouskeha was also white, as were all the other
of the great and beneficent gods whose residence was in the Sun, or,
as often expressed, was the Sun itself. This idea ranged over both
continents. All the Iroquois were sun -worshippers in this view, and at
an early day ; and all were keepers of the Sacred Fire, as representing
the Sun. Charlevoix says that all the Huron sachems were accounted
Children of the Sun, and the relation of the Iroquois sachems could
not have varied materially from this. In describing the Natchez, he
says the practice of keeping the Sacred Fire prevailed extensively up
to his time, and that the beliefs of the Hurons and Iroquois were not
far removed from those of the Natchez, whose principal chief, as
claimed, was the Sun itself. On the chief's death, his wife, relations
and servants generally were strangled that they might be able to
accompany him to the regions of the blessed in the Sun. I am very
much inclined to the opinion that the burning of the White Dog was
not a sacrifice in any sense, but simply a special preparation as a
message-bearer or messenger to the power above.* That strings of
shell beads are burned with the dog is but carrying out the idea that
credit should be given only to messages accompanied by wampum. The
relations of the white dog to the originals of the animal kingdom
above were of the closest character, as were their relations to the
people below. The ceremony appears to be significant, and precisely
that accompanying the installation of a message-bearer between differ-
ent tribes, by repeating the message in the presence of the victim
before the spirit had left the body, and then, by the action of fire,
enabling the spirit to take its passage to the ' mansions above.'
* Some such idea exists among the pagans, now-a-days, one of whom informed
me that Ska-ne-o-dy-o wishing on a certain occasion to send a message to the Great
Spirit, when he could not go himself, strangled his dog for this purpose. Some
time afterwards when " up there" on very important business, he not only saw the
dog, but the dog recognized him, by its fawning upon him and licking his hand.
104
Hale gives Rononghwireghtonh as the Great Wolf of the
Onondagas who alone formed a distinct class or clan, and apparently
was a subordinate of the White Wolf of the Mohawks, which, in turn
was a subordinate of The Great White Wolf above, whose residence
was in the Sun, if, indeed, it was not the Sun itself. It is not to be
expected that anything of importance can be learned at the present
day from the myths among the Iroquois, beyond possibly some hints
throwing light on the ancient customs and beliefs. I am quite certain,
however, that the ground work here laid down, will be found to be in
accordance with the beliefs of the more advanced tribes, or, at least
will accord with a composite picture of such beliefs.
Cuoq gives (p. 32) Okwari as white bear, and Okwaho as loup or
wolf, and I am confident that both should be rendered white, i.e.
White Bear and White Wolf.
He gives also lorakwa-werhostakwa, as umbrella, parasol, that
is, sun-shades. He quotes Karakwa as Sun (p. 11). The similarities
between lorakwa and Iroquois, and Cheroke, or as changed from
French to English pronounciation Erokoua, and Cherokoue, are evident.
I am certain that these names Iroquois and Cheroke were based on the
word for Sun, and that M. Cuoq will see it in this light.
The war-cry of the Iroquois was " koue," or " go-weh," as pro-
nounced by some, and this is the word that Charlevoix makes the
basis of the name Iroquois. The root koue, or koua appears in all
words relating to the Sun, bear or wolf."
As the foregoing is the substance of a letter to me, written with-
out being intended for publication, but which I have since been kindly
permitted to quote, it is to be regarded rather as conjectural than
determinate, but the line of argument employed is so original and so
reasonable, as to render it worthy of record as a contribution to the
surmises and theories respecting the ceremony of Burning the White
Dog.
Based, as these conjectures are, mainly or wholly on the assump-
tion that Indian forms of religious belief were the outcome of Sun-
worship, to the study of which General Clark is devoting much time
and scholarly attention, it is satisfactory to be able to state that
philological researches he has since made are such as more fully to
confirm his theory.
In a former communication the same gentleman reminded me that
" the burning of the dog, and a spotted dog at that, was certainly
105
practiced by the Mayas, and apparently was substituted for human
sacrifice under the reformation of Quetzalcoatl."
It will be observed that between Von Tschudi's contention as cited
by Dr. Brinton, namely, that in many native religions the presence of
dogs was ' closely related with cosmogonical and culture myths ' — a
statement with which Dr. Brinton himself agrees — and the belief of
General Clark that the burning of the dog took its rise in connection
with Sun-worship, there is no want of harmony. It is only when we
come to particulars that there is any divergence, and even this may
be more apparent than real. In either case the substitutional idea is
applicable, whether the victim was used as a messenger, or as an
offering.
It is not likely we shall ever know for certain what were the
primitive notions in detail respecting the ceremony in question, but it
is possible that in course of time investigation will yield results
enabling us in a general way to connect it with some fundamental cul-
ture-myth affecting not only the Iroquois, but the whole American
race, or a very large proportion of it.
Meanwhile it is probable that the ceremony of burning the White
Dog will continue in vogue — not perhaps as long as there are pagans
on the reserve, but, at any rate, for some years.
TRANSLATION OF THE SONG BY THE MASTER OF CEREMONIES AT THE
FIRE, WHEN THE DOG is BURNED.
" Great Master, behold here all of our people who hold the old
faith, and who intend to abide by it.
By means of this dog being burned we hope to please Thee, and
that just as we have decked it with ribbons and wampum, Thou wilt
grant favors to us Thy own people.
I now place the dog on the fire that its spirit may find its way to
Thee who made it, and made everything, and thus we hope to get
blessings from Thee in return.
He throws the dog on the fire and proceeds : —
Although, Great Master, there are not so many of us who worship
Thee in this way as there were in old times, those who are here are as
faithful as ever — now, therefore, listen to us — Thou who art far away
above us, and who made every living thing.
We ask that the sun will continue to shine on us and make all
things grow.
We ask that the moon may always give us light by night.
106
We ask that the clouds may never cease to give us rain and snow.
We ask that the winds from the east and west and north and
south may always blow.
We ask that the trees and everything that springs from the
ground may grow.
We ask that these blessings may help us through life, and that
we may remain true to our belief in Thee, and we will make Thee
another offering like this next year.
Save us from aU harm until that time, and make us obedient to
our chiefs and others who have power.
Guide them so that they may act wisely for the people and save
them from all harm.
Be good, Great Master, to the warriors and to the young men,
making them strong and healthy so that they may always be able to
do everything they ought to do.
Great Master, we ask also that Thou wouldst be kind to the
women until our next feast. Make them strong and healthy so that
they may be able always to do everything they ought to do.
Take away all our sickness and all our troubles. Make us happy
and healthy and strong to enjoy life.
Great Master, make us all peaceable and kindly that we may live
happily and contentedly as we should do.
Cause the plants that cure us when we are ill to grow up strong
for our use so that they do what Thou madest them to do.
And, Great Master, may the coming season bring us plenty of
sunshine and breezes, and may everything grow well for our use dur-
ing the summer time.
May all the trees that bear fruit, and may everything that comes
out of the ground as our food grow in the best way for us to enjoy.
Great Master, we ask, too, that Thou wouldst send us all sorts of
animals, large and small, for food and clothing, and cause the birds to
live and increase in number.
May the scent of the tobacco I have thrown on the fire rise till it
reaches Thee to let Thee know that we are still good — that we do not
forget Thee, and that Thou mayest give us all we have asked.
SCATTERING OF ASHES. (Ro-non-wa-ro-rih.)
On the day following the Burning of the Dog, two runners
appointed by the Old Men (Ro-dik-sten-ha) summon the people to stir,
or scatter ashes at the Longhouse the following day. On entering
each house the runner himself scatters ashes, after which, addressing
107
the heads of the household he informs them that according to the wish
of Niyoh (the Creator) they are to appear at the Longhouse the follow-
ing day, and to be sure to take the children with them. He then sings:
Ka-weh-no deh,
Ye-ke-ha-a-noh,
E-ye-ha-a-noh,
Ka-no-wan-seh,
N e-ka- don-neh,*
which may be repeated several times, when he concludes by saying
" Now you must all go to the Longhouse if possible." On the following
day when all are assembled in the Longhouse, runners again scatter
ashes, and when this is over, the speaker representing Taronyawagoii-f-
delivers the following address which is also employed at the opening
of other festivals.
On this, as on all other occasions, each speaker addresses those on
the opposite side (or end) of the house as his cousins. At the con-
clusion of his set speech, the Taronyawagon informs his cousins that
such a one has been appointed by the Two Brothers, or the Four
Brothers, as the case may be, (for the appointment is an alternate one,
annually) Master of Ceremonies, and the Master of Ceremonies in turn
appoints a leader of the " Paddle Party."
After a reply has been made to the opening speech by one from
the opposite side, Taronyawagon says : —
Da onenh onkyaraseson niseh wahsadeweyennondahneh. Yatgwa-
Now, cousins, you are quite ready. We
nonweradonh kadih tsih onenh agwah s'kaneh wadidewaderaneh.
give our thanks then because now all is well (and) we have met.
*It is tolerably certain that these words at one time had some significence.
At present Mr. Brant Sero informs me, there is none beyond what may be extracted
from the first two syllables "Ka-weh," or Ko-we, used until somewhat recently as
an expression of self-satisfaction on the accomplishment of any unusual or desirable
act, and even this maybe but a coincidence. (Compare with Gen. Clark's reference
to Icoue, or go-weh, ante p. 104.)
This condition is observable among other primitive peoples. One of the latest
references I have seen occurs in Dr. Walter E. Roth's Ethnological Studies among
the North- West-Central Queensland Aborigines, p. 170, (1897) where the author
says, "During this procession the singing is done by the men within the enclosure :
. . . but unfortunately its meaning is unintelligible even to the singers themselves. "
For a copy of the above valuable work, I am indebted to the Hon. Sir Thomas
Mcllwraith, Premier of Queensland.
fCusic spells it Tarenyawagon, and translates it Holder of the Heavens. But
the name is evidently a compound of garonhia, sky, softened in the Onondaga
dialect to taronhia (see Gallatin's Vocabs, under the word sky) and wagin, I come."
Note p. U05, 3rd ed. Myths of the New World, by Dr. D. G. Brinton.
108
Enserhek kadih sanigonrahnenyawenneh. Onenh wahadihon-
You should wish, then your mind accordingly so. Now they have
karyak kentho ronadenonsokdagwenh ra onha ne ne Shohkahdonah
chosen here, this end of the house he (him) that is (such a one)
ne ne onsongwakawets serawinyonh. Onenh dahbondasawen
who will to us paddles distribute. Now they have begun
wathonseharogwahdeb.
to scatter the ashes.
Two men representing the opposite sides of the Longhouse now
hand newly made paddles to men, women and children of their
respective gentes. One appointed by the Taronyawagon heads all the
others who leave the Longhouse and march in single file to the opposite
end where they enter by the other door and remain at that end round
the fire. As the Two Brothers had precedence this year, they
went out by the east door, taking the north circuit of the Longhouse
to the west door. During the march round the Longhouse, several
young men are stationed here and there with loaded guns which are
fired just before those in line re enter. This is supposed to attract or
direct the attention of the real Taronyawagon.
When all are inside, the leader (this year, He-es-gonh, John
Silversmith) makes the following address : —
Onkyarase Yahdyagwadaneh katsiyenhakdah yongwadonhahereh
To my cousins. We stand beside the fire with uplifted hearts
segon; skennenh niyongwanigonhrodenh. Waietsidewanonweradon.
once more; all is well in our minds. We thank him (who is)
Songwaniyoh, wahagwenih segon dondayagwadaweyadeh ne tsiyohse-
Our Ruler (that) was again cause us to enter after a
rah wadewahgwadaseh oknehsaagwayadah segon domayagwadohhets-
year round our own selves again; we are passing
deh tsi ronwadekadennih ronaderihhondeh ronwadekadennih,
where the fire is appointed built for him,
Taronyawagon.
Holder of the heavens.
Onenh hadih yongwanonwarorih.
So, now. we scatter ashes.
109
Free translation.
" Chiefs and women, (office-bearers), we stand at the fireside
firstly to scatter ashes.
All people dwelling on earth (may) observe the ceremony without
any trouble, now that the time of observance again arrives. I am
Master of the Mid-winter festival now going on, therefore are we tip-
ping the paddle of Taronyawagon, (Holder of the Heavens), and there-
fore now hear these direct (or plain) words, without pause (or hesitation).
The Great Spirit sitting above (sees) we have observed the
ceremonies in praises and offerings of thanksgiving.
We, the chiefs and women, office-bearers, people generally, and
children, have all again passed by the fire built for Him, by the office-
bearers ; therefore the singer will sing the ceremonial song (God's
song) for the last time.
After this the following song is sung. It is known as the song of
Rononwarorih, or " tipping the paddle " — wahadikawetsserakawen-
radeh, "they tip the paddle."
Ko we no deh
Hye ke ha na
O hoh !
Hye ke na o,
Hye ke na o,
Hye hi ke
Hye ka noo
Hye ka noo
Hye e heh !"*
At the conclusion of this song the leader of the paddle party
turns to the acting Taronyawagon, and says " Onenh, eh na a gwa
gwe nih " This is all we are able to do," and the paddles are returned
to the Master of Ceremonies. Then those representing the opposite
side of the Longhouse file out at the west end making a south circuit
and re-enter by the east door, where, standing round the eastern fire, a
similar ceremony is performed.
* According to another statement I took down, the following song (known as
God's Song) is sung during the proceedings : —
Ni-ya-wan -ha
Ni-ya-wan -ha
Na-a-a heh.
Na-ka-de-w»n
No-go-da- neh
Wa-ka-de-wan
Nats-hon -no-neh
Na-a-a-heh,
110
These processions are kept up alternately by members represent-
ing the opposite sides of the Longhouse until every one has " passed
the fire," and the first night's proceedings come to a close after the
following address by Taronyawagon.
Onenh kadi Ra onha Songwayadison Songwanorongwah, ty-
Now therefore, He Our Maker, He, who loves us, we
Ongwehonweh ne kadi aoriwa, undewadonderenh yah ni
Indians, so, therefore, manner of cause sorrow and regret not we
ih thaedewagwenih aedewayanenhaweh-tsiok nikasennes
ourselves are not able to follow the course restricted, time and
ne oiigwanigonrahagwegon-tsinonkadi Songwasaennih
distance our whole minds in the matter of He, (or, Him) finished
tsini yongwarihoten ken i ken yongwadenniseradehnyonh.
for us our present custom this our daily lives.
Skaneh kadi myedewadenhnigonrayenh yongwaderi yendareh
Peaceful therefore place our minds where we know
yodonh Songwayadison kananonh, dentsidewanonweradon tsiniyong-
possible Our Maker fully offer our thanksgiving according
waderiyendareh yoderihwagwarisshonh.
to our knowledge honorable and straight.
Etno kadi nikariwakeh ensewarkarekeh tyoriwadoken,
Here, therefore, number of words you are to expect, direct words
ne i-ihneh entkadadih Keriwennawe karihwayendaghgwen
from me I will speak, I: Custom Bearer, am the leader
karihwadokenh.
accordingly.
Onenh kadi ondewadoris hon kentho wahsondaden.
Now therefore we will rest here this night.
After which the Master of Ceremonies makes a speech, informing the people
that the Creator himself has turned or scattered ashes and is pleased to know that
the people follow his example. He also refers to the dances that are to follow
making special mention of the Bear and False-Face dances inumating that if good
results are expected from participating in these, the actors must engage in them
seriously.
Ill
The next night's proceedings are now usually announced. This
year the Speaker told the people to bring their costumes for use in the
Big Feather Dance and The Skin Dance. Taronyawagon, he said was
going to commence the amusement part of the proceeding, after such a
solemn observance of " Tipping the Paddle."
Where it is necessary to hold a second -meeting of this kind, that
all may have an opportunity to pass the fire, the proceedings are much
the same as on the first night until the time arrives for the last Paddle
Party which is composed of chiefs, warriors and women representing
the whole of the Longhouse. This party does not walk round the
Longhouse. This year each end was represented by two chiefs, one
warrior and two women.
There is no dancing on the first night, nor on the second night
until all present have turned the ashes.
As soon as the ceremonies of the final paddle party came to an
end, the Speaker says: —
Yatyagwadaneh
We stand
atsiyenhakdah
beside the fire.
Yongwaderihondon ne radihsonnowanen • Yedhinis-
We, office bearers, that is great names (chiefs), ony and women
tenhao
(our mothers)
enhdakahnaka
with
hondon tsi eh niyoh donyonetsheharohgwadeh
firstly it is so they scatter ashes
ronyadih
horns*
onwen tsi yakeh
on earth
ne agongwedah entyagononwarorisek
my people the act of performing the ceremony
enyena ke re
dwelling
segon enkag-
again (is) made
wenih sken non, yonsakaheweh. lihkyadagweh niyoh
possible without hindrance, time now reach'd. I am master so
sadeyoserihon non w eh
mid-winter then
niwathawih yoderiwadetyon. Onenh
time ceremony going on. Now,
kadi onhonwakawetserakaron ne Taronyawagon.
therefore the tipping of the paddle of the Holder of the Heavens.
*The meaning here is obscure, but may either refer to the use of horns in scat-
tering the ashes, or that they who figuratively wore horns (the chiefs) were now
taking a prominent part in the ceremony. See Chiefship following.
112
Eh kadi nad kari wadokend onenh endisat hondeh
so therefore direct words now hear without
tsi hon. Niyoh Karonhyake desideroh onenh, wa a gwa
pause. God heaven in sitting now we have
dewen noDgohdeh
passed the wood : (i.e., observed the thanksgiving ceremonies).
Radisonnowanen, yedhinistenha Yonaderihondon Kenthog-
Great names our mothers office bearers people
wakeh yahothenenh dekarihandagwenh ony cksaaogonh —
(generally) none whatever (un) represented and children
a gwe gonh segon Sayon do hets deh ne Eon wa de kah den neh
ail again passed once more at Hre built for Him
Ro na de ri hon deh Da o nenh kadi en to non wa ro rih
office bearers Now therefore ceremonial song
ne yes ka kon deh
last time.
The following is a slightly different version of the same speech,
without any translation. Students may make a comparison.
Yahtyagwadeh atsiyenhaktha ronaderihonpeh ne Radisonnowan-
ens ne ony yethinistenhah yonaderihonne ony ne ohhondoh ne tsih
eh niyoh en-typot shehoharodakgwens enhdakehnakaronyadih non-
weantsiakeh enyenakerek ne agongwehdah entyagononhwarorisek
tsisegon enkagwenihagwegon rennonh yenkaheweh. Sadyohseribonh
onenh ih enyyadagweniyoh onenh enyoderiwahdendi-on onenh kadi
" onhonwakawehsaweanhadon " — ne Taronyawagon da-onenh kadi
ehnathkarihaw wadokent onenh kadi endisatbondetsihon Niyoh eh
karonhyeh desideroh onenh wa-ongwaweannongohdeh Radisennowan-
ens ronaderihondeh yethinistenhah yonaderihhondeh kenthogwakeh
yabothdnenh dekarihondahgenh ne ony exsaaogonnih yetakhenondiyes
onwentsiyakesons ehdake ony onweantsiake segonh yondeserenontys
ne ne exsaaogonh ne ony segonh "Karhhonkeh-yagoyadnodakdonh
aawegon eh sayondohhets ne Ronwadekadennih, Ronaderihonhdeh.
Da-onenh kadi enthononwarorih ne yeskahkondeh. A warrior sings
(Onweykewenh.)
113
The Master of Ceremonies brings the proceedings to a close by
making the address following :
Rariwehnhaweh Da*-onenh ken-i-ken wadidewadohhetsde
the keeper of the faith now then this we have passed
tsinonweh orihwiyon yohrihowanen ahedeweyarake
where the sure word of great importance we ought to remember
tsi ne ne Songwayahdison songwarihwisaumnih
that He who made our bodies originated — custom made for us
tsinenyongwarihohdenhakeh ne ne tyon Gwehonweh.
for us to observe and follow we, the real people.
Da-onen ken-i-ken enkarihwadokenhakeh tyttgon
now then this established custom always
endewehyarakeh Dendewadennodhweradon-sek tsi nonkadih ne
remember — we should offer thanks to the one that is
>
ne Eawenniyoh-kek.
Great Ruler.
Da-onen ken-i-ken kadi yeyoheh shadeyohserihion tsi ni
now then this time mid- winter whereon
haweron Songwayadison, etho nonweh nenwathawih
purposed Our Maker then and there [these] season
" Ontyagononwarorih."
ceremonial practices.
Da-onen kadi ken-iken ongwanigonra awerkek ondorishon
now this then our minds desired rest
tsi nahoten niwatyerhah.
from whatever doings of the present.
Da-onen kadi ken-i-ken agwegon yongwats honnonnih tsi nigon
now this then all we are happy at the number
*" Da," is used as an introductory expletive by Mohawk (or Canieng •) speakers
and has little more force than the word " well" so commonly employed for a simi-
lar purpose in English.
8 C.I.
114
ne ne Eksaaogon yondatyatheweh ne ne ayagodesennayendaneh
of children that are brought to exercise their privilege
nok watyontseharokgyadeh.
and to have scattered aahes.
Da-onen kadi ken-i-ken segon kahnigonriyoh wadetshenryes
now this then yet [is] good-mind to be found
tsi yagotkennison ne ne Ongwe kentho onwentsiakeh.
where gather the People here on earth.
Da-onen kadi ken-i-ken endewadorihon kentho wasendadeh
now this then stop and rest this moment this night
Unyorhonneh unyokaraweh onen undisewahawe waghgwennyayerih
To-morrow night then you will bring full costume
densewanonnyagwen "Ostoragowah " onen unhadewennongohdeh ne ne
to dance Big Feather when word will pass through [from]
Mharonya wagon.
Holder of Heaven.
Free Translation.
Now that we have passed through a great and important cere-
mony we should remember that it was Our Maker who created and
originated a custom suitable for us " real people " (Indians) to observe
and follow. This custom we should always remember with thanks-
giving to Our Great Ruler. Our maker purposely choose the mid-
winter season whereon to observe this ceremonial practice. We are
all happy to see the number of children brought here to enable them
to have the privilege of " scattering ashes."
Not having been present at this portion of the mid-winter festival
myself I must confess that the foregoing account does not enable me
to understand as much about it as I would like, for although there is
no doubt a great deal that is inexplicable, still, it would seem that
some things might be made clearer. The information as it stands was
gleaned at various times from intelligent Indians, but no description is
equal^to the use of one's eyes and ears on the occasion.
115
OPENING SPEECH OF THE LEADER AT THE MID-
WINTER FESTIVAL.
(Kanonsesneh -akah)
Long House-of the
Wadoken-s tsini wat ha wih onenh da hon dah sa wenh
At a stated time now they begin
Wa hondon nonh wa rorih etho Ka non ses neh. Wix ni tyso non
mid-winter ceremonies there at the Longhouse. Five sleeps after
we don-Dis kon nah ni wehnih do denh etho dyo dah sawenh.
February kind of moon there commence.
Ah sen ni kayen ne ne kayerih ni we ni se ra keh ka ronh
There of the four days before
ts i ni yo reh " Watyonts se ha rokgwah dek " deh niyah seh
the time of "Scattering "ashes" two men
wahhon wa di rih hon don ne ne Ongweh hogon ya got ken nison
are appointed by the Real People gathered
tsi wa deri wa no deh ken-i ken tsi yagon onh sodon ny aa neh
at the " Preaching," that they might homes of people go to
ah yat ro rih ken-i-ken ni ka wen no don : — Onenh areh
telling this words following : — Now again
yonsa kahe weh aese wa rih wa ron keh ken-i-ken 'ka nonh wa
time arrived you to hear this mid -winter
ro rih ' konwa yats a-o-rih wa keh. Etho Ka non ses neh
ceremony named matter. There at the Longhouse
' un wa dah ken ro ronksyonh ' yo ri ho wa nenh un wade rih wah-
' Ashes uncovered ' great matter will go
den dih - Ta ron ya wa gori ] Song wa wen-Niyoh Ra yah dag
on - Holder of Heaven Our Ruler so Master of Cere-
weh-niyoh tis non weh Ron wa de kah den nih ne ne Ongwe
monies, so where the fire is built by the Real
116
hogon Songwa wen niyoh ra on ha ro ri wi son nen yago ri ho
People. Our Ruler so He finished the people's
ten hakeh kentho On hwen tsi ya keh ro nonh Segon
customs here of the earth yet
ya go da den ronh. Etho ka di ka tsi yen hak dah a gwe gon
living. There then beside of the fire all
ne ne Ongwehhogon don yon do hets deh enye rih wa ye ri deh
the Real people will pass by doing their duty
En yon de wen non goh deh ne ne kendon othenen ye rih
word passing meaning something they are
wa nek ha ayagoyada ken hasken nenh a yen nonh don nyon
asking helpful to them peaceful thoughts
Ongweh-hogon tyet gon " on yon de nonh wa ro risek eh," onenh
Real People always observe mid-winter ceremonies now
don hon wa nonh we ra don ne ne Song wa wen niyoh. Agwegon
they offer thanks to Our Ruler so all
kadi ne ne exaogon yenyets shi yah denh haweh-onih yen yets-
then children must carry also led by
hinonts hi neh katsi yenhak dah day on doh hets deh tsi non weh
the arm beside of the fire to pass by where
ronwa de kah den nih ne ne Ta ronya wa gon Agwe gon
they built the fire for Holder of Heaven all
tsi niy a gon ne ne Ongweh dony on do hets deh katsi yen hak
of the number of people who will pass besides of the
dah Don yonts he ha rok gwa deh thoiken kendon yo rih ho
fire Scattering ashes this matter meaning a great
wa nenh. I seh kadi saksten hah ka rih wayendah gwen
deal. You then old body resting with you
dokah ken eny a goy do ren neh Sah wa tsi reh ken-i-ken
should your get the chance family of this
117
yo rih ho wa nenh onenh on de ri wah den dih etho. Ni ka wen
great matter now the matter has begun there. The num-
na ken, wa ki ron. Sha ya dah ken-i-ken Den ha ri wa gweh: —
ber of words,! have spoken. Other man this will sing: —
Ka-we-iio-deh
Ye-ke-ha-noh
Ye-ha-no-noh
Koh-weh-noo doh
Ye-ha-kaa-no
meaning
"Koh-weh" = by-word
Ka-no-wen-seh
Ne-ka don neh
Note. — Words of the Last
two Lines mean: "Words
pitiful, I am saying."
The rest of the words
have 110 longer any
expressing surprise,
(very old).
Da onenh kadi Se wa gwe gon ka non sis neh nyen hense weh
Now then all of you to the Longhouse shall go
etho ye nse wats hen rih dyonak do deh ya dense wa yah da
there you will find room for yourselves
ye rih neh a gwe gon.
all
Da etho kadi nika wen na ken wa ki ron. Onenh enya kya
There so much then the words I have spoken. Now we are
do hets dek.
passing.
TEE CAYUGA AFTER-SEEDING, OR SPRING SUN DANCE.
On Sunday, May 8th, I was present at the Spring Sun Dance,
which began in the Cayuga longhouse at about 11.30 a.m. When the
proceedings began there were only a hundred and twenty-five persons
seated, but before the close of the festival upwards of two hundred
found places, all the women sitting at the east end, and all the men at
the west end.
The ceremonies were opened by an aged, powerfully built and
anything but handsome Cayuga, who, addressing those present, repeated
the usual rote speech thanking the earth for having yielded grass>
trees, tobacco and medicine ; the thunder for supplying rain, and for
preventing the serpents from coming up through the ground and des-
118
troy ing the people ;* the sun for giving light by day and heat to make
crops, grass, berries and trees grow, and for giving health ; the moon
for giving light and heat at night, and for producing dew ; the Four
Angels for protecting us from sickness, disease and accident ; and the
Great Spirit for providing everything, and governing all things,
although we do not see him now, and never will see him unless we are
good.
Most of the dances engaged in were similar to those connected
with the New Year ceremonies, but there were a few variations.
One feature was the more prominent part taken by the women,
who, after the first dance, ranged themselves to the number of eleven
on the south side of the song-bench, which always stands in the middle
of the Longhouse, and parallel with its longer sides, that is, east and
west. Before taking their places, one of them informed the leading
man or master of ceremonies that the women desired to sing, and he
made an announcement to this effect. Another man handed a rattle
to each of the two women standing at the east end of the more south-
erly row. One of these rattles was made from about four inches in
the middle of a cow's horn, the ends being closed with neatly fitted
pieces of thin wood, through which the handle passed. The other was
a small turtle shell, perfectly closed underneath and without any
handle — in this respect being unlike the larger kind used by the men
on the song-bench. When in use it is grasped with a span crosswise,
lower side up, and both it and the horn rattle were beaten on the palm
of the left hand. When the end woman had sung a short song to the
accompaniment of her own rattle — :the horn one — and that of her
neighbor, the instruments were handed to other two women westwards
in the same row who also sang, and when all on that row had sung
who cared to sing, the rattles were returned to the east end, when the
woman who sang first handed them to the two who faced her on the
northerly row, after which they were again passed towards the west
as one woman after another agreed or refused to sing. Once more they
were passed to the woman at the east end of the row, who handed
them to the first singer standing opposite, who presented them to the
man that gave them to her, who placed them in the log from which he
took them at first, and the women dispersed to their seats.
* The Iroquoian belief is totally at variance with the ancient Algonkian form
as set forth in a letter written to me by General J. S. Clark, on the Otonabee Ser-
pent Mound, in which he says, " If the Thunder Bird had been allowed to propagate
its species there would have been no chance of living on the earth with more than one,
so the rattlesnake was constantly on the alert for the eggs, and while the mother
bird was absent from the nest, engaged in tearing things to pieces generally, the
rattlesnake was slyly crawling up crushing and devouring the eggs. The crushing
of the eggs gave rise to the thunder."
119
While the singing was going on some of the women, with a larger
admixture of European than of Indian blood, beat time to the rattles
with their right feet, and it was observed that all of them seemed to
derive a little amusement from the exercises, for in the passing of the
rattles from hand to hand a few jocular remarks were sometimes inter-
changed, followed by quiet but hearty laughter.
Anointing of Heads.
After a few more dances in which both sexes, young and old par-
ticipated, two ,middle-aged women on each side arose, one of each
being provided with a small quantity of sunflower oil (resembling lard
in appearance), in the lids of small tin cans, and, beginning at the north-
west and southwest corners respectively, proceeded to anoint the heads
of all present, one women holding the oil while the other used her right
forefinger to take a little of it, which, being transferred to her left
palm was then spread by rubbing between both hands, before being
applied to the crown of each head with four down strokes. The two
women on the north'side of the Longhouse having completed their task
before the other two, crossed to the south side and assisted in anointing
some of the men there, an act which at least tended to show that there
was no clan or other restriction connected with this ceremony, the
purpose of which is to symbolize that fruitfulness or abundance which
all present desire as a return for the labor connected with planting.
After this ceremony came the Four Night Dance, very properly
so called, for it lasted upwards of three-quarters of an hour and supplied
enough exercise to last any reasonable person a whole week ! This
dance was engaged in by men and women and was really a series of
dances, for the music and steps changed frequently. Twelve singers
occupied two song benches and sat six and six, one row facing the
other. The chief singer had the drum, and six of the others were pro-
vided with rattles. Some of the women who had been engaged very
actively in several of the former dances were first to come forward to
this one, although they were well aware that it meant nearly an hour's
brisk exercise. Perhaps this was why they all removed their head
coverings. During the first fifteen minutes there were not more than
fifteen women on the floor, but soon men dropped in, then more
women and men promis-cuously (but those of each sex following each
other immediately, the women leading), until when the dance closed
with a whoop there were eighty-four on the floor, most of whom, it is
needless to say, retired to their seats very warm.
120
The pigeon dance was performed without singers on the bench.
Four men stood two and two near the east end of the Longhouse, and
faced south, the two in front having a horn rattle a-piece. Singing
for a few seconds without moving, they then began to circle (starting
westwards) about the box-stove at that end of the building. For
a few minutes it seemed as if these four were likely to have the
floor to themselves, but as they warmed to their work, others,
moved by the spirit of the song, the rattle and the rhythmical
trip of the dancers, took their places, until the circuit of the
dance included the song-bench as well as the stove. Up to this
time only six women had joined, and as they came forward
tripping in single file to the time of the music, they moved in
a direction opposite to that of the men who opened their ranks to let
the women go through. This extremely spirited dance attracted so
many that it was soon necessary to move round the whole available
area, and as the single file of women was much longer than the double
file of men, many women formed in with the men, until there were in
all, a hundred and twenty- two persons engaged, the lack of drum and
noisy turtle-rattles being more than made up by the responsive whoops
of the onlookers. This dance was quite unlike those of the same name
I saw at the Seneca Longhouse.
Before the beginning of this festival, five or six women and girls
were busying themselves in a shanty at the east end of the Longhouse
preparing two large sugar-kettles full of corn-soup so-called, but which
consists also of a considerable quantity of beans. The fire was lighted
on the ground and over it the kettle was suspended from a pole sup-
ported by two crotched uprights on opposite sides of the fire Shortly
after the opening of the proceedings two caldrons were brought into
the Longhouse, each carried on a pole \>y two men and placed on the
floor, one on the north, and the other on the south side of the stove at
the east end, where they remained until the close of the afternoon
dances, when a number of men proceeded to dip from the contents of
one into tin pails and cups belonging to those present, while others
distributed cakes and buns of wheat flour from a large basket that
had stood on the top of the stove already mentioned, and into which
basket many of the women on entering the Longhouse had emptied
their contributions of this kind from baskets, tin pails and paper bags.
At this time (about half-past four o'clock) it was undecided
whether to continue the dances immediately after the eating or to
adjourn until eight or nine o'clock, and none of the chiefs or "warriors'
could afford the least information, as the settlement of the question
121
was in the hands of the women, who ultimately considered very wisely
to go on with the ceremonies, consume the rest of the soup, and get
home with the children in good time
I did not stay to see the second part of the festival, having been
given to understand that it would not vary in character from what I
had seen.
During the whole time there was no other white man present but
myself, and although I was a total stranger, I was treated with perfect
courtesy. When the cakes were distributed a share was handed to
me, 1 am quite sure I might have had a cupful of soup for the asking, and
I am equally certain that if I had shown any willingness during the
anointing ceremony, my head would have received its portion of the
sacred sunflower oil.
Indians are neither offensively inquisitive, nor ostentatiously
polite, and this holds true even when there is a good deal of mixed
blood. I sat outside for a long time with several of the oldest Cay-
ugas present, and here I observed very markedly the objections enter-
tained by pagans to telling their names. I am unaware whether they
imputed my questions to rudeness or to pitiable ignorance, and I could
not very well explain that my motive was simply to ascertain to what
extent they are still actuated by their ancient reticence on this point .
The old notion was that when one mentioned his own name, he to
some extent gave away a part of himself and thus allowed the other
person to have some control over him — now, I am told, the belief is
that to give one's own name is just " not lucky," but there is a great
deal of apparent haziness as to what the bad luck consists in — a very
similar state of mind to that which we so often find among ourselves
when clinging to some shreds of superstition, or even to the super-
stition itself as being connected with good or bad luck, although the
origin of the belief has long since been lost sight of, as, for example, in
the placing of a horse-shoe over the lintel of a door, or the carrying of
a horse-chestnut in one's pocket.
THE SENECA SPRING SUN DANCE.
On the Monday afternoon following the ceremonies in the Cayuga
Longhouse, an After Seeding, or Spring Sun Dance was held in the
Seneca Longhouse, little more than a mile distant.
The proceepings were opened in the usual way by an aged person
rising to address those present — nine men and five women, after which
122
an old man in fantastic dress sang as he walked up and down on the
south side of the song bench : —
" Yo-yo-hoh-wah
Wah-wah-yo-hoh "
repeatedly, accompanied by " Heh-heh-heh " from those who were
seated. The song closed with the whoop, " Wah-h-h-h !"
While the old man was singing he kept time with a horn-rattle in
his right hand, and at the conclusion of his song he passed the rattle to
a young man who also sang, stopping now and again to make short
speeches.
The next performer was dressed in yellow loose-fitting toggery
covered with spangles, but there seemed to be no significance whatever
in his clothing. I inquired about this very closely, and was told that
his " rig-out " was the result of mere whim on his own part. Both of
the young men were accompanied in the musical parts of their exercise
with the "Heh-heh-heh" of the others, and the exercise closed as did
the old man's song.
A lively dance for men and women followed. One of the most
conspicuous performers was a young man in grimaldian costume, the
clothing being of modern woven material, having as adjuncts a small
bell at the outside of each knee, a string of bears' claws below each
knee, and three eagle (?) feathers hanging from between his shoulders.
Another was dressed somewhat less fantastically, his costume consist-
ing of a close-fitting cap, surmounted by a plume, a white over-dress
fastened round the waist with a red sash, trousers of dark serge, bound
on the outside seams and round the lower edges with white, a string of
bears' claws being tied below each knee, and he wore moccasins. He
took the leading part in the dance so far as position was concerned, for
he shuffled along at the head of the column, moving round the song-
bench, but the young man aforesaid made himself the most conspicu-
ous performer by his introduction of some " hoe -down " or colored
minstrel steps, a liberty which was not resented by any one, and which
tends to show that the power of tradition is weakening in the obser-
vance of such ceremonies, if it does not, indeed, prove that their old-
time sacredness has to some extent been displaced by a mere desire for
merrymaking, just as so many erstwhile holy -days among ourselves,
are now only holidays.
Both of the costumed, and two of the other male dancers had
their faces painted with vermilion.
123
Chief De-wuh-na-do'-gah ? (Tehayakwarayen — Hale)made a speech
at the close of this dance, as he did at the close of the several succeed-
ing ones, standing and beating time on the floor with a heavy walking-
stick.
A long speech came from David Key, standing on the south side
on one of the raised seats that run round the Longhouse, after which
came a dance, lasting nearly an hour.
The same two speakers once more addressed the people briefly,
and as each concluded there came from the audience a responsive
"Yoh!"
By this time the members present had increased to nearly fifty.
A large kettleful of corn soup had been brought in from the
shanty at an early stage of the proceedings, and this was now ladled
out in small tin pails, the owners of which having also been served
with bread handed round by attendants.
At ten o'clock the same night dance, song and speech were again
in order. As in^the afternoon, De-wuh-na do'-gah opened the proceed-
ings. His speech was a short one of only ten minutes. There were
but ten men and twelve women present at the opening. When the
chief concluded, all the women rose and took their places at the north-
east angle of the Longhouse, ranging themselves in line with the east
end and facing westward. A young man handed a horn-rattle to the
woman at the north end of the row. While the women were getting
into position, nine men seated themselves facing north on the high
back of a long bench, their feet resting on the seat proper. This bench
stood on the north side of the room, and near the west end.
The woman holding the rattle, after saying a few words, which
were responded to by the usual " Yoh !" sang a song in the low and
plaintive key they always use, the men joining at intervals. The
rattle was then passed from hand to hand, until she who was disposed
to sing, retained it for the time being. Most of those in the row were
of middle age, but in the group was a girl not more than fourteen
years of age, and when the rattle came to her she kept it and sang
very low and timidly, while the chiefs and warriors gave her unusual
encouragement by the frequency of their responses. When the last
woman had sung, the rattle was passed back to the first woman, who
handed it to the chief. He spoke briefly and then placed it in the
hands of his daughter, who had just entered and taken her place, not
far from himself, on the north side and between him and the row of
women. She sang in a stronger and clearer voice than any of the
others had done. De-wuh-na-do'-gah once more took the rattle
124
and placed it in the hands of a man nearest to him on the right
Before this man rose from his perch on the back of the bench, he took
off his hat as he stepped to the floor, where he sang in a very lively
manner, while some of the women clapped their hands in time with
the beat of his rattle, and the chief, himself, marked time on the floor
with his walking-stick, as, indeed, he had done during the singing of
all the women.
As the rattle passed westwards some of the other men also re-
mained at rest on the floor as they sang, but a few of them paced east
and west for a distance of about twelve feet in front of the others,
who accompanied the songs with"Huh-huh-huh-huh-he! huh.--hub.-he!''
The dances that followed were similar in every respect to those
already mentioned, and the proceedings came to a close about 2.80 the
following morning by the distribution of the regulation corn soup and
bread to all present.
On Tuesday forenoon, while I was at the house of Da-ha-wen-
nond-yeh, one of several messengers who were sent out. appeared to
announce that a Done-seeding, all-night dance would be held that night
at the Onoadaga Longhouse, only about a mile and a quarter from my
quarters at Da-ka-he-dond-yeh's, but as the roads were bad and rain
was falling heavily, I was unable to attend. I was assured that the
doings would be exactly like those I had already seen, but having been
so informed on other occasions, when I had afterwards observed some
varieties and a few entirely new features, I regret that I could not be
present at this Onondaga festival, the reference to which is mainly
made to show how short the notice sometimes is, and that the nations
do not hold their meetings in accordance with any rule as to time of
day or night.
GREEN CORN DANCE.
As the name of this dance would imply, it takes place in the early
fall, and is one of the chief festivals of the year. Three or four days
before it has been decided to hold this feast, the time of which is
regulated by the age of the moon as are the mid-winter and some
other feasts, two " runners " are appointed by the leaders of the Long-
house to notify the members of the " nation." These men set out
early in the morning from the house of Rariwenhaweh the Speaker,
each taking his own way, and both agreeing to meet after they have
performed their duties.
On entering a house the runner says, " The time has arrived for
us to thank Niyoh at the Longhouse. It is the ripening time of the
year. What the people have planted is now ready. Take all kinds
125
of food with you to the Longhouse as an offering to Niyoh. You
should go there in the morning. On that day the Speaker will tell
the people what all the proceedings mean. This is all I have to say."
After this six men are sent out to collect the best of everything
the people have (usually wearing apparel) as stakes for the peach-stone
game which will be referred to hereafter.
When the people have gathered at the Longhouse on the ap-
pointed day, the Speaker opens the proceedings by saying :
" Brothers, listen.
•
" I am the Speaker, and I will now tell you what our customs
are. I will say how pleasant it is to see so many here this morning.
Many of us have entered where we were shown the way, We are
looking at one another pleased to see so many at this gathering. I
will say that we should have heard before now if anything was going
wrong. If any of us are ill we now wish favors for them.
" We now, having our minds together, express our thanks for the
peacefulness that is amongst us here this morning.
" This is the number of words of thanks to ourselves.
" We thank the earth for all the things that grow for food, and
for all trees and shrubs of every kind. We see all these things grow
and they have a double use.*
" Kawen Niyoh made the streams for the earth's food. The trees,
the shrubs and all things planted by the people need water, and all of
living use the water in various ways.
" Now we are united in our minds in thanking Rawen Niyoh for
having made all these things for our use.
" Rawen Niyoh also though it would be well to have a number of
Thunderers. He gave them power to take care of the earth, He gave
them cold water to use in their work — this shall be as everlasting as
the people and the world. The Thunderers are at liberty to go among
the people when they please, carrying cold water ; and everything that
grows is pleased when the cold water is brought to the earth. They
are glad the Thunderers bring the cold water. Rawen Niyoh also
gave the Thnnderers to put down anything that might be unlucky to
the people.
" Now we all join our minds to thank Rawen Niyoh for having
done all these things for our good.
* The meaning of this is obscure, but it may refer to the use of plants for
medicinal purpose as well as for food.
126
" Rawen Niyoh made the sun to give us light by day. All people
are pleased with the sun. One day is sometimes shorter than another
and some days are warmer than others, and all these are pleasing to
the plants, the trees, and the crops of the people on earth. When
daylight is gone and darkness comes, the moon takes the place of the
sun in lighting the earth.
" Now we are united in our minds in giving thanks to Rawen
Niyoh for having made the sun and moon for our benefit.
" Rawen Niyoh also appointed four heavenly persons to support
us. This is pleasing to us. By day and by night they are watching
over us, to keep us away from bad luck and from every kind of harm.
This is very pleasing to us.
" Now we are joined in our minds to thank Rawen Niyoh for
appointing these four persons for our good.
" Rawen Niyoh has left us here and we are pleased that he has.
He has made us to move about with our bodies. He gave us life. He
gave us power to think. He gave us sight. He gave us hearing.
The people of the earth are made (modeled) after Rawen Niyoh.
" The number of us present at this gathering give thanks to
Niyoh who is above, for all the good he has done for us.
" This is all I have to say."
After a long pause he announces the day's proceedings, beginning
with the Green Corn Dance, after which the game of the dish and
peach stones is played.
THE PEACH STONE GAME.
It is only in connection with the Mid-winter and Fall Festivals
that the practice of public gambling is permitted. On these occasions
there is high revelry.
All the goods collected as stakes by the six men already men-
tioned, are piled in one or two heaps, the articles being tied or pinned
in pairs with some regard to their respective values or uses; thus,
there may be two silk neckties, two pair of moccasins, two shawls, or
two strings of onagorha (wampum) which is regarded as taking first
place at such times.
The " Old Men " * of the nation appoint two men — one from
* The Pagan Indians when supplying information make frequent mention of
the " Old Men," who are not, as would appear, any old men, but certain seniors,
who, either tacitly, or by arrangement are looked upon as sages. There are six of
them ; three represent the east end of the Longhouse and three the west.
The present "Old Men " are John Styres, Abraham Buck and James Vanevery for
the east, and Johnson Williams, Seneca Williams and Jacob Hill for the west.
Geutes are not taken into account.
127
each side of the Longhouse to call out the male players, and, similarly
two women for a like purpose.
A sheet is spread on the floor of the Longhouse, and in the middle
of this sheet rests the wooden bowl, about fourteen or sixteen inches
wide, and four to five deep, containing six peach stones rubbed down
to smooth surfaces and blackened on one side. Near the south edge
of the sheet is placed a vessel containing one hundred beans, from
which stock seven are taken by each of the men who act as callers.
When everything is ready the arrangement is as shown in the diagram ;
the players invariably sitting east and west
N
§88 ? § 8
:PZayer
xMan
Before the game is begun, all present are exhorted by the speaker
to keep their temper, to do everything fairly, and to phow no jealousy,
" because " says he, " the side that loses this time may be favored by
Niyoh the next time, and it will displease Him should there be any
bad feeling."
The first player takes the bowl by the edge with both hands
and after a few preliminary shakes in mid-air he strikes the bottom
sharply on the floor when the peach-stones rebound and fall back
within the dish.
Winning throws are of four kinds, all white, all black, one white,
or one black. All black or white means that the woman representing
the winner receives from him who represents the loser five beans, but
when only one white or one black bean shows face up, one bean is the
gain. If, however, any player makes three successive casts, winning
128
five each time, he is allowed fifteen additional beans, and similarly,
after three successive casts winning one each, he is allowed three more
beans.
As long as a player makes winning throws he keeps his place,
which, when he leaves is immediately taken by another — man or
woman. In this way the game is continued until one side wins all
the beans, and this may require only an hour or two, or it may take
two or three days.
While the play is going on, it is not to be understood that the
onlookers exemplify wrhat is known as Indian stoicism. Anything
but this. Excitement runs unusually high. Those on the side of the
player for the time being, encourage him with enthusiastically up-
roarious shouts of — " Jagon ! jagon ! jagon ! " Play ! play ! or Go on I
go on ! go on !, while the opponents yell with a sort of tremulous
derisiveness " Hee-aih ! hee-aih!" Nor is this all, for those on the
opposing side make faces and grimaces at each other, and give utter-
ance to all sorts of ridiculous and absurd things, hoping thus to dis-
tract the attention of their rivals, to discourage them, or in some other
way to induce loss.
The scene is utterly indescribable, and can be fully realized only
by those who have been present at a sale of wheat in the Chicago
Board of Trade room.
When all the beans have been won the ceremonial game is at an
end and the stakes are divided, each better getting his own article
along with the one attached to it.
Similar games may be played afterwards "just for fun," as often
as the people please.
The peach-stone game is one of the most popular gambling
exercises on the Reserve, and is often played among friends in each
others' houses. The Pagans religiously abstain from card-playing in
accordance, it may be remembered, with the injunctions of -Hoh-
shah-honh and Sose-a-wa, the immediate successors of Ska-ne-o-dy'-o,
both of whom taught that as this was a white man's device it must be
shunned.
FEAST OF THE SKELETON.
[The account of this feast was given to me by Dah ka-he-dond-yeh.]
After the harvest thanksgiving, the women of any clan have in
their hands the arrangements for, and the management of, a dance-
feast.
Selecting two men, who because of being chosen for this purpose
are called Ro-de-neh-ho'-rohn, meaning messengers "covered with
PLATE XVII. A.
Chief W. Henry and wife.
Chief Dyonwadon, Wm. Henry, Cayaga on both father and mother's side. His personal name is
O-ja-keh-teh. His wife is a Mohawk.
PLATE XVII. B.
House of Chief Dyonwadon, built of logs set upright. The only house of the kind on the Reserve,
and seldom seen anywhere.
PLATK XVIII.
Dancers at the Seneca Longhouse. Spring Sun Dance. 1898.
PLATE XVIII. B.
Yuh-stun-ra-gonh — Within the Stones— John Key (Tutelo). He was the last man who could speak the
Tutelo language. His Tutelo name is said to have been Nas-ta-bon, One Step. His
dress and other accessories were arranged for photographic purposes.
He died in the spring of 1898. One informant gave me
Key's name as Oo-stang-on — Below the
Rock, evidently another form of
Yuh-stun-ra-gonh.
129
skins," these are sent out to invite all who are desired to take part.
It is their duty also to collect food and clothing, after which the
women meet to receive their report, and to appoint a night for the
feast. The Ro-de-neh-ho'-rohn are again sent out to intimate the
time when the feast is to be held, and to inform ' all whom it may
concern ' of what is required in the form of eatables.
A speaker Rot-ka-sa-he-reh having also been chosen by the
women, it is his duty on the assembling of the guests to address
them on how they should live and conduct themselves.
Then the Yah-go-ge'-we, or Head woman, (appointed by consent
of all the other women) calls on a man to act as the singer of the
evening and hands him the drum. It is said that the ' minstrel ' is
quite unaware of the intended honor until he hears his name called
by the Yah-go-ge'-we, but as it must require exceptional skill and
ability to sing fifty or sixty songs, even such as these are, no doubt
the singer selected can scarcely be said to be surprised. The songs,
so-called, are simply repetitions of unmeaning syllables similar to our
" tra-la-la " or " fol-de-rol-de-ri-do," — indeed, not much more compli-
cated.
The singer seats himself at the middle of the song-bench, and
astride of it, tapping his drum and singing in unsion with the time
required by the dance. In the first dance only women take part, and
as a matter of course, in the usual way, by merely moving sidewise
with short and alternate shuffles of the heel and ball of the foot round
the bench.
At the close of this dance there is a short recess, and in the
dances that follow, men as well as women may take part. Other
singers may now assist.
The same songs are sung again, followed by another recess — then
another general dance, and if it is thought there is time to go through
the performance once more before daylight, well and good, but on the
approach of daylight the dance must cease.
At the close, the speaker thanks the Great Spirit for having kept
the people safe through the night. The men and women then form a
procession and march round the outside of the Longhouse, led by the
Yah-go-ge'-we and the Singer, each holding a flap of the drum. * On
* The drum is not more than six inches in either direction. One end is solid
wood. The other consists of a piece of thin leather stretched tightly by means of
a wooden hoop which is pressed over it and downwards until flush with the edge of
the drum. As the leather is not cut to fit exactly, an inch or more may be ex-
posed in two or three places under the lower edge of the hoop. These are the
' flaps ' here mentioned.
9 C.I.
130
reaching the door again after this march, she takes the drum, removes
the hoop, and puts the instrument away until it is again required for
a dance.
My informant added that the belief is that a dance of this kind in
spring would bring frost.
GENERAL OPENING ADDRESS.
All the ceremonial speeches are, as a matter of course, delivered by
rote, and as the opening address is of special importance by way of
showing us the trend of thought on festival occasions, it is here given
with a literal translation, in which one may easily discover the results
of Christian influence mingled with beliefs handed down from the days
when the Red Man's ancient faith had no rival.
Dewadadehken Sewadahonsadat,
Brothers, listen,
Da-onenh I-ih kariwayendahgwen ken-i-ken orhhonhkeneh on-
Now I am entrusted with the morning's
waderiwadendi ne ne wahy tsiniyoh songawih raonha ne ne Songway-
doings what is so given us by Him Maker of
adihson, ken-i-ken yaghdekagondeh deyondennonweronssek-keh,
our bodies this must be the time of giving thanks
onenh dohkah niyonwedakeh wa'ont kennissah.
now when people are gathered.
Yaghten deyongwaderiyendareh ohniyoh tsityonhenyon
We do not know how we live
ken-iken kadi karihonnih yendewarihwadihonthoh oriwah Songway-
this then reason we pull word Maker
adihson. Songwawih ne ne tsiyongwatkennison toka-nityon ohnay-
of our bodies. Given us — at our gathering several of us how
awenneh aondon skaneh ya-e-dewanen ne ne ongwanigonrah nok
to make it do together we place our minds and
oksa-ok da-e-dewadennonweradonh.
at once giye thanks.
131
Etho niyoh ne ne oriwah ne ne tsinonweh tsityotye rentdon
This is so of the word where first begun
deyondonnonwerons.
to give thanks.
Etho kadi nithotyeradon ne ne tsiyonhontsi-a-datyeh shegon
This is then the way the world, going on yet
skennon kadi dewennondonnyon.
peaceful we are thinking.
Etho Ra-onhakeh dyoyenhdaghgwenh Songwayadihsonh.
This is from him begun Maker of our bodies.
Songwat-kawennih agwegon tsinahaten kayen kentho
He gave to us all this is to be found here
onhwentsi-a-keh yongwanigonhriyostagwah. Agwah kananon
on earth pleasing to our minds. Really filled
nyadekarondakeh ne ne wadonnis kentho tsiyonhontsiyade, ne ne
all kinds of trees growing here on earth and
onih ne-niyogwirasah yodonnih ongwanonhgwah ne ne onih ohhon-
also the shrubs growing for our medicine and also the
dehogonh deyontnegondahgwah. Ra-onha royenthonh agwegon
grasses for drinking.* He planted all
ken-i-ken gondadewenniyoh yodonnih.
this natural and free growth.
Da-onenh nonwah ken-i-ken kayonhadenyon, ne ne onih tsi
Now then this streams and also
yohnawerodon etho nonweh ne ne ongwe yetshenriyes kahnigon-
springs that is where human kind finding pleasant
riyostagwenh. Raweyennowanenh Songwanoronhgwah yedewag-
minds. He, the Master-idea Our Maker loving us all,
*For making drinks.
132
wegonh ne-eh kadi ehthofcsih da-e-dewadennonweradonh tsinityon
and then there we give our thanks the number
kentho segon onhwentsiakeh tyonheh.
here yet (still) on earth living.
Da-onenh kadi oyah nonwah nikanigonroden yetsidewadihonthoh
Now then another kind of mind we will pull
ne ne tsiyadewatshothons Thonedaghgwen ronaderihondeh, ohnekanos
setting sun Believers their duty cold water
enhadihhawissekkeh ne ne oni onthontkaweh tsinonkadi ne ne onh wen-
carriers and also let go to where on
tsiakeh ohnayawenneh ne ne a'ondarihadeh agwegon tsinahoten
earth how to make warm all that is
deyodonhotyohonh ne ne ondeyaronh ken-i-ken ne ne. Royenthon
wanted full growth. He planted
Songwawenniyoh. Ongwe onih othenenh yagoyenthon ne ne ken-i-ken
Our ruler so human kinds also something planted this
ayagonhehgwenh skaneh kadi yedewadennigonrayenh deyethinon-
to live upon peacefully then place our minds to thank
weradonh ken-i-ken Dewatshothons Thonedaghgwen Yethisotha
them these Setting Sun Believers our grand-parents
Radiwerens.
the Thunderers.
Da-onenh kadi nonwah oyah nonwah nikanigonroden oriwiyoh
Now then another kind of mind sure word
yorihowanenh ken-i-ken ne ne Ra-onha ongwadadekenhah Dehoswa-
great He our Brother The
thedonh ne ne kentho onwhentsiakeh.
light here on earth.
133
Dewadennonweradonh yongwatshennonnih Tyongwehogonh
We give thanks our minds are pleased we people
dewanakereh tsiniwakatsdeh ne ne onwhentsia.
settled lasting age the earth.
Songwayadison katkeh onenh enhadatdih ehthoneh nonweh
Maker of our bodies when ? now speaks there on
enkayadendaghneh ken-i-ken ne ne Ronwarihondaghgwenh ne ne
will fall (cease) his official duty
ra-onha ne ne Karahgwah.
Him the sun.
Da-onenh kadi oyah nonwah ne ne toka katkehnonweh enyago
Now then another thing if at any time should
noronsseh ne ne a'onsayondatrewadeh ne ne ongweh ethoneh nonweh
fail to regret human kind that is
niwathawih denhadensdeh Tsidehhoswathedonh tsiniwehniseradenyonh
times will stay (stop) His light throughout the days
ne ne kadi aoriwah dewadennonweradonh segon ne ne Ra-onha
that is reason we give thanks yet He
Rohnigonhranironh nok ne ne I-ih non kadi orihwiyo hwahy tsi yong-
strong mind but I am sure ? that we
wenden esoh tyongwaseronnenhthah nok senhhakiok segon karag-
are poor much short comings and for all that yet Sun in
wareh ne ne entyehkeneh. Rawen Niyoh dehoswathededonh ken-
its place during the day He said so (God) giving light (so)
i-ken kadi watgwanonweradon.
this then we give our thanks.
Da-onenh oyanonwah ehnidah ahsenhonneh ne ne Roderihonda-
Now another moon by night His duty
134
hgwenh ne ne tsi thonigonriyo'onh ne ne Songwayadihson. Yagh
it was his pleasure Maker of our bodies No never
nonwenden ne ne deyongwaderiyendareh ohniyoh tsityonhenyonh.
time do we know how we live.
Ongwe yawedowanen tsinahoten en-yagodeniyendens kentho onhwen-
Human kind many are somewhat tempted here on
tsiakeh ne ne tsiyagodohetsdonhatyeh.
earth as they are passing.
Da-onenh oyanonwah katkeh toka onenh ne ne onwaderiwadendih
Now another when if now begin matter
Ra-onha Royaner Rayadagweniyoh ehtho niyoh ne ne tsiyongwadeni-
He Chief Master there so according to
seradenyon sewatyerens nene on-hwentsiakeh sakawisdohdehken-i-ken
our days sometimes on earth cold again
tyetgonh nonweh niwathawih wadoken enhs (thanon oneih wadokenh)
always times stated (and or also) too,
tsiniwat-hawi onenh sonhdarihadeh ehthoneh onenh wegondeyaronh
time passing now warm again then now grow up (ripen)
tsiok nahoten ne ne kayenthoseronh.
ever what is planted.
Awegon ne ne exaaogon onhwentsiokeh, ehtho non weh yagots-
All children on earth there are
hennonnih s'kanigonrah yagotsdon.
pleased one mind in use.
Da-onenh oyanonwah ne ne Gondironhyakerononh akdah
Now another angels they closer
tyonatgwidonh tsinonweh ne ne ongweh niyens kentho ne ne onhwen-
' moved where human kind travels here on
135
tsiakeh ne ne ohnayawenneh dosah a'onsayengwanigonrhenh Ra'onha-
earth how to manage not to forget in Him
keh tsinonkadih ne ne Song wanond ens ; yaghten kadi nenneh dayong-
in the matter of our Supporter ; no injury
wakarewaghte tsideyongwadawenryeh nok kih tyetgonh yonkinigon-
to us in our travels but ? always watching
rareh waghsendadenyon nok oni ne ne weniseradenyon ne ne ken-i-ken
over us by nights and also by days.
Rawen Niyoh sagorihondagwennih ne ne gondironhyakehrononh ehtho
He, God appointed these they the heavenly beings there
niyoreh nenwakatsdekeh tsikiniyoreh ne ne niwakatsdeh ne ne
so much everlasting so many to the end of the
onhwentsia.
earth.
Ehtho oni nenyohdenhakeh tsiniyoreh denthadadih Ra'onha nene
There also shall be such not until (He) speaks again He
Songwayadihson. Ne ne kadi tyetgon yayongwadenhnigonragwenoni-
Maker of our bodies always should be united in our minds
hakeh tsinityonh ne ne yonhwentsiagwegonh segon yongwadadenronh
member of us all over the earth yet are left
s'kennenh s'kaneh deyongwadennonweradonh ken-i-ken niyengwari-
pleased together we are giving thanks according to
hoten Ra'onhakeh nonkadi Songwayadihsonh Songwayrih wa wih-
our custom from Him Maker of our bodies He gave us.
Ethe ni ka wen na ke.
That is all 1 have to say.
THE CHILDREN'S NEW YEAR TREAT.
On New Year morning boys and girls in small parties go from
house to house saluting the inmates with " Nuh Yahr" (an evident
corruption of " New Year ") in expectation of something toothsome,
and they are usually treated to cakes and candies provided for the
136
purpose. Calls of this kind must be made before noon, after which
the older people don't care to be bothered, and refuse any substantial
return for the youngsters' salutation.
Nephews and nieces call on their uncles and aunts, and grand-
children on their grand-parents, who, in expectation of the visits, pro-
vide as gifts small human-shaped figures of baked flour sweetened and
mixed with currants, or otherwise seasoned. Such gifts are highly
esteemed by the recipients as something peculiarly indicative of blood
relationship. Children who are so treated get nothing else.
[From Dah-ha-he-dond-yeh. (Trees in a row.)]
This is rather a Christian than a Pagan custom, but it gives us
a glimpse of society on the Reserve.
THE WORD "NIYOH."
The derivation of the Iroquois word for God — Niyoh, pronounced
nee-yoh, or nee-o, with a much prolonged and emphasized e, has long been
a matter of dispute. Schoolcraft and others since his time have claimed
for the ancient Indian, on the basis of this word, a once well-established
monotheistic belief, but as it is now generally conceded that prior to
contact with the white man no North American Indian professed to
believe in a Great Spirit, although he certainly did acknowledge a host
of spirits, it is evident that the accepted word for God must either be
an old word with a new or modified meaning, or else a totally new
word — one coined for the occasion.
In the Book of Rites, note B, p. 176, Hale has quoted approvingly
from that eminent authority, M. Cuoq (who died this summer, 1898,)
showing that the word Rawenniio signifies " He who is Master," and
Mr. Hale suggests the probability of the word having been derived
from kawen or gawen, meaning " to belong to anyone." But while it
would be imprudent to take issue with such authorities, it may be
pointed out that in a case of this kind, the change from kawen to
rawen is not a likely one, and that, moreover, a more probable root
exists in niyohwen, or niyahwen, meaning " thanks " for we know
that the spirit of gratitude enters largely into Iroquoian ceremonial
addresses, forming indeed, the chief part of them. If, as is pointed
out in the note referred to, the termination iyo, iio, or eeyo had origin-
inally the sense of " great," M. Cuoq's line of reasoning would force us
to the conclusion that only the adjectival part of rawenniio remains
with the introductory nasal, although no reason is afforded at the
outset for the spelling of rawenniio with two n's, one of which is quite
unnecessary if the word be derived from kawen or gawen, as he
supposes.
137
An easier and more likely, because more natural derivation might
be found in the Iroquoian phonic equivalent niyoh, or niyah, in com-
mon use adverbially. Having pointed this out to Mr. Brant-Sero he
has supplied the following illustrations : — O ni yoh ? How so, or how
is it so ? 0 ni yoh sa nis ten ha ? How (so) is your mother ? Oh hon
don eh ni yoh ; first, or previously so. Wah ki ron kenh ni yoh ; I
said it was so. From these examples we observe that the word is used
to signify fact, truth, condition, existence; all shades of one meaning,
from which it might be argued that it would not be difficult to see
how niyoh might come to signify the great truth, the supreme exist-
ence, the Great Spirit, in which case it would be closely analagous to
the ancient Jewish " I am," but no doubt the objection would be at
once raised that such an adaptation involves more abstract reasoning
than the Indian usually employs.
But Dr. D. G. Brinton throws discredit on all attempts to trace
the derivation of the word from an Indian source. In his his Myths
of the New World, 3rd edition, p. 70, he writes : — " The supreme Iro-
quois deity Neo or Haweneu, triumphantly adduced by many writers
to show the monotheism underlying the native creeds, and upon whose
name Mr. Schoolcraft has built some philological reveries, turns out on
closer scrutiny to be the result of Christian instruction, and the words
themselves to be corruptions of the French Dieu, and le bon Dieu !"
In a foot-note to the foregoing, Dr. Brinton adds, " Mr. Morgan in his
excellent work, The League of the Iroquois, has been led astray by an
ignorance of the etymology of these terms. . . . Mr. J. N. B. Hewitt
offers a less probable etymology, Great Voice, refering to the thunder."
PAGAN HELL.*
Beautiful Lake's ideas respecting hell were as peculiar as they
were homosopathic, for " at one time" So-se"-ha-wa declared, "the four
messengers said to Beautiful Lake, ' lest the people should disbelieve
you, and not repent and forsake their evil ways, we will now disclose
to you the House of Torment, the dwelling place of the evil-minded.'
Beautiful Lake was particular in describing to us, all that he had
witnessed, and the course which departed spirits were accustomed to
take on leaving the earth. There was a road which led upwards, at
a certain point it branched ; one branch led straight forward to the
home of the Great Spirit, and the other turned aside to the House of
Torment. At the place where the roads separated were stationed two
keepers, one representing the Good, and the other the Evil Spirit.
*See foot note p. 73.
138
When a person reached the fork, if wicked, by a motion from the evil
keeper, he turned instinctively upon the road which led to the abode
of the evil-minded. But if virtuous and good, the other keeper
directed him upon the straight road. The latter was not much
travelled, while the former was so frequently trodden, that no grass
could grow in the pathway. It sometimes happened that the keepers
had great difficulty in deciding which path the person should take,
when the good and bad actions of the individual were nearly balanced.
Those sent to the House of Torment sometimes remain one day (which
is there one of our years). Some for a longer period. After they
have atoned for their sins they pass to heaven. But when they have
committed either of the great sins (witchcraft, murder and infanticide),
they never pass to heaven, but are tormented for ever."
So far, the reader will have no difficulty in tracing Christian
influences at every step, but in what follows there is a little more
originality, with a touch of the old time wizard's wand.
" Having conducted Beautiful Lake to this place, he saw a large
and dark-colored mansion covered with soot, and beside it a lesser one.
One of the four then held out his rod, and the top of the house moved
up, until they could look down upon all that was within. He saw
many rooms. The first object which met his eye was a haggard-
looking man ; his sunken eyes cast upon the ground, and his form
half consumed by the torments he had undergone. This was a
drunkard. The evil-minded then appeared and called him by name.
As the man obeyed the call, he dipped from a caldron a quantity of
red-hot liquid and commanded him to drink it, as it was an article he
loved. The man did as he was directed, and immediately from his
mouth issued a stream of blaze. He cried in vain for help. The
Tormentor then requested him to sing and make himself merry, as
was his wont while on the earth, after drinking the fire-water. Let
drunkards take warning from this. Others were then summoned.
There came before him two persons, who appeared to be husband and
wife. He told them to exercise the privilege they were so fond of
while on the earth. They immediately commenced a quarrel of words.
They raged at each other with such violence that their tongues and
eyes ran out so far they could neither see nor speak. This said they
(the Four Persons) is the punishment of quarrelsome and disputing
husbands and wives.
Next he called upon a woman who had been a witch. First he
plunged her into a caldron of boiling liquid. In her cries of distress,
she begged the Evil-minded to give her some cooler place. He then
139
immersed her in one containing liquid at the point of freezing. Her
cries then were that she was too cold. ' This woman," said the Four
Messengers, ' shall always be tormented in this manner.' . . . The
Evil-minded next called up a man who had been accustomed to beat
his wife. Having led him up to a red-hot statue of a female, he
directed him to do that which he was fond of while he was upon the
earth. He obeyed, and struck the figure. The sparks flew in every
direction, and by the contact his arm was consumed. Such is the
treatment, they, said awaiting those who ill-treat their wives. . . .
He looked again and saw a woman whose arms and hands were noth-
ing but bones. She had sold fire-water to the Indians, and the flesh
was eaten from the hands and arms. This, they said, would be the
fate of rum sellers.
Again he looked, and in one apartment he saw Ho-ne-ya'-wus
(Farmer's Brother) his former friend. He was engaged in removing a
heap of sand, grain by grain ; and although he labored continually,
yet the heap of sand was not diminished. This, they said, was the
punishment of those who sold land.
Adjacent to the House of Torment was a field of corn filled with
weeds. He saw women in the act of cutting them down ; but as fast
as this was done, they grew up again. This, they said, was the
punishment of lazy women." *
The infliction of such penalties is quite as reasonable as is that of
those we read of in classic and other mythology — indeed, some of the
above are, in a way, suggestive of Midas, Tantalus and Sisyphus, but
they are no doubt of purely native origin.
SPKAYING OF HEADS.
On the occasion of public festivities, members young or old, male
or female, of any gens desiring to guard against primary disease, or to
prevent the occurrence of any maladies with which they have already
been afflicted, make known their wishes to the head-man, or master of
ceremonies, for the time being. As the head-man for the year is
appointed by the assembled women, alternately from the Two Brothers'
and the Four Brothers' ends of the Longhouse, it is his duty to state
the case to those on the opposite side "f one of whom makes a suitable
reply.
* Morgan's League of the Iroquois, pp. 252-5.
t The terms •' opposite side " and " opposite end" as applied to the Longhouse
are equivalent.
140
Preliminaries having been settled, the persons who wish to be
sprayed take their seats, facing outwards, with bowed heads, on the
end of the song-bench in the middle of the Longhouse, but in no wise
interfering with the performers, who handle the drum and rattle as
they sit astride of the bench, near the middle, and facing each other.
The sprayer, who may be a man or a woman, a boy or a girl, is
supplied with a vessel (those I saw used were small tin cans) contain-
ing water sweetened with sugar and the juice of blackberries or of
huckleberries, which preparation must be made by the person who is
to be charmed. The operator first pours from the vessel into a cup, or
into the lid of the can, a small quantity of the mixture, which he takes
into his mouth, and immediately ejects in the form of fine spray on the
bowed head of the person desirous of his good services. A second time
he pours some of the liquid into the cup, and this portion he holds to
the mouth of the charmed one who quaffs it; then replenishing the cup
for a third time he drinks himself.
Although this appears to be all that is required to complete the
charming process, I observed that in many instances two or more, (in
one case six) persons sprayed a single head, and as the would-be-
charmed one did not supply so many charmers with the spraying pre-
paration, one or more of the latter must have contributed their ser-
vices in a complimentary way.
It was also noticed that there was no apparent rule as to age or
sex on the part of the sprayers and the sprayed. Men sprayed women,
girls and boys ; and these, in like manner, sprayed one another as well
as men.
As the dancers were usually moving round the song-bench while
the spraying ceremony was going on, some of them paused to take a
drink of the ceremonial liquor from the ceremonial cup, but this, I was
told, was an abuse that would not have been tolerated some years ago.
One informant stated that the composition of the liquid was on
account of the bear's well-known fondness for sweets and fruit.
Another told me that the ceremony should be performed during
or in connection with, the bear- dance only, but I saw it done several
times when other dances were going on, and even when there was no
dance at all. The present custom may thus be an illustration of lapse
from former ceremonial rigidity.
From another I learned that the bear possesses the mysterious
power of making an Indian see ghosts (though by what means I could
not learn) and that the spraying ceremony is intended, or was intended
to keep the bear in good humor.
141
A fourth mentor stated that the breathing out, that is the spray-
ing, or blowing, implies force or power, in the sense of driving away
evil influences, or the spirits that cause disease.
In any event, it seems plain that the practice is one that has been
transmitted from the time when the medicine man was in all his glory.
In the Jesuit Relations several references are made to the practice
of blowing, or breathing on sick persons. The following quotations
show that if blowing was not identical with spraying, as I have called
it, there is at any rate a good deal of similiarity. If the latter is not
an actual survival of the former, it would seem to be a modification
of it.
"A juggler," says Lalemant, " seeing the child's distress, promised
the father that if he would allow him to beat his drum and breath
upon his son, he would cure him in a little while."*
" Therefore God, who often employs the sins of men as instru-
ments to punish them, permitted that, on account of a medicine man
blowing upon her and giving her some potion, she should not be effect-
ively urged to accept Baptism.. "f
The following year Le Jeune writes, " The Sorcerers and Jugglers
have lost so much of their credit that they no longer blow upon any sick
person, nor beat their drums, except, perhaps, at night, or in isolated
places, but no longer in our presence. "J
"It happened . . . that a Sorcerer or Juggler was breathing
on a sick person at about ten o'clock at night, because he dared not do
it in the daytime."§
"I have often said that the name ' Sorcerer' is given here to cer-
tain Jugglers or charlatans who engage in singing, blowing upon the
sick, consulting Devils, and killing men by their charms."1F
" A Captain [chief] had some ask him [a sorcerer named Paga-
ronich] to blow upon a sick man, offering him a large porcelain collar." ||
There would appear to be some virtue connected with merely
taking into the mouth and then ejecting. Le Jeune writes of what
happened on February 4th, 1637, says : " At this time we had an
amusing encounter ; upon carrying some broth to a sick woman, we
found the Physician there. He is one of the most dignified and
*Belation of 1647, Cleveland ed., vol. 31, p. 227. See also p. 225.
+ Le Jeune's Relation, 1637, vol. 13, p. 137, Cleveland ed.
J Le Jeune's Relation, 1637-38, vol 14, p. 223 " "
§ Letter to Father Le Jeune from Three Rivers. Relations des Jesuites, Cleve-
land ed., vol. 16, p. 55.
T Same vol. 149.
1 1 Same vol., p. 157.
142
serious Savages that I have seen. He took the broth, looked at it,
and then drew out a certain powder that he had in a bag ; he put
some of it in his mouth, spat it out upon the broth, and then choosing
the best of it, made the patient eat."
J. O. Dorsey, in his chapter on Jugglery, in " A Study of Siouan
Cults," says, that " Gahige-wadayifiga used to stab himself with an
arrow-point, causing the blood to spurt from his left shoulder as
he danced. The other skamans used to spurt water on his back from
their mouths . . . When they finished no wound could be found. "
The Rev. A. G. Morice supplies an illustration of " blowing "among
his people and gives ns the belief entertained in connection with the
custom. He writes : —
" As they (the Carriers)^ are about to set fire to the pile of wood
on which a corpse is laid, a relation of the deceased person stands at
his feet and asks him if he will ever come back among them. Then the
priest or magician with a grave countenance, stands at the head of
the corpse and looks through both his hands on its naked breast, and
then raises them towards heaven, and blows through them, as they
say, the soul of the deceased, that it may go and find and enter into a
relative."
DREAM INTERPRETATION.
During the performance of the dances in the New Year's celebra-
tion, a small group of men, each night, on the north side of the Long-
house, and opposite the song-bench, discussed very earnestly the
interpretation of certain dreams, respecting the meaning of which the
dreamers were in doubt, for it appears that the members of the Pagan
community have nearly or quite as much faith in communications of
this kind as we know their forefathers had centuries ago,| and as not
a few white Christian people still entertain.
As explained to me, the so-called interpretaton has a strong
family resemblance to some of our boyhood's guessing games.
* In Dr. Franz Boaz's voluminous treatise on the Kwakiutl Indians, in the
Smithsonian Report for 1895, page 569, it is mentioned that a 'chief speaker'
at the Winter Ceremonial celebrations of the Kwakiutl at Fort Rupert, sung a
secret society song, using these words : —
" I tried to tame them ... by the power of magic my friends;
I blew water upon them to tame them my friends."
t The Carriers are a branch of,the Dene stock in northern British Columbia.
| "The Savages have no stronger belief than in dreams. They are their
orders which they obey as a soverign Divinity." Jesuit Relations, vol. 22, p. 227.
143
A. dreams and tells his dream to B. B. then proceeds to interro-
gate C. who is entitled to know at the outset whether the object in
question is a living or a dead one. With the assistance of friends
who may be interested, or who may simply join for amusement, the
guessing goes on. When, in course of time, the name of the article
has been hit upon, the interpreter decides as to the meaning of the
dream, and what action, if any, should be taken by the dreamer.
For example, should a member of the Deer clan dream something
in which one of the Turtle clan, a boy, a bow, or a sled and an
accident are involved, the decision may be that the dreamer shall
present the child with a bow, or a hand-sleigh.
Unsatisfactory as is the method and purely arbitrary as the
decision may be, the one is quite as philosophical, and the other likely
to be even more logical than the so-called reasonings, and truly absurd
conclusions of dream-slaves among ourselves.
IEOQUOIS MUSIC.
The dance-songs and ceremonial chants of the Indians strike the
unaccustomed ear as wails or weird recitatives. As a non-musical
authority, I would say they are pitched in minor key, resembling in
passages songs and lullabies of the Scottish Highlands. One of the
former as sung by the women, struck me as bearing a strong resem-
blance to a familiar cradle-song.
They appear to be of simple construction, reaching neither very
high nor very low notes, but at times becoming modified in such an
unusual way as to be difficult of imitation by any but Indians.
The beat of the tiny drum, or of the gourd or turtle-rattle, is not
in time with the vocal utterances, and when dances accompany the
songs, the " trip " is taken from the former, in unison with the " Heh !
heh ! heh's !" or the " Hoh-huh-heh-hoh-huh-heh's " of the chorus.
Another peculiar feature of these performances is the sudden way
in which they are terminated. There is no previous downward tend-
ing of the voice to indicate that the conclusion is near — the music
simply stops in many instances as if the singers had been abruptly
interrupted in the middle of a note, and this is followed by a general
whoop, as has been pointed out when describing the Mid-Winter
Festival.
It may be guessed that the tone of the songs does not, to white
ears, carry with it the impression of joyousness. At least I have
not heard any that might be so characterized. Occasionally when the
144
dance becomes " fast and furious " in accordance with increased rapid-
ity and volume of utterance on the part of the singers as well as of
the dancers themselves, smiles may play briefly over some of the coun-
tenances, but this is rather because of the exhilaration arising from tlie
vigorousness of the performance, than on account of any musical spirit
in the composition.
The desirability of securing as correct records as possible of the
Iroquois musical notation, having been recognized by Dr. Ross, Minis-
ter of Education, I was authorized by him to bring to Toronto Ka-nis-
han-don, who for several alternate years has acted as head-man of the
ceremonies in the Seneca Longhouse, that some, at least, of the princi-
pal songs might be dictated to a musical expert; and we may regard it
as a peculiarly fortunate circumstance that we were able to secure
the extremely valuable services of Mr. Alexander T. Cringan, musical
superintendent of Toronto Public Schools, to interpret and record
Ka-nis-han-don's utterances. As Mr. Cringan entered sympathetically
into the spirit of the work, and as our Indian dictator did everything
in his power to furnish the notes, it may be assumed that the versions
appended to Mr. Cringan's report are as nearly correct as possible.
Subjoined is Mr. Cringan's statement:—
" The music of primitive races presents a field for investigation of
deep interest to the musical student. Much has been written of the
music of the Chinese, Hindoo, Negro, Japanese and Celtic races, but;
of the music of the North American Indians, reliable information has
been exceedingly difficult to obtain. With the exception of the Negro
all of the races mentioned have a musical literature, notation, system
of musical theory, and variety of musical instruments which have
descended from their progenitors of hundreds and even thousands of
years ago. With the Indians of North America the case is entirely
different. They are possessed of no musical literature, their songs
have been handed down through countless generations by tradition
and without the assistance of musical notation in any form, while
their musical instruments are of the most primitive character. The
folk-songs of any people must of necessity partake largely of the
national character of the people themselves. In them are portrayed
the emotions, aspirations and feelings by which they are dominated.
In the folk songs of the Indians we have a musical picture of the his-
tory of their race intensely interesting and instructive. It must not
for a moment be supposed that the melodies as here given are exactly
the same as when they were first launched into the life of the primi-
tive people of the forest. The form in which they first appeared can
145
never be known. Whatever it may have been at its birth its trans-
mission from generation to generation through centuries must have
been accompanied by many modifications consequent on the varied
individualities through whom the transmission has been made. The
form in which they now appear must be accepted as the cumulative
result of the many additions, modifications and influences of the various
generations through which they have passed.
"The attempt to represent such melodies through the medium of
modern musical notation has been attended with a certain amount of
difficulty. In most cases the tonality was somewhat uncertain on
account of the numerous grace -notes by which the melodies were
ornamented. In addition to this, rhythmic accent can scarcely be said
to exist in the melodies as sung by a native performer. Some of the
songs are sung to the accompaniment of a rattle made from the com-
plete shell of a turtle in which a number of cherry stones or grains of
Indian corn are enclosed and, strange as the effect may seem to musical
ears, this rhythmic accompaniment has absolutely no connection with
the rhythm of the melody. The rate of movement in the melody may
be accelerated or retarded but that of the accompaniment remains con-
stant throughout. These conditions made it exceedingly difficult to
determine the nature of the rhythm until it had been repeated several
times. However, Ka-nis-han-don, who sang the melodies for me was
very patient and obliging, and seemed to be determined that nothing
should be lacking on his part which would assist in securing a correct
notation of his native melodies.
" The general impression conveyed by the various melodies is that
they are based on the Pentatonic Scale employed by the ancient
Chinese, Japanese, Hindoos and Celts. As its name implies, this scale
consists of five tones only. It may be represented by the black keys
of the pianoforte, from which it will be observed that the fourth and
seventh tones of the modern diatonic major scales are absent. Mr. J.
Muir Wood of Glasgow has drawn attention to the fact that this scale
may be played on any purely diatonic instrument at three different
pitches by commencing on C., F. or G. This fact has been used in
explanation of the employment of the pentatonic scale in all of the
ancient Scottish folk-songs which remain unaffected by modern influ-
ence. The Iroquois Indians somstimes employ a very primitive
instrument resembling the ancient flute-a-bec which produces only the
tones of the diatonic scale. It is made of two pieces of wood hollowed
throughout their entire length and bound together in the form of a
10 C.I.
146
cylindrical tube by means of cords. The opening at the upper end is
much smaller than that of the lower, being about one-fourth of an
inch in diameter. The tone is produced by blowing into the upper
end, the stream of air being projected upon the thin wedge-shaped
edge of an opening about three inches from the upper end, as in the
organ pipe or the well-known penny whistle. While the general
impression of the melodies is that they are based on the pentatonic
scale, in common with those of the ancient races already mentioned,
they contain many evidences of the influence of a more modern
tonality. At this there need be no surprise when it is considered that
the Iroquois have for years been accustomed to mingle with the
whites by whom they are surrounded, and that in their reserves they
have brass bands which play, not native Indian music, but the music
in common use among similar bands throughout civilized Europe and
A.merica. It must naturally follow that a people who have assim-
ilated much of the dress, habits and customs of their white fellowmen
cannot fail to have been influenced by the music with which they have
been brought into contact. In this manner many of the phrases,
which undoubtedly belong to the music of the whites, may have been
assimilated, consciously or unconsciously, until they have become so
closely associated with the music of the Indians as to be accepted by
them as belonging to their traditional melodies. In this respect the
melodies may be considered as mirroring the history of the people
themselves. Previous to the advent of the whites the Indian lived
exactly as his forefathers had done for centuries, but now he has
adopted many of the habits and customs of his conquerors and some
of his own have become mere traditions.
PIGMY SONG.
Andante.
147
In the Pigmy Song the evidences of modern influence are pro-
bably more marked than in any of the others. At the commencement
the tonality is very uncertain, as it might, at first hearing, be assumed
to be in G. major. The C. sharp, however, is merely an auxiliary
note which is cancelled by the C. natural in the third measure. The
F. sharp introduced towards the close clearly gave the impression of a
modulation to the dominant when sung by Ka-nis-han-don. The
sudden ending on the half -beat is decidedly striking. This I am in-
formed is characteristic of many of the Indian melodies.
BIG FEATHER DANCE SONG.
Allegro, f*
_p^__&=q=i:fci=&
_, N_ . m I m
£— i— <*-=M— ^-p-f-^— ^-H=P=^-JH=
^— *— 1-«— *— ^-bi-4^i 2-CM :L-*-:T
~ * r^" I I i I I »j ' — "* i — i— -—
f
glisse.
In the Big Feather Dance we have a melody based on the penta-
tonic scale of D. minor from which the notes B. flat and E. are neces-
sarily absent. The complete absence of the F. is an interesting feature
of the melody which reduces the number of notes actually employed
to four. The upper G. at the close gives a merely approximate repre-
sentation of what was sung. This was a whoop which commenced on
the note indicated and ended in a glide downwards of very indefinite
length.
148
BEAR DANCE SONG.
Allegro.
— j ii.-i — i
_*_«_£=St — *•—
--=j=-=
«i !Tj
9
The Bear Dance Song contains many interesting points, among
which are the leap of an augmented fourth in the first measure and
the introduction of the F. sharp in the seventh measure with a repeti-
tion of the same phrase at the close. The latter clearly suggests the
key of G. minor although the third of that scale is absent.
SONG OF THE WHITE DOG.
Adagio.
The Song of the White Dog contains every note of the modern
scale of E. flat but the fourth. The augmented second in the tenth
measure adds to the weird effect of the melody which is among the
149
most interesting of the collection. The tonality is variable being
sometimes in E. flat, but more frequently in C. minor. The abrupt
ending on the half-measure is another instance of this characteristic
close.
Allegro.
PIGEON DANCE SONG.
= 3==
*rP — m — ~l 9 » p*
i
i.|L=^^— faCTg+Q-^ig
— I — ^^d — "^ J~l~~ ~b — ^~
In the Pigeon Dance Song we have a melody in which the tonality
closely resembles that of modern compositions. Commencing in A.
flat major, it modulates to F. minor for two measures and returns to
the original key. The fourth of the key, however, is never present,
indicating that the influence of the old pentatonic scale remains too
strong to be easily overcome.
GEEEN COEN DANCE SONG.
Allegro.
^mwcurr/t ^^
The Green Corn Dance Song is among the most ancient known
to the Iroquois. It contains four notes only of the key of F. minor.
150
The yncopated rhythm in the fourth measure is a marked character-
istic of Indian melodies, which may be observed in other numbers of
the collection.
WOMEN'S DANCE SONG.
Andante.
glisse.
The Women's Dance Song, although short, contains several very
interesting points, notably the A flat in the second measure suggesting
a modulation to the sub-dominant, closely followed by the E natural
which causes the close to be in the key of the dominant. The ending
cannot be expressed by musical notation. It is a characteristic Indian
grunt commencing on F and gliding down to B flat approximately.
WAE DANCE SONG.
Adagio.
/TS
The title of the War Dance Song would naturally suggest a
melody of a much bolder type than it proves to be. It is sung very
slowly, the rhythm is interrupted by several pauses and it ends so low
in pitch as to be almost pathetic in character. In it we have all the
tones of the scale of D minor with the exception of the seventh. The
minor third is, for the first time, especially prominent.
151
FALSE-FACE DANCE.
rr , \s -» A 2 : "jm 9 I I
The Song of the False Face Dance is in the favorite key of F
minor and presents a new point of interest in the repetition of a
phrase of six measures. This repetition is carried on ad libitum to
the close of the dance, which is embellished by the addition of two
wild grunts running through the entire scale.
FISH DANCE SONG.
glisse. glisse.
The Fish Dance Song contains another instance of six measure
rhythm followed by the double grunt or whoop at the close.
152
SCATTERING ASHES.
Andante.
n t. k.
V i 1
• -
P i
/ \J»i
m _J La
* • J
rr\v ,<«
22
*^
a J
i
* * * * * *
In Scattering of Ashes Song the tonality is clearly that of the
pentatonic scale on C. The only tone which is foreign to that scale is
the F natural in the fourth measure, but this may have been E as the
intonation was somewhat uncertain. It bears a strong resemblance to
some of the traditional melodies native to the Highlands of Scotland,
especially in the effect of the close on the interval of a minor third.
GOD SONG.
Adagio.
— I ^1 1 — « « J.
-t— '-'
^g
ts=
q±g=f-^--f3^_^-^_-i
-P4—I y— i U-R i — i 1
^_J. E— ' ^-"-i i^—l !
*—-
The rhythm of the God Song is more regular than is to be found
in the other melodies showing traces of modern influences, but the
tonality is distinctly that of the pentatonic scale of B flat the fourth
153
and seventh being absent. The abrupt ending of the phrase on the
third measure is very striking. A marked peculiarity of this melody
is the repetition of this effect at the unusual distance of five measures.
SKIN DANCE SONG.
Allegro.
"The Skin Dance Song opens with a phrase of five measures which
is repeated after the intervention of another of similar length. To
ears accustomed to the more usual rhythm of four measures employed
in modern music this produces a most peculiar effect. The pentatonic
scale is adhered to throughout and the melody ends with characteristic
abruptness on the second degree of the scale."
A friend has supplied copies of two songs — music and words, as
sung by the Iroquois in New York state, but I have Mr. Cringan's
authority for the statement that they are not quite correctly taken
down. These will be found on the following page
SONG-WORDS.
It has already been mentioned that among the Indians as among
primitive folk in other parts of the world, song-words have in many
cases lost their meaning. This may be accounted for in several ways.
If the songs originated among the ancestors of those who sing them,
change of language alone in the course of a few generations — certainly
during a century or two — would render some of the words meaning-
less. Once the chain of significance is broken, general confusion
ensues, for where there are no connected ideas articulate utterance
possesses little value. Or, it may be, that the words have become obso-
lete on account of changed environment, and are retained in the song
simply because of their association with the music, or because it has been
customary to use certain words on certain occasions. Again, the songs
154
WOMEN'S DANCE SONG.
With spirit.
3e 3^^±33^3^
Ha noh ne yoh ye noh ha no we yoh no ne yoh
z=q==q=:3d=5=±—: -n-Vr-i -r-f
^E^E=8ti ^=^=3=13=33^^3
ha no ne yoh no ne yoh ne yah ha no ne
yoh ha yah ye no ha ye
no ne yoh
repeat.
no ya
ne ye yoh ne yoh yah ne yah
~T T s. iTn
1^ ! [> 1
yah he he yoh ye yah ne yoh yah yoh.
HARVEST DANCE SONG.
Lively.
:=2=pc= i=a=.— q:=i=^iii-=iq=qiz: =^^=
— •; 1 4 1 p — _ 1 • — _ J 1 1 1
~— -— L-I — g- — ^— ^
Ho soh kwa we ne yoh hah
yoh ho ho ho hah-ah yoh hah-ah yo hah-ah hah-ha
repeat. repeat. force.
soh kwa we ne yoh soh kwa we ne hah yoh hoh !
155
may have been borrowed from another people, or in some way adapted
by the adopters simply on account of their jingle, or because the accom-
panying dance was an expressive one — in any event the words would
soon become sounds only. We need not travel far afield to find examples
of all these, i'or they occur in our own nursery and countmg-out
rhymes, and perhaps, too, in some of the refrains or burdens of old
ballads and lyric poetry.
The examples that follow were dictated by Kanishondon (who
has sung those ceremonial songs at the feasts for several years and who
was brought to Toronto for this purpose) and were put in writing by
Mr. Brant-Sero, (who has also, in some cases, given what he takes to
be the meaning) so that we may regard them as being substantially
correct, although, from what has been said, it will readily be under-
stood that no two singers are likely to follow each other closely in
" words " any more than in music.
Bear Dance Song.
"We ha hi yo ha
We ha hi yo o ho
Whe ha hi yo o ho
I am moving along a road, although
•ITTU u u- i, you may think there is none.
Whe ha hi yo o ho J
Whe ha hi yo o ho".
Skin Dance Song.
" Yo ne wah kyia ha ho ken ni wa ka yoh,
Hyia ne wa hyia ha ho ken ni wa ka yoh,
He ken, ho ken ni wa ha hoh !
Hyia ya ne wa hyia yo ken,
Ho ken ha yoh ! ',
Speaks of the world's uncertainty without Ha wen Niyoh's appro-
val— nothing is made to remain.
Pigmy Dance Song.
"Wen nen go hi ah."l
Sing this six times and I Meaning of the words
conclude with:— j not known.
"Wen nen goh!"
156
Opening White Dog Song.
" Gwe a no o de-e hyia ye-e ka no.
Give a no o de-e hyia ye-e ka no,
Hyia e ka no.
Go na wen se, hyia ye-e
Ka don hyia e e
Hyia e ka no."
I now take my place here. The doings are as I have wished. I
am glad I see you here.
War Dance Song.
" Hi yo ya we ho hi yo ya we ho hi
Ye wi ye e ye ya.
Hi ya we ho hi ye hya we ho o
Hi i ya hyia we ho wi ya ya ya
We ho hi ya we hyia ya ya ya !"
I know what I behold in nature — I know and care not whether I
do wrong, or whether some one else does the wrong.*
Scattering of Ashes Song.
" Ni ya we ni ya we ha ne ne ya we ha
Ni ya we ni ya we ha ni ya
We ne ni ya we ne ye ya we ne eh."
I am walking according to the wish of Rawen Niyoh.
Whether these examples be absolutely correct in respect of their
native form, or even approximately so with regard to their meaning,
they, at any rate, serve to illustrate the extreme simplicity of Iroquois
songs, and we have no reason to surmise that there has been any
deterioration as to length or complexity during the historic period.
The accounts given us by early missionaries and travellers lead us to
suppose that from two hundred to three hundred years ago the dance-
songs were much like those in use among the present day Pagans —
simple, brief repetitions; no connected recitals of heroic deeds — no
rhythmic stories of love — no weaving of witchcraft, misfortune and
success, all of which was left as matter for the making of speeches in
council, or for entertainment round the camp fire.
*This sentence might have been composed by Walt Whitman.
157
SOCIETY OF THE FALSE FACES. (A-k'on-wa-rah).
According to Iroquois belief, certain spirits whose whole entity
is comprehended in ugly visages, have the power to inflict .bodily
ailments, and to send diseases among the people. Trunkless, and, of
course, limbless they lurk in dark nooks among rocks and hollow
trees, and have the ability to flit from place to place in a way that
" no fellow can understand."
To counteract their malign influences, societies of a secret
character known as the " False Faces." are maintained among the
Pagan Iroquois to appease the evil spirits from whom they take
their name. These societies also claim power to charm against disease
in some cases, and to effect cures in others.
In the fifth annual report to the Regents of the New York
University, printed in 1852, Lewis H. Morgan, referrring to such
societies says : " When anyone was sick with a complaint within the
range of their healing powers, and dreamed that he saw a False-Face
this was interpreted to signify that through their instrumentality he
was to be cured. Having informed the mistress of the band (a woman
was the medium of communication with outsiders) and prepared the
customary feast, the False-Faces at once appeared, preceded by their
female leader, and marching in Indian file. Each one wore a mask or
false-face, a tattered blanket over his shoulders, and carried a turtle-
shell rattle in his hand. On entering the house of the invalid they
first stirred the ashes upon the hearth, and then sprinkled the
patient over with hot ashes until his head and hair were covered ;
after which they performed some manipulations over him in turn, and
finally led him round with them in the 'False-Face dance,' with
which their ceremonies concluded. When these performances were
over, the entertainment provided for the occasion was distributed to
the band, and by them carried away for their private feasting, as they
never unmasked themselves before the people. Among the simple
complaints which the False-Faces could cure infallibly were nose-
bleed, toothache, swelling and inflammation of the eyes."
On the suggestion of General Clark, I made some inquiries with
respect to the existence of a False-Face society on the Grand River
Reserve. For a long time I was flatly informed that there is no such
organization, and one intelligent Indian assured me that he knew
every one who took part in the False Face dance — that there is no
attempt made at secrecy, and that so far from this being the case the
dancers may be seen at any time, before and after they have assumed
their disguises. Still, as statements of this kind do not prove the non-
158
existence of a society, although it tends to show that secrecy is not
maintained in the old-fashioned way, after persistent inquiry I have
learned that there is not only one, but that there are two societies of
False Faces, the one in question, however, being the only secret one,
respecting the existence of which not many Indians on the Reserve
have any idea.
Membership in the False Face society (Ah k' on wa-rah) is a matter
for settlement by existing members, and their choice is governed by
the character of those proposed, who in addition to general good con-
duct are known to be capable of keeping their own counsel. Upon, or
immediately after admission, no intimation reaches the outside
world respecting the initiates, who are not made full members for
some time, the length of which varies with the amount of interest and
enthusiasm manifested by them in the work of the society, which is
simply that of visiting the sick for the purpose of effecting cures.
After the initiates have shown satisfactory zeal, and full membership
is decided upon, an announcement is made to this effect in the Long-
house, the purpose of which is thought to be that impostors may be
more easily detected should any such attempt cures for the sake of
gain.
Initiation, so-called, is free from anything cruel or revolting and
consists merely in an introduction of the candidate, with speeches by
the Chief False Face and others. The following is a free translation
of the Chief's speech : —
" Brothers, listen. Now you must know that we did not make
this custom. The beginning is from Niyoh our Creator who is above
the False Faces. A member of the False Faces must go about among
the people in the spring and fall to keep them from sickness, and
must visit sick people at all times when called upon. This is all I
have to say."
The new man replies: — "I will act according to the ancient
customs as advised by the leader of your society of which I an now a
member."
Other members, as they feel disposed next address the new
brother, giving him such instructions respecting his conduct and
demeanor, as they see fit, or as they think suit the particular case.
At any time after the announcement of full membership in the
Longhouse, should the person just received show any want of attention
to his duties, he is summoned by the Chief False Face to appear
before the society in a private house, where a member is appointed
to " talk " to the recalcitrant brother.
159
Close questioning has failed to elicit that the society has any
other object than the alleviation or the cure of disease.
To a very large extent the secrecy that formerly characterized
the False Faces, no longer exists. Many, if not all, of the members
are known, but they continue to hold meetings from which non-
members are excluded. The fiction is maintained of having two
(13,196) False Face Dancer's Black Mask.
women to act as mediums of communication between the society
and outsiders, but these women are only the cooks of the feast.
160
The present Chief False Face is Hy-joong-kwas (He tears Every-
thing)— Abraham Buck, half brother to the late Ska-naw'-a-ti, (John
Buck), for many years Fire Keeper of the Six Nations. Hy-joong-
kwas on his mother's side is a Tutelo, and on his father's an Onon-
dago. See plate XV. .
SOME MYTHS.
THE FALSE FACES,* OR FLYING HEADS.
After the making of the world and its people by Rawen Niyoh,
he left it for a time, but when he returned he was one day walking
through an open place, following the sun, overlooking his own work,
and examining the ground where the people were going to live, when
his eye caught a strange, long-haired figure coming in the opposite
direction. The face of this figure was red and twisted, the mouth
being pulled up at the left corner.
Rawen Niyoh said to him /'Where did you come from ?" to which
the False Face replied, " I am the real owner of this world — I was
here before you."
Rawen Niyoh said, "I think /am the owner of this place, because
I made it."
" That may be quite true," the False Face assented, " but I have
been here a long time, and I have a good claim to it, and I am
stronger than you are."
" Show me how you can prove this," demanded Rawen Niyoh.
The False Face suggested that they should retire to a valley not
far from two high mountains, The False face ordered one of the moun-
tains to come nearer, and it moved close to them. Rawen Niyoh
was very much surprised at the result, upon which he ordered the
other mountain to approach, which it did — the two remaining so
nearly together that Rawen and the False Face had barely room
to get out.
Each was satisfied with this exhibition of power on the part of
the other, and Rawen Niyoh said, " I think it would not be well for
you to be seen here by the people who are coming to this place,
because you are so ugly, for everybody would follow you to look at
you."
A-k'-on-wa-rah (the False Face) agreed to this on condition that he
should be allowed to claim the new people as his grandchildren and
*It is evidently improper to speak of the original beings as False Faces, but
this is the form of expression always used by the Indians when referring to the
Flying Heads.
PLATE XIX.
J. Ojijatekha Brant-Sero. (Mohawk.) Mr. Brant-Sero has spent a good many years on the British stage.
He acted as assistant and interpreter to the writer in 1898.
161
they were to call him Grandfather. " I will help all I can," said he,
" to drive away sickness from among the new people, and I am able to
protect them from storms by causing the winds to go up high into the
sky."
Raw en Niyoh replied, " I am sure you have much power to help
the people, and you must keep this power as long as they live. We
will make a bargain. They shall be your grandchildren, and you,
their Grandfather. They must observe a dance — the False Face Dance
— at the Longhouse, forever. Now we make this bargain, which shall
last as long as you, and I, and the people, and the world shall last."
Ak'onwarah replied, " It is well, and I want you to know that I
am going to get much help in my good work among the people, from
my brother who is black, and who will be with me, as well as from my
cousin who always goes with us. He is half black and half red."
Rawen Niyoh and Ak'onwarah then separated, the former saying,
" I am going towards the setting sun," and the Red False Face saying,
" I go where the sun rises."
It will be seen from this story that even Rawen Niyoh is not
supreme. His power is equalled by that of Ak'onwarah, and both are
able to transport themselves to any part of the world at. pleasure.
The fact that there are only three False Faces — one red, one black,
and one half-and half is suggestive of connection with the sun-myth.
It is to be observed, also, that although nothing is here mentioned
respecting the power of the False Faces to exert evil influences on
mankind, it is to be understood, according to the general belief, that
they have this power, and exercise it, too.
Other Versions.
For a long time many hundreds of years ago, there was no being
of any kind on this island (continent?) but one False Face.
One day the Creator appeared on the scene and told the False
Face that some other beings were soon going to come into the world
and it would be necessary for him to keep out of the way. The False
Face objected very much to this suggestion, declaring that he had been
in possession for such a long time that he didn't think it was fair to
remove him for the convenience of new-comers, and he succeeded so
well in convincing himself of his rights that he at last refused flatly
to be displaced.
After a good deal of argument on both sides, the Creator told him
it was no use to talk any more about the removal — He had decided
that the False Face should go, and go he must. The Creator then told
11 c.i.
162
him that a hard and fast line must be drawn between their two
territories. The Creator insisted on his right to mark the boundary
without any interference on the part of the False Face, indeed He
ordered him to turn himself away while the marking out was going
on, so that he might know nothing of it until it was settled.
The False Face, with very bad
grace, complied by looking in the op-
posite direction, but he was too much
interested to remain in this position,
and continued to give sly glances side-
wise for the purpose of finding out
how the line was being drawn. Be-
coming bolder after a little he turned
right about to see the work, when the
Creator catching him in the act, struck
him such a blow on the cheek as to
knock his mouth out of shape, and so
it has remained until this day !
The mask shown in the illustra-
tion is thought to portray the condi-
tion of the False Face ever since.
This story is chiefly from a ver-
sion by Louis Dixon.
Another way of it is that the first
being, who was not a man although
he looked like one, had a face red on
one side and black on the other.
One day he had a talk with
Rawen Niyoh, who told him that very
soon real people would inhabit the
earth, and there would not be any use
for beings like him, although he was
the only one of his kind. He objected
very seriously to make way for men
and women, but when he saw there
(17,022). RED MASK. was no way out of the difficulty he
requested that he might be allowed to live away by himself, promising
that he would allow the coming race to make masks imitating his
face, the effect of which would be to charm away disease and witchcraft.
He exists, but even the Creator knows nothing regarding his
origin ; and where he lives there is no human being.
163
Among the old Ojibwas it was the custom to paint one side of the
face black and the other red when asking the manitous for anything
very desirable.
ORIGIN OF THE HUSK OR HUSKY MASKED DANCES.
Once a man was travelling through the woods, and coming to an
open place where there were a great many uprooted trees, forming
deep holes with single walls of matted roots full of earth, he saw a
number of beings quite unlike anything he had ever seen before, as
they all had faces covered with, or composed of corn husks. These
beings, thirty in number, were very timid — so much so that he could
not get a chance to speak to them for a long time. At last he succeed-
ed in persuading one to listen to him for a little, and him he told that
he was anxious to have a talk with the chief of the Husky- faces.
This meeting was brought about with some difficulty, when the chief
informed the traveller that the husk-faces grew naturally on him and
his family, which consisted of thirty persons, and that their kind would
live always.
The Husk Face further informed the traveller to this effect,
" We are able to help one another. You may help me when I need
you and I may help you, I say this to you because I am not allowed
to speak to your people, so let us make a bargain to be friends as long
as our kinds shall live."
Accordingly the bargain was concluded and both parties have
remained firm friends ever since.
The Husk Faces are able to help man in sickness, but instead of
coals and ashes being required as when cures are attempted in connec-
tion with other False Faces, only cold water is employed.
None but the traveller ever saw these husk-faced men or beings
before, and since that time the power of seeing them is confined to his
family, but only one member of it at a time is able to perceive them.
Yot-ho-reh gwen (Doubly Cold), — on the Reserve— as the living repre-
sentative of the traveller, possesses this privilege.
HUSK MASK SECRET SOCIETY. (Ra-tsisa.)
In memory of this adventure and arrangement arrived at, a secret
society exists. This organization differs in many respects from that of
the False Faces. The members meet only three times during
the year, in November, (at the same time that the False Faces meet)
and the gatherings being held in private houses, those who belong to
the society are well-known. On these occasions the members address
each other with encouragement to maintain the old customs.
164-
When one dies the rest choose a member to take his place from
the same family if possible, but ' a more suitable member may
be chosen from any other family, and the number of thirty is kept up
to correspond with the number originally seen in the woods.
The leader is known as Sha-go-na-den-ha-weh, and the dancers
are called cousins.
THE PIGMIES, YAGODINENYOYAK (Stone-Throwers), AND THE
PIGMY DANCE.
A race of small people is believed to inhabit caves in rocky places.
These people did not appear till long after the creation of the Indians,
and are quite different from them in disposition as well as in size and
appearance. Scarcely more than three feet in height and of a pale-
yellow color, they dressed " all over," even in summer time, differing
in this respect from the Indian.
They are not credited with any mischievous tendencies, but were
rather disposed to assist the hunter in pursuit of his game. To secure
the good offices of the pigmies, however, it was, as a matter of course,
necessary that a feast should be given in their honor. In the old days
the custom was to kill the first deer for this purpose, and as the
pigmies were particularly fond of corn soup, this dish formed a pro-
minent feature of the feast. Now-a-days a pig is sometimes killed as
a substitute for the deer.
Thirty six songs are peculiar to this ceremony, during the first
part of which, these, with four exceptions, are sung in accompani-
ment to the women's dance, in perfect darkness. Wherever a
a pigmy feast is given, all these songs must be sung, one-half of them
by the men and one half by the women. No rattle is employed in
these dances, but a drum in the hands of a man is constantly in use.
After the men have sung their sixteen songs, the women begin their
half of the singing, continuing to dance at the same time.
At the conclusion of this second part, the room is lighted and the
remaining four songs are sung by the women who dance by moving in
a circle in the usual way, while the dance engaged in when the room
was dark consisted of a slight alternate shuffle forwards and back-
wards, the dancers remaining in one place.
The pigmy-dance requires about an hour and a half, and is
usually held in the house of the man or woman who gives the feast.
My informant gave it as his opinion that the portion of the cere-
mony performed in darkness referred to the doubt and difficulty con-
nected with an unsuccessful hunt, while the lighting up symbolized
the capture of game.
165
In accordance with Mohawk myth as held by some, the pigmies
were fond of playing pranks by throwing stones, hence the name —
Yagodinenyoyak s.
THE OH-KWA-KI-DAK-SAN.
Dah-kah-he-dund-yeh says there is an animal that no one has
ever been able to capture alive. It is called Oh-kwa-ri-dak-san. It
has been killed, but it is very difficult to kill, it for the reason that as
long as it is angry no shot will penetrate its skin. It is only after it
becomes tired that shots have any effect, and the weaker it becomes
from fatigue, the deeper they will make their way.
As soon as the oh-kwa-ri-dak-san scents a man, it sets up a fear-
ful howl, and as this can be heard for a great distance, one has a chance
of escape if not too far away from a place of shelter. Once this animal
got on the track of a man, who, knowing its nature and habits, did
everything he could to throw it off the scent He climbed trees and
passed from one to another along the branches — he waded along
streams sometimes, and when he had to go on land, ran about zig-zag,
and made great jumps. By this means he managed to reach a swamp
where he remained in hiding for a time. The oh-kwa-ri-dak-san knew
he was there, but could not reach him on account of the' large quantity
of water which was held back by means of a beaver dam, so it made
a cut through the beavers' embankment to draw the water off.
As the sticks and rubbish floated through the narrow channel the
cunning and cruel beast was on the watch to prevent the man from
escaping in this way. The man knew this, so he waited until he saw a
good big log moving off with the current which was now becoming
very rapid, and he attached himself to this log in such a way that he
was nearly all out of sight — only his mouth and nose being out of the
water. When the log came to the cut it went through with such a
rush that the oh-kwa-ri-dak-san could not stop it for examination, nor
did it see the man in hiding. Thus the man got away and was carried
miles down the stream.
THE BEAR BOY.
Told by Da-ha-wen-nond-yeh.
A long, long time ago, a man and his wife went far into the woods
to hunt and trap. They took with them their baby boy. They built for
themselves a shelter of branches and bark. The father was out hunt-
ing one day, and the mother went to get some water. The baby was
left in the bower. A big bear came along and took the baby away.
166
The parents spent days and days in search of the baby, but they could
not find it, so they went back to the village very sad.
Six years afterwards the hunter and his wife were in the same
part of the woods. They had two dogs with them — one very fat, and
one very lean. The fat dog was fat because it was a pet of the
owners, and was always well used. The lean dog was lean because it
was not well used. But the lean dog had a good heart, and the fat
dog had a bad heart, so one day the lean dog said to the fat dog, " If
I were you I would tell our master where the lair of the bear is, for
master is very kind to you, and he would like to find his little boy."
The man heard this talk going on between the dogs, and next
time he fed them he gave the lean one an unusually large share. This
made the lean dog feel better, and the man kept on giving it plenty
every time he fed it.
On the third day after he heard the dogs talk to each other, as he
went out to hunt, and before very long the lean dog came to a place
r where it began to bark.* Nothing would make it leave the spot, and
this made the man search very carefully. By-and-by he found a large
hole, and this turned out to be the entrance to a bear's den.
The hunter poked long sticks into the hole, and made much noise.
Then the old bear came out and he killed her, but the dog barked and
barked as before, for there were still some cubs in the den. The
hunter killed all the cubs, and yet the dog kept barking. The man
poked away with a long pole, and at last he heard a voice say, " Don't
kill me, I'm your boy." The hunter said, " Show me your paw." Out
came a little hand all covered with hair. The man caught it and pulled
out the child, who was crying, and saying, " Don't let the dogs bite me,
don't let the dogs kill me."
The child was covered with hair, and acted just like a bear.
Before all this occurred the old bear had told the boy what was
going to happen, and said, " When your father sees you so hairy he
will not be pleased, so you must tell him to gather berries, especially
the blackberry ; he must take the juice of these mixed with water as
a drink, and if he will blow some of this from his mouth over your
body, all the hair will come off." And it was so.
The adventures of the bear-boy are said to have originated the
ceremony of Wa-dyon-nin-hos-ta-ron-da-deh, that is to say, of blowing
or spraying, a somewhat singular custom, the official performance of
which is confined to those who have a right to take part in the bear
dance. Like many other stories, however, the probability is, rather,
* It is said that the original Indian dog could not bark.
167
that this one has been invented to account for a custom, the origin and
meaning of which have long since been forgotten.
A BIG TURTLE.
That the old-time influence of imagination has not been greatly
weakened in some instances at least, may be gathered from a story told
me by Da-ha-wen-non-yeh.
About four years ago a Seneca, a Cayuga, and an Onondaga were
together spearing pike on the southern shore of the Grand River,
between Tuscarora and Caledonia. The Seneca was standing on what
appeared to be a large mass of frozen, or very hard earth, which, to
the surprise of every one, began to move. By-and-by they saw emerg-
ing from one end of it M^hat they at first supposed to be a snake, but
which was in reality the head of an immense turtle, for this it was
that looked so much like a huge lump of earth. They all got out of
the way and watched it as it made for the river, where it disappeared.
It measured at least six feet across its back, and the shell must,
therefore, have been quite eight feet long !
MIXED BLOOD.
Many of the " Indians " on the Reserve are of mixed blood, and
large numbers of these commonly known as " half-castes " or " half-
breeds," retain much less than fifty per cent, of Indian blood. Occasion-
ally the " white " name of a person may afford some clue respecting
European ancestry, but as it has become customary for all to assume
" white " surnames, as well as Christian (though not necessarily bap-
tismal) names, conclusions based on these are more than likely to
prove fallacious. Neither is tinge of complexion a perfectly safe guide,
because among Indians as among ourselves this varies considerably.
It has been said of our North- West Indians (Ojibwas, Crees and
other Algonkins) many of whose women have been married to white
men, especially Scots and French, that there is a noticeable difference
in the offspring in accordance with their paternity — children, whose
father was a Scotsman, taking more kindly to trade, or general busi-
ness ; while those of semi-French origin are more disposed to follow
the ways of their mother's people. However this may be, no oppor-
tunity of a similar kind exists by means of which to make a fixed
comparison in the case of the Iroquois on the Grand River Reserve, as in
many of the mixed cases where white parentage is traceable, the father
was an Indian and the mother a white. It is, at any rate, undoubted,
that with the increase of " white " blood comes increased business
capacity on the part of the individual, although it is possible to name
more than one example of the pure, or almost pure, Iroquois attaining
168
great success in public life. The average Indian, however, no matter
what may be his degree of purity, does not make a first-class farmer,
or business man. His intentions may be good, and often are, but the
effects of racial heredity are seldom surmounted during one lifetime,
and generally assert themselves for several generations.
Physical features are less persistent than mental characteristics,
but it is still possible to trace Indian lineage by this means in the case
of many who are regarded as purely white. Even when the hair has
assumed a more or less fair shade, it is seldom that the eyes become
otherwise than dark, although blue eyes may be found amon^ half-
castes on the Reserve. The small hands and feet of the full-blooded
Indian often repeat themselves " until the third and fourth generation "
of mixed lineage, and the same may be said respecting high cheek
bones.*
In few instances is there any attempt to conceal part Indian
descent even when those concerned are regarded as white people : on
the contrary, J have heard numerous expressions of pride in the pos-
session of this blood-strain.
The young lady whose picture is shown on plate IX is a
daughter of Chief Isaac Davis, and on her mother's side, claims to be
connected with our greatest Admiral, Lord Nelson. Indeed, it is not
hard to make one's self believe that in Miss Davis's lineaments, a strik-
ing resemblance to the old Sea-King may be seen.
This lady and her elder sister are engaged as highly successful
public school teachers on the Reserve.
PERSONAL NAMES.
During the New Year or Midwinter Festival, or in the fall at
the Green Corn Festival, children are presented by their parents to
receive names.
After the performance of the Big Feather Dance on either
occasion, the Master of Ceremonies says : — " Now, to-morrow is
children's day. They will have a chance to get a name. The children
will get a name in the presence and in the hearing of all the people.
Now, all of you women having children to be named, bring them to
*A writer in the Orleans County (N.Y.) Archives of Science, for October, 1870,
touching on this subject, says: " Several families of unquestionable antecedents,
now show no trace whatever of aboriginal character. The prominent cheek-bones
are the last to yield. The straight hair, tawny skin, and the peculiar color and
expression of the Indian eye linger for a time, but the fourth, and in many in-
stances, the third generation, not merely make obscure, but obliterates them all."
From a paper entitled "Indian History in Northern Vermont," by Wm. W.
Grout.
169
the Longhouse to-morrow to be named. After they are named we
will dance the Skin Dance. This is all I have to say."
Next day, the Master of Ceremonies, referring to his address of
the previous night, invites the women to bring forwards their children
to receive names at once — that there should be no delay.
A small body of women (from six to eight) is appointed to consider
what names ought to be given, and these women select two others (one
to represent each end of the Longhouse) whose duty it is to carry
the babies, and to announce to the Speaker the names determined.
The naming is apparently regarded as of national, rather than of
family interest, and the wishes of the mother are therefore not
supposed to be consulted, but there are Indian gossips as well as
white ones, and there is no doubt that when a baby makes its
appearance they discuss prematurely what it should be called, and
even receive a hint from the mother should she have any preference,
and should she not consider it unlucky to express a wish regarding a
matter of so much importance. Ostensibly the rule adopted by the
naming women is merely to take into account the gens of a child;s
mother and to confer a name accordingly, for certain names pertain to
certain gentes, or totems, and the correct classification and applica-
bility of such names are known only to a few of the eldest women in
each nation. Among the Mohawks, Oneidas and Tuscaroras, most of
whom are professing Christians, this name- system has long been dis-
used, and any native applications they have are rather nick-names
than anything else, but this does not apply to " chief -names."
When the women have decided upon a name, it is communicated
to the Speaker by one of the two women who represents the child's
end of the Longhouse. The Speaker then addressing the father, says :
" Your child will now receive a name." The woman carrying the
baby places it in the arms of the Speaker, who says, (naming the
child) " Now, the boy has received a name. We give the child to
you, Niyoh. You are able to make the child grow to manhood."
Then, as he walks to and fro, east and west, in the middle of the
Longhouse, still holding the child, he sings what sounds like a lullaby
while the men in the audience accompany him with " Heh-heh-heh."
Ko-o-hyeh-e-yeh-ka-ah-no-ko,
Heh — heh — heh — heh,
0-hyeh-e-yeh-hyeh-yeh-ka-no,
Heh — heh — he h — heh,
Hwe-ke-hye-i-ka-he-e-keh,
Heh — heh — heh — heh.
170
Should the child cry during the singing of this song, the heh* of
the people increase in volume.
The ceremony is now ended, and the woman takes the boy from
the Speaker and gives it to the mother.
No song is sung for a girl baby, the only reason assigned for
its use in connection with the boy being that it in " some way " affects
his future.
When the children have been named, the two carrier-women say,
" That is all we can do to-day," and the Speaker replies : — " Now, it
is the ancient custom to dance the Skin Dance (Onehoreh) after the
naming of children has taken place. The Skin Dance we now dance
to show we are thankful for this day's doings."
When a man becomes a chief he is given a new name by which he
is afterwards known, and his former name may now be given to any
child.
Some names are considered lucky, and the unlucky ones are used
only when the others have all been employed, but names that are un-
lucky in one family may be the opposite in another. New ones are
not now originated.
Even among Christian Indians there is considerable reticence
in the utterance of names. In the domestic circle, members of the
family avoid addressing each other by name, and try to attract
attention by nod or other gesture. So, too, in Council ; the speakers
as a rule, refrain from naming each other, and when it becomes neces-
sary to do so there is a general feeling of awkwardness.
Similarly, the term " Mr." is seldom applied by them to one
another, and, as a rule each addresses the other, or refers to a third
person by his Christian name. The same holds good with respect to
women — " Mrs." not being in common use.
Many of the present generation have no Indian names, but all the
older people have both Indian and " white " names. In the latter
case, when it it absolutely necessary to mention each other, it seems
to be a matter of taste as to which may be employed.
When a speaker must refer to a third person whose name may
be somewhat common, (as John, Peter, Isaac, or Jacob) without
employing a surname, he does so by means of an inflection or inton-
ation corresponding in some degree to the subject's style or manner of
speech, be it quick, slow, hesitating, or marked by any other peculi-
arity, and this is done, not with mocking intention, but solely for the
171
purpose of enabling the listeners to identify the one mentioned. In
some instances the name is coupled with that of his place of residence.
In addition to the regular given name or names, nick-names are
common, and a man may be distinguished by a new one every year or
two, for the Indian is an acute observer of habits, tastes, and circum-
stances, and takes infinite pleasure in dubbing his fellows this or that,
more for the love of fun than with malicious intent.
The following list of deer gens names were supplied by Ka-nis-han-
don (a Seneca). Mr. Brant-Sero has added the Mohawk equivalents
with English translation : —
Ka-nis-han-don (S), Tekanessarongwaronweh (M), Sand-bar.
Tho-i-wa-heh (S), Thoriwhaareh (M), He keeps at it.
Sken-ha-di-son (S), Skayonhadihson (M), Along the other side of the
stream.
Ka-yon-gwent-ha (S), Yohakenhdon (M), Fallen black dust (soot ?).
Ho-na-wa-keh-deh (S), Rohnawakehdeh (M), He carries a stream.
Ha-da- went- was (S), Radawenthos (M), Killer of many.
Ha-ka-en-yonh (S), Rakahenyonh (M), He sees with searching eyes.
Wa ha-na-di-sa-a (S), Wahanadihsa (M), He built completely.
Ka-gwen-nyen-sta (S), Yotgwennyens (M), With dignity and honor.
O-ne-e-da-i (S), Yoneraghdarih (M), Autumnal leaves ripened.
Ka-hah-do-don (S), Karadohdon (M), Upright feathers.
Thah-wean-non-di'on (S), Dadaweanodattyeh (M), He, the approach-
ing voice.
Kah-en-i-tya-he-kgwih (S), Karonhyahraghgwenh (M), Placed on the
Sky.
Hen-di-ye-yah (S), Dakahondiyak (M), Across the field.
De-yo-si-ke-gwih (S), (M), Shadows on the side of a
house.
Ha-yen-das (S), Oyendeh (M), Wood.
INDIAN PLACE NAMES IN MOHAWK.
Collected by J. Ojijateckha Brant-Sero and Chief Alex. Hill.
Hamilton, Ohronwagonh, in the valley. T'kahehdadonh, On., * Land
barrier before the entrance.
* A few additional forms marked "On." are given in Onondaga. In many
cases it will be observed that the names must be of comparatively recent origin.
172
Simcoe, Kahediyakih, On. Land divided into lots.
Middleport, Tsikahondayenh, Open field. T'kakondayeh On.
Onondaga village, Yothahogwen, Road leaving water.
Cayuga, Gonyongonhakahhkeh, At the Tobacco people.
Dunville, Tsikanekanhodonh, Water arrested ; T'kanekhadih, Big dam.
Newport, Butchnehkenha, Late Burch's.
Cainsville, Gonyonygonhakaghkeghkenha, Old Cayuga.
Tutelo Heights, Teyodirihrononkeh, Place of the Tutelo people.
Brantford, Tsikanadahereh, Property on a hill.
Paris, Tyonyonhhogenh, At the forks, (stream).
Mount Pleasant, Kanadasekkeh. New settlement.
Mohawk village, near Brantford, Kanadagonkenha, Old settlement.
Mohawk Institution, Kanadagonh,* In the settlement or village.
Dundas, Unnonwarotsherakayonneh, At the old Hut.
Ancaster, Canajoharekeh, At the black kettle hoisted on a pole.
Stony Creek, Tyotstenragwenhdareh Floored with stone slabs.
Jordan, Kayeriniwauhsen, Forty, (mile creek).
St. Catherines, Detyodenonhsakdonh, A curved building.
Niagara (district), Ohnyagara, Back of the neck, as if in anger.
Niagara Falls, Tewasenthah Falls, Thanawenthagowah On., Great
stream falling.
Buffalo, Deyoseroronh, Basswood forest.
Albany, S'kanedadih, Besides the pines.
Syracuse, Onondaghkeh, On and along the Mountain.
Rochester, Kaaskon'sagonh Under the falling stream.
New York, Kanonnoh, Fresh water basin, referring to the mouth of
Hudson River.
Quebec, Dekayadondarigonh, meaning somewhat obscure, but, possibly
it refers to " sister mountains " or " laughter."
Montreal, Tyohtyakih, French (city).
Kingston, Kaghdarongwenh, Built a fort.
Toronto, Karondoh, Log in water.
Ottawa, Tsitkanajoh, floating kettle (money), or Katsidagwehniyoh
On., chief " Council Fire."
Guelph, Thadinadonnih, They build.
St. Lawrence River, Kaghyonwagowah, Great river.
Lake Ontario, Skanyadario, Beautiful sheet of water.
*In the three foregoing Mohawk words we have what some claim to be the
origin of the word Canada.
173
IROQUOIS GENTES. *
So much has been written regarding totemism and the " clan "
system, so-called, that scarcely anything remains to be said, but as this
report will probably fall into the hands of some to whom the subject
is not quite clear, a little space may be devoted to it. -\-
Totemism is closely allied to fetichism, and probably sprung from
it.;}: In the latter, man regards certain objects as being all-powerful
to aid him, and in this respect the objects of his worship are regarded
in the light of talismans or charms. In totemism, the idea of worship
does not necessarily exist, and the totem is merely regarded as a
name, or a symbol, common to a group of families. In the original
choice of such symbol it is very strongly probable that there was in-
volved some sort of worshipful notion, § but everything of this
kind has long since disappeared from the minds of most American
Indians, certainly from those of the Iroquois, the nature of whose
gens system does not lend any influence to the perpetuation of such a
belief, for while marriage is permissible between members of any two
' nations,' it is, or was, strictly prohibited between two of the same
gens,1F and when to this is added the fact that the children, according to
the old constitution, take the gens name of the mother, it is easy to
see how strong the tendency becomes to disregard supposed totemic
* The words clan and gens are often used indescriminately. Major Powell, I
think, deserves the credit of distinguishing these, by restricting the term dg/ti to a ; ^
group, the members of which trace their relationship through the father, and gens
to one whose members count through the mother. The distinction was necessary
and is very good, and it enables us to restrict the former name to Scottish High-
land and other European groups of families, among whom, for hundreds of years,
at any rate, genealogy has been traced through the father.
t Those who desire to get at the philosophy of primitive relationships should
consult Morgan's " System of Consanguinity and Affinity of the Human Family, "
Tylor's " Primitive Culture, " and Lubbock's " Origin of Civilization."
J Grant Allen, in his Evolution of the Idea of God, p. 174, thinks "The
worship of totems . . . probably came from the custom of carving the totem
animals on the grave-stick, or grave-board," but this is something like saying we
eat because we cook.
It is safer in the meantime, at any rate, to agree with Andrew Lang, who says,
that "about the origin of totemism we know nothing." Contemp. Rev. vol.
LXXVII.
§ Schoolcraft says, " The totem is always some animated object, and seldon or
never derived from the inanimate class of nature. Its significant importance is
derived from the fact that individuals unhesitatingly trace their lineage from it."
IT As Letourneau very aptly puts it in The Evolution of Marriage, Contemp.
Sci. Series, p. 185, '' The North American Indians are endogamous as regards the
tribe, but they are exogamous as regards the clan."
174
influences. The family of a " Wolf " man for example, might be
" Beavers," " Hawks " or " Eels," and his grandchildren " Bears,"
" Snipes," or " Turtles."
The following table slightly modified from Hales's " Book of
Rites," shows the disposition of clans among the six nations : —
MOHAWK. SENECA. ONONDAGA. CAYUGA. ONEIDA. TUSCARORA.
Bear
Wolf
Bear
Wolf
Turtle Turtle
Bear
Wolf
Turtle
Bear
Wolf
Bear
Wolf
Turtle Turtle
Beaver
Deer
Hawk*
Beaver
Deer
Snipe
Beaver
Deer
Hawk
Snipe
Crane
Eel*
Ballf
Eel
Eel
Bear
Wolf (yellow)
Wolf (gray)
Turtle (big)
Turtle (little)
Beaver
Snipe
Eel.
A glance at the table shows us that the Mohawks and Oneidas
have but three clans, viz., the Bear, Wolf and Turtle ; that all the
other nations have these clans besides more; that the Tuscaroras
have two kinds of Wolf, and two kinds of Turtle ; that the Senecas,
Onondagas, Cayugas and Tuscaroras have the Beaver; that the former
three have the Deer ; that the latter three have the Snipe ; that the
Senecas and Cayugas have the Hawk ; that all except the Mohawks
and Oneidas have the Eel ; that only the Senecas have the Crane, and
that the Onondagas alone have the Ball, which, it will be observed is
the only name of an inanimate object among the twelve given.
It will readily be seen that according to the matrimonial con-
ditions laid down among a people so divided, or, rather, so
classified, combination of blood would be equalled only by confusion
of clans, with a consequent tendency to lessen, and ultimately to
destroy altogether any fetishtic ideas that may have been at first,
connected with this or that totem.
There is scarcely any evidence to warrant the belief that our
Indians habitually ranged themselves during peace or war in clans
* Intelligent Senecas assure me that they know of no Hawk or Eel gens in.
their nation at the present time.
t Respecting the Ball, there is a difference of opinion — some say it should be
the Swallow, but most of the Indians I have spoken to have no idea what it means,
although many say it is not Ball.
175
that they ever wore their totems as badges, or in any other way
regarded the totem as anything but a family and distinctive name.
Perhaps more attention was paid to clanship during a few of their
numerous ceremonial occasions than at any other time, but even of
this we have no proof. At Longhouse meetings, where the Two
Brothers seat themselves at one end of the room, faced by the Four
Brothers on the other, no distinction is made in the matter of clans
with respect to the seats occupied.
This system of clanship and exogamous marriages is not by any
means peculiar to Indian society. Among many primitive people in
every part of the world it is known either to exist or to have existed,
and among people more highly gifted in the arts than were the
Indians, it is possible to follow the evolution of the totemic idea to
what we call heraldry.
CHIEFSHIP.
The chiefship of the Iroquois is as anomalous as and confusing as
is the system of gentes.
In the first place there are seventy-one chiefs, of whom fifty
(some say fifty-two) are head, and the others minor chiefs.
A few of the chiefs are known as " warrior chiefs " and are the
descendants of some who secured the position by appointment of the
Council for bravery in action during past wars with the United States.
Such appointment may result from nomination in the usual way by
the women of the nominee's clan and nation, or it may be a matter of
exclusive choice on the part of the Council. Appointments of this kind
were no doubt intended as personal compliments, without any reversion
after the death of the honored one, just as some knighthoods are to-
day according to British usage, still, there are instances in which
warrior chiefship has become hereditary — but by what means is not
clear.
Apart from war, and in recognition of good sense and executive
ability, the Councillors may select some to occupy seats with them as
public administrators, and those so chosen are known as " Pine-tree "*
chiefs. They may attain to the highest power among members of
the Council, but the office dies with them.
*The word here translated as pine-tree, is in its Mohawk form, Wa-ka-neh-do-
den, and means pine-pitch, rather than pine tree, the idea being that one so ap-
pointed is stuck on, or made to adhere for the time being.
176
Official titles accompany hereditary head chiefship, as may be seen
from the appended list, but minor chiefs have no such designation, for
the reason that they were originally regarded as merely messengers or
assistants to the heads or lords with the privilege of exercising the
functions of head chiefship in Council, when the latter were unavoid-
ably absent. Now, however, this distinction is abolished, or rather,
has fallen into desuetude, and chiefs of both classes act with equal
authority.
On the death of a chief the position may not be filled for a year
or more — instances have occurred in which no appointment has been
made for two or three years — but as a rule the choice of a successor is
made within a year, by the eldest and nearest of the deceased's female
relations on his mother's side. The name of the women's nominee is
then placed before the Council by one of the chiefs belonging to the
same nation. Should the women fail to unite on this matter, the names
of two or more persons may be presented to the Council, which has
the right to refuse acceptance in any case. When this happens the
matter is submitted to the women for re-consideration. As a rule
however, no such difficulty arises, and the Council either accepts the
single nominee or selects one from the two or more whose names have
been presented, after which the initiatory ceremonies are proceeded
with.
A fourth class includes regents or "borrowed chiefs." On the
death of a chief who leaves no one to take his place in direct line, the
difficulty is overcome by the appointment of any ' fit and proper per-
son ' to act during his lifetime. Should there still be no male
representative in direct line, another, and even a third borrowed chief
may be appointed, but after the death of such regent, the chiefship
reverts to its proper family, if there is anyone qualified to take the
place.
By a fiction of Iroquois usage, if not law, the chief never dies.
For an explanation of this reference may be made to the chapter on
" Chiefs' Deaths."
There is no foundation for the common belief that white men are
made chiefs of any kind when the Indians adopt such persons, or con-
fer a name on those whom they wish to compliment.
Readers who desire to know more respecting the ceremony of
chief -making cannot do better than refer to the Iroquois Book of Rites,
by the late distinguished ethnologist and philologist, Horatio Hale.
177
Chiefs Forming the Council of the Six Nations.
Mohawk.
Dekarihoken, Elias Lewis,
Abram Lewis,
Ayontwatha (Hiawatha) David Thomas,
Isaac Doxtater,
Sadekariwade Peter Powliss,
Daniel Doxtater,
Shorenhowane Isaac Davis,
Deyonhegwen John W. Elliott,
Jas. C. Elliott,
Orenhrekowah Isaac Doxtater,
Dehenakarine Joab Martin,
Geo. W. Hill,
Asdawenserontha John Fraser,
Alex. G. Smith,
Wm. Staats.
Oneida.
Otatahete Wm. Green,
Kanongweya J. S. Johnson,
Deyohagawede Nicodemus Porter,
Joseph Porter,
Odwanaokoha Geo. P. Hill,
Wm. C. Hill,
Adyadonentha Abram Hill Jacket,
August Hill Jacket,
Owatshadeha Arch. Jameson.
Onondaga.
Dathodahon Nicholas Gibson,
Onesahe Peter John Key,
Dehadkadons Elijah Harris.
John Jameson.
Skanadajiwak . . . , David John.
Dehayadgwaeh Johnson Williams.
Hononweyade David Sky.
Hahehonk Wm. Echo.
12 c.i.
178
Kowenesedon, « Peter Key, jr.
Sodegwaseh Levi Jonathan,
Hoyoyane Joseph Porter, jr.
Sakokeheh Wm. P. Buck.
Skanawati Gibson Crawford.
Alexander Hill.
Isaac Hill.
Philip Hill.
Cayuga.
Dekachyon Abram Charles,
Jas. Sky,
Jinondawehon Robert David,
Franklin David,
Kadagwaseh .... David General,
Soyonehs Austin Bill,
Samuel Kick,
Hayadroneh Jacob Jameson,
Dyoyongo Joseph Jacobs,
Wm. Hill,
Deyodowakon Joseph Henry,
Philip Miller,
Dyonwadon Wm. Henry,
Hadondaheha John Henry,
Deskahe Benj. Carpenter
Hadwenoneh Wm. Wage,
Seneca.
Skaneodyo John Gibson,
George Key,
Dehayadgwayeh Johnson Williams,
Sadekowes Michael Smoke,
Kanoki David Hill.
John Hill.
Dyonehokawe George Gibson.
Karidawake Joseph Green.
Nayokawaha Wm. Williams.
Sakokaryes Joseph Hill.
Rarewetyetha Richard Hill.
Nelles Monture.
179
Iroquois woman and child.*
DRESS.
As may be gathered from the illustrations in this report, both
sexes clothe themselves mainly in European costume. This is especi-
ally true of the younger people, many of the old ones still clinging to
portions of dress, which, if not absolutely primitive, mark the transition
stage. Occasionally a man of advanced years may be seen in long
leggins or in trousers, cut and decorated in imitation of thern.^
and the use of moccasins is not at all uncommon, especially during
mid-winter when the snow is dry. But the women are more conser-
vative in this respect. A larger number of them not only wear leggins
and moccasins, but in the matter of general dress continue to appear
as did their great-grandmothers, without a special head-covering other
than a handkerchief or small shawl, their gowns being ornamented with
numerous silver brooches in rows or otherwise down the front (see pi.
XVII. A) while the shoulders and sometimes the head, are covered with
a large woolen shawl of some bright uniform color, or more frequently
of an equally brilliant tartan. This is holiday attire ; on every day
occasions there is no display of jewelry: coarse straw hats are worn
* Although this is from a picture photographed by T. Connon, Elora, more
than 40 years ago, it is " up to date."
180
that in no way differ from those of the men, and the shawl is seldom
absent. It is probable that the constant presence of the shawl is due
to its usefulness when the carrying of burdens is concerned, and it is
thus a substitute for the old-time deer or bear-skin mantle employed
for such purposes.
The daughters of prosperous farmers often dress themselves taste-
fully in strict accordance with the ruling fashions among their white
friends and neighbors in Brantford and Caledonia.
DWELLING HOUSES.
Indian ideas of comfort do not correspond with ours, and yet
there are many European countries in which the average peasant is
less commodiously or comfortably housed than the majority of our
Ontario Iroquois are. Most commonly the houses are built of logs,
now and then a frame one may be seen, and still more seldom one of
brick. The log houses are small, and not always remarkable for
cleanliness, although one scarcely ever sees such squalid filth as may
be found in those of some white people.
Plate VIII. shows the corner of a common log-house which was
originally built for a school, and ia pi. XVIII. B which shows the house
of John Key, a structure even simpler in character is shown.
The house of Wm. Henry represented in pi. XVII. B. gives a good
idea of the average residence on the Reserve, only that in this case (a
unique one) the logs are placed on end, rather than horizontally.
BROTHERHOOD OF FELLOWSHIP.
(Wa-hya-den-ro-ne.)
Young men who have been brought up together, and have thus,
or for some other reason conceived a strong liking for each other some-
times agree to cement this friendship by a ceremonial compact on
reaching manhood.
On announcing this intention to their parents, a meeting of all
the elderly people, men and women, belonging to both families is held,
when a "runner" or messenger is appointed. The old men discuss the
subject of the gathering (the women taking no part beyond that of
listeners) and after they have decided to sanction the ceremonial
brotherhood of the young men, it is decided to hold a feast. In former
times the relatives of the young men went out in hunting parties to
provide venison for the feast, but in these degenerate days, those who
attend have to be satisfied with pork boiled in corn soup, supplied by
the families of the young men.
181
This feast is held in the open air and the guests are invited by
the "runner" who was appointed by the old men.
On the day fixed (usually during the afternoon) and while
the women are preparing the food, the guests discuss the principles of
brotherhood, and entertain each other by the rehearsal of incidents
connected with this kind of fellowship in their own lives or in those
of some they have known.
After the food has been consumed, the party removes to some place
where a large log may be used as a stage, or where a simple structure
has been put together for the accommodation of the "brothers" and for
the " Speaker," an old man who must be a blood relation of one of the
young men. Before them hang two strings of wampum* from the
branch of a tree, or from a pole stuck in the ground for the purpose.
When everything is in readiness the speaker proceeds: "Brothers
and Sisters, listen. Now we are met brothers and sisters and what we
have to think about is these young men who have grown up together.
We see them before us now. They place their strength side by side
as Niyoh has given it to them. It will stay thus as long as they are
able to think for themselves — so long will their agreement to be
united remain.
Then turning to the young men he says : "It shall be so to you
yourselves — be of one mind. It is true that we do not know how we
are going to live, or which of you two must pass away from the earth
first. You must be true to one another's friendship. I have a word
for you especially — take care of yourselves as you go about from place
to place. I say this because we cannot follow the minds of the people
in the world. I say this because some people who live on the earth
are not good. I will also say this, there is only one way your mind
should point and that is where Niyoh lives. We believe in Him. I
will also say, you see the onakorha hanging before you. It is white
and black, meaning joy and sorrow. Tie your strings together forever,
the white and the black. I give each of you two strings to keep you
in mind of this day, and that they may be handed to those who will
live after you. Do not run any risk of bad luck — this will do you harm.
You are not quite free to do whatever you please in the sight of
Niyoh and ongwe (God and man). I shall say something more. The
people are here gazing upon you. Very soon they will all rise, and
they will shake you by the hand to show their good feeling for you
and for all your relations. Your posterity must remain friends forever.
* Wampum is an Atlantic coast Algonkin word. The Iroquois word is ona-
Teorha, for which I could find no English equivalent.
182
This is all I have to say."
The young men then step down and take a convenient position,
past which all the people file, relations of the newly-made "brothers"
going first. Should it be still daylight, the guests disperse to their
homes, only to return after dark to take part in the dances, but if
darkness has already fallen these are taken up after a slight pause.
The first dance is a we-sa-sa or war dance, and other dances follow
indiscriminately.
Immediately after the death of a "brother" his black onakorha
is sent to the relations of the survivor, in whose keeping it remains
until, as sometimes happens, the latter enters into a new brotherhood,
which must be with some blood relation of his former friend, that is,
having a relationship through the mother. For the carrying of the
onakorha from the one family to the other, a special "runner" is
appointed by the female relatives of the deceased.
Should a surviving brother decide to take another friend the
ceremony of forming a compact is repeated, the former taking with
him the black onakorha that belonged to the departed one, and when
this is handed to the speaker, attention is directed by him to the
virtues of the former owner.
When one brother is sick it is the duty of the other to nurse him
— he must stay beside him all the time, and should death ensue he
ought not to leave the house until after the funeral. During the wake,
while speeches are made he takes no part, and in the funeral procession
he walks immediately behind the coffin. At the grave, after a speech
has been made by one chosen for the purpose, the surviving "brother"
throws a handful of earth on the coffin, the rest of the people following
his example.
After an event of this kind the survivor is supposed to avoid the
house of his late brother as much as possible, and should maintain a
reserved demeanor for ten days, the belief being that serious mischief
will befall anyone who' acts contrariwise.
When the ten days of mourning are over, his nearest relations —
father and mother, or wife, as the case may be — make a feast, inviting
all the deceased's companions and friends, who are expected to con-
tribute their share of the eatables, in addition to the corn soup, the
preparation of which is the duty of the hosts. When all are assembled,
each relative has a portion of food allotted which may either be eaten
at the time or taken away ; others are served by the deceased's near
relations, who are careful to give each guest a full share.
183
Before the food is distributed, however, the surviving friend is
addressed by a chief chosen by the relatives of the dead man. The
purport of this address is that the friend may now cease to mourn for
his brother — that the tie of relationship has been severed, and he is
presented with something that belonged to the departed — usually a
shirt, coat, hat, or a whole suit of clothes, to heal the sorrow for his
lost friend.
Compacts of fellowship may be made between a man and a woman,
or a girl, but when this happens it precludes all possibility of marriage
between contracting parties, as well as with any of their brothers or
sisters.
It was no doubt, in large measure, owing to fellowship bargains
of this kind that the old time Indian demand of life for life was
enforced, which, much as it looked like revenge, was rather based on a
determination that there should be an equilibrium of suffering, the
maintenance of which was the duty of the survivors. Casuistical as
this distinction may appear it constituted a great difference to the
Indian whose prerogative it was to regard any enemy as a substitute
for the slayer of his friend, and as an equivalent for his friend, or to
accept a gift from the slayer, or from the slayer's people in compen-
sation for the loss sustained.
According to ancient usage all the personal property of the dead
brother passed to the survivor, but now the disposal of it is settled by
the women, especially by the mother of the deceased.
It will be observed that in the forming of such brotherhoods there
is nothing in connection with blood transfusion, as the purpose of the
compact is purely of a friendly character, but in the old days it is
affirmed that those who formed leagues for murderous or other violent
purposes, mixed their blood and swallowed it as a pledge of eternal
friendship.
MARRIAGE AND SEPARATION.
A marriage ceremony among the pagan Iroquois is marked by
simplicity. When a young man and woman decide to become man
and wife, they declare their intentions to their parents, who, thereupon,
hold a joint family council, at which other relations may be present,
but only the old people are allowed to take any active part in the
proceedings, which consist wholly of a general consideration respect-
ing the mutual suitability of those concerned. Should there be no
family objections a day is appointed for a marriage feast at the home
of the bridegroom, to which the young woman is accompanied by all
184
her relatives — they are said to " bring " her there.* At the conclusion
of the feast, the elders (men and women) on both sides address the
young couple, or, rather, those on the bridegroom's side direct their
speeches to the bride, while those on her side talk to him. The
remarks made refer to the duties of husband and wife, but no pro-
mises are asked or offered, except that each of the young folk may
say at the conclusion of the addresses, " What you have said, I should
do," or, "I will do," or " What you have said, I will remember," and thus
ends the ceremony. Neither on this nor any other occasion do the
Indians think of kissing each other. -f"
Separation is about as easily effected as marriage is, and for any
cause that would hold good among whites. When complaint is made
by either party a council of both families is held, at which the couple
concerned are present. Explanations are heard, and the old people try
to effect a reconciliation. Failing this, separation takes place at once.
After the birth of the first child, all the husband's relations
accompany him and his wife to her former home, where a feast is held
in honor of the child. Here the parents remain a few days before
returning to their own house, where another feast is prepared.
Interested readers will at once perceive that these notes are of the
most superficial kind, and that there is yet much to be learned with
respect to marriage, and numerous other customs among the Indians,
very much modified as they no doubt are from those of the past.
DEATH CUSTOMS.
When a death takes place the official " runner " is notified that
he is wanted, and on arriving at the house he is told by the women
what has happened and is requested to go around and tell all the
people. Setting out on his message he shouts from time to time,
" Gwa-ah ! gwa-ah ! "J and on reaching a house says, " Now, such a
family has met met with a sad loss and is very sorrowful — so-and-
so is dead — and you should go to the wake (yononha, sitting up)
to-night "
In this way he goes from house to house (giving utterance at in-
tervals to Gwa-ah ! gwa-ah ! ") until he has notified all concerned.
* This may be all that is left of the old time capture custom.
t Non-osculation is said to be characteristic of all Indians, yet one often sees
in "thrilling tales " of Indian life that mothers embraced their doomed sons, and
lovers kissed each other a last farewell. On the Grand River Reserve. I am told
that mothers do sometimes kiss their babies, but this is probably a result of white
example.
JThis is what a Seneca says, but according to another statement this exclama-
tion is used only when a chief has died, but as this information was given by a Cay-
uga the practice may differ to some extent among the nations.
185
At night he attends the wake and assists the women in their
preparations. Sometimes they ask him to undertake all the funeral
arrangements.
About midnight during the wake a meal is served, after which the
runner asks the best speakers among the "chiefs, warriors and
women " present to " say a few words " respecting the deceased, death
generally, and the duty of the living, but the runner himself is not
allowed to say anything. He is supposed to give his services on such
occasions free, but there is at the same time a tacit understanding that
he shall receive something for his trouble.
. Runners are appointed by the nation for life, and there are
usually two so chosen, to provide against the contingency of one being
unable to act, or because it may be necessary to send out both in
different directions. A runner may resign at any time and a successor
is appointed at a special meeting of the nation in the Longhouse, as if
he had died.. Runners may be known as Kenheyonda Ronatsderisdon
(death's body they look after). In their appointment gens is not
taken into account.
The present Seneca runners are Kaherodon (Standing Corn), and
Skayonhadison (Opposite side of the River), vulgarly known as Robert
Smoke and Isaac Williams respectively.
Funerals are now conducted in white man's manner. Coffin and
hearse are provided at the expense of the confederation represented by
the Council.
A CHIEF'S DEATH.
When a chief is supposed to be " sick nigh unto death " it is
expected that one or more of his rank should be present to receive
from him the horns of office (which he is supposed to wear *) before
he draws his last breath, and in this way to support the fiction that
the chief never dies, or perhaps, rather, that the chief ships never dies.
Should no properly qualified person be present thus to relieve
the dying man of his suppositious symbols, the next best thing
is to go through the ceremony of removing them before the body
becomes cold, and should even this prove impossible it is the duty
of the chiefs who arrive first at the house of mourning to " remove
the horns." In any event, the horns are ultimately placed in the
keeping of the women whose duty it is to hold them until the appoint-
* It appears probable that at one time the horns of the deer were actually worn
on stated occasions by the chiefs as emblems of power, but as the custom has long
since been allowed to fall into disuse, the references are now purely figurative. In
the ritual of the Pagans several allusions are made to the wearing of horns.
186
ment of a new chief on their nomination.* It should be mentioned
that when the horns are removed before a man's death, and always
with his own consent, or at his own request ; they are first placed at
the head of his bed, and should he recover they are restored to him —
once more " placed on his head," as it is said.
The runner who officiates on the death of a head chief is one of
the minor order, who, by the instruction of the dead man's women-
folk carries a string of black onakorha (wampum) to some other chief,
usually one who sits on the opposite side of the council-fire. As the
runner goes from house to house of the chiefs he shouts from time to
time " Gwa-ah ! gwa-ah ! " in accordance with the custom in connec-
tion with other deaths.
The yononha or wake, which may be held for one or two nights,
but not more, is opened by the singing of a " sitting up " song, the
singer being chosen by the persons present. All the wake songs have
at intervals the repeat, " Huh-huh " or " Heh-heh." There are no
dances accompanying them, but speech making is encouraged, and con-
tinues until daybreak. Funerals usually take place shortly before or
after mid-day.
If the dead chief is a pagan he will be dressed in his official cos-
tume, and perhaps have a few streaks of red paint on his cheek s.-f
Men, women and children attend funerals.
COUNCIL MEETINGS.
The old methods of procedure in bringing business before the
council as well as during the discussion that follows, are maintained
to a very large extent, as may be gathered from the subjoined account
kindly furnished by Mr. E. D. Cameron, Six Nation Agent at Brant-
ford, and as he writes that the statement has received the approval of
Chief William Smith, official interpreter, and of Mr. David Hill, a
clerk in the office (both gentlemen being Indians) it may be regarded
as authoritative.
" The council is opened by one of the chiefs of the Fire-keepers ;
in his remarks he refers to any event of importance which has taken
*"The women were the great power among the clans, as everywhere else. They
did not hesitate when occasion required to 'knock off the horns,' as it was techni-
cally called, from the head of a chief, and to send him back to the ranks of the
warriors," (Morgan's Ancient Society, p. 455.
This not only illustrates the figurative use of horns, but exemplifies the power
exercised by the women among the Iroquois.
t The presence of red paint does not agree with the statement elsewhere made
that red is a forbidden color at burials, because as my informant stated " It is too
hot." There may be some reason that applies only to clothing of this color.
187
place since the last meeting. Death affecting any of the chiefs is par-
ticularly referred to. He thanks the Great Spirit for granting health
to those who are able to attend this meeting, and closes by hoping that
the Great Spirit may guide them in their deliberations for the welfare
of the whole nation. When this is done the secretary of the council
calls the roll ; the Government Agent then replies to the opening
address of the Fire-keeper, as in his remarks reference is always made
to him.
It has become the custom here to have all matters submitted to
the council by the agent. The council being in three divisions, on the
left of the agent being the Mohawks and Senecas, to whom all matters
are first submitted, when it is open for discussion ; after these arrive
at a decision thair speaker announces their decision to the Oneidas,
Cayugas, Tuscaroras and Delawares, who are seated on the right of
the agent ; should there be any division on the Mohawk and Seneca
side, it is reported to the opposite side where the matter is carefully
considered, the speakers of these bands report their decision to the
Fire-keepers (Onondagas), who are seated in front of the Government
Agent, then the speaker of the Mohawks and Senecas announce their
decision to the Fire-keepers, should both sides agree in • their decision,
as a matter of course, the Fire-keepers through their speaker simply
announce their decision to the speaker of the council ; but if the two
sides differ in any way the Fire-keepers have the deciding voice,
their speaker after reviewing what has been said by both sides closes
by giving their decision to the Government Agent, which is considered
the Council's decision.
When all business is disposed of for the session, the Fire-keepers
close the council, prior to which the roll is again called by the
secretary.
The reason why the Onondaga Chiefs are called the Fire-keepers
is that it was the custom in the olden times for them to build the fire
around which the Council was held, to keep it burning while in ses-
sion, and put it out when the council closed."
MAIZE AS FOOD.
Maize, or corn is yet among the chief articles of vegetable food
among the Pagan Indians on this Reserve. It is prepared in various
ways, besides being eaten in large quantities from the cob, or off the
ear, when green.*
* A head, or ear of "green corn." so-called, is creamy white and of milky
juiciness. In this condition white people are quite as fond of it when cooked, as
Indians are, and immense quantities are consumed all over Canada and the United
States. American readers will regard this informaton as purely gratuitous.
188
As bread, the most common form in which it is prepared is known
as cake, or corn-cake, in which shape it may be eaten within an hour
from the moment a clever woman undertakes to supply it fresh from
the grain, in accordance with methods that owe scarcely anything to
European ways and means.
Mrs. J. R. Davis was kind enough, one Sunday, during the cele-
bration of the New Year feast, to satisfy my curiosity by going through
all the operations in my presence. The desired quantity of corn, say
about a gallon, is placed to steep in a mixture of water and wood
ashes, the weak lye thus produced serving to loosen in from ten to fif-
teen minutes the hard, tough, though thin skin that covers each grain.
Transferred from the pot or pail to a basket, the mass is thoroughly
washed, either by dipping the basket frequently into^ stream, or by
pouring into it enough water to accomplish the same result. Being
allowed to dry for a short time, the corn is next placed in the " Kah-
ni-kah " or ' mill " — a log of hard- wood about two feet long, the upper
end of which has been burnt and cut to form a semi-elliptical or half-
egg-shaped hollow about nine or ten inches deep. Two persons, usually
women, each grasping a heavy hard-wood pounder, or beetle, as shown
in the engraving, plate VIII. proceed to strike the grain alternately
with considerable force, at the same time being able by means of a dsft
movement to give the material an occasional half circular sweep before
lifting the beetle. This is a motion requiring considerable skill, as the
other operator makes no allowance for it, and any accidental con tact of
the two beetles would almost surely lead to the serious disfigurement
of at least one countenance, and perhaps two. Indeed, even without
this motion, the simple stroke is not free from danger to the uninitiated
meal-maker, as I was able to learn from the presence of four or five
delighted Indian faces pressing close to the window, when it was known
within that I was about to use one of the beetles. When sufficiently
pounded, the meal is taken from the hollow and passed through a fine
sieve, the coarser portion being returned to the mill and treated as
before — an operation which may be repeated several times before all
the meal has been rendered fine enough. In the meantime a potful of
large beans has been over the fire, and these, if now sufficiently cooked,
are kneaded with the corn meal into large balls about six inches in
diameter, each of which held on the left palm is quickly made to
rotate horizontally, while repeated slaps with the right hand make it
take the form of a disc about ten inches in diameter and an inch and a
half thick. No yeast, salt, or seasoning of any kind is used. Three or
four of these cakes are placed on edge in a potful of water which has
189
been heating for this purpose. A broad wooden spatula is used for a
short time to keep the masses from adhering to one another, but very
soon this difficulty is past, and the cakes are ready to be served hot in
the course of fifteen or twenty minutes. Bread made in this way may
be kept for several weeks. Fruit of different kinds is sometimes mixed
with the dough.
It is claimed that the Indians have nearly forty methods of serving
corn, but those most commonly used are the one just described, and
another, in the preparation of soup, which is in demand at all public
and private feasts.
DISEASE.
Desirous to know something relative to disease among the Indians
on the Grand River Reserve — whether, for example, they are liable or
' immune to any form ; what kinds of disease are most prevalent and
fatal among them, and whether in these respects there is any difference
between the Christians and the Pagans, I addressed notes to some of
the physicians, who have been in charge during the last fifty years,
and received the following courteous replies :
" FAIR HAVEN, Cayuga Co., N.Y.,
Oct. 27th, 1898.
DEAR SIR, — I will cheerfully give you any information in my
power. At Christmas, 1853, I went to the Six Nation Reserve and
remained until January, 1889. In the early years of that period the
Pagans, in common with all Indians and Whites for many miles, suffered
from malaria in its many and varied forms. After some time the
country became cleared and drained, with the result that malaria was
neither so prevalent nor so severe as formerly.
Consumption and scrofula were met with, but I do not think the
accepted belief that there were a great many more cases of these among
the Pagans than among the Whites, was proven from the facts as
observed by myself.
Small-pox came among the Pagans once, but the number of cases
was not very great and the deaths were very few, because the people
. were not only willing but anxious to be vaccinated, and vaccination
never failed to protect. Not a large amount of venereal disease was
found. Measles, scarlet fever, and whooping-cough about the same as
among white folk.
190
There were some fractures and other surgical cases, but hardly as
many as among the same number of white people in the same condi-
tions.
The birth-rate was exceedingly good, but owing to unfavorable
conditions too many children died, not, however, from any want of
affection on the part of the parents. Criminal abortion was unknown
among the Pagans and all the Six Nations.
I remain,
Yours very truly,
R H. DEE, M.D.
BKANTFORD, Dec. 1st, 1898.
DEAR SIR, — "The Indian is very generally looked upon as an inter-
esting character, and, from an ethnological point of view, he undoubt-
edly is such, for among them you may find men and women in all stages
of mental development, from those who still retain many of the charac-
teristics of the earliest historic human being to those who are abreast of
modern civilization. But personal contact soon dissipates the charm of
this view, and one is more inclined to find in him a very ordinary indivi-
dual, possessing some of the characteristics of his forefathers as we learn
of them from recognized authorities, and with other traits of character
grafted on these from generations of association with the white popula-
tion. The latter elements are not very interesting or desirable, nor
could they be expected to be, as the white man has always considered
the red one to be his lawful prey, and, at present, the Indian has
developed some cunning, some shrewdness, and protected by the law
of the country, sees no wrong in taking advantage in trade of either
the white man or his red brother. But, as I must consider the con-
dition of the "oody rather than that of the mind, I shall apply my
remarks to the health of the Six Nation Indians, whose Reserve,
roughly speaking, is about ten miles square, and made up of the town-
ship of Tuscarora and a small part of the township of Onondaga in
the county of Brant, and a portion of the township of Oneida in the
county of Haldimand, in the province of Ontario. This is the largest
band of Indians in Canada located on one reserve, numbering about
4,000 members, of whom a small majority are male, and those above
and below the age of twenty ab ut equally divided. The six nations,
composing the band are the Mohawks, Onomiagas, Cavugas, Senecas,
Oneidas and Tuscaroras, a few Delawares have also been adopted, and
the physical and mental characteristics of these different tribes vary
191
as much as those of the English, Scottish and Irish. The Mohawks
are the most numerous tribe, making up one-third of the whole popu-
lation, and they, with the Oneidas, Dela wares and Tuscaroras profess
the Christian religion, while the pagan rites and ceremonies are
adhered to by one-fifth of the population, composed of most of the
Onondagas, Senecas and Cayugas. The men of the band are nominally
farmers, but while there are a few really good farmers among them it
must be admitted that the great majority prefer an existence in which
hard work does not have any place. Individually and collectively they
are without ambition, and have little energy. For the most part they
dwell in one, two, or three-roomed houses ; cannot be considered good
housekeepers ; drink water from surface pools, creeks, bad wells, or
the river ; eat wheat bread, pork, corn and potatoes, and sleep as cir-
cumstances permit. I have seen seven members of a family sleeping
in one room not more than seven by twelve feet in area. There was
a stove in the room also, and three of the persons, one of whom was
suffering from an attack of pneumonia, were in a single bed, while the
others occupied the floor.
"The province of Ontario has a death rate of about ten per 1,000
population annually, but on the Six Nation Reserve the death rate is
over thirty per 1,000 annually. The birth rate is very high, suffi-
ciently so to enable this band to increase in membership from 2,600 in
1868 to 4,000 at the present time, notwithstanding the terrible death
rate experienced. In our professional capacity, the greatest difficulties
we have to contend against on this Reserve are ignorance, supersti-
tion, filth, poverty and indifference. Filth and poverty we can deal
with, the indifference of those who are in good health to the sufferings
of a sick neighbor or relative is sometimes very trying, but the ignor-
ance and superstition are at times sufficient to make us despair. All
Indians are superstitious, and it is not a great length of time since
nearly all white people were similarly affected, but a great many of
the inhabitants of the Reserve preserve all the beliefs of their ancient
race. Among the Pagans it is quite common to find a patient's bed
surrounded by curtains to keep him or her from being defiled by
contact with the outer, world. The sick person may be kept for days
in this seclusion and fed on white chickens and white beans, this diet
being symbolical of purity. The Indian medicine women (the Medicine
Men of the present day are all fakirs who find greater recompense by
dealing with white people who have faith in their pretensions)
administer some medicine, usually herbs or roots, in the efficacy of
which they themselves have no faith, but put all their trust in super-
192
stitious ceremonies, and invocations to the Great Spirit. A physician is
only called after this method of treatment has proved to be of no avail,
or after some intelligent advisor has succeeded in getting the patient's
consent to have the doctor. This condition of affairs is, however, fast
improving, and I am of the opinion it will not be many years before
the Pagans will all recognize the efficacy of modern medical treatment.
"The character of disease affecting the Indian is in no way different
from what would be experienced among a similiarly situated white
population under similar conditions; but we have at times been par-
ticularly struck with a wonderful recuperative power shown in some
cases. Let me cite in this connection for the benefit of your profes-
sional readers a case of a child eight years of age suffering from multi-
ple tubercular abscesses fully twenty in number, and varying in capacity
from half an ounce to half a pint. The larger ones were incised and
the child put upon constitutional treatment, with the result of perfect
recovery inside of three months. There has been no return of the
disease for over a year and I may say that the child's paternal family
history is more pronouncedly tubercular than that of any family my
experience has ever brought me in contact with during twenty-two
years practice.
" Pulmonary consumption claims a great number of victims, but,
probably good reasons might be adduced for this unfortunate fact
without falling back upon the theory that the Indian is constitutionally
predisposed to tubercular disease. This theory, or at least the one that
half-breed Indians are so predisposed, is, I think, generally received by
the outside community, but after an understanding of the conditions
under which these people exist I am not at all satisfied with its correct-
ness.
"The number of cases of pneumonia which we are called upon to
attend is wonderful, and I must say that they recover from the acute
stages remarkably well but convalesce badly, owing to want of proper
nursing and nourishment.
" There is a great deal of malaria in parts of the Reserve, and I
regret to say that the number of typhoid fever cases is increasing from
year to year. This disease is very fatal to these people, not because
they cannot stand it as well as their white neighbors but because they
•do not understand the necessity of good nursing and judicious dieting.
In connection with the spread of this disease it is interesting to notice
how that which is intended to be useful will sometimes be utterly
perverted.
193
'• It has been known for years that parts of some of the streams
flowing through the Reserve have been polluted with typhoid germs,
and the digging of wells has been advocated for the purpose of pre-
venting the Indian from using surface and creek water. In many
cases wells have been dug, but there are wells and wells, and while a
good one serves the purpose intended many of those which have been
sunk are but a few feet deep and placed in such situations as to receive
the surface water for rods around, this being to the Indian a great
advantage, inasmuch as the well is not so likely to go dry, but, unfor-
tunately, it has probably increased very materially the number of
cases of typhoid fever which have affected the people.
" The number of deaths of children under one year of age is appal-
ling, especially when it is taken into consideration that a very large
percentage of them is due to preventable causes, fully thirty per cent,
'of them being due to congenital syphilis. I have been in doubt whether
it would be wise to make auy remarks in reference to this subject, but
there is so great a need for a remedy that the desire for the same,
I think justifies my mentioning it.
"The nematoda are found everywhere, affecting all ages, and it is
surprising the number of lubricoides which find their way to the
pharynx. It is not at all an uncommon thing for young adults to pick
these worms from their throats or noses with their fingers.
" The relation in which these people stand to the Government is in
my humble judgment a reason why the Department of Indian Affairs
should guide and direct them in such a way as would tend to their
improvement and well-being. The difficulties of the situation may
readily be recognized, and one may sympathise with the Department
in permitting the "Nations" to control their own affairs, but the under-
lying phases of character which prevent the people by their own action
from adopting such measures for their protection a.nd welfare, as have
been found to work so much benefit to white people, should be taken
into consideration. We have, in this province of Ontario, a Public
Health Act which has been most successful in its operation, and we
have advocated the establishment of a local board of health, under this
Act, both before the -Council of the Nation and the Department of
Indian Affairs without avail. It is here that I may be allowed to
express the opinion that the Department would be justified in putting
into operation measures of acknowledged value, and which the Indians
themselves do not recognize. Another matter of importance is that
these people, congregated as they are in a separate community, form
what might be termed a ' hospital community,' as there would be few of
13 c.i.
194
them who would not be better attended in cases of serious illness or
accident in one of these beneficent institutions than they can possibly
be cared for in their homes. The erection of such a building for their
benefit has also been advocated before the Council and the Department,
and bearing in mind that this is a wealthy community, having in the
neighborhood of $800,000 deposited with the Government as a capital
fund, any expenditure for the maintenance of such an institution
would not be a burden to the people, and would be of untold assist-
ance in relieving distress and saving valuable lives which under present
conditions must be lost. I consider the health of these people to be
one of the subjects demanding attention of the general public, and I
regret that for many years past there has been an apathy, an inatten-
tion on the part of the whole of Ontario to the condition under which
these 4,OOD natives exist.
Yours truly,
L. SECORD, M.D.,
Medical Officer, Six Nations Indians.
Dr. Secord's communication is a most suggestive one, and demands
immediate attention on the part of all concerned. That among such a
community as the Six Nations there should be utter ignorance of sani-
tation and treatment of disease is not to be wondered at when we bear
in mind how difficult it has proved to awaken intelligent attention to
such matters where our own people are concerned. The Indians are
wards* of the Dominion, and unless the Indian Department is disposed
to adopt the inhuman belief that the " best Indian is a dead Indian,"
steps should at once be taken to improve the condition of things on
this Reserve. In the meantime affairs of all kinds on the Reserve are
hanging at loose ends, while civilizing influences either find their way
in by slow and devious methods or not at all. That there are churches
on the Reserve, and that these do .all they can, we know, but we also
know how possible it is for churches to exist side by side with ignorance,
and amid hot -beds of disease. Besides this, the churches are totally
without influence among the Pagans, nor has the schoolmaster been
able to accomplish very much, for the reason that the Pagans have not
shown any desire for his services. These, however, are only rea-
* Some of the Indians themselves claim to be allies of Great Britain and not
wards of Canada.
195
sons why the Indian Department should have attended to the needs
(even if they were not the wants) of the people long ago. Much as any
Agent may desire to effect reforms, he will find his best efforts fruitless,
partly owing to the want of authority and partly because his office duties
require him to be away from the Reserve most of the time. It is
imperative that some one in whom the Indians have confidence should
occupy the position of " guide, philosopher and friend " on the Reserve.
It would be the duty of such a one to advise and to suggest, with power
when necessary, to eenjorc measures for domestic comfort and public
health. Necessary reforms cannot be brought about all at once, some
would require years and others would need the lapse of a generation,
but the suggestion offered by Dr. Secord, respecting the establishment
of a Reserve hospital, is one that the Indian Department cannot take
into consideration too soon. The mortality among the Six Nations,
especially, as Dr. Secord says, " of children under one year of age is
appalling," much of which, as he points out, is preventable. His state-
ments respecting the present condition of things must be received by
almost every one with astonishment, not unmingled with disgust and
indignation. It is almost incredible that we should have in our
midst a population of about 4,000 persons many of whom are the prey
of preventable disease on account, mainly, of comparatively easy pre-
ventable ignorance.
My own opinion is that the Indians are amenable to reason, much
more so, indeed, than many people suppose, and if properly, that is,
judiciously, approached, a large amount of improvement might be
effected in various ways, all tending to comfort in the homes and, con-
sequently, to the general well-being. We send " instructors " to our
red brethren in the North-West, why not to those at our own doors ?
Our Pagan friends on the Grand River Reserve demand our
sympathy — they occupy the position of a people within a people — a
large nnrnber of them cannot speak English, and are thus by necessity
as well as by inclination isolated from elevating influences ; with good
reason they are suspicious of "white" interference, but, notwithstand-
ing these and other difficulties, it is time to save them from themselves.
Along this line, as well as along some others, the Indian Department
at Ottawa may, if it will, effect many reforms with the consent of the
people, while there is room for a few others even should the people
make a show of opposition.
Both agent and medical man should have more authority to act
with the Indian Council in bringing about improvements. Dr. Secord
is painfully aware of the situation, but is powerless to effect any reform.
196
The " Nations " maintain a hearse and supply coffins for all •' the
chiefs, warriors, women and children " who are buried on the Reserve,
and surely nothing can be more reasonable that that the communal
fund should be drawn upon to preserve the lives of those for whom it
provides means to be handsomely interred.
In a word, the Indians actually invite disease, and seem to pay
gladly for deaths.
The first step towards radical improvement would be to teach
every Indian to speak and read English.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL NOTES. VICTORIA COUNTY.
BY G. E. LAIDLAW.
The material from this section has not accumulated as plentifully
as one would wish for this season. Nevertheless several places were
examined and some things new were obtained, which may add to the
knowledge already possessed. Specimens were also gotten from known
sites, and isolated places that may be of use in comparing with relics
from other localities.
Relics.
From Chas. Youill, Thorah Township, N. Ontario county, a large
square tablet or gorget, of very fine workmanship, two holed, material
dark green, Huronian slate, was one of several found as a cache on his
farm. See Report '97-'98, p. 63.
Mr. John Armour, Victoria Road P.O., gives a copper implement
resembling the one figured on p. 60, Arch. Rep. '90-'91 (fig. 145), but is
about 2 inches less in length, and has fewer teeth, length measured on a
chord across the curve 11 inches— the tang being 1 inch; breadth at
butt 2 1-5 inches at top, before it curves into a round point, 1 inch.
Narrowest breadth of tang 1 inch. Thickness uniform, a shade less
than £ inch, which dwindles to 1-16 inch at top, and 1-40 at convex
edge ; weight 7f ounces avoir. The teeth number 11 and are very dis-
tinct with the exception of the two top ones. The thickness of the
blade between the teeth is the same as the rest of the blade, and by the
marks exhibited on one surface of the teeth, shows that they were
drawn out by a punch, or some similar tool, from one side of the imple-
ment, the other side of the teeth being in the same plane as of that
side of the implement and showing no tool marks. The teeth are
drawn out from 1-20 inch to 1-40 inch in thickness at their edges.
This specimen was found under a large pine stump by Mr. Armour,
197
while stumping, about five or six years ago, on block B., Bexley dis-
tant, two miles west from Balsam Lake and one mile north of the old
Huron trail or portage. The stump was burnt before the cortical
layers could be counted.
Alex. Miles, foreman on Trent Canal, gives a curious little copper
scraper or flesher, resembling a modern hash knife, which was found
in excavating a bank of clay gravel — recent formation, at a depth of
eight feet, a layer of that thickness having been removed, the relic
was found near the top of the next layer. Length of blade 3 2-5 inches,
breadth 7-8 inch, thickness 1-16 inch, length of tines 1 2-5 inches, points
of tines are about 2 2-5 inches apart, and are a little thicker than the
slightly semi-circular blade, from which they recurve at greater angles
than right angles, weight about 5-8 oz. avoir. This type may be taken
as an advance upon the semi-lunar slate knife, and can be classed as a
woman's knife, to whose work it was eminently adapted. The tines
being driven into a handle of some three or four inches in length, it
could be used in the manner of a saddler's knife. Clarence B. Moore
suggests that the flesher type of copper implements may be of native
manufacture, after a white man's model. Found at the crossing of the
Trent Canal with the Portage Road, lot 52, Eldon Township, Corre-
sponding with such men as Clarence B. Moore, Stewart Culin, C. C.
Willoughby, E. F. Wyman and others, it seems that the above two types
occur in the North Western States. The flesher type occurs more fre-
quently on the Michigan lake shore than inland, and one having iden-
tically the same outline as the above, being found at Two Rivers, Wis.,
this summer ; a few specimens exist in the cabinets of the western col-
lectors. The large curved type occurs in the Lake Superior district,
near the Portage ship canal. Some specimens are in the Field Colum-
bian Museum, and in private cabinets.
Mr. A. C. McRae, of Beaverton, places a small copper spear head
of the " bayonet " type on loan. Surface find near Beaverton in '97.
Length 5 inches, of which the socket is 2£ inches, breadth 11-16 inch,
greatest thickness 3-16 inch, shoulders rounded, socket well pro-
nounced and made to hold a larger shaft than an arrow, and was pro-
vided with a small tang at the end which turned in, holding the shaft
from slipping, but which is now unfortunately broken off; weight If
oz. avoir., shape similar to the one figured on p. 55, Rep. 1887, which
also was found north-east of Toronto.
These particular details of above copper relics are given in order
to fix the geographical distribution of types.
198
Mr. Chas. Gusty, Kirkfield, gives some bone beads and a bone
harpoon having two barbs on one side and three on the other, the first
of this type observed here.
G. Fox, Dalrymple P. 0., Mud Lake Garden, gives a fragment of
large horn, two celts, and a slate gouge, the latter being grooved from
bit to poll and is the first of that particular sort, noted from this sec-
tion.
W. Richardson, La Fontaine P.O., Tiny township, sends a clay
pipe of the Huron type, and two steel knives, from a site on Cedar
Point, Lake Huron, opposite Christian Island, supposed to be the
Huron town of Toanchd
D. Smith, Coboconk, a large pipe stem and a mask from a clay
pipe.
F. Widdis, n. half lot 4, N. W. B. Bexley, a perfect cornet clay
pipe, square top.
Moses Mitchell, Elden, gives a miniature celt and two ordinary
celts,
J. Waterson, Kirkfield, gives an unfinished implement of lime-
stone in shape of a truncated cone, with a groove completely around it
just immediately above the base. The base has a perforation started.
Dimensions, 2f inches long, 1 9-16 inches diameter at base, and 1 5-16
at top, grove f inch wide and 3-16 deep, also a soapstone disc, perfor-
ated, and a pottery disc from lot 37, concession 7, S. P.R. Eldon, found
in '96.
Dougald Brown, celt from Fenelon Falls.
W. Neal, Victoria Road, celt from neighborhood.
W. Mitchell, Kirkfield, a modern war club, having a knob head
with a spike or iron blade set in, formerly in the possession of the late
Admiral Van Sittart.
Several visits were made to sites explored last year, with the fol-
lowing results :
Number 10, lot 44, S. P. R. Eldon yielded bone, beads of bone, clay,
and polished soapstone, a mask from a pipe, a toy clay pipe, discs of
pottery and stone, one having a groove on one side, rubbing stones,
graphite and marine shells,
Number 3, lot 5, concession 5, Bexley, produced discs of stone and
pottery, perforated and unperforated, bone awls and horn implements,
bone beads, perforated marine shells, and a flint knife, curved, 2f inches
199
long by | broad. It in very rare that chipped flint implements are
found on sites here ; also a cylinder of soapstone 1 7-16 inch by 1
inch, gooved around the middle as if the intention was to cut it in two
parts to make beads, this specimen has also a perforation started in
one end ; a fragment of a four sided clay pipe having a mask — human
— at each corner, the intervening spaces being occupied by a series of
circular indents ; perforated canine tusks and hammer stones, both
hand and degraded celts.
Number 8, head of Portage, Balsam Lake, gives a blocked out
adze or celt of greenstone, an ovate flint knife 2f inches by 1 3-16,
very thin ; a triangular scraper and a borer of flint.
Number 20, block E., Bexley Lake Shore, a number of fragments
of human bones were found buried in a heap about 18 inches below
surface, comprising mainly portions of skull, jaws and the larger bones.
Number 2, lot 22, concession 3, Eldon, furnished three circular
hammer stones, a stone gouge pecked into shape, but not polished,
having a chip out of the under side of edge which had been subse-
quently treated to remove the flaw by grinding ; a small chisel, a
rubbing stone, some perforated marine shells, pottery discs, bone awls
and beads, bears' tusks, a silurian spiral fossil (Murchisonia ? ), besides
a number of ovoid and spheroid stones up to a goose egg in size, which
may have been pot boilers, missiles, or those stones remarked upon by
the Jesuits, which the sorcerers held red hot in their hands or mouth
in performing their witchcraft, see Jesuit Relation, Vol 14. These
stones occur quite frequently in ash beds, so much so, as to cause their
presence to be remarked by investigators,
Number 6, site Smith's lot 18, Gull River Range, Bexley, a blocked
out soapstone pipe, worked soapstone pebble, and a portion of a soap-
stone pipe in process of manufacture.
Number 14, Rumney's lots 56 and 57, front range, Somerville
township, celts, pottery, clay pipes, plate mica, bone implements and
rubbing stone.
Number 7, lots west half 5 and 6, concession 2, Bexley, large frag-
ments of pottery, a large gouge, which has been used, but is still in
the process of making as evidenced by the shallow pecked groove
existing the whole length of the implement, but does not come deep
enough to meet the lip or edge which shows marks of usage ; some
large turtle egg shells, a few pottery discs, etc., were obtained in exam-
ining the surfaces of a half dozen or new ash beds, exposed by the
clearing of a piece of thicket this year, but as grain was on the place
no digging could be done.
200
PITS.
Referring to the pits mentioned in last year's report, p. 56, I
visited those situtated on J. Chrysler's, Mud Lake, Garden township,
to verify statements made concerning them and others in the neigh-
borhood. I found in conversing with Mr. Chrysler and others, that
the three connected pits were formerly 20 feet deep, with almost
straight walls, the earth partitions between them were almost up to
the surrounding surface, which was level, and no embankments existed
around the mouths of the pits. The single pit to the north was about
15 feet deep, and all had saucer-shaped bottoms They were supposed
by the residents to have been used by the Indians as " game pits "
especially to drive deer into ; I cannot accept this idea of their con-
struction for that purpose, when we know that the Indians could far
easier kill deer by still hunting than driving them to the pits, not
taking into account the labor necessary for their construction, and for
the construction also of wings leading to them, necessary to head the
game in that direction.
Fifty rods to east of pits is a slight valley bounded on the east by
a limestone ridge, existed an ancient village of five or six acres in
extent, ash-beds, pottery, celts, etc. were plentiful when the place was
cleared by Mr. Chrysler forty years ago.
A short distance to the north existed a modern Indian camp site,
on a place called the " Indian clearing," now grown up with large sized
trees of second growth, the Mississaugas grew corn here sixty years
ago, according to ': Squire Joe " an aged Indian of the Rama Reserve
French axes, iron tomahawks and steel knives have been found here
)
also more ancient relics such as clay pipes, pottery, celts, flint arrow-
heads, a few slate gouges, a copper knife, and a red stone pipe.
The above pits were propably the natural results of drainage by
the spring which came out of the bank lower down to the south, and
were artificially shaped by the inhabitants of the village to the east,
for religious, storage, secretive, or defensive purposes.
On S. Fox's place, lot 13, concession 2, Garden, were three smaller
pits in a row, bearing north and south, these were about 12 feet deep
and 5 feet wide, a spring came out below them about 5 rods away.
They were distant about one mile from Chrysler's pits on the south
side of a valley running between them.
Also on Irwin's farm, south half lot 15, concession 2, Carden,
there were four pits separate, but two were close together. In the
spring the land to the extent of five or six acres around them is
flooded, and the water is supposed to recede through the pits.
201
On Heron's Island, Mud Lake, there are traces of modern graves,
but they have been opened and contents removed. They were pro-
bably the graves of the Mississaugas who were resident in the vicinity
before being removed to Rama Reserve.
The following has been added to the list of village sites. No. 22>
Chrysler's lot 17, con. 3, Garden township, N. Victoria.
Remarks.
The black clay pipe so frequently found may have been colored
by the process described by Otis T. Mason in " Primitive "Woman,"
used for coloring pottery, viz.: — When the article was nearly baked,
the tire was raked away and a large amount of fresh green fuel of
some sort added, which gave a dense smoke and produced the neces-
sary effect.
It has been suggested that the large " bunts " or rounded scrapers
were attached to a shaft and used as ice chisels. They do not seem to
have been found very far south ; also that the discs with slight per-
forations on one side, were so marked in order to distinguish a partic-
ular side. This is somewhat analagous to the plum stones that were
used in gambling games by the Huron-Iroquois peoples, being colored
on one side.
I took several extended trips north throughout the granitic region,
in order to determine whether any sites, etc , existed there but could
not find or hear of any, see p. 13, Report 1897-98. It is also a signifi-
cant fact that no grave-yards, with one exception, have been found in
the vicinity of village sites here. Where did they bury their dead ?
Were they removed for ossuary burial elsewhere ? It is not such a
long distance to the Huron country, could they have been transported
thither ?
In " Rambles and Studies in Bosnia," etc., by Robert Munro, in
describing a neolithic site at Butmir, p. 102, referring to the finding of
clay weights, (perforated discs) he says, " The workmen came upon
sixty- five perforated clay weights of reddish color arranged in two
circular rows. They are round and are of nearly unform size. Their
diameters being within 5.5 c.m. and 6. c.m. and their weight within 3
and 4 c.m., one of which lay in the middle being exceptionally large
measuring 9.5 c.m. in diam. by 4.5 in height, " He then goes on to com-
pare them with net weights used by the people of Bilioc, concluding
that a net had been deposited here with its weight attached, the net
decaying leaving the weights. Might not this theory account for some
202
of the larger perforated discs, both of stone and pottery found on the
sites here ? It being admitted at the same time the use of notched
pebbles for the same purpose, but which have not been observed here
as yet; also in the same work, p. 103, he mentions charred corn in con-
nection with charcoal, explaining, p. 123, that "the hardening of grain
for mealing purposes can be readily effected by holding a bundle of the
ears of corn for a few minutes over a white flame made from withered
straw or other combustible material. In this manner corn can be dried
ground and baked within an hour from the time it was growing
in the field. Is this applicable to Indian corn or maize, and would
it account for all the corn in our ash beds, or would that quan-
tity be augmented from corn spilt from broken pots, or from the
boiling over of pots ? It is said that corn if fire charred would not
exist long, decaying very quickly. What is called " charred corn " in
our ash beds and caches results from carbonization.
NOTE. — In reference to the large pits being used as game pits to
drive deer into. It is possible that they could be used as such, espec-
ially in connection with wings or pieces of brush-wood, timber, etc-
Similar to the drives of the Boethucs of Newfoundland, and the pis'kuns
of Blackfeet and Algonquin nations, in the North West, but these two
peoples had game in large bodies to operate with, such as herds of
caribou in their annual migration, and bands of buffalo, and they
killed enough at one time to do the tribe a considerable period, where-
as the red deer being non-gregarious, at the most only going in bunches
of less than half dozen, they could not be gotten together in enough
numbers in one district, to make it necessary to construct these pits
and lengthy wings, for their slaughter on a wholesale scale."
CORRECTIONS.
Under the head of " Texile Work," p. 26 in last report, reference
was made to some fragments of cloth thought to have been found by
Mr. Clarence B. Moor in Florida during his extensive and exhaustive
explorations in that State. Mr. Moore writes that " the specimens
of carbonized fabrics were found with a burial below the base of
the larger Van Meter Mound, near Piketon, Ohio." This mound
was opened and examined by Mr. Gerard Fowke, under the direction
of Mr. Moore, • during the summer of 1894.
Of this work Mr. Fowke reported to Mr. Moore : — " Lying on the
top of the charcoal where it was thickest was a considerable quantity
of charred cloth, showing at least four distinct methods of weaving,
203
there was also much of what seemed to be fur, or some such material ;
the latter was soft as soot, while some of the cloth was fairly well pre-
served, a very little of it showing scarcely any mark of burning.*
Mr. Moore assures me that he wrote the particulars respecting this
find when he so generously sent the specimens, but I am sorry to say
the letter did not reach me, and as he had forwarded not long before,
several stone and shell tools and a number of shell beads from the
Florida Mounds examined by himself the previous winter, I supposed
that all the material came from the same place — another of the lessons
we are constantly learning, and which teach us that we cannot exercise
too much care where there is even the remotest appearance of doubt.
In acknowledging the gift of specimens last year from Dr. W. L
T. Addison, then of Barrie, but now of Byng Inlet, the name of his
brother, the Rev. Arthur P. Addison of South River, should have been
mentioned, as it was largely through his efforts that the excellent Ad-
dison Collection was brought together, and this correction is made
with great pleasure, although mingled with regret that the omission
should have occurred.
APPENDIX (A).
When the Delawares became incorporated with the Six Nations
they were compelled to wear either really, or figuratively, white
shirts as overdresses, besides other marks of humiliation, and were
regarded as " women " by their adopters. In due course this stigma
was removed. David Zeisberger, in his. diary, 1781-1798, mentions
that on Monday, June 15th, 1795, " Capt. Brant came through here
[Fairfield, on the Thames, Ontario] with his suite in six canoes," and
no doubt he gave the Moravian missionary the information following,
viz., " That the Six Nations had now made the Delawares men, [by
the treaty of Greenville, 1794] . . . They had, among other
ceremonies, shorn an Indian's head leaving only a little hair at the
top, adorned with white feathers, as the warriors are accustomed to do,
and painted him. They left him no clothing except a breech-clout,
and put a war-beetle into his hands, and then presented him to the
Delawares with these words : ' Cousin, before times we put on thee a
woman's garment ; hung at thy side a calabash, with oil to anoint thy
head ; put into thy hand a grubbing axe and a pestle, to pla,nt corn
and to grind it, together with other house-gear, and told thee to
*Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia for 1894, p. 311.
204
support thyself by agriculture, together with thy children, and to
trouble thyself about- nothing else. Now we cut in two the band
wherewith the garment is bound, and throw it among these thick,
dark bushes, whence no man shall bring it again or he must die. Thou
art thus no longer in thy former form, but thy form is like this
Indian's, whom we now present to thee, that thou mayest see who
thou now art, and instead of grubbing axe and corn pestle, we put
into thy hand a war-beetle and feathers upon thy head. Thou goest
about now like a man.' ' Thus,' Zeisberger adds, ' they have made the
Delaware nation not only into men, but into warriors.' " Vol. II,
pp. 419-420.
Many of the Ojibwas and some of the Delawares themselves sus-
pected the motives of the Iroquois in re-masculating the latter,
believing that " the Six Nations, and especially the Mohawks on the
British territory, have not only made the Delaware Nation into men
but into warriors, to encourage them to continue war against the
States, and take it up anew, so that if they reached their end and the
Delawares began war anew against the States, they would accuse them
to the States and say, ' These are they who are fractious and will
not have peace. Let us all fall upon them and root them out.' " That
this was their purpose was seen from what follows : "The Mohawks
have thereupon, for the third time, sent to the Chippewas [Ojibwas]
a finger's length from a war- belt fathoms long, and offered them the
Delaware Nation, or permitted them to make broth thereof." (i.e., to
make way with them.)
Brant, himself, was said to be implicated, so that on this account
"he could not goto the treaty as he had intended," when he heard that
the secret had leaked out.*
To the foregoing brief account of the unmaking and making of
the Delawares, it should be added that they, themselves, declared they
were inveigled by the Iroquois into the original compact, on the plea
of the latter that if the Delawares would consent to be reckoned as
women they would thus be able to exercise great influence as peace-
makers.
Regard the arrangment as we may, it was a very remarkable one,
and serves to to bring out in strong light, the extravagant symbolism
that characterized the Indian in many of his ways.
* See Zeisberger's Diary, vol. II, p. 416.
For a beautiful copy of these volumes, I am indebted to my friend, Mr. Robert
Clarke, publisher, Cincinnati, Ohio.
205
APPENDIX (B).
LIST OF INDIAN DANCES. *
Indian names in Seneca : —
1. O-sto-weh'go-wa, + Great Feather Dance .... For both sexes.
2. Ga-na-o-uh £ Great Thanksgiving Dance .... "
3. Da-yun'-da-nes-hunt-ha, Dance with joined hands "
4. Ga-da-shote * Trotting Dance
5. 0-ta-wa-ga-ka * •}• North Dance "
6. Je-ha'-ya, Antique Dance "
7. Ga'-no-jit'-ga-o, Taking the kettle out
8. Ga-so-wa'-o-no, * Fish Dance "
9. Os-ko-da'-ta, Shaking the Bush
10. Ga-n(5-ga-yo, + Rattle Dance
11. So-wek-o-an'-no, | Duck Dance. "
12. Ja k<5-wa-o-an-no, Pigeon Dance "
13. Gak-sa'-ga-ue-a, -f Grinding Dishes Dance ... "
14. Ga-sd-a ^ Knee Battle Dance " "
15. O-ke-wa, Dance for the Dead For females.
16. 0-as-ka-ne-a, Shuffle Dance
17. Da-swa-da-ne-a, Tumbling Dance "
18. G'a-ne-il'-seh-o, -f- Turtle Dance "
19. Un-da-da-o-at'-ha, Initiation Dance for girls . . "
20. Un-to-we"-sus, Shuffle Dance
21. Da-yo-da'-sun-da-e-go, Dark Dance "
22. Wa-sa'-seh, * j Sioux, or War Dance For males.
23. Da-ge-ya-go-o-an'-no, Buffalo Dance "
24. Ne-a'-gwi-o-an'-no, * Bear Dance "
25. Wa-a-n(5-a, f Striking- the -Stick Dance " "
26. Ne-ho-sa-den'-da f Squat Dance " "
27. Ga-na-un'-da-do, * J Scalp Dance " "
28 Un-de-a-ne-suk'-ta, Track Finding Dance " "
29. Eh-nes'-hen-do, -f* Arm Shaking Dance " "
30. Ga-g(5-sa, False Face Dance •' "
31. Ga-j^-sa, " " "
32. Un-da-de-a-dus'-shun-ne-at'-ha, ^ Preparation
Dance
Thus marked * are of foreign origin ; thus + are obsolete ; and
thus j are costume dances.
The above list does not include the Maple Dance, the Green Corn
Dance, the Snake Dance, and more important still, the Covered Skin
Dance.
* Morgan's "League of the Iroquois," p. 290.
INDEX.
PAGE.
Abistanaooch 72
Addison, Rev. A. P 203
Afternoon dedicated to the dead. .78, 96
Agreskoui, or Agreskwi, the God of
War 102
Akonwarah, false faces 157
Allen, Grant, quoted 473
Angels, the three (or four) .... 76, 77,
82, 95, 126, 138
Anointing heads 119
Areskwi, or Agreskoui 60
"Ashes" 82
Ashes, blowing of 90
Ashes, scattering of . . 106, 108, 109,
110, 111, 114
Ashes, scattering of, by the Creator
(foot note) ,". 110
A shes, song 107
Ataensic 58, 60
Atonement, no place in Indian mind. 99
Bad water 191, 193
Bear boy 165
Bear dance song 148
Beauchamp, Dr., quoted. . . .75 et seq 80
Bellomont, Earl of, quoted 54
Big feather dance 85
Big feather dance song 147
Big turtle story 167
Birth rate 190
Boaz, Dr. Franz, quoted 142
Borrowed chiefs 176
Boyd-Dawkins, Prof., quoted 52
Brant. Joseph, and the Delawares . . 204
Brant-Sero, J. O S
Brinton, Dr. , quoted . . . . 56, 57, 60,
101, 107, 137
Britton's, Freeman, gift 9-44
Brodie's, W. A., gift 6
PAGE.
Brotherhood 180
feast 181
" ceremony 181
" death 182
Brushing away sins 70
Burials from public fund 196
Capture, marriage by 61
Cards forbidden 79
Carriers' reason for " blowing " 142
Cayuga women at spring sun Dance. 118
Charlevoix and Huron sachems .... 103
Cheez-tah-paezh 67
Chief's horns 185, foot note 186
Chiefs, borrowed 176
" minor 176
' ' pine tree 175
" nomination of 176
" number of 175
" Six Nation 177-8
" warrior 175
Chiefship foot note 81
Children's deaths : . . 193
" treatment 77
Clan and gens foot note 173
Clans, Iroquois 174
Clark, General J. S., quoted 102,
foot note 118
Cloth, carbonized, Ohio 202, 203
Coals, handling live . . 91 and foot note
Complexion 167
Colden, quoted 97
Confession of sins 66
Contributions to feast 120
Copper inplements, lines of distribu-
tion 53
Copper scraper 196
" spear head 196
" tool, carved 196
[207]
208
PAGE.
Corn bread 188
" charred 202
" soup 120, 123
Cornplanter 75, 76
Cringan, A. T., on Iroquois music . . 144
Cross carved on pipes 47, 48
Dances 205
" degraded 122
Dance versus frost 130
Dancers must be serious
110, foot note
Dancing as a cure for disease 85
Dancing, Heine on 85
Dawn myth 60
Death cry 18*
Death rate 191
Dee's, Dr. R. H. , letter . 189
Delaware prophet 63
Delawares 54, 203
Dene limits 100, foot note
Diabolism, imputed 74
Diet for sick people 191
Discs, perforated 201
Diseases 189
Dog among Athabaskans, Algonkians
and Souans , 98
Dog burning a substitute for human
sacrifice by the Mayas 105
Dog burning in Michigan 98
" feasts 97
" for a dream 98
•' in American religions 101
" in Maya MSS 101
" white, a message bearer 103
" burned 94
" burning forbidden 97
" decorations 92
" " strangled 92
" " symbolical 99,101
Dogs as sons and daughters 100
' ' as offerings to cure smallpox . . 98
" burnt with their masters 100
Dog's image to remove disease 98
" flesh eaten 97
" "a charm against disease . . 97
Dorsey, Prof. J. O., quoted. .86 68, 142
Drake quoted 65
Dream, a bad 97
" Dreamers," The 69
PAOE.
Dreams 142
" and visions . . .63, 64, 65, 66, 67
Dress of people at the dances 83
" - modern 179
Drum foot note ) 29
Drums and rattles only to be used . . 78
Drummond, Henry, quoted iii.
Earth, mother 69
English should be taught to all the
Indians on the reserve 169
European parentage 1 67
Eternal punishment 73, 137
Faces painted 122
False face society ' 167, 163
" dance 151
" dance song 151
" chief 160
" initiation speech 158
" meetings 163
" membership 158, 164
" offerings 89
False faces 1 60
" husk-masked 163
" power of '...•• 160-1
Feast contributions 120
Fellowship, and life for life 183
men and women 183
Fiddle denounced 78
Fire-keepers 187
Fire, passing the 108, 109. 110, 111
Fire, sacred 103
Fish dance song 151
Flint; origin of 59
Flute . . .- 145
Flying heads '. 160
Food plants, origin of 59
Forenoon sacred 78, 96
Four persons or angels 95
Four w inds myth , . . 60
Four angels 82
Friendship dance? 66
Fuller's, C. V., gift 8
Gambling allowed 79
" Game pits " 200
Gananoque valley 44
Gens names 169
Gentes 173
Ghost dance in Nevada 7J
Glosscap's origin 61
209
PAGE.
God song 152
Green corn dance song 149
Grimm quoted 73
Gummere, Prof., quoted 85
Go-weh, Ko-ue, Ko-we, or Ka-weh
..104, 107
Hale, Horatio, quoted 99
Hamilton, Rev. Wm 98
Harvest dance song 154
Heads anointed 119
Heaven not for whites 80
Heckewelder quoted 64
Hell 73, 137
Hiawatha 66, 85
Holder of the heavens 109
Horns of the chiefs. . .111, footnote ;
185, footnote ; 186
Hoh-shah-honh the preacher 79-81
forbids the burning
of the white dog 96
Hospitality taught 77
Hospital required 193, 195
Houses 1 80, 191
Huron chiefs, " Children of the
Sun " 103
Harmon quoted 100
"Iroquois" and "Cherokee," origin
of ^..103
Iroquois as farmers and business
men 167-8
Iroquois clans 174
" first parents 59
Indian courtesy 121
" drum foot note 129
" Hell 137
Indians psychologically .... 73
Instruction required 194, 195
lyo, iio, or eeyo, meaning of 136
Johnson Sir Wm., not in Heaven . . 80
Joskeha and Tawiskara 59
Kanakuk 65
Kanishandon 82 and fol.
Kanishandon's dress 95
Ka-weh, ko-we, ko-ue, or go-weh
104, 107, 109
Laidlaw's, G. E., gift 9, 18, 42
La Hontan, quoted 88
Lalemant, quoted 73, 74, 97
Lang, Andrew, quoted 173
14 G.I.
PAGE.
Large families 77
Laulewasikaw 64
Le Jeune, quoted 56, 97, 141
Letourneau. quoted 173
Light and darkness myth 60
Lindsay, Lord, quoted 91
Longhouse, Seneca 83
Maclean's, Rev. Dr. J., gift 17
McDiarmid's, Dr. , gift . . •. 10
McLennan, quoted 61
Malaria 189, 192
Marriages 77, 173, 183, 184 and
foot note
Materials for betting at peach stone
game
125
Medicine men 191
Medicine women 191
Medicines, native 78, 191
Miscegenation opposed 77
Mill, or kah-ni-kah 188
Milne's, T. F. , gift 9, 12, 16
Minor chiefs 176
Modern dress 179
Morice, Rev. A. G., quoted . . . .100, 142
Mooney, James, on Indian prophets,
foot note, 63, quoted, 68, 69, 71
Moore's, Clarence B., gift '43
Moral code 79
Morgan, quoted 75, 138, 157
Munro's, Dr., gift 43
" quoted 201
Music development 144
' ' in minor key 143
" modern influences 146
" pentatonic scale 146
Mythical origin of spraying 166
Myth-makers and believers 58
Names, place , 171
Names, deer gens 171
Names, objection to tell their own. . 121
Names of persons, reticence in
using 170
Naming children 168-169
Nakai doklini 67
Nanabush 58, 60, 61
Nanticokes 54
Native medicines 191
" Niyoh," the word 136
Nomination of chiefs . . 176
210
PAGE.
Non-osculation .... 184 and foot note
Number of chiefs 175
Number of Indians on Reserve 190
Occupation of men 191
Offerings — False Face.89 and footnote
Oh-kwa-ri-dak-san 165
'• Old men," who they are 126
Onondaga done-seeding dance an-
nounced 124
Paddle party 107
Paddles, distribution of 108
Paddle tipping song. . 109, and foot note
Pagan belief, confused 56
" belief, pre-historic 56
" ceremonies, two features of . . 57
" dances 78
Paganism, modified 55
Painted faces 95
Passing the fire . . .108, 109, 110, 111 116
Patheske, or Long Nose 66
Peach stone game, articles for bet-
ting at 125
" opening speech ... 125
winning throws . . 127
" how played 128
Penn, Wm., not in Indian heaven ... 80
Perry's, W. C., gift 9, 41 42
Personal names 170-1
Pigeon dance song 149
in Cayuga longhouse . . 120
Pigeons, wild, exorcised .... foot note 88
Pigmy dance songs 164
" song 146
Pine tree chiefs 175
Physical features foot note 168
Place names 171-2
Pneumonia 192
Pontiac's advantage 64
Pottery fragments 44
Prayers, daily 79
Preachers 82
Prophet, Indian 55
" impostors 62
" Delaware 63
" Shawnee 64
" Kicapoo 65
" Winnebago 66
" Paiute 66
" Apache 67
PAGE.
Prophet, Pottawatomi 67
" Crow 67
" Wanapum 68
" Skookum Bay 69
" Nevada Messiah 70
" Micmac 72
"Prophets" — English and American 58
Prophets — pre-discovery 62
Proselytizing influences 55
Rand, Dr. S. T., quoted 61
Ragueneau quoted 74
Rain-making .... 71, and foot note.
Recent graves 201
Red, a forbidden color , 95
Revelations 63-71
Ro-de-neh-ho-rohn, messengers skin-
covered 128
Rodikstenha, the Old Men- 106
Roth, Dr. W. E., quoted 107
Runners appointed to invite to
dance 124
(death) 185
Sacred fire — Natchez 103
Sarama in the Rig Veda 60
Scattering ashes song 162
Secord, Dr. L. , on diseases 190
Separation of married people 77 184
" Shaker " faith 69
Six Nation chiefs 177-8
Skaneodyo 62, foot note ; 73 75
"• trance 76
" vision 77
" revelation 77
" drunkenness 79
" forbids the sale of land . . 79
Skin dance song 153
Slocum, John 69
Smallpox 189
Smith, H. L, quoted 98
Smithsonian Institution's gift 43
Smohalla 68
Song- words, meaning lost . .102, 153, 107
" not recitals . . 156
" bear dance 155
pigmy dance 155
" scattering Ashes 156
" skin dance 155
" war dance 156
white Dog (opening) . . . 156
21
PAGE.
Songs — music
bear dance 148
big feather dance 147
" false face dance 151
" fish dance 151
' ' god song 152
green corn dance 149
1 ' harvest dance 154
pigeon dance 149
pigmy dance , . . . . 146
scattering ashes 152
" skin dance 153
war dance 150
" white dog 148
" women's dance ....150, 154
Sosehawa 76-79
Spiritism 73-74
Spraying 86, 87, 139
" compared with blouring and
reathing 141
" liquid 140
*' reasons assigned for 140
Stones oval or round (water-worn) . . 199
Substitution 99, 100, 105
Sun-worship 57, 105
Sun-worshippers, Iroquois 103
Symbolism 204
Syphilis 189, 193
Taronyawagon 60, 92, 108, 109
" the Supreme God 302
his ashes speech 107
Tavibo, or White Man 66
Tawiskara and Joskeha ". 57
Tecumseth 65, 69
The three (or four) persons or angels
76, 77, 82, 95, 126, 138
Thunder 117
" Being 86
" bird 46, 48, footnote 118
PAGE.
Thunder bird stone pipe 46
Thunderers . . 125
Tobacco 78, 106
Tolerant spirit 95
Totemism 173 and footnotes
Trances 63-71
Tuberculous diseases 189, 192
Tutelos 54, 55 footnote
Tylor quoted 75
Unlucky to tell their names 121
Vimont quoted 57, footnote
Von Tschudi quoted 101
Wakes, or yononha 185, 186
War dance song 150
Warrior chiefs 175
Washington half way to heaven .... 80
White a sacred color 103
White dog burning 91
a messenger 103
burning forbidden 87
" decorated for burning . . 92
song 148
" " translated 105
Hale's conjecture res-
pecting the burn-
ing of 99
Dr. Brin ton's opinion . . 101
" General J. S. Clark's
opinion 102
as a substitute 105
White people to be damned 67
Willson's, Alfred, gift 8
Wintemberg's, W. J., gift 47
Wolf, great white, or infernal 102
" the devil 102
Women's dance song 150, 154
" decision in ceremonies 121
Women singers 123
Wovoka 66, 70
,vvv '
14-
ARCH^OLOGICAL REPORT
1899.
BEING PART OF
OF THE
MINISTER OF EDUCATION
ONTARIO.
PRINTED BY ORDER OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY.
TORONTO :
WARWICK BRO'S. & RUTTER, PRINTERS.
1900.
1899J ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT.
CONTENTS.
PAGK
Presentation 1
Additions to tha Museum 2
Notes on some Specimens :
Clay Pipes 17
Stone Pipes 18
Bone articles 20
Phalangal Bones 21
Rattlesnake Shell Gorget 23
Huron Crania 26
Iroquois Medicine Man's Mask . 27
The Macassa 29
Mask Myth 28
Pelee Island 30
Pelee Island Mounds 32
Big Corn Feast (Lower Cayuga) 34
Naming a Child 35
The Pebble Stone Game 36
The Wake Game 38
The Invitation Stick 39
Turtle Clan Names 40
(North) Victoria County, by Geo. E. Laidlaw : New Sites 41
Huron Village Sites in Tay, Simcoe County, by A. F. Hunter, M.A 53
Descriptions of the Village Sites . 58
Indian Village Sites in Oxford and Waterloo, by W. J. vVintemberg 83
The Wyandots, Wm. E, Connelley :
Migration Legends 92
Clan System 96
Government . . .• 106
Proper Names 107
Notes on the Clan System 114
Origin of the El-len-ra-pa. 121
The Wampum Bird 122
The Wars of the Iroquois, by Benjamin Suite (translated by Mrs. M. E.
Rose Holden) 142
Notes on some Mexican Relics, by Mrs. Wm. Stuart 152
An old Letter about the origin of the Indians 164
Music of the Pagan Iroquois 167
Pagan Dance Songs of the Iroquois, by Alex. T. Cringan 168
Musical Notation of Songs, by Alex. T. Cringan 176
A Study of the word Toronto, by General John S. Clark WS
ARCH^OLOGICAL REPORT.
Honorable RICHIRD HARCOURT, M.A., Q.C.
Minister of Education :
SIR, — Herewith is presented the Archaeological Report for the year.
Upwards of two thousand specimens have been added to the muse-
um during the past twelve months. We are indebted to numerous
friends for single, and small numbers of specimens from various parts
of the province, and outside of it, but our largest additions represent
the work of collectors in the counties of Victoria, (North) and Brant,
those from the former locality having been brought together by Mr.
Oeorge E. Laidlaw, of " The Fort," Balsam Lake, and presented by him
as an accession to the fine collection he placed in our possession last year.
The only field work prosecuted by your curator was in connection
with the examination of some mounds on Pelee Island, to which refer-
ence appears in what follows.
Had time and circumstances permitted, much more work of this
kind might have been accomplished, and the hope may be indulged
that opportunity for original research will more frequently present
itself next year, for the reason already so often urged, namely, that the
march of improvement is rapidly destroying traces, the existence of
which, and particulars respecting which, should be recorded.
Fortunately, a considerable amount of investigation has been per-
formed by Messrs. George E. Laidlaw, and W. J. Wintemberg, reports
from whom appear relating respectively to the counties of Victoria and
Oxford. Mr. A. F. Hunter presents a report in continuation of his work
in examining village sites in North Simcoe, the object being to identify
these, if possible, with the places mentioned by the early missionaries.
From the pen of Mrs. Wm. Stuart, San Geronimo, Istmo de Tehuan-
tepec, Mexico, an article on Aztec relics, will enable the Ontario reader
to form some comparisons with the work of our own aborigines ; and
Mrs. Holden's translation of Mr. B. Suite's paper on the Wars of the
Iroquois is as instructive as it is interesting.
Mr. W. E. (Donnelley 's papers on the Wyandots, and General Clark's
philological and historical treatment of the derivation and signification
of the word Toronto, are extremely valuable.
In accordance with many requests from students in Europe and
America, Mr. A. T. Cringan presents a second contributiou on the music
of the Pagan Iroquois.
I have the honor to be,
Yours respectfully,
Education Department, Toronto, DAVID BOYLE.
December 30th, 1899.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 12
ADDITIONS TO THE MUSEUM.
19386, birch-bark canoe, (French R) Mississauga Indian, J. EL
Fleming, Toronto. 19387, part of small clay vessel from Uganda,
Atrica, Miss Buik, Toronto. 19388, small gouge and axe, or chisel, com-
bined, lot 9, con. 4, Dummer twp., Peter boro' co., found by Patrick
Young, Sen, Young's Pt., Clarence Bell, Toronto. 19389, large and
beautifully made grooved axe from gravel bed near Brocton, N.Y.,
Thomas Connon, Brocton, N.Y. 19390, butter Hy banner stone, Mark-
ham twp., York county, Joseph Chant, per Geo. E. Laidlaw. 19391,
pottery sherd, Saguache co., Colorado, R. W. Carruthers, per Geo. E.
Laidlaw. 19392-93, two steel knives from Huron site at La Fontaine,
Tiny township, supposed to be • Toanch6, W. Richardson, per Geo E.
Laidlaw. 19394-95, pipe and ornamental stem from same place^
19396, clay pipe, Fred Widdis, w. half lot 4, North West Bay, Bexley.
19397-98 worked fossil and chipped flint, Joseph Eads, lot 24, con. 2.,
Somerville twp., per Geo. E. Laidlaw. 19399, unfinished implement,
lot 37, South Portage Rd., J. Waterson, Eldon twp., per G. E. Laidlaw.
19400, perforated disc, same place. 19401, pottery disc, same place,
unperforated. 19402, stone axe, Fenelon Falls P.O., Dougald Brown,
per Geo. E. Laidlaw. 19403-4, two celts, Mitchell's Lake, Eldon twp.,
Moses Mitchell. 19405-6, two chisels, Mitchell's Lake, Eldon twp.,
Moses Mitchell. 19407, nugget of native copper, A. Cameron, lot 20,
con. 5, Lutterworth twp., per G. E. Laidlaw. 19408, slate gouge, G.
Fox, Dalyrymple P.O., Mud Lake, Garden twp., per G. E. Laidlaw.
19409-10, two axes, G. Fox, Dalyrymple P.O., Mud lake, Garden twp.,
per G. E. Laidlaw. 19411, broken slate implement, G. Fox, Dalyrymple
P.O., Mud Lake, Garden twp., per G. E. Laidlaw. 19412, fragment of
elk horn, G. Fox, Dalyrymple P.O., Mud Lake, Garden twp., per G. E.
Laidlaw. 19413-17, five oval, circular and ovate stones from ash beds,
Eldon and Bexley twps., Geo. E. Laidlaw. 19418-27, ten hammer
stones, degraded celts find others, Bexley twp., Geo. E. Laidlaw. 19428,
fragmentary mealing stone from lot 5, con. 5, Bexley twp., Geo. E. Laid-
law. 19429-30, upper and part of lower mealing stone from ash heaps,
Bexley twp., Geo. E. Laidlaw. 19431, chert nodule, from lot 22, COD.
8, Eldon township, Geo. E. Laidlaw. 19432, porphyry from ledge
near Mud Lake, Garden twp., Geo. E. Laidlaw. 19433, box of teeth
from various village sites, Eldon and Bexley twps., Geo. E. Laidlaw.
19434, neolithic celt from Swaffham Fen, Cambridge, England, Sir
John Evans, Hemel Hempstead, England. 19435, iron knife from lot
24, con 2, Somerville twp., Jos. Eads, per G. E. Laidlaw. 19436, string
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 3
of porcelain beads from Orillia, Geo. E Laidlaw. 19437, stone tool from
Alaska, W. C. Perry, Winnipeg. 19438, red oxide from surface of Indian
burial ground, Karnloops, B C., W. C. Perry, Winnipeg. 19439, rubbing-
stone, Lytton, B. C., W. C. Perry. 19440, rubbing-stone, Lytton, B.C.,
W. C. Perry. 19441, fragment of skull, Lytton, B.C., W. C. Perry.
19442, improvised hammer-stone, Lytton, B.C., W. C. Perry. 19443,
deer-horn chisel, Vancouver. B.C., Jas. Johnson. 19444, fragment
soapstone disc, Washington, D.C. 10445, sperm whale's tooth, Samoa,
Mrs. F. Smith, Toronto. 19446, model of framework of kayak (Eskimo.)
19447, handle and whiplash, (Eskimo). 19448 19449, fish killers,
Rama reserve, (Mississauga), G. E. Laidlaw. 19450-19549, fragments
of pottery with various patterns, Mississauga, G. E. Laidlaw. 19550-52,
three finger -pullers, Mississauga, G. E. Laidlaw. 19553-4, clubs
for pounding black ash to separate the layers for basket-making,
G. E. Laidlaw. 19555, modern " war club," once owned by Admiral
Vansittart, Rama reserve, Mississauga, G. E. Laidlaw. 1955G,
"trade" weapon, N. W. Indians, G. E. Laidlaw. 19557, moccasins,
Northwest Territory, G. E. Laidlaw. 19558-19562, fragments of pot-
tery from Lake Clear, lot 22, range 12, Sebastopol twp., Alex. Parks,
Eganville. 19563-19662, flints from various localities. 19663-19671,
clay vessels from mounds, Arkansas, R.'W. Riggs. 19672, drinking cup
of shell found near human remains, two feet deep on mound near Darien,
Mclntosh co., Georgia, Clarence B. Moore, Philadelphia, Pa. 19673,
digging tool, Bluff Field, Ossabaw island, Bryan co., Georgia, Clarence B.
Moore, Philadelphia, Pa. 19674, digging tool, Ossabaw island, Clarence B.
Moore, Philadelphia, Pa. 19675, digging tool (fulgur carica) from sur-
face near lighthouse mound, Fernandina, Florida, Clarence B. Moore,
Philadelphia, Pa. 19676,drinking cup of shell, (fulgur per ver sum) found
near human remains, two feet down ; mound, near Darien, Mclntosh
co., Georgia, Clarence B. Moore, Philadelphia, Pa. 19677, worked shell
from Florida ; Clarence B. Moore, Philadelphia, Pa. 19678, fragment
of pottery, Walker mound in Cooper's field, near Sutherland Bluff,
Mclntosh co., Georgia; Clarence B. Moore, Philadelphia,Pa. 19679-80,
two fragments of pottery from mound D, Ossabaw island, middle
settlement ; Clarence B. Moore, Philadelphia, Pa. 19681, Northwest
pipe (no data). 19682, Indian stone tomahawk from the Green swamp
in Columbus county, North Carolina; Horatio Hale, Clinton. 19683,
wampum beads said to be from South Orillia twp., Simcoe co.; Horatio
Hale, Clinton. 19684, shell beads, Santa Cruz Island, California; P.
Schumacher, Horatio Hale, Clinton. 19685, shell beads from an
ancient mound near the Mississippi river ; Dr. Willis De Hass, Wash-
ington ; Horatio Hale, Clinton. 19686, Zulu beads, South Africa?
Horatio Hale, Clinton. 19687, whale line (Eskimo); 19688 sword
4 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
blade, remounted; 19689-91, snow goggles (Eskimo); 19692, model
iron spear; 19693, model ivory spear; 19694-97, pairs of boots; 19698,
pair of shoes; 19700-1, baby's shoes; 19702. children's shoes;
19703 pairs of shoes (Eskimo); 19704-5, bracelets (Eskimo); 19706,
bracelets (Eskimo).
From 19687 to 19706 the gift of F. F. Payne, Toronto.
19709, walrus's tusk, Magdalen island. 19710,model Eskimo harpoon
with toggle head. 197 1 1, pair of mitts (Eskimo). 19712, pair of mitts
(Eskimo) 19713,gun flint, Baby farm, Lambton Mills ; Miss Kirkwood.
West Toronto Junction. 19714-18, gun flints, Baby farm, York twp.; J.
Kirkwood. 19719, fragments of copper,Baby farm, Lambton Mills; Miss
Kirkwood, West Toronto Junction. 19720,steel spear-head, Thames river
bank, Kent county ; W. Jull. 19721, busycon perversum, Fishing island,
near Cape Hurd, lake Huron ; Sir Sandford Fleming, CM.G. 19722,
knife, grave, Edmondton, Alberta ; G. E. Laidlaw. 19723, stone axe,
Taylor's mill-dam, river Don ; R. T. Snyder, Toronto. 19724, gorget,
North Cayuga, Haldimand county. 19725, six arrow points, found on
lot 28, con. 2, south of Dundas st, Toronto ; R. Sloan. 19726, bird
amulet, lot 24, con. 3, south of Dundas St., Toronto ; John H. Peel.
19727, stone adze, Dundas st., lot 28, con. 3 ; R. Sloan. 19728, bowl of
pipe, Dundas st., lot 25, con. 11, Esquesing, in the river Credit; R.
Sloan. 19729, waterworn pebble, found in gravel on Grand Trunk rail-
way near Clarkson, resembles human workmanship. 19730, piece of
worked slate, Bobcaygeon ; Harold Cave. 19731, boat shaped amulet,
North Cayuga ; A. F. Stevenson. 19732, gorget, Norfolk county ; J. G.
Spain. 19733, clay pipe, lot 33, con. 3, Pickering. 19734, clay pipe head.
19735,worked bone. 19736, worked bone with waved pattern on border,
19737-9, gambling (?) bones. 19740-8, bone beads. 19749, core of
chert. 19750, bone awl or needle, bored lengthwise. 19751, stone,
grooved at one end. 19752, bone, partly cut. 19753-63, bone awls or
needles. 19764-6, bone needles, eyed. 19767, bone awl (peculiar). 19768,
bone awl or marker. 19769, horn tip, worked. 19770-8, arrow points.
(From 19733 to 19769 the gift of Jesse Cober, Cherry wood, Ont.)
19779, clay pipe, locality unknown. 19780, clay pipe, Nottawasaga
township ; David Boyle. 19781, clay pipe head, lot 12, con. 8, Notta-
wasaga township ; David Boyle. 19782, pipe fragments, York town-
ship ; B. Jackes. 19783, five arrowheads. Clark county, Kentucky,
U.S.A. ; Kentucky Geol. Survey, Frankfort. 19784, twelve delicately
made arrow- tips — obsidian, jasper, agate and flint, Oregon,. U.S. ; Dr
Rear, Toronto. 19785, four arrow-points, Nottawasaga township ;
Albert Lougheed. 19786, fifteen arrow -heads, Lawrenceburg, Ind. ; J.
Wood, Lawrenceburg. 19787, arrow-head, pure quartz, Guilford
county, N. Carolina ; Prof. Jos. Moore, Earlham College, Richmond,
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 5
Ind. 19788, four war arrows, West Virginia ; Nat. Hist. Soc., Brook-
ville, Ind., U.S. 19789, arrow-head, long neck, Lawrenceburg, Ind. ;
Dr. Craig, Lawrenceburg. 19790, fifteen arrow-heads. Lawrenceburg.
Ind. ; J. Wood, Lawrenceburg. 19791, chipped quartz, Grassy Point,
Baptiste lake ; David Boyle. 19792, arrow-heads, war (7), Mississippi ;
J. L. Kassebaum, Aurora, Ind. 19793, flints, unusual outline, Ala-
bama : E. F. Hummell, Decatur, Ala. 19794-5, flints, Alabama ; E F.
Hummell, Decatur, Ala. 19796, flint, grooved on both sides, McGilli-
vray township, Middlesex ; Thos. Edward, W. Matheson, Lucan.
19797, arrow heads (serrated), Lawrenceburg, Ind. , J. Wood. 19798,
flint (serrated) cross-section triangular, Alabama ; E. F. Hummell,
Decatur, Ala. 1 9799, spear or arrow-head (serrated), Dearborn, county,
Ind. ^Dr. Collins, Lawrenceburg, Ind. 19800, flints ; Jos. W. Stewart,
Strathroy. 19801, flints, lot 18, con. A, Huron township ; Wm. Welsh,
Amberley, P.O. 19802, flint, Franklin county, Indiana; Nat. Hist,
Soc., Brookville, Ind. 1980'J, flint (necked and notched), West Middle-
sex , W. Matheson. 19804, flint, Uxbridge ; John Thompson. 19805,
flint, McGillivray township ; John Taylor, W. Matheson. 19806,
arrow-heads, Franklin county, Kentucky ; Nat. Hist. Soc , Brookville,
Ind. 19807, flints (5), Madison county, Kentucky ; Dr. Collins,
Lawrenceburg. 19808, flints, Fayette county, Kentucky ; Dr.
Collins, Lawrenceburg. 19809, jasper, Kempsley farm, near Point
Edward, Ontario; Dr. Rear, Toronto. 19810, flint Kempsley
farm near Point Edward, Ontario; Dr. Rear, Toronto. 19811.
arrowheads, Hamilton county, Ohio ; Dr. Collins, Lawrenceburg,
Ind. 19812, flint, lot 9, con. 7, McGillivray township ; Thos.
Mead, W. Matheson. 19813, flints, (4), Alabama; E. T. Hummell,
Decatur, Ala. 19814, fine leaf-shaped flint, Southern Ohio; Dr. Free-
man, Chicago. 19815, knife or scraper, Clarksville, Ohio ; Dr. Freeman,
Chicago. 19816, flint, Brookfield, Mo.; Mr. Seeley, Dr. Rear, Toronto.
19817, flints, (5), square necked, Blanshard township, Perth co.;
John McQueen, W. Matheson. 19818, knife or spearhead, (jasper),
Clarksville, Ohio ; Dr. Freeman, Chicago. 19819, flints, (13) North
Carolina, E. T. Hummell ; Decatur, Ala. 19820, flints, (10), Ohio, Mr.
Demming ; Xenia, Ohio. 19821, flints, (30), Lawrenceburg, Ind. ; J.
Wood. 19822, arrowheads, Kentucky; J. Muller, St. Mary's Institute,
Dayton, O. 19823, spearheads, Port Huron, Michigan ; McMillan, Dr.
Rear, Toronto. 19824, copper spear or knife near end of Indian trail
on lot 15, con. 8, Belmont twp., Peterboro' co. ; H. E. Strickland. 19825,
chiefs large silver medal : Mrs. Cameron, Goderich. 19826, large water-
worn stone, chipped as if for a sinker, lot 35, Lake road east,
Bosanquet, Lambton ; Alfred Willson. 19827, pair of moccasins, made
by the Nascopees, Ungava bay ; George B. Boucher, Peterboro'. 19828,
6 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
headed tobacco pouch, sealskin'; George B. Boucher, Peterboro'. 19829,
stone pipe and beaded wooden stem ; George B. Boucher, Peterboro'.
19830, weathered knife or spear, Smooth Water lake, near Tamaga-
ming, L. Nipissing ; per Aubrey White, Dep Com. of Crown Lands.
19831, large argillite gouge and chisel combined; Aubrey White, Dep.
Com. of Crown Lands. 19832, smoking pipe of wrought iron (sheet)
bowl and stem made separately, bowl an inch and three-eighths high
and probably five-eighths wide before being crushed ; stem four and
three-eight inches long and quarter inch in diameter, lot 1, con. 6, near
Mississippi R., Drummond twp. ; Peter Stewart, per Dr. T. W. Bee-
man. This specimen is probably of somewhat recent French (or other
European) make, as it was found not more than a foot below the sur-
face where, had it lain very long, it would have rusted completely
away. 19833 large and partly polished stone axe, edges of shaft
one and one-quarter inches thick, left in the pecked state,lot 14, con. 5.
Lanark twp., Lanark co. ; Wm. J. Affleck and John Affleck, per Dr. T.
W. Beeman. 19834, small rubbing-stone of fine grained sandstone,
lot 1, con. 6, Drummond twp , Lanark co. ; Peter Stewart, per Dr. T.
W. Beeman. 19835, small and slightly grooved stone axe, Drummond
twp., Lanark co. ; J. McEwan, per Dr. T. W. Beeman. 19836, counters
used in Iroquois pagan game at wakes (da-hon-kwa-ya-ha), Ind. Res.,
Tuscarora. 19837, wooden mask, formerly owned by Abram Buck,
the chief medicine man, on the Tuscarora Reserve, Ontario. 19838,
wooden mask, Tuscarora Reserve, Ontario. ' 19839, moccasins, made
and worn by medicine man, Abram Buck, Tuscarora Reserve. 19840,
moccasins, worn by an aged Indian woman, Mrs. Davies,on the Tuscarora
Reserve. 19841, woman's rattle(Cayuga)Indian Reserve, Brant co.; Wm.
Sandy. 19842-3, bone needles, Walker farm", Brant township, Ont. 19844,
bone needle, Sealey farm, Brantford tp , Ont. 19845, bone needle,
Walker farm, Brantford tp., Ont. 19846-7, bone needle, Sealey farm,
Brantford tp., Ont. 19848, brass awl, Walker farm, Brantford tp.,
Ont 19849, bone awl, North Toronto, near Carlton, Ont. 19850,
half awl, with a second hole, Sealey farm. 19851-56, bone awls,
Walker and Sealey farm. 19857-59.bone awls, Walker farm. 19860-61,
bone awls, Kitchen farm, St. George Road, 1| miles from Brantford,
Ont. 19862-73, bone awls, Mitchell or Sealey farm, Brantford, Ont.
19874-83, bone awls, Walker farm, Brantford, Ont. 19884-85, bone
awls, North Toronto, near Carlton, Ont. 19886-88, bone awls,
Walker farm. 19889-99, iron awls, Walker farm. 19891, brass awl,
Walker farm. 19892, large bone tool of unusual form. 19893-95,
three foot-bones rubbed flat on the lower side and a rude attempt
to burn a x on one side, Walker farm. 19896, ninety-one
beads made from the bones of birds. Walker and Sealey farms
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 7
19987-20021, thirty-five tally bones made from the bones of birds,
Walker and Sealey farms, 20022-23 flat beads from grave on Walker
farm. 20024-25, three small bone tools ; North Toronto. 20026.
pottery marker (?) Sealey farm. 20027-28, pottery marker, fine lines ;
Walker farm. 20029, horn rod, 6f inches long, Sealey farm. 20030,
horn rod, 4f inches, Walker farm. 20031-33, three spears, Sealey
farm. 20034-35, two spears, Walker farm. 20036-39, four arrow
straight eners (horn). See fourth annual Archfeological report, page 56,
Sealey Farm. 20040-41, two arrow -straighteners, Walker farm.
20042 76, 35 cylindrical pieces of horn, varying from 1 to 3i inches
long, use unknown; see page 47, Ont. Arch. Report, 1891. 20077, prong
of horn, cut and bored for a handle. 20078, partly made bowl for
a stone pipe, Walker farm. 20079-80, clay pipes, Walker farm.
20081, stone pipe, Walker farm. 20082, clay pipe, Walker farm.
20083-87, clay pipe bowls, Walker farm. 20088-92, clay pipe bowls,
Troy, near Brantford. 20093, clay pipe, Sealey farm. 20094, stone
pipe, the bowl shaped like a bird s head, Sealey farm. 20095-96,
two clay pipes, Sealey farm. 20097, clay pipe, formed like human
head, Sealey farm. 20098, dog's head ornament, forming part of
a bowl of a stone pipe, Sealey farm. 20099-20101, three clay
pipe bowls, Sealey farm. 20102, small clay bowl (as if made
by a child), Sealey farm. 20103-105, clay pipe bowls, Hagersville.
20106, clay pipe bowl, highly ornamented, Brantford city. 20107,
clay pipe bowls from grave, Baldwin farm, near Brantford city.
20108, stone pipe bowl, bored for a stem. 20109-112, four unio
shells, worn down as if used for smoothing purposes, Walker
farm ; see 4th An. Kept., page 51. 20113-1 T4, shells used for scraping ;
see 4th An. Kept., page 51. 20115, rattlesnake shell gorget, 4Jx2 in.,
having four holes pierced through near the edge ; the holes show signs
of considerable wear; from a large ash -heap on the Sealey farm ; two
feet below the surface. 20116, piece of shell for an ornament, Sealey
farm. 20117, unio shell ornament, Walker farm. 20118, string of
257 wampum beads from a grave in Beverly twp. 20119, string of
53 wampum beads, Walker and Sealey farms. 20 1 20, string of 36
beads from a grave near Cayuga. 20121-22, two pieces unio shell, use
unknown, Walker farm. 20123, piece of turtle shell with two well-
worn holes, and having markings on the surface. 20124, piece of
turtle shell, with hole. 20125, shell disc, Eagle Place, near Brantford.
20126, three spiral shell beads, Sealey farm. 20197, catlinite bead,
3| inches long, Walker farm. 20128, catlinite bead, Sealey and Walker
farm. 20129, catlinite bead, Walker farm. 20130, catlinite pendant,
markings on both sides, Sealey farm. 20131, string of 63 French
beads, from grave at Sullivan's Landing, New York State. 20132,
8 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
string of 239 French beads, from grave at Beverly. 20133, slate
pendant, Walker farm. 20134, stone pendant, Shellard's farm, near
Brantford. 20135-136, beads of bear's teeth, Walker farm, near
Brantford. 20137, bead made of a section of fish bone, Sealey
farm, near Brantford. 20138, piece of bone showing cut made
by a flint saw in the process of needle-making, Walker farm, near
Brantford. 20139, bone sawed through longtitudinally as in needle-
making, Walker farm. 20140-41, two bones partly sawed transversly
as in making beads, Walker farm. 20142-4, three pieces of bone from
which beads have been cut, Walker farm. 20145, fishing spear from
grave, Baldwin's farm, Brantford tp. 20146, unusually formed flint,
two notches, from Newport, near Brantford city, 20147-50, four
flints, three being arrowheads and one leaf -shaped, from Newport, near
Brantford city. 20151-54, four flints, chisel shaped, regular outline,
Brantford suburbs. 20155-56, arrowhead and leaf-shaped piece of
similar material to the coloured flint of Kentucky, eastern limits of
Brantford. 20157, arrowhead, western limits of Brantford. 20158
quartzite, leaf-shaped piece, Shellard's farm, Mt. Pleasant, near Brant-
ford. 20159-185, twenty seven arrowheads and leaf shaped pieces,
many of them coloured Kentucky flint, also fine workmanship, Brant-
ford limits. 20186-190, flint knives, Brantford limits. 20191, one
slate (woman's) knife, West Brantford 20192-94, three flints for
inserting in war clubs, sand hill near Brantford. 20195-213,
nineteen arrowheads (blunt), Brantford limits. 20214-217,
two diorite spear and two stone arrowheads, (old), Palmer
and Shepherd farms, Mt. Vernon, near Brantford. 20218-
20344, a hundred and twenty- seven war-points from farms in
the neighborhood of Brantford. 20345 small slate knife, bank of
Grand river, Brantford, 20346, small flint ; bank of Grand river,
Brantford. 20347-628, two hundred and eighty-two arrowheads ; dis-
trict round Brantford. 20629-680, two spear-heads, very regular
outline ; from Dunnville. 20631-745, a hundred and fifteen spear-
heads, from Brantford and Mount Pleasant districts. 20746-49, four
celts, part of a number dug up in a small space in the lumber yard of
Wisner, Son & Co., Brantford. 20750-858, a hundred and nine celts,
from Brantford and Cainsville districts. 20859, flint drill, 3| ft. long;
Sand Hill, near Brantford. 20860, flint drills, Shepherd's farm, Mt.
Vernon, near Brantford. 20861, flint drills, Shellard's farm, Mt.
Pleasant, near Brantford. 20862-64, three flint drills, Mohawk
church fields, near Brantford. 20865-71, seven flint drills, eastern
limits of Darling street, Brantford. 20872, one flint drill, Sand Hill,
near Brantford. 20873-81, nine flint drills, district round Brant-
ford. 20882-3, two leaf-shaped flints, unfinished, Shellard's farm.
1899J ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 9
Mt. Pleasant. 20884-20886, three flint scrapers, unfinished, West
Brantford. 20887-20897, eleven arrowheads, unfinished, localities
near Brantford, 20898-21068, a hundred and sixty-six flint scrapers,
single ends, localities near Brantford. 21064-21071, eight flint scrapers,
double ended, localities near Brantford. 21072, iron scraper, Walker
farm, Brant township. 21073-21099, twenty -seven flint saws, Sealey
and Walker farm, Brantford township. 21100-21101, two Huronian
slate chisels, Shellard's farm, Mt. Pleasant. 21102 21103, two stone
gouges, localities near Brantford. 21104-21148, forty-five celts or
chisels, localities near Brantford. 21149, slate tool, 5£ inches long, the
edges running the full length, Walker farm. 21150, diorite tool,
Sealey farm. 21151, slate tool, small, Walker farm. 21152, slate
gorget, Brantford city. 21153, slate gorget, Shellard farm, Mt.
Pleasant. 21154, slate gorget, Tutelo Heights, Mt. Pleasant. 21155,
half gorget, S. Thomas farm, Tranquility, near Brantford. 21156,
slate gorget with four notches on each edge, Otterville. 21157-21158,
two pieces Huronian slate, roughed out for gorgets, Williams farm,
Tranquility. 21159, disc, Huronian slate, Eagle Place, near
Brantford. 21160, half of banner-stone (catlinite), Shepherd's farm,
Brantford. 21161, rubbing stone, Eagle Place, near Walker farm.
21162, rubbing stone, grooved for smoothing arrows, farm, Mt.
Vernon. 21163-21170, eight rubbing stones, Sealey and Walker
farms. 21 171, stone sinker, Sand Hill, near Brantford. 21172-21180,
nine hematite paint stones, Sealey and Walker farms. 21181, stone
mill, with three deep and three shallow hollows, from the farm of
Thos. Brooks, Mfc. Pleasant. 21182, pestle for pounding corn, field
near Newport. 21183-21184, two discoidal stones, having hollows in
each flat side, supposed for games, West Brantford. 21185-21197,
thirteen hammer stones, flint, from East, and diovite from West Brant-
ford. 21198, upper part of large pot, Kitchen farm, near St. George
road, Brantford. 21199, half of upper part of large pot, Walker
farm. 21200, portion of a pot formerly having handles, Walker farm,
Brantford township. 21201, fragment of rim indicating an unusual
shape, Walker farm, Brantford township. 21202-3, fragments of pot-
tery to which handles were attached, Walker farm, Brantford town-
ship. 21204-21205, portions of pots from Sand Hill, near Brantford.
21206-21207, two pieces of a pot at least 17 inches in diameter, Seeley
farm. 21208, portion of a large pot, showing marks as if having been
formed in a casing of woven grass, Sealey farm. 21209, portion of
pot having similar markings, Eagle Place, Brantford township. 21210
21233, twenty-four pieces of large pots, rim patterns, Sealey farm,
Brantford township. 21234, portion of pot rudely ornamented with
wave lines. 21235. part of small pot having a spout. 21233, portion
10 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [I*
of rim of pot having deep serrations. The three above specimens are
noticeable as being nearly pure clay, having no micaceous rock incor-
porated with it, as in most of our Indian pottery ; Carlton, near
Toronto. 21237-21240, four pieces of pottery, showing the kind of
work done by pottery markers, Eagle Place, Brantford. 21241,
handle of pot, Walker farm. 21242, portion of small pot, Walker
farm. 21243, spout-shaped piece of pottery, use unknown, Walker
farm. 21244, clay toy (child's pot), Sealey farm. 21245, plaster
cast of Indian's head, pipe ornament, the original in stone, found
at Jerseyville, near Brantford. Fifty fragments, consisting of
pipe stems and parts of bowls, Walker and Sealey farms.
Fifteen fragments of extremely rude attempts at pottery making,
Walker farm. 21246, piece of stone, one end showing the marks
of a large flint drill, the body covered with lines of an orna-
mental character, Brantford North ; nineteen bears' teeth ; two
boar's teeth ; number of teeth of small animals, as beaver, squirrel,
etc. ; one beaver tooth and three jaws of small animals ; one
bear's jaw ; thirty-five pieces of deer-horn, some partly worked,
thirty pieces of bone beads, etc. (Specimens under 21246 are from
the kitchen middens on the Sealey and Walker farms.
(With the assistance of W. Wilkinson, M. A., principal of the
Brantford city public schools, I have been able to ascertain the exact
situations of the several farms mentioned here from No. 19842 to
No. 21246, as follows:—
Walker farm, lot 5, con. 5, Brantford township, Brant county ;
Thomas farm, lot 27, con. 1, Brantford township, Brant county; Shep-
hard farm, lot 10, con. 5, Brantford township, Brant county ; Kitchen
farm, lot 33, con. 1, Brantford township, Brant county ; Mitchell farm,
lot 9, South Ancaster Road ; Baldwin farm, Baldwin's survey, Eagle's
Nest, Brant county ; Shellard farm, Church and Phelps' tract, Brant-
ford township, Brant county ; Brooks farm, Stewart and Ruggles'
tract, Brantford township, Brant county; Sealey farm. Fairchild's
Creek (Whitney's), Brantford township, Brant county.
21247, fragments of clay pot rims — various patterns, from sand hill,
and Walker and Sealey farms, Brantford township.
The collection (19842 to 21247) was made by Mr. J. S. Heath, from
whom it was procured.
21249, flute made by Hy-joong'-kwas, (like 17101, fig, 21, in
report for 1898). 2125o-l, two paddles used in the ashes ceremony at
the Iroquois pagan feasts, Tuscarora. 21252, 18 patterns of tapa cloth
(from inner bark of the paper mulberry) formerly used extensively
by natives of the South Pacific Islands ; Mrs. Forsyth Grant, Toronto.
21253, stone pipe, corniferous limestone Pelee Island; John Henning,
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 11
Pelee Island. 21254, head of 3-barbed bone harpoons (Wood Cree),
"N. E. shore of Lesser Slave Lake, N.W.T. ; W. G. Long, Toronto.
21255, birch -bark bait scent-box (Wood Cree), E. shore of Lesser Slave
Lake, N.W.T. ; W. G. Long, Toronto. 21256, stone pipe (marble) prob-
ably of non-Indian make ; bone and stem-socket like a large and a
small inverted cone applied to each other ; Dugald Fergusson, Sarnia
township, per F. F. Evans, Toronto. 21158, photograph of adobe
houses, Northern Mexico ; Mrs. Joseph Workman, Walsenburg, Colo.
21^59, small and rudely executed oil painting of a woman (4x5
inches) in black on a white ground ; apparently of religious import
and very old ; Joseph Workman, Walsenburg, Colo. 21260-78, bears'
teeth, Kitchen midden; Walker and Sealey's farm, Brantford township.
21279-80, boar's tusks ; Walker and Sealey's farm, Brantford township.
21281, several teeth of small animals, including the squirrel and wood-
•chuck. 21282-5, jaw of beaver, and three jaws of smaller animals.
21286, bear's jaw. 21287-321, pieces of deer-horn, partly worked.
21321-51, pieces of bone used in making beads partly worked.
(From 21260 to 21351 were found in a kitchen midden, or refuse heap,
on the Walker and Sealey farm, Brantford township, by Mr. J. S. Heath.)
21352, piece of what may have been a glass candlestick, belonging
to one of the early French missions ; found at considerable depth, near
the Narrows, lake Couchiching, on the site of an old church, about
1870 ; from Miss M. C. Elliott, Toronto.
21353-4, two water- worn stones having a strong resemblance to
grinders, or mullers, lot 1, con. 4, Tay township; Samuel Brown. 21355,
<;elt, lot 22, con. 8, Vespra township; Thomas Dawson. 21356, small bone
pendant (?) ornamented with incised lines, E. 5 lot 20, con. 9, Vespra tp. :
Peter Curtis. 2 1 357, small celt, E. \ lot 20, con. 9, Vespra ; Peter Curtis.
21358, tooth of small bear (?) E. \ lot 20, con. 9, Vespra; Peter Curtis.
21359, small bone tool, E. \ lot 20, con. 9, Vespra : Peter Curtis.
21360, clay pipe bowl, E. \ lot 10, con. 5, Tay ; John Hutchinson.
'21361, steel razor (old French), lot 76, con. 1, Tiny ; J. Bell. 21362,
part of a clay pipe, lot 76, con. 1, Tiny ; J. Bell. 21363, unfinished stone
pipe (vasiform), lot 11, con. 6, Tay township; C. E. Newton, Esq.
21364, clay pipe (trumpet-mouthed), lot 11, con. 6, Tay; W. Bennett.
21365, sheet brass coiled conically, perhaps for an arrow tip, lot 11,
con. 6, Tay ; C. E. Newton, Esq. 21366, bit of sheet brass, lot 11, con.
6, Tay ; C. E. Newton, Esq. 21367, iron knife, lot 1 1, con. 6, Tay ; C.
E. Newton, Esq. 21368, beaver tusk, lot 11, con. 6, Tay ; C. E. New-
ton, Esq. 21369, large glass bead (red, white and blue). E. \ lot 2, con.
6, Tay, farm of Hector McLeod ; from his son, Thomas McLeod.
21370-71, bone awls, lot 10, con. 14, Oro township ; Thomas Morrison.
12 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
21372, part of small, cylindrical, flat-bottomed, clay vessel, with un-
usual style of marking — probably finger-nail ; lot 10, con. 14, Oro r,
Thomas Morrison. 21373, two bone beads — one within the other, as-
found ; lot 10, con. 14, Oro ; Thomas Morrison. 21374, rapier 23£ in.
long (probably French), bearing near the hilt end the legend " [Vir.jR
BVM DOMINI ANNO " on one side, and on the other " [MjANET
ET AETERNVN 1619" (the final n should, of course, be m) ; lot 99,
con 1, Tiny township ; found about twenty years ago ; now presented
by Samuel D. Frazer, Esq. 21375-434, Huron crania from an ossuary
on N. £ of lot 25, con. 12, Innisfil township, Simcoe county. This
grave was estimated to contain the remains of 125 persons, and the
skulls were exhumed by Harry W. Mayor, assisted by Thomas Red-
fern.
(From 21353 to 21434, per A. F. Hunter, Barrie.)
21435,fine jasperoid knife or spear- head,5f in. long; Dr. F. B. McCor-
mick, south-east corner of Pelee Island. 21436, small and almost perfectly
made celt ; Dr. F. B. McCormick, Pelee Island. 21437, small and rudely
made celt, Dr. McCormick, Pelee Island. 21438, Hammer-stone (de-
graded celt) of syenite, with whitish amygdaloidal softer masses, from ^
in. to 1£ in. diameter; Dr. McCormick, Pelee Island. 21 439,rudely formed
small celt, only partly polished ; Dr. McCormick, Pelee Island. 21440,
well made small celt ; Mark McCormick, Pelee Island. 21441, small
and roughly-made gorget (two holes), apparently from a flat pebble 'r
J. C. McCormick, Pelee Island. 21442-3, two roughly made small
celts; Wm. Monaghan, Pelee Island. 21444, small and well-made
celt ; Matthew Lupberger, Pelee Island. 21445, small, well-polished
celt; Herbert Bates, Pelee Island. 21446, small and accurately made
celt ; Samuel Piper, Pelee Island, west side. 21447-8, two celts — one
very small (2£ in. long), from south-west quarter of mound on lot 36 "T
Pelee Island, south-east. 21449, two small flints from mound, lot 36r
Pelee Island. 21450, unfinished gorget 3£ by 2 in. and fully half an
inch thick; mound, lot 36, Pelee Island; 21450, bone awl3f in. long-
mound, lot 36, Pelee Island. 21452, large astragalus, bear's tooth,,
small rodent's tooth, and spine from fin of large fish ; mound, lot 36r
Pelee Island. 21453, four flints ; mound, lot 39, Pelee Island. 21454,
The only two pieces of pottery found in the Pelee Island mounds 'T
mound, lot 39, two feet deep. 21455-8, 18 arm and leg bones from
mound, lot 36, Pelee Island. 21459, three quarts of carbonized corn
and beans; mound on lot 39, Pelee Island. 21430, four small copper
beads from mound on lot 39, Pelee Island. 21461, catlinite pipe, inlaid
with lead, from Mr. Alfred Willson, to whom it was given by Hon,
William Robinson, who procured it on the north shore of Lake Super-
ior forty years ago? 21462-3, photographs of one of the Pharaohs,
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 13
(Rameses II, now in the Gizeh Museum, Cairo ; he was the son of
Seti I, who ordered the slaughter of the infants temp. Moses.)
mummified — one showing the wrappings, and one an enlarged view of
the face ; Miss Jennie B. Moore, Toronto. 21464, conch, used to call
people to the long- house on the Grand Kiver reserve, Tuscarora town-
ship, Ont. 21465, small drum used at pagan dances on the Grand
River reserve. 21466, horn rattle, used in certain dances on the Grand
River reserve. 21467, woman's small turtle rattle ; Grand River
reserve. 21468, corn husk mask used in dances, Grand River
reserve. 21469, wooden dish and 6 peach stones, used by pagan
Indians in a game, on the Grand River reserve, Tuscarora township.
21470, game or conjuring apparatus found in a cache in the woods,
near Yellow Girl Bay, Lake of the Woods, by Prof. A. B. Willmott,
who presents it. It consists of 36 pieces of box-alder (?) each nearly
seven inches long and from f to f inches in diameter, (peeled stems or
branches) strung together side by side, by means of a cord passing
round them near each end. Each stick is marked with eight roughly
oval, brown spots — four on one side, and four on the opposite side ;
21472, argillite axe. 21473, small, roughly made celt. 21474,
partly worked soapstone. 21475, well marked pieces of pottery. 21476,
fragment of cylindrically formed stone. 21477-9, small stone discs.
21472 to 21479, from Isaac Bowins, lot 51, front range, Bexley town-
ship. 21480, clay pipe head, broken. 21481, ditto. 21482, roughly-
made celt, sharpened corner wise. 21483-4, small roughly-made celts.
21485, bone bead.
(21480 to 21485, from D. Hilton, lot 12, con. 7, site 31, Laxton
township.)
21486, small water- worn stone, Ghost Isl. Balsam L. 2 1487, vertebral
bone of large fish, ditto. 21488-90, flint chips, ditto. 21491, unfinished
Huronian slate knife, block 9, Bexley township. 21492, water-worn
stone, ditto. 21493, rough flint. 21494, partly worked Huronian
slate. 21495-7, numerous flints and flint chips.
(21486 to 21497, from J. W. Laidlaw, "The Fort," Balsam Lake.)
21498, well made celt. 21409, oval hammerstone. 21500, part of
bone awl. 21501, small bone bead. 21502, twenty-one fragments of
pottery.
(21498 to 21502. from D. Brown, lot 23, con. 1, Fenelon township.)
21503, fine hornstone celt, and 21504, small celt or chisel, lot 9,con. 8,
Sturgeon, Fenelon. 21505, part of broad, thin celt, lot 9, con. 8, Fenelon.
21506,soapstone pipe with deeply cut triangular designs; it is three inches
long, roughly quadrangular in cross-section, and tapers from an inch
and three-fourths in width at the top to an inch at the base. 21507,
very fine, and almost perfect clay pipe. 21508, bird's head from clay
14 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
pipe. 21509-28, fragmentary heads and stems of clay pipes. 21529,,
barbed bone fishhook, lot 12, con. 1, Fenelon. 21530, very fine clay
pipe, stem broken. 21531, small human head carved in stone — prob-
ably made by a white man. 21532, small piece of sheet brass. 21533r
small arrow-head. 21534-5, bone beads. 21536, small bone awL
21537, small soapstone disc bead.
(21506 to 21537, from E. W. Glaspell, who found them on lot 18r
con. 13, Tiny township, Simcoe, unless otherwise noted above.)
21538-41, small bone awls. 21542, clay pipe-bowl, and stem of
another. 21543-47, bone beads. 21548-5 1 , phalangal bones flattened by
grinding. 21552, bone bangle — notched for suspension. 21553, pointed
tool of deer-horn. 21554, piece of large bone — much broken — orna-
mented with deeply cut quadrangular design. 21555, small piece of
smoothly worked soapstone. 21556, very well made small arrow-head
(chert). 21557, finely marked fragment of pottery. 21558-64, small,
roughly made celts.
(21538 to 21564, from G. Rumney, lots 56 and 57 front range,.
Somerville township.)
21565, lower half of large flat celt, well sharpened. 21566,
roughly- made celt, sharpened at both ends. 21567, small stone gouge,
unpolished, 21568, water-worn stone 4 inches diameter, somewhat
used as a mealing or upper grinding stone.
(21565 to 21568, from Alexander McKenzie, lot 22, con. 1, Fenelon.}
21569-72, rough celts. 21573, imperfect gouge. 21574, cup, coral
(cystiphyllum sp. ?). 21575, iron tomahawk (no stamp).
(21569 to 21575, from A. Me Arthur, lot 26, con. 4, Fenelon.)
21576, piece of Huronian slate, 6x4 inches, and fully an
inch thick in the middle — quadrangular in form and thinned
along the edges, probably intended for a gorget; Charles Youill,
Thorah. 21577, large iron tomahawk. 21578, leaf-shaped scraper,
slightly curved. 21579, slate gorget or pendant, 4J inches long, im-
perfect, 2 holes. 21580-83, small and imperfect celts. 21584, small
mealing stone (gneiss) 8| by 7 inches, 21585, twenty-two fragments
of pottery.
(21577 to 21585, from Neil Sinclair, lot 25, con. 3, Fenelon township.)
21586, part of clay pipe bowl, bearing a grotesque human
face. 21587, small stone pipe bowl of unusual form — roughly repre-
senting an animal's head, the mouth forming the iStem-hole, 21588r
three land shells {melantho} body whorl of each perforated for stringing.
(21586 to 21588,from Miss Alison Campbell, Kirkfield. Found S.P.R.,
Eldon township.,)
21589, iron tomahawk of unusual shape, and having a semi-circular
edge ; John Martin, Uphill, Arden township.
[1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 15
21590, small and well-made slate pendant, 2| inches long, nearly an
inch wide at one end and tapering to a rounded point at the other, —
one hole near the wide end. Wm. Kennedy, Bobcaygeon; found on Ball
Island at junction of Chemong, Pigeon and Buckhorn lakes, Peter boro'
Co. 21591, bowl of large plain clay pipe, widening from an inch and
a fourth at the junction with the stem to two inches at the tip — im-
perfect. 21592, small, rough plain clay pipe, almost whole. 21.593.
part of clay pipe bowl, ornamented with lines and dots. 21,594-5,
fragments of clay pipes. 21596, bone celt. 21597, ten fragments of
marked pottery.
(21591 to 21597 from James Moore, lots 19 and 20, G.B.B. Bexley
Township.)
21598, plain clay pipe bowl, F. Widdis, lot 12, N. W. B.,
Bexley township. 21599, pipe-bowl, ornamented with two collars,
each having three rings. 21600, slick or smoothing stone(?) Joseph
Shields, Victoria road. 21601, large and well made clay pipe
bowl, Joseph Chant, Sunderland. 21602, soap-stone pipe, vrudely
carved to represent an animal's head, probably that of a moose, E.
Lytle, S. P. R, Bexley. 21603, small polished celt. 21604-5, hammer-
stones. 21606, human mask from bowl of clay pipe. 21607, very
small, unfinished soapstone pipe, rudely carved, perhaps representing
some animal at rest. 21608-9, slick or smoothing stones. 21610, bone
spear or harpoon, four inches long, four semi-barbs on each edge of
point. 21611, bone needle. 21612-18, pipe bowls and stems, imper-
fect. 21619, perforated stone disc. 21620, seventeen clay discs, un-
perf orated, made from broken pottery. 21621, half of a perforated
stone disc. 21622, ten stone discs, unperforated, from f -inch to 2 inches
in diameter.
(21603, to 21722 from A. Ferguson, lot 12, con. 1, Fenelon.)
21623, slightly grooved stone hammer very well made ; William
Hoyle, Long Point, Fenelon township. 21624, six clay pipe stems.
21625, fossil (Murchisonia) from ashes bed. 21626, small hammer-
stone. 21627, small thin celt, 21628, eight bone beads. 21629, part
of very small clay vessel. 21630, horn spear point, with hole for
handle attachment, hollowed also to receive a handle. 21631, flattened
phalangal bones. 21632, perforated bear's tooth bangle. 21633, bone
bangle. 21634, quartz scraper.
(21624, to 21634 from Neil Clark, lot 12, con 1, Fenelon township.)
21635, clay pipe slightly ornamented with three bands and
a row of dots round the rim; G Winterbourn, lot 11, con. 8,
Laxton township. 21636-38, fragments of pottery. 21039, soap-
stone pipe unfinished, but probably intended to represent an owl ;
G. Staples, Norland. (See Mr. Laidlaw's notes). 21640, numerous
16 ARCH-EOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
fragments of pottery ; G. Lytle, lot 69, Frank R. Somerville. 21641,
several well-marked fragments of pottery. 21642, piece of argillite
six inches long, three and a-half wide and three-fourth inches thick,
sharpened at one end, upper end of perfect tool missing. 21643, part
of rubbing-stone. 21644-8, roughly made celts. 21649, large disc
shell scraper. 21650- L, animals' teeth and fragments of bones.
(•21641to 26651, from Wm. Halliday, lots 11 and 12, con 8,Laxton
township).
21652, bone bead, colored with pink cross-bars. 21653, small arrow-
head, finely made, no barbs, butt, wedge-shaped. 21654, bear-tooth
knife. 21655-6, bone beads. 21657, bone awl seven inches long. 21-
658, small tool from deer horn tip. 21659-61, bone awls. 21662-73,
stone discs, unperforated. 21674-7, stone discs, perforated. 21679-
81, clay pipe heads. 21682-4, very small stone discs, not exceeding
a half inch in diarneter. 21685-90, clay discs from old pottery, unper-
forated. 21691-2, small soapstone discs, perforated. 21693, small
hammer-stone, roughly square in cross section. 21694, slick-stone.
21695-6, rough flints.
(21652 to 21696, lot 5, con. 5, Bexley township.)
21697, bone needle. 21698, clay pipe, imperfect. 21699, curiously
formed bone hook. 21700-4, clay pipe stems. 21705, hammer-stone.
21706-19, clay discs, unperforated. 21720 bear's tooth.
(21997 to 21720, from Long Point, Fenelon township.)
21721, rough stone disc. 21722, partly worked stone, perhaps for a
disc. 21723, large (one inch diameter) soapstone bead. 21724-6, clay
pipe stems. 21727, tip of antler 2f inches long, bored at base
lengthwise. 21728, very well formed and highly ornamented bone awl.
(See Mr. Laidlaw's description). 21729, bone awl. 21730, very small
bone awl. 21731, knife made from small bear's tooth. 21732, bear's
tooth. 21733, five land shells perforated for beads. 21734, clay disc.
21735, small piece of graphite, for paint, perhaps. 21736, soapstone
bead. 21737, long bone needle, Charles Grilse.
(21721 to 21737, from lots 44 and 45, Eldon.)
21738-9, contents of two graves, lot 23, con. 2, Fenelon township.
21740, long bone awl. 21741-4, short bone awls. 21745, fox's (?)
tooth. 21746, small, curiously formed bone. 21747, hammer-stone.
11748, two fragments of pottery, one bearing a small human head
moulded on the outside of the lip — very unusual in Ontario. 21749,
stone disc 1£ inches in diameter. 21750-6, clay discs from broken
pottery. 21757, fragments of pottery from inside of embankment, lot
23, con. 2, Fenelon township. 21758, large number of pottery frag-
ments marked with various designs from different places in North
Victoria. 21759, seven fragments, comprising almost the whole of the
1899]
ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT.
17
rim of a clay pot, six inches across the mouth, from Neil Sinclair, lot
25, con. 2, Fenelon township. 21760, mealing stone, Neil Clarke, lot
12, con. 1. Fenelon township.
(From 21472 to 21760 includes the collection made by Mr. George
E. Laidlaw during the year, and now added to the museum.)
21761, large and somewhat rudely formed pestle, Lytton, Brit. Col.,
Wm. C. Perry, Winnipeg.
21762, amulet (?) of Huronian slate, finely made, 2^ inches in
diameter, and 1| inches thick, truly bored through its greatest width
and hollowed on one side in line with the hole, James A. Mather, New
Lowell, Sunnidale township, Simcoe county.
21763, femor of moose worked to two sharp edges along its length,
probably for use in carrying skins. Red Pine Point, Grassy Lake,
between Montreal river and Lady Evelyn lake, T. Southworth, Toronto.
21764, photograph of Mexican Indians. 21765, photograph of
Mexican adobe house. 21766, photograph of Indian miners on the
Thompson river. 21767, photograph of Moqui Indians.
21764 to 21767 from Mrs. J. H. Thompson, Toronto.
(20099).
Fig. 1— | dia.
NOTES ON SOME SPECIMENS.
CLAY PIPES.
Although clay pipes of the general form, shown
by figure ( 1 ) are not uncommon, this represents
the only one having the bulbous portion of the
bowl ornamented, otherwise than with upright, hori-
zontal, or diagonal lines. The undulating lines on
this specimen are, therefore, probably a mere con-
Itinuous way of forming what would otherwise have
been opposing sets of zigzags, in the making of
which, without lifting the hand, the corners have
become rounded. The work is quite as well done as
might be expected from any white . workman to-day ?
guided only by dexterity. This was one of three clay
pipes found together, by Mr. J. S. Heath on the Sealey
farm, Brantford township.
In figure (2) we have an illustration of what may
be called a " trick pipe." Not much skill has been
shown in modelling the features, but in some other re-
spects the pipe is peculiar. The perforated ear-like pro-
jections are quite unusual, as are also the irregular lines
on the jaw, extending from mouth to ears On the right
side of the face the line is somewhat sharply zigzag, but
on the left side it is more wavy. Perhaps the oddest feature of this
2 A.
(20097)
18
ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT.
[12
pipe is the hole representing the mouth of the face. It connects with
the inside of the bowl so that when the smoker blew back into his
lighted pipe the smoke would issue from this orifice. Found by Mr. J.
S. Heath on the Sealey farm, Brantf'ord township.
The style of ornamentation in the clay pipe here illu-
strated is quite different from that of any other pipe
or any other bit of pottery we have. The three promi-
nent bosses, two of which remain, and the two that rise
scarcely above the body of the bowl, form a design
greatly in advance of the usual simple arrangement of
(20106) lines and dots. One of the high bosses has been des-
troyed so that nothing can be said of it, except that in
all probability it resembled its opposite one above, and in line with
the stem, but the latter differs from the third at the base of the bowl,
one being relieved by means of three inside lines running around it,
while the other has lines up and down. Each of the three is bordered
by a series of short, radiating lines around the base, while the two plain
bosses are encircled by dots. In each of the two remaining high ones
a deep pit marks the centre. Between and above the bosses, and
immediately below the rings around the upper end are four groups of
• horizontal dots, varying in number from five to seven. There is nothing
at all about the pattern suggestive of European contact, and yet the
whole of the work has been done with a delicacy of touch and a degree
of exactness qnite unusual. This pipe which formed part of Mr. Heath's
collection, was found within the limits of the city of Brantf'ord.
STONE PIPES.
Heads of quadrupeds, snakes
and birds were often carved on
stone pipes or moulded on clay ones,
the accompanying figure, full size,
is very likely intended to represent
the head of a dog, and the work-
manship is of a very superior order,
the successful ness of attempts to
bring out details, being quite mark-
ed. Cheeks, ears, eyes, nose, nostrils
and mouth are all well shown>
as is even the underside of the
lower jaw, which shows suspiciously
" white " details.
Since thepiece became detached
from the pipe, it has been found by
some native, who has made a good beginning in cutting off' the lower
(200981).
Fig. 4— Full size.
1899]
ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT.
19
and pointed portion of the fragment to reduce it once more to
symmetry, and perhaps for use as an ornament.
The material is a dark gray lime-stone, strongly resembling our
Marmora lithographic stone. It takes a fairly good polish, and as we
have a few other well-carved specimens of the same material, it would
seem to be well-adapted for fine work. It was found by Mr. J. S.
Heath on the Sealey farm, Brantford township, Brant county.
In figure 5 we have an illustration of what
was intended to be an unusually large stone
pipe-head. The boring of the bowl has not been
carried beyond a depth of three -sixteenths of an
inch, and a bare beginning of the stem-hole ap-
pears a little more than an inch below the collar-
notch on one of the edges, for the specimen in
cross section is oval, the diameters being two and
three-eighth inches by one and three-fourths,
while the length is three and five-eighth inches.
That it is very old is evidenced from the patina
that has partly covered it. This is shown by the
(20078) lighter portion of the engraving. Walker farm,
Fig. 5-i diameter. Brantford township ; Collector, J. S. Heath.
Fig 6 illustrates a type of pipe found more
frequently east of Toronto than west of it, the
latter district being hitherto represented in the
museum by only three specimens — one from Went-
worth, one from Welland, and one from Elgin. This
one is from Pelee Island, where it was found by
Mr. John Henning. It is made of the corniferous
limestone that forms the island, and although the pipe
is considerably weathered, it is
still in good shape.
From the Ric?eau Valley,
North Hastings and Victoria
county, we have twelve excel-
lent specimens of this general outline, and three
from Nottawasaga and Whitchurch to our north.
The only other pipe I saw on Pelee Island was of
the same shape as this one, both being round in
cross section, while nearly half of all the others
in our cases, are either oval, transversely, or
slightly flattened on two opposite sides.
It is noteworthy that this pipe has no striiig-
Fig. 7-idia- attachment hole, as have most pipes of this kind.
(21253).
Fig. 6-J dia.
20
ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT.
[12
The pipe represented by figure 7 is of soapstone, and was found by
Mr. G. Staples, of Norland, and comes to us through Mr. Geo. E. La id-
law. It belongs to a class of which we have already had several
from the same locality, and appears to have been intended to imitate
an owl, but as it is unfinished, one can be safe only in stating that it
was meant to represent some kind of bird. The work is not nearly
so well done on this pipe as on the bear and eagle specimens from
the same locality — this is evident, even in its incomplete state.
From the same district, Mr. Laidlaw has forwarded a number of
other stone pipes, all possessed of unusual features. One of these, also
of soapstone, resembles the head of some quadruped (probably that of a
moose, as suggested by Mr. Laidlaw), but without ears. The stem -hole is
bored in the middle of the face, the nose forming the base of the bowl.
This pipe was found by Mr. E. Lytle, in Bexley township.
Those who have hitherto regarded Indian pipes of all shapes as
examples of purely Indian art, and in many cases, as extremely an-
cient examples, will be surprised to learn from the most recent work
on this subject, by Mr. Jos. D. McGuire, in the (just out) annual Re-
port of the Smithsonian Institution for 1897, that all pipes except those
of the straight, tubular form, are probably of comparatively modern
origin, dating since the Discovery, and owing their forms directly or
indirectly to European influence. Apart from this view, Mr. McGuire's
essay is a most exhaustive and instructive presentation of the whole sub-
ject, and is amply illustrated from specimens in United States museums.
BONE.
Bone implements as a rule seldom vary from a few
well established models, but the form shown by figure 8
is not only an exception but a very beautiful one, from
the Sealey farm, Brantford township, where the three
ardent amateurs, Messrs. Heath, Waters and Grouse,
found so many excellent specimens a few years ago.
The marking of pottery has been suggested as a
possible use for this article, but there does not appear to
be any reason why such an elaborate piece of workman-
ship should have been made for so simple a purpose.
Besides, as nothing like this has ever been met with before,
the probabilities do not lie in the suggested direction.
The hole has not been bored, but worked out by scooping.
In former reports reference has been made to the
tedious operations of the Indians in separating one por-
tion of bone, or of stone, from another. Figure 9 shows
the result- of such an operation on a bone ten and a half
(20,026)) '
Fig. 8—J dia. inches long, cut lengthwise. Throughout the greater part
1899]
ARC BIOLOGICAL REPORT.
21
of the distance the material has been sawn through to themarrow, but
near the smaller end cutting has been only half done and the parts
then riven asunder.
The average thickness thus cut is fully one-fourth of an
inch and the length about nine inches. Flint and water
were probably the agents used, and the marks made in the
operation are easily seen. On the opposite and convex
side the beginning of another cut has been made, no
doubt with the intention of procuring from this piece two
pointed tools such as we speak of as awls or needles,
although the largest of this shape were probably em-
ployed for a different purpose.
Bone implements of such large size are seldom found,
but one almost exactly the length of the bone in ques-
tion was discovered by Mr. G. E. Laidlaw on lot 5, con.
5, township of Bexley, Victoria county. A half-sized
figure of this very fine specimen will be found on page
22 in the Report for 1897-8.
The specimen illustrated here was found in Brantford
township by Mr. J. S. Heath.
PHALANGAL BONES.
The very considerable number of phalangal bones
that are found on old village and camp-sites, especially
when such bones are rubbed down on one or on both sides
until holes are the result, has always been a puzzle. The
most commonly accepted theory is that the bones were
in some way used as whistles, but nobody has ever been
able to produce a sound from them.
Other bones of this kind are simply rubbed down on
one side until a perfectly flat surface has been formed,
while the opposite, unrubbed side is marked in different
ways as if by burning. Burning is surmised because on
some specimens the substance of the bone having been
injured on account of the operation has scaled off, while
Fig. 9_£dia. in other cases the bone is discolored just as if the result of
burning ; besides, in some instances, where a little scaling off has
taken place it can be seen that the discoloration extends beyond the
surface.
In a series of eight here figured, in six cases the marks are simply
bars, numbering from four to six, while one bears an S-like mark.
On the fifth of the series there is no discoloration whatever, but six
short cross depressions are quite distinguishable. The sixth is the
22
ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT.
[12
only one (among nearly fifty of such specimens) that has bars on the
flattened side. On a few are the remains of marks that suggest an
attempt to produce a cross ; but the scaling of the bone where the
lines may be supposed to have met,
renders it difficult to speak with
certainty on this point.
Whatever may have been the
purpose of preparing such bones in
the way first referred to, it would
seern almost certain that in the latter
condition they were employed in
some game.
The specimens figured were col-
lected with many others not quite
so distinctly marked, in York town-
ship, York county (within a few
miles of Toronto) and in Brantford
township, county of Brant.
On the last of the bones figured
Fig. 10— i diameter. wj^ fe geen whafc SUgge8ts the
idea of a turtle. The jaws open sidewise, and similarly the notches
that mark the tail are shown. This somewhat remarkable specimen I
found on the Braeside farm, Richmond Hill, about thirty years ago.
An old camp site marked the place, and from the beds of ashes several
phalangal bones were taken, but all the others were distinguished by
bars like those seen in the engraving.
I am indebted to Mr. Stewart Culin, Director of the Museum of
Archaeology and Palaeontology in the University of Pennsylvania, for
the following note as to the use of such bones for gaming purposes.
As Mr. Culin has made a special study not only of Indian games, but
of games universal, his opinions are most valuable. Having examined
some bones I sent him, similar to those here figured, he wrote : —
" The phalangal bones of deer showing much use and scraped flat
on one side might have been used as gaming implements, but this can-
not be decided as yet with certainty. Such bones perforated and
strung on a cord are used in a kind of cup and ball game among the
Plains tribes. Some tribes of the Alaskan Eskimo employ the phalan-
gal bones of the seal in a game, tossing the bones of one flipper up
and winning or losing accordingly as they fall. They also have a
similar game of tossing one bone, using the others as counters, as boys
play for marbles. This is the nearest parallel I have yet found. The
astragalus, I believe, was employed in games before white contact, but
even here the evidence is not conclusive.
1899]
ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT.
" Xext to the astragalus, the phalangal bone is universally the
favorite bone used in games. In Russia the children set them up in a
row and shoot at them with marbles, under the name of ' little women.' "
Readers interested in this subject will find several references to
bone games in Mr. Culin's exhaustive work, " Chess and Playing
Cards," in the report of the Smithsonian Institution, for 1896.
RATTLESNAKE SHELL GORGET.
As a religious or ceremonial symbol, the serpent has always
held an important place among primitive peoples, as well as among
peoples too far advanced to be so so characterized. On this continent
the most venerated, or most feared creature of the kind, was the
rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus), in the north, and probably some other
species in southern latitudes.
In Ontario we have not much to show us that the serpent was
regarded in any very special sense, if we except the Otonabee mound,
but just that it played a part in aboriginal mythology ; a part appar-
ently of less prominence than that of the turtle, or the bear, or the
eagle. That the rattlesnake ranked above other serpents as a bugaboo
is probably due to its ability to proiuce a sound at one end and to
inject poison at the other.
In some of the southern states, more particularly in Tennessee,
a considerable number of rattlesnake gorgets, made from the widest
part of large conchs, have been found, but until quite recently nothing
of the sort has appeared in Ontario. Indeed, any kind of engraved
shell in this province is a rarity, for besides the one here referred to,
the only specimen in the museum is that figured and described on
page 57 of our report for 1896-97 — from the Miller mound at the
mouth of the Otonabee river.
Rattlesnake gorgets are so called
because there are engraved on
the concave sides of the shell
highly conventionalized repre-
sentations of the animal in,
question, but as Professor W.
H. Holmes says : <; To one who
examines this design for the
first time it seems a most in-
explicable puzzle, a meaning-
Fig. 11— £ dia., Tennessee. less grouping of curved and
straight lines, dots and perforation0 We notice, however," he con-
tinues, "a remarkable similarity in the designs, the idea being radically
the same in all specimens, and the conclusion is soon reached that
24 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
there is nothing haphazard in the arrangement of the parts, and that
every line must have its place and purpose. The design is in all cases
inclosed by two parallel border lines, leaving a plain belt from one-
fourth to three-fourths of an inch in width around the edge of the
disk. All simple lines are firmly traced, although somewhat scratchy,
and are seldom more than one-twentieth of an inch in width or depth.
" In studying this design the attention is first attracted by an eye-
like figure near the left border. This is formed of a series of concen-
tric circles, the number of which varies from three in the most simple
to twelve in the more elaborate forms. The diameter of the outer
circle of this figure varies from one-half to one inch. In the centre
there is generally a small conical depression cr pit. The series of
circles is partially inclosed by a looped band, one-eighth of an inch in
width, which opens downwards on the left ; the free ends extending
outward to the border line, gradually nearing each other and forming
a kind of neck to the circular figure. This band is in most cases occu-
pied by a series of dots or conical depressions, varying in number from
one to thirty. The neck is decorated in a variety of ways : by dots,
by straight and curved lines, and by a cross-hatching that gives a
semblance of scales. A curious group of lines occupying a crescent-
shaped space at the right of the circular figure and enclosed by two
border lines must receive particular attention, This is really the front
part of the head — the jaws and muzzle of the creature represented.
The mouth is always clearly defined, and is mostly in profile, the
upper jaw being turned abruptly upwards, but, in some examples, an
attempt has been made to represent a front view, in which case it
presents a wide V-shaped figure. It is, in most cases, furnished with
two rows of teeth, no attempt being made to represent a tongue. The
spaces above and below the jaws are filled with lines and figures,
which vary much in the different specimens : a group of plume-like
figures extends backwards from the upper jaw to the crown, or, other-
wise this space is occupied by an elongated perforation. The body is
represented encircling the head in a single coil, which appears from
beneath the neck on the right, passes around the front of the head,
and terminates at the back in a pointed tail with well defined rattles.
. . . . In some cases one or more incised bands cross the body in
the upper part of the curve.*
From this description, as well as from figure 11 it will at once
be seen that the specimen now in our hands (figure 12) is incomplete,
but there cannot be a doubt as to its identity in design with the
gorgets described by Prof. Holmes.
*From Art in Shell of the Ancient Americans, by Wm. H. Holmes, in the Annual
Report of the Bureau of Ethnology 1880-81. pp. 290-1.
1899]
ARCH^OLOGICAL REPORT.
25
The straightedge in figure 12 still shows marks of the sawing
that was required to separate this from the other portion, but it is, of
course, impossible to say
whether the cutting was per-
formed after an accidental
break had spoiled the whole
gorget, or whether an entire
object had been cut in two
for any reason. In addition
/2Q 155) to the original suspension
Fig. 12— £ diameter. holes, other two have been
Tjored near the straight edge, no doubt that the gorget might hang
more evenly, in keeping with its change of shape, yet without any
regard to the position of the figure which would now be upside down.
It is observable too, that the more recently formed holes bear even
deeper signs of wear than the original ones do. Still further compar-
ing this specimen with perfect gorgets, it will be seen that only the
tail and adjoining section remain while most of two other sections on
.a convex part of the shell are nearly worn out by contact with the
human body — presumably. Of the second section from the tail, a
little cross-hatching remains, and to the right are the three dots
in line belonging to a bar that has disappeared ; while further on
still, is a single dot which was no doubt within two circular lines like
those that remain, and near the dot are portions of the parallel lines
separating the design from the border. The chevron, or diagonally
•opposed lines to indicate the tail are not so well made as those on
most of the specimens figured in archaeological books, but they show
clearly enough the intention of the design.
The fact that, so far as known, this is the only specimen of its
kind found in Ontario is of itself almost sufficient to warrant the be-
lief that it is accidental, intrusive, imported ; and we may go so far as
to say that the secondary wearing of the gorget upside down would
tend to show that the owner of this portion either did not know, or
•did not care how it should be suspended, in which case it is plain that
the symbolic nature of the work possessed no interest for him, and
that he wore the gorget simply as a gewgaw, or because the lines may
have suggested some " big medicine " on account of their being quite
unlike anything he had ever seen before.
Why the body is usually divided into four sections separated by four
circular figures has never been explained. We know that the number
four had a peculiar significance to the ancient people, but this affords us
no clue respecting the reason for its application in the present case any
more than it does as to why circles, and sometimes bars, are used at all.
26
ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT.
[12
The gorget was found by Mr. J. S. Heath in a large bed of ashes, and
fully two feet below the surface, on the Sealey farm,Brantford township,
HURON CRANIA.
Among sixty skulls received recently from Mr. Harry Mayor, who-
took them from an ossuary on the north half of lot 25, concession 12r
Innisfil, Simcoe county, there are many
that possess strongly marked features. In
one, that of a child getting its second teeth r
the metopic suture persists ; in several
cases the occipital protuberance is very
large, an dWormian bones appear in about
forty per cent, sometimes in very unusual
places. In two skulls they exist on the
f ronto-parietal suture — in one case on the
right side, about five-eighths of an inch
below the f ontanel, and in the other, half
as low on the left. As to general form,,
the dolicocephalic probably prevails, but
no measurements have yet been made.
Two of the skulls are perforated a*
may be seen from figures 13 and 14, one-
with three holes almost immediately behind the frontal suture, and the
other with one in front of it, and close to the fontanel. In the former
case, the holes are about an inch and three-fourths apart, from centre to>
centre, and half an inch in diameter, while
in the latter the hole is only about five-
sixteenths of an inch in diameter, not
reckoning the counter sunk edge.
Nothing can be clearerthan that those
openings were made after death, unless,
indeed, they were made immediately be-
fore it,for there is noappearance of growth
subsequent to the operation as would be
seen had the heads been trephined success-
fully. In figurelS the hole has been drill-
ed, but in the other case the holes have
been made by cutting — perhaps only
enlarged by this means after drilling.
Fig. 14.
Dr. A. Primrose, professor of anatomy and director of the anatomi-
cal department in the University of Toronto, has, since the above was-
written, examined the perforations in the skulls, and confirms the
opinion here offered.
1899]
ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT.
IROQUOIS MEDICINE MAN'S MASK.
(24470)
Fig. 15.
The mask represented
by figure 15 is a rare and
valuable one. It is said
to be the oldest, with
one exception, that was
on the Six Nation
Reserve this year, when
it came into our posses-
sion. It was made about
seventy years ago, by
John Styres (We-hwa-
gSh'-ti — Carrying News
on his Back) who still
figures as the leading
"preacher1' among the
pagans on the reserve.
He is a nephew of Hy-
joong-kwas (He tears
Everything)* who has
for many years been
Chief Medicine Man,
wearing this mask on all
ceremonial occasions, in
connection with the False
Face Society, as well as
at feast mask -dances in
the longhouse.
Although now too old
to act in his official capa-
city, it was not without
some hesitation that he
concluded to give up the
mask for "a considera-
tion." With the assist-
ance of Dah-kah-he-
dond-yeh as interpreter,
I received from Hy-
joong-kwas the follow-
ing account of how this
mask originated :
* For portrait and reference
to Hy-joong-kwae, see plate XV.
in last year's report.
28 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
MASK MYTH.
"After the big flood the original Mask or False Face was looking about
him,and it was not long before he saw Niyoh,and Niyoh sawhim. The two
began to converse, when N iy oh, thinking that the Mask assumed too much
authority > said to him : 'Did you make the land ?' The Mask replied
'I did.' 'No you did not,' said Niyoh, 'I made the land, and if you
think you have so much power, I would like to see what you can do.'
The False Face enquired : 'What do you want me to do ?' Niyoh look-
ing around and seeing a mountain at a distance, told him to move it
towards where they both stood. The Mask said : 'Very well — let us
both turn round with our faces the other way.' He then ordered the
mountain to 'come this way,' which it began to do at once, and would
have come to where they were, had not Niyoh stopped it about half
way. Niyoh then said : 'You have power, I see ; but of what use is
ft to you ? What good can you do with it?' To this the Mask replied :
'I use it to make people well when they are sick — now I would like to
know what power you have.' Niyoh said : "Do you want to see my
power?' and the Mask said he did. 'Very well, then,' answered Niyoh,
'I will show you my power, for I made the world.' The Mask then
said : ' Make the mountain come close up to us.' On Niyoh's suggestion
that the two should face about as before, they did so, and Niyoh told
the mountain to come close up, and when it came to them he made it
stop, and told the Mask to turn round quickly and see what had hap-
pened. This the Mask did, and brought his nose up with great force
against the face of the mountain which stood there like a big wall,
and the pain made him put out his tongue.
' Now,' said Nayoh, 'you see I also have great power, and. to make
you remember this, your nose will remain crooked, and your tongue
will always hang out.'
The False Face then knew that Niyoh had more power than he
had, and ever since, the only sound he can utter is a tremulous and
somewhat subdued "Hoh-o-o-o, hoh-o o, hoh-o-o-o-o.' "
On going to Hy-joong'-kwas' house for the mask, I soon learned
this was no common matter of bargain and delivery. He and the mask
had been in communion too long to b'i separated in any every-day
business way. Having stirred up the fire in the stove, he left the
interpreter and myself while he went into an adjoining room. In- a
little'while we could hear the peculiar " Hoh-o-o-o, ho-o-o !" and shortly
afterwards Hy-joong'-kwas returned wearing the mask and still mut-
tering, or rather, perhaps, uttering, the whole of the extremely limited
False Face vocabulary until he reached the stove. Here he hung the
mask by its head-fastenings over the back of a chair and proceeded to
make up a small parcel of home-grown tobacco in a scrap of blue
1899J ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 29
cotton print, and tied it with white thread over the brow of the mask,
having first dropped a pinch of tobacco into some coals he had raked
out in front of the stove.
After affectionately stroking the long hair which forms the wig, he
replaced the mask on the back of the chair, whence he had removed it
for the purpose of tying on the little parcel of tobacco. He then
leaned forward, looking almost reverently at the mask, and speaking
in a low tone to it, said : " My friend, [dropping a little tobacco among
the coals] you are now going to leave me for the first time, and I am
burning this tobacco to keep you calm and well-pleased. [More
tobacco.] You and I have been together for a very long time. We
have always been good friends. [Tobacco.] I have been good to you,
and you have been good to me. You have cured a great many people,
and we will not forget you. [Tobacco.] You may still do good where
you are going, and I hope Ah-i-wah-ka-noh' -nis * will use you well.
[Tobacco.] I have put a little tobacco on your head that you may
always have some when you want it. [Tobacco.]
We shall not be very far apart, and we will often think of you,
and will often burn some tobacco for you."
On concluding his touching little address he threw all that was left
of his handful of tobacco into the fire, took the mask from the back of
the chair, and, after once more stroking its hair, handed it to me with
a request that I would rub its face with oil once or twice a year, as it
had been used to such attention ever since he owned it, and would be
pleased to be remembered in this way !
It was observed that he burned tobacco eight times during this
ceremony, but whether the number of times was of purpose or other-
wise I did not learn.
THE MACASSA.
It is quite unnecessary to say that the specimen here represented
is not Indian, whatever else it may be. The only information I
could get respecting it from the gentleman through whom it came into
our possession, is that it was dug up many years ago on his father's land
in the east end of what is now the city of Hamilton, a locality that
has yielded an immense quantity of valuable archaeological material of
undoubtedly Indian origin. The specimen, which is two and three-
fourth inches long, is of vegetal character, and suggests its having
been anut of some sort resembling the so-called ivory-nut. Its sur-
face is sharply divided into three irregular oval panels, on each
of which is carved a human head and shoulders. One of the
heads is bare, one has a cap, and the third a hat. Each panel is
* The writer's I ndian name in its Onondaga form. In Canienga, Ra'-ri-wah-ka-noh'-nig.
30
ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT.
[12
surmounted by a crouching animal, one of which strongly resembles a
beaver. Each of two also has its distinctive border, but the third, and
least symmetrical one,
is plain. Under each
panel stretches a long,
roughly oval bar which
is crenated crosswise,
and below this the
whole of the base
seems to be a conven-
tionalized flower on
which much labor and
some art have been
expended.
Viewed from the
opposite end one sees
a grotesque face. The
hole forming the
mouth is connected
with the interior which
is hollow, but the eye-
holes, although bored
three -fourths of an
inch deep have
Fig. 16.
such
no
connection.
Above and between the eyes, and in line with the ends of the panels,
a small hole has been bored to meet with the cavity.
The only possible connection this curious specimen can have with
any relics said to have been found in association with it, must be
looked for through some of the early visits paid to Macassa Bay by
missionaries, traders and travellers. The reference to the find is made
here mainly in the hope that some reader may be able to throw light
on the subject, through any knowledge he possesses of similar objects
in Europe, or on account of his ability to recognize the style of art or
workmanship.
PELEE ISLAND.
On the strength of information supplied to the Department by
Mr. John E. Gow, of the Inland Revenue Office, Windsor. I spent
several days under instructions from the Minister of Education, in
making an examination of the southern portion of this island, where
it was supposed there were some artificial mounds.
The most southerly point of Canada, and lying about midway
.between Ontario and Ohio, the situation is suggestive of communica-
1*99]
ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT.
31
tion between the two shores, which are here only about twenty miles
.apart, if measured from the head of Pigeon Bay, in Essex county, to
Marble Head, at the entrance of Sandusky Bay, and considerably less, if
Fig. 17. A Pelee Island Mound.
reckoned from Pelee Point, on our shore. Here, if anywhere, one might
expect to find traces of two or more peoples,andsuch proved to be the case.
As a place of resort and of refuge in early days, the island was
admirably situated. Of its 11,000 acres, fully one-third was densely
wooded, while the remainder was a marsh, affording a feeding and
breeding-ground for immense numbers of water-fowl. A few smaller
islands lie between Pelee and the United States shore, making inter-
course by canoe very easy, while the nearest point on the mainland of
Ontario is not more than eight miles off.*
^Geologically, the island possesses great interest. Previous to the erosion of
the Erie basin, or previous to its subsidence (which is a more probable phenomenon)
its connection with the north shore is evident from the similarity of its rock foun-
dation. If glaciation is not accountable for the formation of the great lake basins,
we know that since then its mighty forces have been exerted in polishing the rocks
that form the shore line, wherever such rocks are exposed , and perhaps few finer
examples of glacial striation can be found anywhere than on the south-east corner
of Pelee Island, where deep grooves may be seen from fifty to seventy feet in
length, some of them mathematically straight and others beautifully curved. The
general direction of these markings is from west by south to south-west
On lot 54, near the south end, petroleum is pumped, and on the same farm, as
well as some other places, there is natural gas.
The marshlands have been drained at a cost of $30,000, by means of eleven miles of
main canal thirty feet wide and eight feet deep, with numerous ditches as feeders.
32 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
Whether the island is to be regarded as having been a part of the
Neutral's territory, or of the territory of the Eries, we have no means
of knowing, and just as likely as not it may have been a sort of Tom
Tiddler's ground, for its advantages as a food-source, more especially
in the matter of fish and fruit, must have made it an extremely de-
sirable possession.
No part of the uplands exceeds forty or fifty feet above the lake-
level, while the greater part of it is less than half of that height, and
the marshland, it is needless to say, is but little higher than the lake,
where it is not actually lower.
The island being roughly quadrangular in form, the longer sides-
extending north and south, the situation of the mounds examined may
be described as being at the south-east corner, known as Mill Point
where the soil forms a thinner covering to the rock than elsewhere.
The first mound examined is on lot 39, within three hundred feet
of the shore line. It measures forty feet from north to south and
and forty-five feet from east to west, its central point being not more
than three feet higher than the margin. For a distance of from fifty
feet on the north and north-west to upwards of a hundred feet on the
south and south-east the thin surface soil had been scraped from a bed
of hard clay to form the mound, on and near the north end of which
grows a chesnut oak six feet in circumference two feet above the
ground. The stump of another oak, about the same size, still lies on
the south-east quarter where it had grown. Aside from the appear-
ance of the earth, the first evidence of workmanship we met with was
a piece of coarse red jasper-like material having two conchoidal frac-
tures. This object was at a depth of two feet from the surface, four
and a-half feet from the centre of the mound on the west side. Slightly
deeper, in the same place, were found two bits of chert, one a thin
flake and the other a rough piece showing marks of chipping. About
the same distance east of the middle, and at a depth of two feet three
inches, we found a leaf -shaped flint and two fragments of pottery, but
the most interesting find was a considerable quantity of charred maize
and beans in what seemed to be a large pocket, just two feet west of
the centre stake, and among these were four small copper beads of the
same form as those found on Sugar Island, Rice Lake, three years
ago. Near this place also were several small pieces of bone, and proof
was not wanting that a body had been buried here. I was afterwards
informed that many years ago some one had opened a mound in the
neighborhood and taken away a number of copper beads. It is prob-
able that this was the place referred to.
It need not be supposed that the corn and beans were placed here in
connection with the burial, but that they were deposited, it may have
1899 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 33
been long afterwards, by some one who chose the spot as a dry one in
which to hide his little store. The beads. I think, came from a greater
o
depth originally, but had been dropped near the surface and beside
the corn by him who opened the mound in search of treasure (1).
On lot 34, the property of Dr. F. B. McCormick, to the west, is
a somewhat extensive elevation forming a broad oval three feet high
in the middle, and forty by fifty feet in diameter, the longer axis being
north and south.
This elevation was thoroughly tested by means of numerous
trenches in various directions, cut down to the hard-pan clay in every
case, and sometimes even to a greater depth. Near the north end were
found small quantities of charcoal and Indian corn, but with these
exceptions there was nothing beyond the nature of the soil to show
that human agency had been employed in constructing this mound.
The conclusion arrived at was that the greater part of the elevation
to the south was of natural formation, and that additions had been
made at the north end, but for what purpose beyond that of symmetry
it is hard to say.
The third mound opened was on lot 36, and as in the case of each
of the others, was within a short distance of the shore line. Like these
also, it was oval in outline, the diameters being thirty -seven and forty-
three feet (the latter north and south) with an elevation of three feet
four inches. Unlike the others, however, this earthwork consisted
largely of stones corresponding to those found on the surface in this
part of the island, i.e., of corniferous limestone in large and small, flat,
roughly angular masses, from a few pounds to forty or fifty in weight.
These were not placed in any orderly way, but seemed to have been
thrown on the heap carelessly to increase its size, except in the case of
a skeleton that lay almost in the centre, but a little to the south-west,
and which was covered from head to foot with a number of compara-
tively thin slabs, from two to three inches in thickness, and resting
directly on the bones, except for the support they received from earth
that had fallen in, or that perhaps had been so arranged when the
burial took place.
As the work of removing the earth proceeded, human remains
were found in other parts of the mound, but none of these was covered
with stones.
The skull of the skeleton underlying the stones was crushed, but
the larger limb bones, although exceedingly fragile, were unbroken, and
these were preserved. The body had been buried lying on its left
side, in an almost northerly and southerly direction, the head near
3 A.
34 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
the centre of the mound, and the feet a little to the west. Across the
feet of this skeleton was another lying east and west. The skull was
missing, as were all the bones of the
right side from shoulder to pelvis, but the
large bones of the left arm and of both
1& legs were perfect.
^ Near the head of the stone-covered
skeleton and a little to the north-
west, were the remains of a child. Portions of other skeletons
were found within a few feet of these, to the north-east, as may be
better understood by reference to the diagram, but in no case was any
artifact found in association with the remains. A few flints and two
celts and an unfinished gorget were found in the south-west quarter
of the mound, upwards of ten feet from the nearest skeleton. A bone
awl and a few other things lay nearly a foot deep.
With reference to the first and last mentioned mounds, it was
clear that openings had been made some years ago, but by whom, or
for what purpose, nobody knew. It is not improbable that the old
hidden treasure story had something to do with the disturbance.
The chief addition to our knowledge arising from this examina-
tion of the Pelee Island mounds is the fact that mound-building
Indians once occupied the ground in question, but whether contem-
poraneously with the Neutrals on the mainland we cannot say. In-
deed, it is not improbable that the Neutrals themselves were the
builders.
I am indebted to Dr. F. B. McCormick for many courtesies and
for information relative to the situation of the mounds. Dr. McCor-
mick very amply supplemented the first intimation given us by Mr.
John E. Gow, respecting the existence of these earthworks on the
island, and he was also good enough to present the museum with
several interesting stone relics, a list of which will be found else-
where.
BIG CORN FEAST (LOWER CAYUGA).
During the Big Corn Feast in September last, I visited the Reserve
with a desire to arrive at more certainty respecting some details con-
nected with the gambling portion of the ceremonies, than I had been
able to reach before. As the Seneca feast was over, and the Onondaga
one arranged for the following week, it is evident that the time for
the holding of this celebration is rather a matter of convenience than
of regulation by the moon.
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 35
The first day's proceedings at the Cayuga longhouse were just
coming to an end when I arrived there about one o'clock p.m. The
forenoon's part of the celebration included the Big Feather Dance, and
other dances connected with Ah-don'-wah, having the accompaniment
" Heh-heh-heh," as was fully referred to in last year's report.
On the second day, beginning about half-past eight a.m., the pro-
ceedings were opened by a long speech from Wm. Smoke, after which
Chief Abram Charles (De-ka-hy'-on) and Robert David (Jin-o-daw'-
hon) addressed the people, of whom there were only thirty -five present,
two-thirds of them being women and children, but before noon nearly
a hundred persons had assembled, the sexes being about equally
represented.
NAMING A CHILD.
Part of Jin-o-daw'-hon's remarks had reference to the giving of a
name to a Cayuga baby, such names being conferred only at this feast
and that of mid-winter.*
At the proper moment a woman (not the child's mother) stepped
forward and placed the baby in Jin-o daw'- hone's arms. He accepted
the charge smilingly as he went on with his talk, part of the time
walking round the stove, representing as it did the old-time fire.
Before he had said more than a few words all the male portion of the
audience joined in a somewhat noisy song, which it was quite satisfac-
tory to observe had the effect of frightening the child, who, until that
time, had conducted itself as stoically as a full-grown Indian, but now
established a claim to average humanity by setting up a right hearty
cry. Jin o-daw'-hon then handed the baby back to the woman who
had placed it in his arms, this woman gave it to the mother and the
ceremony was complete.
After this the speakers and a few others — five men, including the
well-known Captain Bill, and two women — left the longhouse and
took up their position in the cook-shanty at the east end, where two
large pots containing corn soup were simmering over a slow fire.
Here, William Smoke and Jin-o-daw'-hon " spoke pieces " for fully
half-an-hour, and, in the course of their remarks, the speakers burnt
small quantities of home-grown tobacco, by throwing eight pinches
bdneath the pots during the course of each speech.
On returning to the longhouse one man after another sang in his
seat for a little while, then, rising, and continuing to sing, walked very
slowly round the stove, "with the sun." The singer paused in both
song and movement at each corner of the stove, where, with bowed
* See Ontario Archaeological Report for 1898, pp. 168-9, for details respecting
children's names.
•36 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
head, and in an almost inaudible tone, he muttered some 8entences, the
significance of which was evidently understood by the others who gave
suppressed responses at the close of each little soliloquy. Altogether
nine men sung and spoke in this manner.
Two men from each end of the longhouse were appointed to collect
stakes for the peach-stone game on the morrow, and thus the day's
proceedings ended about half-past twelve, when the food was handed
round.
THE PEACH STONE GAME.
Next morning before nine o'clock the stake collectors had brought
together in the longhouse a considerable quantity and variety of wear-
ing apparel— dresses, sashes, belts, silk and cotton handkerchiefs, silk
remnants and beads. A few of them were apparently new, and pro-
bably purchased for the occasion. Two men were engaged in pairing
these articles, with reference to value as nearly as possible, in order
that when the game was won by the clans representing either end
of the house, each person who laid a stake on that side would receive
with his or her own article another one as good.
As the Indian women are no more demonstrative than the men, it
is not easy to say just how they regarded the rough-and-ready way
the two men handled the goods, but nothing is surer than that had
white men and women been concerned in such circumstances the con-
sequences would have proved serious on both sides.
Few persons spoke while the assortment was going on, and those
who did, expressed themselves in whispers because Rawen Niyoh was
present overlooking all the arrangements, and it was not proper that
he should be disturbed. When the sorters stepped about in the course
of their work they did so gently, for the same reason.
After the completion of the pairing or coupling of the goods, Chief
De-ka-hy'-on delivered a long speech, one of the rote or ceremonial
kind, respecting the game and the duty of maintaining good feeling
on the part of all, but especially on that of the losers, who might next
time be favored by Niyoh, In the making of this harangue the cfyief
emphasized very strongly the first syllable of the numerous short sen-
tences of which it was composed, his voice dropping suddenly and
keeping along an almost dead level until the last syllable was reached,
and this he pronounced with a slight rising inflection. This is a com-
mon method of delivery which is only a little more monotonous than
may be heard in other places where it is customary to make use of
ceremonial addresses.
As I had occassion to mention last year when referring to the
Seneca feasts, it does not seem necessary that on occasions of this kind
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 37
the chiefs or other leading men should be decked in all their "braverie."
At this time De-ka-hy '-on appeared in plain clothes, not even wearing
a coat, but simply a cotton smock -jacket.
A long pause followed his speech, but the silence was broken by a
man who spoke briefly from the south-east corner, where were seated
the Wolf, Snipe and Beaver clans, while at the west end were those
of the Turtle, Deer, Bear, Eel and Ball, or, as some say the last named
should be, Swallow.
A young man was appointed to lay down a sheet on the floor where
the game was to be played, in the middle of the longhouse. The
players and their assistants then arranged themselves as shown in the
diagram on page 127, in last year's report, except that the former
instead of facing each other east and west, did so north and south,
while the assistants were seated at the west side.
Two men were called upon to play first and as one lost his chance,
another player, (man or woman, as the game proceeded) took the place.
Most of the women simply struck the bottom of the dish on the floor,
and calmly awaited the result, but the men in nearly every case made
passes with one or with both hands crosswise, circularly, and up and
down, over the peach-stones, as. if to influence them in some way while
they rocked about, to settle right side up. A number of men repre-
senting the two ends of the longhouse crowded eagerly round the
players to encourage them or otherwise, or to influence the luck so far
as the stones themselves were concerned, by means of shouts and
exclamations. At no time did the excitement become intense, for as
the game came to a conclusion within an hour and a half, there was no
time or opportunity for party-feeling to run very high. De-ka-hy '-on'
and Jin-o-daw'-hon again made long rote speeches, after which the
stakes were handed to the winners, men and women, all of whom
accepted their dues without the least manifestation of pleasure, or of
pride on account of victory, or of any feeling suggestive of boastful-
ness such as white people show on occasions when they are winners.
Similarly, those who were defeated conducted themselves with the
utmost decorum, and without any sign of discomfiture or even of disap-
pointment.
" Now," said Captain Bill to me, when the distribution came to an
end. " the women is boss," meaning thereby that during the short time
that would elapse until the close of the feast, all the arrangements
would be in their hands, and as the most important part of what
remained consisted of eating, the men did not occupy a very humiliat-
ing position.
At this time the women may decide, however, to appoint some other
day upon which to hold the final dances, which are only four or five
38 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
in number, and not of religious significance. These are : 1st, the Trot-
ting Dance (Gah-dah'-trohnt) ; 2nd. the Old Song Women's Dance
(Gy-nah-gyh-ka-uh'-ska-nyi, the word having reference to the peculiar
shuffling of the feet alternately in the dance); 3rd. the Joined-hand
Dance, (Da-you-dah-da-noon'-tsons), and 4th, the Four Night Dance,
(Ga-ne-wah-tsoon-tah'-ga). If the women wish they may add the
Women's New Song Dance (Gy-nft-sa-ah-ska'-nyi).
Although this portion of the ceremonies is under the " patronage '
so to speak, of the women, it is, as is customary on other occasions,
managed by the chiefs and head men.
THE WAKE GAME.
When friends and neighbors are assembled at a wake, it is
customary for them to engage in a game to comfort in some measure
the bereaved ones, and, to a certain extent, as a mere pastime. It
may be premised that in so-doing there is no desire that either
side engaged should win, and the whole of the proceedings are
conducted with seriousness. If, during the progress of the game a
young person should forget himself, the Head Man, or master of cere-
monies takes occasion to point out that at such times light behavior is
unseemly.
As many players, men and women, may engage as there is room to
accommodate, when the two sides sit face to face.
The game consists in the hiding of a pebble (a marble, or a bullet
is now often used) in one of four moccasins or mittens held in the lap
of the hider for the time being, the other side trying to guess in which
of these the object has been placed.
The Head Man makes a long speech to the players.
A singer having been appointed he sets the pace accompanied by
his drum, by giving one of the three Wake Songs, the music of which
the reader will find elsewhere in this report, and it is to be noted that
these are the only wake songs, and are never used for any other pur-
pose, or at any other time. Indeed, so careful are the people in this
respect, that Dah kah-he-dond-yeh, who supplied this account of the
game gives this as the reason why children are not allowed to attend
wakes — hearing the songs they might be tempted to sing them thought-
lessly in the course of play.*
The singer for the time being may be seated anywhere on his own
row, but the hiding must begin at one end, and the guessing at the far
away end of the opposite row. To enable the guessers to point out
the moccasin supposed to contain the object, a stick, or switch, about a
* Ka-nis-han-don supported the statement, but I am convinced that there is
some other reason ; one, perhaps, forgotten by the Indians themselves.
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 3 9
yard long is provided and passes from hand to hand. When the hider
has done his part the moccasins are placed on the floor and guessing
goes on. As soon as a particular moccasin is pointed out some who is
nearest picks it up and gives it a rap on the floor. Should the sound
indicate that the stone or marble is in the moccasin, one stick is taken
from a pile of a hundred splints about the size of lucifer matches, and
is placed to the credit of the successful guesser's side. If the guesser
desires to make two points in the game he first lays, one above another,
the three moccasins he takes to be empty. Should the remaining one
be found to contain the object, his side gains two. On the other hand,
a failure on his part, entails the loss of two. As soon as a correct
guess is made the singer ceases his performance and one on the win-
ning side takes it up. and thus the game goes on, each man or woman
hiding and guessing in turn.
At midnight the head man stops the game until a meal has been
served in the usual way, and consisting of the usual kinds of food.
On ceasing to play, the two men whose duty it is to keep count, arrange
everything to avoid confusion or dispute when the game is resumed.
Each puts the little sticks used as counters and won by his side into
one of the moccasins ; the remaining sticks into a third, and the stone
or the marble into the fourth.
Before play begins after the meal the head man repeats his intro-
ductory ritual. Should one side win all the counters before daylight,
he puts them again into one heap as at the beginning, and play goes
on, but as soon as daylight gives the first sign of appearance he makes
a change in the manner of conducting the game by appointing two
men to act for each row of players, and for the purpose of still further
shortening it, he may leave only two moccasins in their hands. Hid-
ing and finding now follow each other quickly, but the sticks no longer
go to show which side wins, for they are thrown by the head man into
the fire, and the hiding and guessing are kept up by the same sides
(i.e. without interchange) until all the counters are burnt. The same
official then breaks the pointing sticks which are also put into the fire,
and he even treats the drumstick in the same way, having taken
it from the hands of the singer. Last of all, he pulls the leather cover
off the drum, puts it inside of the drum, and replaces the hoop. The
instrument should remain in this condition until it is to be again used.
O
Before the people disperse to their homes in the morning, a gun is
fired off outside of the door.
THE INVITATION STICK.
On the Sunday following the last Lower Cayugas' Big Corn Feast,
a meeting was held in their longhouse to consider the terms of an
40 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
invitation extended to them by the Indians of the Onondaga Reserva-
tion, N.Y., to send a representative to a meeting about to be held.
The only reason for referring to this matter here, is to mention that
the messenger who carries the invitation is provided with what is
called gan-onds-ha-dir und-dagh'-kwa, which was interpreted as signi-
fying— catching by the hand and pulling across — perhaps the meaning
is better brought out by saying, a hearty or welcome grasp of the
hand. However this may be, the thing itself consists of a small piece
of pine about three and a half inches long, half an inch wide, and
scarcely a quarter of an inch thick, to one end of which is attached
a fine string forming a loop five or six inches long, on which are a
dozen or so of small cylindrical shell beads, of the kind we now recog-
nize as " white man's make."
The edges of the stick contain as many notches as the number of
daj's to elapse from the day of delivery to the date of meeting. As
each day passes a notch is to be removed from the stick.
The purpose of the beads, or wampum, as they are commonly
called, is merely to show that the invitation is issued by authority, or
as an evidence of good faith on the part of those who present the
invitation.
TURTLE CLAN NAMES.
The following names were supplied to me by Ka-nis-han'-don
and Dab. -ka-hedond -yeh. They are in Canienga form :
Men : — Skaniodyreo, beautiful lake ; Gft-rah'-kwa, the sun ; 0-
non-dahk'-ta, close by the hill ; Gah-hu-tohnk, sticks sticking up ;
Ra-ri-hwa wa'-ruts, to throw over a word, or the news ; Da-hok'-ha,
twins ; Jo-non'-da-ti, over the hill ; Yo-jees-kwt-ha, dry food ; Da'-
ka-he-dond-yeh, rows of trees; Da-ka-nah kwa-sah, twenty wives;
So6h-kah-do6'-nali, big leaf; Unt-ya-ne ga-ri, noon; Da-wah-ne-d(5-
gah, between the moons; Ga-roh'-hyak dat'-yi, along the clouds ; Ra-ri-
wah-ka-n<5h'-nis, one who is sent.
Women : — Da-wa-da-rohn-hu'-goh'-tah, moon through the sky ; Ka-
ri-hwa-ha-wi, she carries a message ; Da-duhk'-toh , she came back; Yo-
naw-ta-wah '-ti, adjoining camps ; Yah-ko-rah-k 5nd'-yoh, she left her
husband, or she lost a pail. Yuh-ti-a-go sah'-ny-ah, has no name ;
Gohn-hwa-ra'-ton, she is counted; Gahn-ho-don'-kwas, she opens a door ;
Ka-no-rohn-kwa,I like you; Wah-don-wah°-jees'-on, tramped grass; Ka-
ha-wann'-yu she holds things; .Ka-rohn-hu'-ro6ks, it becomes cloudy.
1899] ARC BIOLOGICAL REPORT. 41
(NORTH) VICTORIA COUNTY.
BY G. E. LAIDLAW.
NEW SITES
Oral and substantial evidence on archaeological affairs having ac-
cumulated during the present season, it was decided that it would be
better to make a systematic series of visits to different localities to
establish direct proof of aboriginal occupation, acquire material, and
locate new sites ; (in, some cases several visits being paid to same
localities) resulting in locating nine of these, and the acquirement of
material from previously recorded sites and isolated places.
The first place to be looked into is the extensive site at Neil
Oarke's, n. J lot 12, in 1st con., Fenelon township, and Mrs. S. Foster's,
south half same lot. This is a very marked and prolific site, which,
though known to local collectors for years and from which large
•quantities of relics have been removed, is now put on record for the
first time. The area covered by very large and prominent ash beds is
about 10 acres, and is situated on the top of a bank about 30 ft. high
lying to the northeast of Goose Lake, which is nearly a mile distant.
The bank here has a general direction of N.E. and S.W. with a slight
curve to the east. On the edge of the bank are about half-a-dozen
dump-heaps. The general shape of the habitations seems to have been
circular and not of the " long house " form, and from their size, number
and proximity to each other indicate a populous town long occupied.
On a higher position of the bank, to the S.E., a number of pits
(caches) and graves formerly existed. The surface of the ground was
strewn with broken pottery, fire-fractured stones, implements, bones,
teeth, etc. Soil very light and sandy. Surface slopes from bank to
N.E., and formerly supported a heavy growth of pine, of which a few
large stumps of about four feet in diameter remain. A spring formerly
existed on the north side, and a never failing one runs at the bottom
of the bank at the south side. This bank, as far as could be judged,
encircled a lake, the basin of which being filled up with silt and veget-
able growth, kept back, possibly, by beaver dams, now supports a
marshy swamp of soft timber with a shallow, muddy pond in the centre.
Another site, which has just been brought to notice is on D.
Brown's, lot 23, con. 1, Fenelon. It is partially cleared, but never
ploughed ; bush covers the remainder. The ash beds seem to be of
large size ; several were dug into with the usual results. A small
water-course lies to the west. Graves have been opened here.
Forty years of cultivation have obliterated almost all trace of
aboriginal occupation on Mr. Alex. McKenzie's farm, lot E, pt. 21.
42 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 12
con. I, Fenelon, but relics are still ploughed up. Graves are said to
be in the sand on the north side.
Across the road from the latter place, and about 1-3 of a mile away
there is an artificial embankment. This work is on Mr. Alex. Jauiie-
son's property, w. half of lot 23, con. 2, Fenelon, and comprises a semi-
circular embankment, with a ditch on the outside. Dimensions, 220
feet in length, running north and south, facing west, being 330 feet at
north end and 165 feet at south end distant from a creek winding
N. E. into South Bay, Balsam Lake, on the east side of Birch point.
Width of embankment, about 12 feet, and of the ditch the same ; the
depth from the top of embankment to the bottom of the ditch is 3f
feet in some places. No traces of palisades. Ash-beds situated be-
tween the embankment and creek, are shallow, of small size, and do
not seem to have been occupied for a long period. There is a small
group of single graves immediately to the north of embankment,,
whilst another group is on the top of a steep knoll fifty or sixty feet
high, that stands about one hundred yards to the west and commands
the work. One grave in each group being opened, displayed a few
human bones as if the remainder had been removed for subsequent
interment. There were no skulls or large bones excepting one shin
bone, and the bones remaining did not exhibit any signs of decay, such
as crumbling on exposure to air, that would lead one to conjecture that
the missing bones had decayed. The graves were denoted by slight
circular depressions, which were partly filled with surface stones.
A pine stub stood over the hill grave, measuring nine feet present
circumference, four feet from the ground, but as the tree was fire-
killed and burnt, and stumps standing on the ash beds and embankment
measuring 3| ft. present diameter, which were cut 40 years ago, it
can be safely put down that 400 years have elapsed since occupation.
A second growth of pine is covering this place. The surface is
extremely broken with high gravel and sand hills, two of them com-
manding the work at a distance of less than 150 yards, which is a
peculiar feature if the latter was meant for defence. There may be
more graves inside the embankment as it has never been disturbed.
A large mealing stone, too heavy for removal, was noticed near by.
The creek to rear of work has a bank of about TO ft. A sheer fall of
6 ft. is about £ of a mile farther up stream, which would stop fish from
going up any farther and thus materially aid the food supply during
the fish-running season. Soil is fit for aboriginal cultivation. The
village was beyond observation, especially from enemies coming by
the lake, one mile distant.
On Birch Point, jutting north into South Bay, Balsam Lake, is what
was probably a small fishing camp-site, as a row of ash-beds extends
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 43
along the west side; relics, pottery and mealing stones have been picked
up. This point was cleared many years ago and has been under sod
for a number of years. It is owned by Dugald Sinclair, number of lot
being, broken front 26, con, 3, Fenelon. This locality has been much
frequented by Indians down to recent date, as it is a favorite fishing-
ground (bass and mascalonge), and in the fall the marshes on both sides
of the point shelter vast numbers of wild-fowl.
It seems that the highly elevated, and extremely hilly territory
much broken by deep valleys, extending from the site on Brown's to
South Bay, 3 miles or so distant, was much frequented by the abori-
gines, and it will be necessary to investigate it more thoroughl}7. No
doubt the shelter obtained was the chief factor, but its proximity to
the lake and thus with the internal water highway extending to the
Bay of Quinte, Lake Ontario, was another inducement for occupation.
Just one mile across the bay to the east side of the lake is another
small site on lot west pt. 26 in con. 4, Tendon, Archibald McArthur,
owner. This was on a terrace touching the shore. Previous years
yielded large quantities of pottery, pipes, celts, gouges and arrowheads,
the Isat an unusual feature and taken in connection with being so
close to water, might denote a later Algonkin occupation. With the
exception of the flint arrowheads this site corresponds with the other
sites that undoubtedly existed before the advent of the whites, a large,
heavy, pine growth formerly covered the locality but the stumps having
been removed no estimate can now be made.
These sites all exist south of previously described ones, in sandy or
clayey loam localities, so we will now turn to several on the northern
border of the rocky limestone country, just at the commencement of the
granitic territory.
On lots 69-71 front range, Somerville, (Mr. Edward Lee, owner,
1£ miles east of Big Mud Turtle Lake), is a site discovered this spring
when clearing land. It is situated on a flat facing west, about 200 yds.
wide and backed up by a hilly country to the east, a perennial spring
is to the south and another to the north-east. Produced pottery, unio-
shells, pipes, mealing stones, broken bones, teeth, etc. Site about 50
ft. higher than lake. No graves known as yet. The probability is
that the village was not occupied for any great length of time, as the
ash-beds were small and not very distinguishable. Soil suitable for
aboriginal cultivation.
On lots 11 and 12, con. 8, Laxton, to the N.E. of Head Lake, on
the properties owned by Mrs. Staples and G. Winterbourn, is the most
distant site in that direction located up to date. This consists of a
•eries of ash-beds, containing the usual remains and relics, situated on
the north edge of a somewhat level piece of tillable ground, where it
44 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
drops to a lower level at the north. A never tailing spring to the north
is one of the features of the locality. One quarter of a mile to the east
is the end of the limestone territory, marked by an abrupt ledge 20 or
more feet in height running slightly to S. W. About one mile to the
west the granite district begins, and extends to the north, the inter-
mediate foundation being a sandstone of reddish yellow color. This
plain is bounded on the east by the limestone ridge and on the west by
a slight rise. Pine stumps up to 4 ft. in diameter stand on the ash-beds.
About f of a mile southwest of the latter place is another site on
David Hilton's farm, lot 12, con. 7, Laxton. This is 60 rods east of
Hilton's Bay, which is south of Hilton's point, n. e. corner of Head
Lake. General indications of aboriginal occupation, such as ash beds,
pipes, celts and pottery on a piece of land two or three acres in extent.
When first settled, in 1860, it was covered with a heavy growth of
pine up to five feet in diameter (one stump was measured). East of
this site is a ravine which holds water. This locality was also used
by more recent Indians, as several iron tomahawks have been found
scattered around, and maple trees showed evidences of tapping, several
also having large slabs split off them. A pile of sap-troughs, 10 feet
wide, 20 feet long, 2 feet high, of old rotten birch-bark was noticed on a
hill. Present day Indians have resorted to this locality, as it is an
ideal hunting and fishing ground, and they have been known to
portage to Gull River, four miles east, which flows into the Trent
system of waters. Head Lake waters and the several minor systems
belonging to it flow west by the Head River, ultimately emptying into
Georgian Bay via Severn River, thus giving canoes access to the
Huron country, but necessitating many portages over rapids and falls.
No doubt a prehistoric trail extended from Head Lake through
Hilton's site, thence to Winterbourn's, on to Beech Lake, which is
1 by H miles in extent, and from there to Gull River, a total distance
of about four miles. The country immediately to the north precludes
the idea of trails, as it is one vast territory of high, steep granite ridges,
swampy valleys, broken by innumerable lakes, rivers and beaver-
meadows, forming the best of hunting and fishing grounds even to
this day. To the south of the above route the limestone country is too
rough and hilly for a practicable portage. Several trips were made to
the granitic regions of the townships of Longford, Dalton, Digby and
Ryde, in quest of information or evidence of aboriginal occupation, but
none was forthcoming. No visible evidences were noticed, such as
graves, trenches, ash heaps, mounds or embankments. See Report for
181)7-98 p. 53. At the south-west corner of Ghost Island, Balsam
Lake, traces of a flint-worker's " shop " may be seen where, at a break
in the bank or " landing," ashes and bones, intermingled with flint
chips, may be scraped 'out.
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 45
The following are the new sites that have been examined : —
No. 23. Clarke's; lot 12, con. 1, Fenelon township, N. Victoria.
No. 21 Brown's; lot 23, con. 1, Fenelon township, N. Victoria.
No. 25. McKenzie's; lot E. pt 22, con. 1, Fenelon township, N
Victoria.
No. 26. Jamieson's ; lot W. £ 23, con. 2, Fenelon township, em-
banked.
No. 27. Birch Point ; lot B. F. 26. con. 3, Fenelon township, N.
Victoria.
No. 28. MuArthur's ; lot W. P. 26, con. 4, Fenelon township, N.
Victoria.
No. 29. Lee's ; lots 69-71, con. Front Range, Somerville township,
N. Victoria.
No. 30. Winterbourn's ; lots 11 and 12, con. 8, Laxton township,
N. Victoria.
No. 31. Hilton's ; lot 12, con. 7, Laxton township, N. Victoria.
From what has been disclosed this year by personal search and
investigation, I am convinced that there was a large semi-sedentary
population extending along this ancient highway of waters to Lake
Ontario. And from the number of places occupied, the condition of
soil suitable to their agricultural operations— generally a light sandy
or sandy loam — also the numbers of mealing-stones, the absence of
weapons of war and of the chase, I am led to believe that the popula-
tion was a peaceable one, living upon the products of cultivation, eked
out with wild fruits and what pame they could get, which would be
little in a thickly populated country. It must be borne in mind that
this is not essentially a nut-producing territory. Fish, no doubt, con-
tributed largely to their subsistence, and as there are so many different
lakes of large areas, systems of rivers, etc., they had the choice of
many different varieties of fresh-water fish, such as mascalonge, bass,
whitefish, pickerel, salmon-trout, all of large size; and 1 he smaller
varieties, such as brook trout, perch, catfish, eels, suckers, sunfish and
herring, each in its season. The lack of harpoons and other fishing
apparatus, noticeable in the vicinity of rivers and streams of the
western part of the Province, may be accounted for by the probable
use of the net, as remarked by the Jesuits amongst the Hurons. No
doubt they also employed traps and weirs of perishable material, but
no permanent ones of stone or earth have been noticed as yet, though
some years ago several so-called fish stakes were taken from the nar-
rows at Lake Couchiching, where the Hurons bad been in the habit of
planting them for piscatorial purposes.
Taking also into account that only one embanked site is known
amongst thirty-one examined — and that commanded by high hills — in
46 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
an area of twenty-five miles north and south, and twenty miles east
and west, is another reason for the belief that these people were peace-
able Of course one mi«ht raise the objection that the villages may
have been palisaded. Now, it was too immense a labor to palisade
these villages when the timber had to be cut and dressed with stone
tools, aided by fire. With very few exceptions, the general character
of the villages here is that they were of a small number of habitations
loosely scattered over a large area, and sometimes only a row or so of
such along the edge of a plateau or around the margin of a swamp,
covering acres of ground. Supposing them to be palisaded, there
would certainly not be population in them enough to successfully
"man" the amount of palisading necessary to completely surround
these straggling villages.
It seems to be a rule not to have had these villages on or near
water-courses, but in localities having local features of defence, such as
swamps, hills, or approaches through rough country, which were the
only natural and perhaps main means of defence they had. Again,
the land is generally better suited for purposes of cultivation a little
distance back from the lakes than immediately on the shores. Those
small sites on the shores being generally considered as fishing-camps,
we may say that they wisely chose for occupation localities suitable
for cultivation nearest to bodies of water, yet not too close to be
observed by enemies travelling by water, and not too far away to be
inconvenient to the inhabitants. I have heard about other sites, em-
bankments and mounds which could not be looked into this season,
but will be examined next year. The proportion of unfinished relics
is rather large, some of them being of material coming from far' distant
districts.
No corn hills or garden-beds have been noted so far.
The Rock Nation of the Hurons was the most north-easterly of
these people, and probably took this route into the country, in which
they were found by the Jesuits. The sites here described were, in all
probability, those of their abandoned towns in their westerly drift.
The other Huron natives separating from the Rock Nation at a point
east of here, supposedly at the junction of the Scugog River with
Sturgeon Lake, following up the Scugog waters (lake and river) and
ascending the valleys to the west drained into the Scugog by Noncon
and other creeks, till they came to the region south of Lake Simcoe ;
rounding the southern end of which they finally stopped in their now
Jcnown country.
The museum is indebted to those whose names follow for the speci-
mens mentioned in connection therewith. I, also, am under great
obligation to the gentlemen for many personal courtesies.
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 47
Archibald McArthur, Balsam Grove P.O., gives iron tomahawk, 2
small " skinners," degraded celt hammer and degraded gouge hammer,
site No. 28, lot W.P. 26, con. 4, Fenelon.
John Martin, Uphill P.O., iron tomahawk.
Isaac Bowins, Coboconk P.O., celts, soapstone discs, and several un-
finished implements, lot 51, Front Range, Somerville.
Jas. Moore, Coboconk P.O., several clay pipe heads, bone awls from
site 16, lot 19-20 ; G. R. R. Bexley
D. Ryckman, Victoria Road P.O., clay pipe from site 1, lot 1 ; N.
P. R. Bexley.
F. Widdis, Bexley, clay pipe.
Jos. Shields, Victoria Road P.O., slick-stone.
Chas. Youill, Thorah twp., N. Ontario, a large square unfinished
gorget, Huronian slate, 6£ by 4| by £ in., shows pecking and flaking,
was one of cliche. See previous Reports.
Wm. Kennedy, Bobcaygeon, triangular slate pendant found on Ball
Island between lakes Chemong, Buckhorn and Pigeon, Peterborough
Co. Dimensions 2 A x If x & in., one hole.
Neil Sinclair, Glenarm P. O., French axe, flint curved knife, pot-
tery, celts, very small mealing-stone, and narrow oval gorget, two
holed, 4£ x If in., has been broken and re-ground. Lot 25, Con. 3,
Fenelon.
Miss A. Campbell, Kirkfield P. O., fragment of clay pipe bowl
showing human mask, arms, and fingers defined ; perforated melantho.
shells ; and small soapstone pipe covered with incised lines, presum-
ably a conventionalized animal head with stem hole entering in
the mouth. Site 10, lot 44, S. P. R., Eldon.
D. Brown, Glenarm P. O., a large mealing stone, basined on one
side, flat polished surface (metate) on other, polished celt bone and
bead. Site 24, lot 23, con. 1% Fenelon.
Jos. Chant, Blackwater P. O , clay pipe-head, found near Sunder-
land.
Edward Lytle, jr., Victoria Road, yellow soapstone pipe, S. P. R.,
Bexley. Evidently a conventionalized moose head.
Archibald Ferguson, Glenarm P. 0., a polished celt found in Eldon
twp., hammer^tones, stone and clay discs, perforated and unperfor-
ated ; bone and fragments of pipes from site 11, Long Point, Fenelon,
also hammer stones, pottery, discs, mask, clay pipes, small soapstone
pipe carved like a bird, slick stones, perforated soapstone discs, barbed
harpoon, and a mealing stone of the metate mortar variety, from site
23, lot 12, con. 1. Fenelon.
Neil Clarke, pottery, bone awls, hammer stones, two large blocked
out celts, and new type of harpoon made from a deer horn, spike 3f
48 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
in. long, barbed and hollowed up the centre, forming a socket for
shaft, then pierced through the two flattest sides about ^ way up,
either to insert a pin for holding the shaft or for attaching a cord to
be fastened to a float, or the shaft used for float purposes after the fish
is struck. Site 23, lot 12, con. 1, Fenelon.
Wm. Hoyle, Long Point, Fenelon twp., a beautiful grooved maul,
4f by 3 by 2£ inches: a distinct groove encircles it about midway lx^
inches wide and deep. Face of .one end is about 2 x 1| in., the other
being 1£ x 1 in., surface polished, material gray granite. This is the
first grooved maul from this section.
O
Jas. Laidlaw, " The Fort," Victoria Road P. O., flint arrowheads, 2
unfinished slate objects, presumably a woman's knife and a gorget,
Site 8, head of Portage Road. Also worked flints, fish-bone bead and"
rounded pebble from " workshop," Ghost Island.
Mr. D. Hilton, Head Lake, two celts, two clay pipe heads of the
ordinary decorated style of dots and encircling rings, also degraded
celt hammer-stone possessing the peculiar feature of having its edge
between two of its opposite corners, thus giving the tool a roughly
diamond cross section. Site 30, lot 12, con. 7, Laxton.
E. W. Glaspell, Rosedale P. O., donates the following specimens :
large polished celt from Ball (or Bald) Point, Sturgeon Lake; small
polished celt, from Ball (or Bald) Point, Sturgeon Lake; small rough
celt, lot 9, con. 8, Fenelon ; polished bone barbed fishhook from site
23, lot 12, con. 1, Fenelon, of the following dimensions, 2| in. long
by i£ in. across the bend, f in. from the extremity of the barb to the
exceedingly sharp point ; the shank has a knob on top to attach the
line. See remarks on barbed fishhooks in Primitive Man, Boyle, p.
73. Dr. Rau's Prehistoric Fishing, p. 128, American Antiquarian No.
6, Vol. 21, p. 345 (Beauchamp's Archaeology in New York). Also the
following relics from a site on lot 18, con. 13, Tiny twp., two miles
distant from Randolph P. O., owned by Mr. W. H. Bowes : Soapstone
bead, human head carved from limestone showing a long narrow face
with well executed features, neck showing fracture from some sort of
base. Head from a clay pipe showing peculiar arrangement of hair in
tufts, one on each side of head and one on top somewhat in shape of a
liberty cap ; head of bird from clay pipe ; a score of fragmentary clay
pipes showing different types, but corresponding with pipes from this
section ; two bone beads and bone awl ; small flint arrowhead ; frag-
ment of sheet brass, and a beautiful sandstone pipe of a narrow,
elongated, truncated pyramidal form, covered with peculiar patterns of
inscribed lines, and of the following dimensions : length, 2| in., thick-
ness, 1 in., width at top, If in., width at bottom, 1 in., oblong cross-
section, stem hole circular J in. diameter and 1 in. from top. Bowl
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 4U
with oval transverse section. Marchenaw creek is near this site and
the ash-beds are deep and extensive.
G. Rumney, Coboconk P. O., celts, bone awls and bangles, inscribed
hollow bone, small flint arrowhead. Site 14, lot 56, F. R. Somerville.
G. Staples, Norland P. 0., clay pipe, and owl pipe carved from
soapstone ; this pipe belongs to the same class of totem pipe sculpture
as the eagle, bear, panther and wolf pipes, see Report 1890-91; shows
evidence of much use and bears a scratch or so from the blow which
turned it up. The diagnostic features are well defined, and the treat-
ment of eyes, talons, tail and wing feathers is remarkably acute, the
eyes being bored with tubular drills of two different sizes. The bowl
being behind the shoulders, and the stem-hole half way down the back.
The occiput is pyramidal in shape, and as nothing marks the tufts of
feathers which gives the name to the great horned owl, so this may
represent either the barred owl or the great gray owl, both species
inhabitating this region at various times. Length, 4£ in. ; greatest
thickness, 1£ in. ; greatest width, from beak to shoulders 2^ in.
From site 30, lot 12, con. 8, Laxton.
G. Lytle, editor Watchman-Warder, Lindsay, pottery from site 29,
lot 69, F. R. Somerville.
G. Winterbourn, Norland P.O., adze with a very good edge, site 30,
lot 11, con. 8, Laxton.
Wm. Halliday, Head Lake, pottery, celts, hammer stones, etc., from
site 30, lot 11, con. 8, Laxton.
Alex. McKenzie, Glenarm P.O., gives gouge, celts and rounded
pebbles, from site 25, lot E. pt. 22, con. 1, Fenelon.
Besides above, other known sites were visited and amongst the
usual relics gathered up may be mentioned a small triangular arrow-
head of very neat make, a very fine bear-tooth knife, some polished
soapstone perforated discs, a bone bead still showing bands of red
dye very plainly ; an unmistakable toy pipe, a peculiar flint tool, 2 in.
long, narrow and thick, with very obtuse side edges, front end
showing marks of use ; may be a flaker ; site 3, lot 5, con. 5, Bexley.
Some large bone awls and a very small bone bead, also a very small
stone bead, and a cylindrical shell bead made from the columella of
a tropical shell, f in. long. A very neatly moulded clay disc bead,
with an incised edge (perimeter) made before baking. These last
three beads are the first of their types known here. An unfinished
mealing stone, the latter presented by Mr. W. C. Perry, late of Kirk-
field ; all from site 2, lot 22, con. 3, Eldon.
Blocked out discs, small soapstone bead, bear-tooth knife, beaver-
tooth knife, and a very beautiful bone awl of unique form as follows :
total length, 4J in. ; length of awl proper, 2£ in. ; the handle is
4 A.
60 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
broadened out to £ in. wide, and divided into two parts by a waist, the
upper part having two notches on each wing and the lo wer part three
on each wing, all beautifully rounded and polished. One side of
handle is flat with two rows of very small dots, the other " keeled,"
with two rows of similar dots on each side of keel. From site 10, lot
45, S.P.R., Eldon.
Amongst other material from site 7, lot W. | 6, con. 2, Bexley, is a
small fragment of a pot-lip angle, ornamented on the outside by a
rough human mask. This is the second case of a pottery mask from
this vicinity. See Bulletin, N.Y. State Museum, on earthenware.
A clay stem, 2£ in. long, had a moulded chamber in the larger end,
looked like a cigar-holder. This may have been a sort of a straight
pipe, but unfortunately it was mutilated before it was secured ; locality
lot 45, S.P.R., Eldon.
A rough leaf -shaped implement of brownish material, having the
appearance of a paleolith, and a rounded worked pebble. Site 8>
head of portage, Bexley.
Rounded, oval, circular, ovoid pebbles, still keep turning up in
numbers on the new sites.
NOTES ON
SITES OF HURON VILLAGES
IN THE
TOWNSHIP OF TAY (SIMCOE COUNTY).
BY ANDREW F. HUNTER, M.A.
PREFACE.
In the preparation of the following Report it did not appear neces-
sary to change the plan adopted in my similar report on the archae-
ology of the Township of Tiny, issued by the Education Department
last May. By following in the main the same method, viz., putting
the notes into the form of a catalogue of the village- sites, the one
becomes a continuation of the other, and they ,may be preserved
together by students of the history and archaeology of our Province.
Separate copies of this Report on Tay have been prepared for the use
of those who received my former report on the Township of Tiny.
A. F. HUNTER.
Barrie, Ont., November, 1899.
[51]
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 53
INTRODUCTION.
PHYSICAL FEATURES OF TAY.
Like the adjoining township of Tiny, the surface of Tay consists
mainly of parallel ridges with rivers between them. There is this
difference, however; in Tiny most of the ridges lie entirely within the
township, but in Tay only the ends are found. One of them crosses
the boundary into Tiny, the other two pass southward into Medonte.
For convenience I wlil call the former, which lies between the Wye
and *Hogg rivers, the Victoria Harbor ridge, because it ends near
Victoria Harbor. The next one, lying between Hogg and Sturgeon
rivers, will be called the Vasey ridge, from the name of a village
upon it. And the most easterly ridge, between Sturgeon and Cold-
water rivers, will be named the Rosemount ridge, from the name of the
schoolhouse on its summit. Those parts of the township which lie
east of Matchedash bay are rocky —Trenton limestone and Laurentian
granite.
For showing the altitude of the land I know of no plan equal to
mapping the abandoned beaches. This method has a very important
advantage ; a person can note by direct observation the lines of equal
altitude in these extinct shorelines without going to the trouble of
making a detailed survey by the use of levelling instruments.
Accordingly, I have observed their positions throughout the township,
noting the farms in which they appear, and I give the results of these
observations in the accompanying map.
(Y) The highest of these old shorelines is the Algonquin beach, which
has an altitude of about 250 feet above the present level of Georgian
Bay. It is a stupendous freak of Nature — an indelible mark on the
face of the country — representing the expenditure of an immense
amount of force by strong waves in the removal and assortment of
materials. The Algonquin Sea that formed it, washed away such
quantities of movable material (clay, sand and gravel) from the exposed
northerly ends of the ridges that large tracts of boulders are left. It
picked the bones of the ridges as it were and left them bare. A large
tract of this kind lies immediately south and east from Elliott's Cor-
ners, and similar tracts occur on the Vasey and Rosemount ridges.
No Huron village sites occur in these uninhabitable stony tracts.
About 100 feet lower is the main beach of the Great Nipissing
series, or about 150 feet above Georgian Bay. To give all four beaches
*I am informed that this river is so called from an early Methodist preacher
among the Ojibways.
4 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
of this Nipissing series would make a complicated map and would
involve endless and unnecessary work. So I have mapped only the
most strongly marked one of the series. The name "Great Nipissing"
has been given by geologists because the outlet of this great lake to
the sea, before the birth of Niagara river, was by the present and
lesser Lake Nipissing and French river.
At the ends of the above mentioned ridges there were islands
standing out from the mainland in the Great Nipissing sea or lake.
One of the largest of these extinct islands lies in a south-easterly
direction from the outlet of Hogg river, and is a tract of isolated high
ground covering an area of 500 acres or more. Before the forest was
cleared away these extinct islands were separated from each other and
from the ridges by thickets.
The advantages to the study of the subject, gained by introducing
these references to the old lakes and beaches, consist merely in the
ease with which they give the altitude of the land throughout Tay,
and thus elucidate its physical features. They have no connection
with Huron occupation, except in so far as village sites are often found
near the springs that issue along those old lines. The heavy curving
line in the map denotes the Great Nipissing beach ; that with fringe,
internally, showing the hills, is the Algonquin.
The roads, also, and road allowances are marked on the map, so that
the reader can adopt a scale for any measurements he may require.
In that part of the township called the Old Survey, which consists of
Concessions One and Two, the sideroads are placed at every fifth lot,
and are a mile and a quarter apart (100 chains). The lots in the First
Concession are a mile and a quarter deep, but those in the Second
have a depth of only one half of that amount. Concessions Three to
Fourteen make up the New Survey. These are five-sixths of a mile
wide (66§ chains) and have sideroads at every fifth lot, or a mile and
seven-eighths apart (600 rods). Bearing these measurements in mind,
a reader may readily calculate any distance. The lots are numbered
from the south in both old and new surveys. The upper corner of
Tay is omitted from the map, but will be found in our Report on the
Township of Tiny.
Altogether, I will give descriptions of forty-six sites. The plan of
proceeding will be to begin at Mud Lake and proceed southerly and
easterly through the township.
THE VILLAGE SITES.
The village sites described are only those known to the writer up
to this date, without any claim to completeness, which in the present
state of the subject would be impossible. Much sameness will be
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 55
found in the descriptions of these, especially the villages upon the
higher ground of the Vasey and Rosemount ridges. Some readers
may be ready to censure me for this apparent defect, but the fault is
not mine. There would be variety enough if farmers and others had
noted facts with more minuteness than they have done. But, as a
rule, they have observed only the most general features. Hence the
sameness in the descriptions is due to the character and present stage
of advancement of the subject with which we have to deal.
Some of the so-called villages, especially those on the lakeshore,
have been mere camping grounds where successive generations of
Hurons and other sedentary tribes of the interior camped from time to
time when on fishing and other expeditions ; and such places now have
the appearance of villages. These lakeshore villages, after being
Huron landings, became Algonquin camp-grounds, the result being a
mixture of relics on these spots that defies classification. Such places
are found beside the sheltered bays and harbors along the shore, while
the landings at points (very few of which we have attempted to record)
are quite recent and were chiefly used by modern Ojibways.
It will be noticed that only a few bone -pits occur at the Huron
villages of Tay, and these are confined exclusively to the Victoria
Harbor ridge, which doubtless was the abode of that "Nation" of the
Hurons called the " Ataronchronons." On the Vasey and Rosemount
ridges there are bone-pits, though these are not in Tay, but are found
farther south in Medonte township.
Still another feature is brought out in our survey of the township
for village sites ; and if our collection of data makes any approach to
being exhaustive, the feature may be received authoritatively. This
is the numerous distribution of small villages within easy reach of
Sturgeon River, along both sides of it. It appears to show that the
river was a resort of the Hurons, which may be accounted for by the
fact that it was a good fishing ground. It has sedgy banks and
accordingly was a favorite haunt of fishes of the ganoid and pike
families, as its name indicates.
THE HISTORIC SIDE OF THE SUBJECT.
In so far as these Notes have any historic significance, it will be
readily seen that their chief feature is our attempt to throw some light
upon the positions of those early missions of which Ste. Marie was the
centre ; and, more particularly, to find the village of St. Louis, where
Brebeuf and Lallemant were captured, and also St. Ignace where they
were put to death. Besides the Fort of Ste. Marie on the Wye, partly
protected by masonry and partly palisaded, the villages numbered 4, 6,
8 and 12 in our list show evidences of palisading ; and from other con-
56 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
siderations, these four may be regarded as belonging to the very latest
Huron period. Other villages may have been palisaded likewise, but
these are the only ones of which I have certain evidence. It will be
most natural, therefore, to seek for the palisaded villages of St. Louis
and St. Ignace among these four. On the various points arising out
of these questions, however, it is not intended to offer our suggestions
as anything more than plausible conjectures.
One of the first persons to investigate the situations of the Jesuit
missions appears to have been the Rev. P. Chazelle, who visited the
district in 1842. Some years later (in 1855) the Rev. Felix Martin
also made a tour of exploration in Huronia. It will be most suitable,
in this connection, to quote from the brief account of this tour con-
tained in a biographical sketch of this painstaking investigator :
" The aptness of Father Martin as an antiquary was known by the
men in the Government and the Hon. George E. Cartier entrusted him
with a commission to explore, on the spot, the site and the remains of
the ancient Huron missions in Upper Canada near Georgian Bay. By
care Father Martin found the traces of the ancient posts of the Jesuits
in that country where they had so many martyrs ; he collected many
Indian relics, he afterwards made a work embellished with plans and
drawings, the whole having been deposited at the seat of Government."
The next investigator was Dr. J. C. Tache who undertook some
further exploration of Huronia at intervals in five years prior to 1865.
Parkman, in his works, has quoted these archaeological researches of
Tache', and thus has given wide currency to Tache's views of the posi-
tions of the mission sites.
It appears to have been Father Martin who fixed upon a village
site on Fox's farm in Medonte township as that of St. Ignace ; and in
this belief Dr. Tach6 afterwards examined the site somewhat minutely.
This early decision as to what place was the scene of the tortures of
Brebeuf and his companion received wide acceptance through Park-
man's publication of this as the true position without any doubt. But
it is certainly incorrect, and the best informed students of the subject
have refused to recognize the claims of Fox's farm, as its distance from
Ste. Marie is much greater than the written descriptions justify.
In Tache's time there were comparatively few sites known. Since
then, however, much new knowledge has been won, and a solution of
the problem of finding St. Ignace, as well as the other mission sites,
has become possible. It may involve more labor than the first investi-
gator anticipated, but reliable conclusions have become more attain-
able. This is chiefly due to the fact that the greater part of Tay has
been settled since Tache' visited the district. The first settlers of the
Vasey Ridge went there about thirty years ago ; those on the Rose-
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 57
mount Ridge, about twenty-five years ago. We now learn from these
settlers the characters of the village sites there. They had no pali-
sades, and accordingly St. Ignace was not one of the villages on these
ridges. Fox's site was chosen through the uncritical use of Ducreux's
map, which shows the St. Ignace of about 1640. For the purpose of
clearly distinguishing these two places, it has been decided to call the
one we are now seeking, St. Ignace II.
Neither can Ducreux's map be taken as a guide for the St. Louis
of 1649, as it shows the position of the one of about 1640. Through-
out the text of this report, I have called the one of later date, St.
Louis II.
As regards the distribution of the other mission sites as laid down
by Ducreux, I am inclined to believe that each mission marked a
district isolated by physical features; and whether we assume the
villages in a group to have been contemporary with each other, or to
have been the same village at different periods, each group of villages
so divided physically seems to have had its mission. The Rosemount
Ridge, for example, would naturally be the care of one of the missions
marked St. Jean and St. Joachim.
THE FOREST TRAILS.
The physical features also govern the courses of the forest trails,
which, so far as I have located them, are shown by the dotted curving
lines on the map. As one may also see from the map, the continuous
high ground, along which trails could be made, makes its nearest
approach to the Georgian Bay at the head of Victoria Harbor. Here,
then, was the commercial centre of the Hurons, as it has also been of
later Algonquins. In other words, the physical features of the district
were such that Victoria Harbor became naturally the focus or centre
of population, the trails radiating from the head of the harbor in
several directions inland along the higher ground. It appears to have
been this very centre, the heart of the country, that was smitten in
1649 ; otherwise the Hurons would not have so precipitately deserted
their country after the capture of only two of their villages, had these
villages been of the ordinary unfortified kinds.
Amongst the results expected from the publication of this report,
it is hoped to correct a number of popular errors and wrong impres-
sions that are unduly prevalent in the territory with which we have
dealt. There is, of course, the usual tradition of " buried treasures,"
always to be found in connection with historic reports, and in this
locality it is even more rife than elsewhere. Many intelligent persons
58 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
are impressed with the idea that treasures have been buried at these
historic places, whereas in reality there is nothing more precious to be
found than chips of old brass kettles or worn-out tomahawks. But
the belief in " treasures " is deeply rooted, and in a few places it even
results in reticence when information is sought, and thus obstructs the
course of guileless scientific enquiry. As a rule, however, the farmers
of Tay, as elsewhere, have been extremely courteous while I was
prosecuting my enquiries ; and it is hoped that the report will further
stimulate them and others to observe closely the Huron remains in
their respective neighborhoods.
Of wide prevalence is the erroneous opinion that Fox's farm in
Medonte had the site of St. Ignace II, where the two early missionaries
were tortured to death by the Iroquois. Father Chazelle's earlier choice
of a site on Sturgeon River for St. Ignace has almost been lost
sight of by the acceptance of the Fox farm theory. But his theory of
Victoria Harbor as the site of St. Louis still lingers, and with a slight
change it becomes the truth. The regarding of the human bones found
at the site on Sturgeon River as the remains of Brebeuf and Lalle-
mant, is an opinion still current with a few of the older persons. But
the opinion that " The Chimnies " on the east side of Matchedash Bay
were early French structures, is now almost obsolete. Such errors as
these, it is hoped, will be finally eradicated by the perusal of these
notes.
DESCRIPTIONS OF THE VILLAGE SITES, ETC.
1. SAMUEL D. FRAZER'S.
On the east end of lot 101, concession 2, (Samuel D, Frazer,
Esq., owner), Huron camps have been found scattered over an area of
five or six acres. Mr. Frazer has lived here since 1839, and has been a
close observer in everything that has pertained to the aborigines, as
well as in other matters. He states that cornhills were numerous near
this site at the time the land was cleared. These cornhills were of the
large kind described in our Report on the township of Tiny, page 13.
Relics of the usual kinds have been found, and also a few others less
common, among which was a discoidal stone measuring an inch and
three-fourths in diameter and five-eighths thick, slightly pitted near
the middle on each side. This was presented by Mr. Frazer to the
Provincial Museum, and is No. 16,702 in the archaeological collection.
Mr. Frazer has befriended the science of archaeology in other ways,
more especially by the presentation to the museum of a sword, dated
1619, also found in this neighborhood. The position of this village
1899]
ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT.
doubtless indicates the direction taken by the trail that led westward
from Ste. Marie.
2. STE. MARIE ON THE WYE.
The ruins of Ste. Marie, the fortified mission built by the
Jesuits in 1639 and occupied by them for ten years, may be seen on
lot 16, concession 3. It was a stone fort and is the most noteworthy
object of historic interest in Huronia, though in its present crumbled
condition it can be called only a ruin of a ruin.
PLAN OF STE. MARIE ON THE WYE.
BY THE REV. GEO. 1 1 U.I.KN (IN 1862).
While preparing these notes, I was favored by Mr. Edgar Hallen,
of Orillia, with the use of a plan of Ste. Marie made in 1852 by his
father, the late Rev. Geo. Hallen. With his permission the annexed en-
graving has been made — a special favor that will be of much value to
students of history generally, as the present condition of the fort
scarcely admits of the making of a definite sketch. Although the
small tracing of the fort in Father Martin's Montreal edition of Bress-
ani's Relation was copied from this plan of Mr. Hallen's, it lacks a
number of details given in the original sketch.
60
ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT.
[12
The author of the sketch wrote a note thereon that is worthy of
our attention: "In the (easterly) Bastion, is an instance of the flank
of a bastion being curved with its convexity towards the interior of
the work, instead of being rectilinear." The original sketch also fur-
nishes us with means for the measurement of the dimensions of the
fort. The curtains on the two sides fortified by stonework areTap-
proximately 110 and 57 feet in length ; while the extreme measure-
ments in straight lines along the same sides (i. e. including the widest
reaches of the bastions) are about 165 and 110 feet. The^distance
from the fort to the river is 44 yards. The trench along the'southerly
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 61
•end is not continued in the diagram beyond the stonework, but some
have observed this to be continued in a southeasterly direction to Mud
Lake, thus giving double access for water coming into the trenches.
In the event of a siege, if one course should be stopped the other might
be kept open.
As every observer will invariably record features that do not
•"strike" another observer acting independently, it may be interesting
to compare Mr. Hallen's plan with one made by Peter Burnet, P. L.
Surveyor, who sketched the place in 1876. The latter plan, which
also belongs to Mr. Edgar Hallen, includes all the environs on the west
half of lot 16, but we reproduce therefrom only the fortification itself.
It is not my intention to give an extended description of the fort
here, as it has often been described in accessible books. I will add a
few bibliographical notes for the guidance of those readers who may
wish to pursue the subject further. The carefully prepared descrip-
tion by the Rev. Felix Martin in his Lit' 6v of Jogues is worthy of
the reader's attention, as he visited the place in 1855, when the fort
was in a more complete condition than it is in at present.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
Adam, GK Mercer. Georgian Bay and the Muskoka Lakes. (Pic-
turesque Canada, Vol. II., Toronto, 1882).
At page 582 there is an account of Fort Ste. Marie on the Wye and
the Hurons.
Bain, Jas , jr. The present condition of the old French Fort at
Ste. Marie. (Proc. Canad. Institute, 3rd Series, Vol. III., 1886, pp. 278-
279).
Boyle, David Ste. Marie. (Fourth Annual Report of the Canad.
Institute — Appendix to Report of the Minister of Education — Toronto,
1891).
The notes on Ste. Marie, at pages 18 and 19, deal chiefly with its
present condition.
Bressani, F. J. Relation Abregee. (Montreal, 1852. Edited by
the Rev. Felix Martin).
Has various reference to Ste. Marie. It contains also at page 333
some notes by Father Martin on the ruins of Fort Ste. Marie, with a
small plan of the fort.
Charlevoix, Francois X. de. History and general description of
New France.
In Book VII. there is a description of Ste. Marie.
62 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [is
Harvey, Arthur, and Alan Macdougall. Forty-third Annual
Report of the Canad. Institute. Transactions, 4th series, Vol. 3, 1892.
A reference to the excursion made to Ste. Marie on, Sept. 28, 1891,
mentions the features of the fort recognized on that occasion, including
the " water gate."
Hunter, A. P. Note on Ste. Marie on the Wye. [Burrows'
Reissue of the Jesuit Relations, (R. G. Thwaites, Editor), page 269,
Vol. 19, with sketch map at page 270].
Lalemant, Jerome. Relation de ce qui s'est passe en la mission
des Hurons, (June, 1639 to June, 1640).
Chap. IV. De la residence n'xe de Sainte Marie.
Martin, Rev. Felix Life of Jogues. Appendix A. contains a
carefully written description of Ste. Marie, which Father Martin visited
in 1855.
Parkman, Francis. Jesuits in North America.
In Chap. 25 there is a lengthy description of Ste. Marie.
3. JOHN MCDERMITT'S.
Remains of a few camps have been found on the northwest corner
of John McDermitt's farm, the west half of lot 15, concession 4. The
indications are that this was a small village, having no palisades, — the
few scattered lodges having been placed there because of some springs.
The position shows the probable route taken by the Huron trail that
led from Ste. Marie eastward. This lay along the south edge of some ele-
vated ground (islands in the extinct Great Nipissing Lake) — the district
immediately south of this trail having been occupied in Huron times
by hummocks surrounded with thickets and by small streams flowing
into Mud Lake, the ground there being accordingly unsuitable for much
travelling.
4. TUE PROBABLE SITE OF ST. Louis II.
At another part of Mr. McDermitt's farm (lot 15, concession 4)
there is a much larger accumulation of blackened soil and ashbeds,
mixed with relics. The site is near the line between the west and east
halves of the lot. but a little way into the east half. It is situated on
a hill, almost, if not quite, surrounded by low ground ; and on account
of occupying such a position, it is evident prima facie that the village
had been palisaded. From this place to Ste. Marie the distance is
about a mile. Just west of the site rise some springs from which the
ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 63
village had been plentifully supplied with fresh water. One man,
while ploughing on the site a few years ago, found an earthen pot
(which broke on being disturbed), and in it were six iron tomahawks.
Northward from the village there was a graveyard containing a few
burials, which, so far as observed, were of the isolated or single type
The skeleton of a person of very large proportions was fo^nd among
these. Angus McDermitt, a brother of the landowner, counted twenty
lodges at the site, the ash beds of camp-fires, etc., being in some places
as much as three feet in thickness.
It is probable the site is that of St. Louis II., the second village
taken and burned by the Iroquois in March, 1649, and the one at
which the Jesuit missionaries, Brebeuf and Lallemant, were captured,
being led thence to St. Ignace, where they were put to death. Among
the considerations that lead up to this conclusion are the following : —
(a) The size estimated by Mr. McDermitt, viz., twenty lodges
(reckoning the usual number of four or five families to every lodge),
would be nearly the size of St. Louis as recorded by the Rev. Paul
Ragueneau. According to that chronicler, about 500 Hurons had for-
saken the place at the first alarm, leaving 80 warriors to fight the
Iroquois.
(6) It was on the only route from Ste. Marie eastward to Victoria
Harbor, the commercial centre of the Hurons hereabout. As we
pointed out in our description of the preceding site, the ground
immediately south of this trail was not suitable for travelling ; and
so far as it has been examined, it yields no traces of villages or trails.
(c) The relics found at this place. are of such kinds as to show that
it was a village of the very latest period of the Huron occupation of
the district. The existence of palisading also tends to prove the same,
because, farther back in the country, the Huron villages of earlier date
seldom had palisades. Of all the fortified villages belonging to that
latest period yet found, this is the nearest to Ste. Marie.
(d) As to the distance of St. Louis II. from Ste. Marie, a little
apparent diversity in the evidence furnished by the records confronts
us. Ragueneau gives us the distance as not more than a league (two
miles and a half) ; but Regnaut explicitly makes it much less. The
latter writer uses the name "St. Ignace" (really applied to the mission
among all these villages, as Ragueneau also tells us) for the village to
which the two missionaries had set out, and does not mention the
name "St. Louis." He gives the distance as "a short quarter of a
league" from Ste. Marie. The site under consideration, therefore, is
o * *
not at variance with the conditions pi escribed by either writer.
(e) Wherever situated, it is a fact that St. Louis II. could be seen
from Ste. Marie, as all the writers agree in stating that those in the
64 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
fort could see the burning of the village. This furnishes a well-
authenticated test. From observations made upon the ground, I found
that, looking eastward from Ste. Marie, the only place where specta-
tors could see a fire in the distance was at this very site. A small
tract of elevated ground, rising out of evergreen thickets, closes
the view from Ste. Marie toward the southeast, and disqualifies
the sites farther along the trail at the head of Victoria Harbor from
being the place we are seeking. It is quite true that, in a southerly
direction, had there been a conflagration at site No. 10 on the high
ground of the interior, it might have been seen from Ste. Marie across
the edge of Mud Lake ; but No. 10 as well as the adjacent sites Nos.
11 and 12 connected with it, although regarded by some as St. Louis
II, have failed to satisfy other conditions.
This discussion of St. Louis II would be incomplete without some
references to the views held by others in regard to its position.
Father Chazelle who visited the locality in 1842 appears to have
been the first to form any opinion on the subject. A fishing village
at the mouth of Hogg River (No. 7), the landing place for the villages
of the interior, was the only site then known in its neighborhood ; and
he fixed upon it as the site of St. Louis II. Father Martin and other
enquirers followed him in holding this opinion. This, however, was
determined in accordance with the diagram of Huronia in Ducreux
which, as they failed to perceive, shows the earliest position of St.
Louis, as we have already pointed out in the introduction.
Others have regarded the site No. 10 as the place. This opinion,
however, seems to have been the result of the finding of a very large
bonepit there, suggesting to the popular mind that a massacre had
taken place, and recalling the fight at St. Louis II. To those who
understand how a bonepit was formed among the Hurons, viz., by the
accumulation of human bones for a period of several years, the finding
of this pit proves exactly the opposite of a massacre : in fact, it fur-
nishes a good proof that the site was occupied in time of peace and
was not St. Louis II. In other respects, also, the site forbids the idea
that it was the captured village.
Again, the site on the Evans farm (No. 6) has presented some prob-
able indications, and the reader is referred to our description of it for
fuller particulars. But a strong objection to the Evans site lies in the
fact that it was hidden from Ste. Marie behind some high ground.
5. NEY'S.
On the west side of Victoria Harbor, some aboriginal remains have
been found on lot 14, concession 5. These remains consisted of the
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 65
usual pottery fragments and other relics in ash beds. Many caches or
empty pits are at the site. There is also a patch of second-growth
trees — what is called an " Indian clearing ;" but this phenomenon may
be partly due to the beds of gravel, so much of which is to be found
there that the Midland Railway has an extensive " Gravel Pit " near it.
But it may also be at least partly due to actual clearing, as the ances-
tors of some of the present Ojibway Indians at Christian Island are
said to have grown their corn at this place, and lived here. It must
also have been a landing-place for the earlier Huron Indians.
6. EVANS'.
i
A Huron village site exists on the Evans farm, the west half of lot
12, concession 5, at a short distance from the shore of Victoria Har-
bor, and on the elevated ground of an old lake terrace. It is now
almost obliterated by the farm buildings, orchard and garden, and its
first appearance when the ground was new is difficult to get correctly
recorded. But the late Wm. Evans, who first settled this place, and
whose family still occupies it, gave Mr. A. C. Osborne an account of
what he found, and to Mr. Osborne I am indebted for the following
description : — " Mr. Evans built his log house many years ago, and in
digging the cellar found about six feet of ashes. Large clumps of
cherry trees, remains of corn deposits in birch bark, charred remains
of palisades, large numbers of tomahawks, knives, stone implements,
and relics of various kinds were also found. The site is admirably
adapted for defence on one side only."
From the scanty evidence that has come before me, I have been
able to conclude that this village, although occupied during the time
of the French traders, did not belong to the very latest period. It is
not in full view of Ste. Marie, and accordingly cannot be regarded as
St. Louis II, because the burning of that ill-fated village could be seen
by the spectators at Ste Marie.
A short way to the southward of this village site, the ground makes
another abrupt rise, the faces of the steep hills being covered with
berry patches. On the highest plateau was the cornpatch belonging to
the village. This is situated on the northwest quarter of lot 11. Wm.
Maughan, the owner, has found many cornhills on his land. There is
an excellent view from this high ground, overlooking Victoria Harbor
and the more distant islands.
7. VENT'S.
At the mouth of Hogg River there is the site of a village, occupied,
doubtless, by Hurons as well as by Algonquins of later times, as the
g A.
66 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
shore of Victoria Harbor was a favorite resort of Indians until within
recent years. Its position at the end of a trail shows that it was a
fishing village, and a " port of entry " for the villages of the interior.
It is situated on the east bank of the river, on Jot 13, concession 6,
(Geo. Vent, owner). Pottery fragments were ploughed up here, and
other relics, including two double-barred crosses, a large one and a
small one. The crosses were found many years ago by one James
Maloney while ploughing for the occupant of that time, James Coyle,
and were presented to the Rev. Father Charest of Penetanguishene.
The site belonged to the earliest Huron period as the pottery frag-
ments go to show, but the double-barred crosses had a more recent
origin, probably in the eighteenth century.
This site has acquired some importance from the fact that it was
known as early as 1842, when the Rev. Father P. Chazelle, S.J., visited
it in the belief that it was St. Louis II. This was an erroneous view
as we have elsewhere said, but it was evidently due to the fact that
there was no other site then known, and to the acceptance of Ducreux's
map as a guide for the positions of the missions in 1649. It was,
however, a close approximation to the true position, as the reader may
infer from the facts as^iow understood.
By following the trail up the east bank of the river a little way,
the men with Father Chazelle found trees marked with Indian " blazes."
One, a large elm, was marked with a cross, probably to show the fork-
ing of the trail at the place. This was at the so-called " Indian clear-
ing" on lot 12, shown in our diagram of the next site.
It may be of some interest to add that Father Chazelle, when on
this early expedition to Hogg River, held an open air meeting (either
at the " Indian clearing " or at the outlet). He preached to a con-
course of settlers on the subject of the massacre of the early mission-
aries.
8. THE PROBABLE SITE OF ST. IGNACE II.
Through the farm of Chas. E. Newton, Esq., the west half of lot 11,
concession 6, the Hogg River has cut a couloir or path in the old lake
bed deposits to a depth varying from fifteen to twenty feet. In this
part of its course the river makes a loop something like the letter U,
which encloses an ideal spot for a village requiring means of defence.
Hurons selected for one of their villages this plot of ground, con-
taining four or five acres, in the bend of the river. This ground is
covered with ashbeds and blackened soil, mixed with relics. The lat-
ter consisted of iron tomahawks, knives, pieces of metal probably cut
out of worn-out brass kettles, and pottery fragments in endless quan-
1899]
ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT.
titles. All these relics show that the site was one of those occupied
down to the very latest period of the Huron occupation of the district.
There are empty caches at the site, and a pottery just south of it,
where the clay is of good quality for plastic work. Mr. Newton has
experimented successfully in making terra cotta from the same clay
i-n, •ua
No rth e rlii bo u rt, da ru o f ;
W V '
jj§^ MI'I plot usff,s- •'•"da.-ueicL
ye C"ees a.it,d *wa.s known
s t/l* JneC;.a-n jd.Ec.ri.ng.
• » *
*s\ fa rm.
%$F
fl -^%i^# ^m
-
/m me aij,a tfc fy ia
of {/tit spot thei-e a. re
cor7iA.ilL& 0.11.0. ouhcr
truces of a. coTnpatjA
l
•••.- .^M fKi. *™J^ ^> -- 73V «. «-•»«•
THE PROBABLE SITE OF ST. IGNACE II AND ITS ENVIRONS.
WHERE BREBEUK AND LALLEMANT WERE PUT TO DEATH, MARCH, 1649.
What appears to have been " the village corn patch " occurs near the
house of Win. Bennett on lot 10, and it may have extended as far
north as the site itself, though the cultivated ground no longer shows
any traces of the corn hills. From this site to Ste. Marie the_distance
is 3 miles.
68 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
A trail comes from Orr Lake by the way of Waverley, and just
before reaching this place is divided into two strands, one passing down
each side of the river. These meet again at the " Indian Clearing " on
lot 12, which we mentioned in connection with the last site. The
trail down the east side as far as the " Indian Clearing," and thence to
the mouth of the river, was widened, many years ago, into a Govern-
ment road, now disused.
It is probable the so-called " Indian Clearing " is due to the gravelly
soil, which would not permit of the growth of trees, rather than to
actual clearing by the aborigines. But, whatever its origin, it was
certainly a resort of the Indians, the fork in the trail having been
here. These trails were used by them until recent years when the
erection of fences obstructed their course.
The plot of ground in the bend of the river has been called the
" Jesuits' Field " for many years, but by whom it was so-named is not
known to Mr. Newton. Nor has my enquiry so far elicited any
explanation of the name, unless it became connected with the place
from the visit of Rev. P. Chazelle, S.J., to the neighborhood in 1842,
as described in the account of the last mentioned site. It is not
evident, however, that he visited this plot on the west side of the
river.
This spot has also the usual traditions of buried treasure, in even
greater numbers than elsewhere, if that were possible. Thus, the Rev.
J. H. McCollum, rector of St. Thomas, Toronto, who was here at the
opening of the Anglican church in 1896, makes a reference to one of
these traditions in his account of the place written for the Canadian
Churchman : —
"This happy valley was once the scene of terrible encounters
between the Hurons and the savage Iroquois ; and in this valley the
early missionaries to these unhappy red men buried the sacred vessels
of their church to save them from destruction. The place is known
as the ' Jesuit's Meadow ' to this day."
It is probable this site in the river's bend was St. Ignace II., the
first Huron village captured by the Iroquois in the early morning of
March 16, 1649, and the place to which Brebeuf and Lallemant were
brought, a few hours later, and there tortured to death. Its distance
from Ste. Marie coincides pretty well with the records, all the writers
agreeing that it was less than two leagues (five miles), and about a
league from St. Louis, which, in my opinion, was the site at Mr.
McDermitt's (No. 4).
But the strongest evidence is in the configuration of the ground.
Rev. P. Ragueneau's account of the place (Relation. 1649) suggests a
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 69
plan of the village and its surroundings, and tells us beforehand of
what appearances we may expect to find there. He says : —
" It was surrounded by a palisade of posts from fifteen to sixteen
feet high, and by a deep trench (fosse*), with which Nature had power-
fully strengthened the place on three sides, a small space alone
remaining weaker than the others. It was through that part the
enemy forced his entrance."
While this description of St. Ignace II. will suit, in some measure,
almost any palisaded site, because these were, as a rule, placed on a
spur of land, the completeness of the fortification, effected by Nature
in this case, was such as to attract the attention of the chronicler who
wrote the description just quoted. After a diligent search through
the sites of the district, I can find none that so exactly agrees with
this description of St. Ignace II. as this site on Mr. Newton's farm.
9. HUTCHINSON'S AND TAYLOR'S.
A village site on the farm of John Hutchinson, the east half of lot
10, concession 5, extends into the adjoining farm of Levi Taylor, lot 9.
In a field of twelve acres at the south side of Mr. Hutchinson's farm
he has found these camps chiefly along the foot of a hill, against the
face of which the abandoned beaches of the Great Nipissing Lake are
strongly marked. There is nothing in the appearance of these strag-
gling camps to indicate that they had been palisaded. The village
was plentifully supplied with water; a spring issues just north of
what was the most thickly populated ground ; and the Hogg River is
divided into two parts at the front of the farm, one part flowing near
the site. The ashbeds have yielded the usual relics.
An engraving of a clay pipe, found upon Levi Taylor's
farm, is reproduced here from the Archaeological Re-
port for 1897-8, page 19. Some carbonized corncobs
have been found among the remains, and cornhills
were visible when the land was first put under culti-
vation. An aggregate of more than a dozen iron
tomahawks have, at various times, been found by Mr.
Hutchinson in his field.
A bonepit was discovered in the year 1879 on lot 9 (Levi Taylor's)
near the boundary line of Mr. Hutchinson's farm. It measured about
twelve^feet in diameter, and the deposit of human bones went to a
depth of about six feet below the level of the surrounding ground.
Deducting two feet for the vacancy at the top of the pit, caused by
sinkage, leaves the thickness of the deposit at about four feet. The
bonepit has been filled in and is now ploughed over. A short account
70 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
of it appeared, at the time it was found, in the Orillia PacJcet of Sep-
tember 5, 1879, and this was reprinted (though the source was not
indicated) in the Toronto (Daily) Globe of September 16, in the same
year. Mr. Hutchinson confirmed, in the presence 01 the writer, on
July 5th, 1899, the various particulars cited in this printed account.
The pieces of copper had probably been sections from kettles obtained
from French traders. The shape of one seen by myself was trape-
zoidal, its sides being about a foot long, and its parallel ends two and
four inches respectively. Two or three skulls taken from the pit had
round holes in them. We reproduce here the original description
exactly as it appeared in the newspapers above mentioned : —
" While logging on lot 9, concession 5, Tay, Mr. John Hutchinson
and Messrs. G. H. and Hugh Mills discovered a large grave, containing,
they suppose, in the neighborhood of five hundred bodies. They
opened the grave and obtained two tomahawks, bearing a French
stamp ; four pieces of copper, each resembling a sole of a boot, of dif-
ferent sizes, and wrapped in buckskin which is still fresh and strong;
one .clay tobacco pipe, and parts of two sea-shells, one in fair preserva-
tion. The bones are those of people much above the present ordinary
stature. The searchers saw a few children's remains, but these were
not in good preservation. A large tree was growing above, and had
sent its roots down through, the grave. Mr. Hutchinson finds many
pieces of Indian crockery in clearing up his farm (lot 10)."
Some camps that may be reckoned as part of this village occur on
land of Wm- Taylor, the west half of lot 9, concession 5, abutting the
farm of his son, Levi. His land extends over the hill already men-
tioned, and it was on the lower ground where these camps were found.
On the higher ground, however, near his dwelling house, the point of
a sword (ten inches long) was found in 1899 and from time to time
iron tomahawks in considerable numbers. As many as seven were
to be seen at one time lying around the house.
On the east half of lot 8, concession 5 (west side of Hogg River),
there were formerly found a few pottery fragments, iron tomahawks
and clay pipes when the land was cleared.
The scattered village that we have just finished describing may
have been the mission marked Kaotia on Ducreux's map, though this
mission was more probably the group in the 3rd concession at lot 10 ;
but so inexact is the map just mentioned that we can scarcely decide
which place is meant. The Rev. A. E. Jones, of St. Mary's College,
Montreal, has a wide acquaintance with the literature of the missions,
and makes Kaotia identical with St. Anne's (Orillia News-Letter,
June 29, 1899).
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 71
10. JOHN HOUGHTON'S.
A site on lot 10, concession 3, at which two bonepits have been
found, has attained to more than ordinary fame. So many persons
have seen or heard of one or the other of the bonepits here, and men-
tion it to enquirers, that it has become the most celebrated among the
many interesting sites of the district — a fact that if* perhaps also
partly due to the great size of one of the pits. It has been stated to
myself that the first pit was examined by the late Dr. Tache during
his explorations of the remains in Huronia. Whether this statement
be correct or not ( which we have no means of knowing, because Tache's
work is chiefly unpublished), one of the pits was certainly known at
an early date. It was often described as Errington's, because that was
the name of the first settler near it, though it was not located on his
farm. It appears to have been since the time of Dr. Tache"s alleged visit,
however, that another large bonepit was discovered near the first, the
discovery of the latter having taken place in 1878. It attracted some
attention in the newspapers at the time, and one of the paragraphs
Tfrorn the Oakville Express, Nov. 1, 1878), we give herewith : —
" A large pit or ' cave ' has lately been discovered on (near) Mr.
W. Errington's farm, near Wyebridge, in which to appearance were
the remains of about two thousand persons, besides brass kettles,
beads, pipes, and other Indian relics. It is supposed to be in the
vicinity of an old Jesuit fort, St. Louis, where in_1649 there was a
terrific struggle between the now almost extinct Hurons and the
Iroquois."
The skulls in this second bonepit are said to have been arranged
in rows. Among the articles found in it were a block of copper, some
copper kettles and braids of human hair. I visited this famous site
on July 7, 1899, and inspected the pit just described. It has a diam-
eter of twenty feet and is situated on the southeast quarter of lot 1 0,
the owner being John Houghton.
What was described to me as the body of a child was found in one
of these pits (probably the first one discovered), wrapped in fur, and
placed in a copper kettle, the oxide from which hid protected the
fleshy remains from decay. But this may have been only part of a
child's body, as descriptions are sometimes unintentionally distorted
even by eye-witnesses. It is not improbable that it was the specimen
that ultimately found its way into Dr. Bawtree's collection, and is
designated " Forearm and hand of a child from Sepulchral Pit."
There was a cornpatch at this site, a portion of which may still be
observed in the woods near at hand. There was a trail from here to
Victoria Harbor, and if there was another trail in summer leading in
72 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
a direct line to Ste. Marie, the only passable route would lie nearly
where the fourth concession line is now located, and would cross at
least three evergreen thickets.
It will be observed that the writer of the paragraph, quoted above,
gives credence to the view that the site under consideration was that
of the mission of St. Louis II. ; and the late Rev. J.W.Annis, a Metho-
dist minister, who devoted some attention to the Huron sites, held the
same opinion. I am inclined, however, to regard this place as the one
marked Kaotia on Ducreux's map. And as a village had to be moved
for sanitary reasons about every ten years, the two adjacent sites
(Nos. 11 and 12) would probably indicate the same village at different
periods of its existence.
11. Whether the campfires of the site just described are situated
near the bonepits, or whether the marks of habitation there are only
those incidental to the cornpatch, is not yet clear. It is established
beyond doubt, however, that many ashbeds of camp's occur on the west
half of lot 10, concession 3. Wm. Hanes, the tenant, has found many
pottery fragments, pipes, stone axes, and iron tomahawks, the latter
being numerous.
12. On the east half of lot 9, concession 3, there is a village site
that shows some evidence of fortification. It is situated on the level
top of a hill or spur of high ground, and was probably palisaded,
Ashbeds are numerous, and there was a refuse heap or mound, in all of
which the usual relics have been found. The lot is owned by J. D.
Carscadden, Elliott's Corners, and occupied by the family of Sylvester
Campbell, Midland.
13. A village site occurs on the east half of lot 91, concession 1,
Cornelius McCarthy, au early settler in the district and the first per-
son to settle upon this lot, being still the owner. Stone axes, iron
tomahawks, tobacco pipes, pottery fragments and other relics have
been found at this site, whir»h was located at natural springs of water.
14. On lot 87 (east half), concession 1, a village site is met with:
also a bonepit and ten or more graves or small bonepits. These were
opened chiefly during the time of occupation of the late Anthony
Latanville, who was the owner of the farm for many years. Prof.
Henry Montgomery (now of Trinity University, Toronto) writes as
follows of a relic found here : " The piece of large copper kettle, with
beaver skin adhering to it, and which I donated to the University (of
Toronto), was taken from an ossuary on Latanville's place." This relic
is No. 335 of the University collection. The village site covers about
three acres, and springs rise at it, uniting and flowing into the Wye
1899]
ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT.
73
River. Iron tomahawks were numerous. A piece of lead fourteen
pounds in weight was found ; also bullets; and a neighbor, Thos. Mc-
Dowell, once found a gun.
15. A village site occurs on the west half of lot 85, concession 1.
o
Charles Elliott, who now occupies the farm on which the next site is
located (No. 16), was formerly the owner here, and during his term of
ownership pottery fragments, iron tomahawks, etc., were found.
Refuse mounds, indicating prolonged habitation, occur at this site,
which is near the stream belonging also to the next site, but on the
opposite bank.
16. The village site numbered here is located upon the west half^of
lot 84, concession 1 (Chas. Elliott, owner). Pottery fragments, tobacco
pipes, iron tomahawks and other relics have been found. The site ex-
tends across the Penetanguishene Road into Wm. McLellan's plot of
ground, on which have also been found many iron tomahawks, pipes,
etc. At this site, which is beside a stream, two empty caches or hid-
ing pits occur on Mr. Elliott's land.
1 7. On the west half of lot 4, concession 3, occurs a site, but it does
not appear to be so extensive as others on higher ground
(George Simpson, owner). It is located beside a stream
that runs into Hogg River at a short distance from it.
They have found here various relics, including iron toma-
hawks.
18. A village of considerable size existed on the south-
west quarter of lot 77, concession 1. George Dawe is the
present owner, but many remains were found in the time
of Robert Gorman, the former occupant. Two refuse
mounds were formerly to be seen, showing that the vil-
lage had been a permanent one. Ashbeds occur over an
area of about four acres, and they contained numbers of
iron tomahawks, glass beads, pottery fragments, pipes,
etc. A stream rises here and flows into Hogg River just beyond the
Simpson site (No 17).
19. Many relics have been picked up on the Bannister homestead,
lot 76, concession 1. These included iron tomahawks, stone axes and
pottery fragments, indicating the occurrence of Huron camps. But
whether these were outlying habitations of the last mentioned village
site (No. 18) or a distinct site altogether, I have not been able to
decide. When the land was cleared cornhills were to be seen on the
east part of this farm. In connection with the great abundance of
74 ARC BIOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
Huron corn patches, mentioned so frequently in these notes, I have
observed that Indian corn at the present day matures with great
rapidity on the fine sandy loam of this locality.
Various other sites occur in the immediate neighborhood of the
Bannister farm, but just beyond the boundaries of
Tay township. It is not our intention, therefore,
to take notice of them here. But the occurrence
of some camps where many interesting relics have
been found may be mentioned in passing. These
are on lot 76, concession 1, Tiny, the farm formerly
occupied by the Bell family. A finely carved pipe,
having a representation of what was probably
intended for a bear, was among the relics found.
20. South-easterly from the mouth of Hogg River, and standing out
by itself, is a tract of high ground on which some village sites are met
with, undoubtedly Huron in their origin. One of these is on the west
half of lot 11, concession 7, occupied by Joseph Belfry. On this farm,
and near the site now under consideration, there is a piece of land where
no large trees had grown in the forest that formerly covered the place
—in fact, just such a bare patch as we found at No. 8. Some persons
supposed that this also was an " Indian clearing," but in reality it was
merely a gravelly patch, where the soil was unfavorable to the growth
of large trees. The ash beds here occupy a kind of shelf of land that
slopes towards the north, and they extend westward across the seventh
concession line, a short way into the farm of Sherman Belfry, east
half of lot 11, concession 6. On both farms the occupants have found
iron tomahawks, tobacco pipes, and the usual fragments of earthen
pots Where the concession line crosses the site I observed many of
these fragments in ashbeds, besides other evidences of Huron occupation.
As higher ground lies along the south of the camps, and as their form
is not compact but string-like, it is pretty evident that no palisading
ever existed here. It may therefore be concluded that, although the
village was inhabited during the time of French traders (as the toma-
hawks show), it was not occupied at the latest part of that period.
21. On the next farms southward, but separated from the last site
by the slightly higher ground just mentioned, the remains of an im-
portant village have been found. It is situated on the north-east
quarter of lot 10, concession 6 (Edward Crooks, owner), but also covers
a portion of the south-east quarter of the same lot (Wilson Crooks,
owner). Its position is on a high terrace with low ground along the
south. The remains have been found chiefly at the fronts of these
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 75
two farms, near the dwelling-houses and farm buildings. Here they
have found quantities of iron tomahawks, tobacco pipes, pottery frag-
ments, etc. ; and cornhills in abundance were to be seen before the
ground had been cultivated long enough to obliterate them. These
were especially visible when the first settler of this lot (William Hill)
lived here. During his time the ashbeds were quite distinct. This
site extends across the public road into the front part of the farm of
Matthew Campbell (west half of lot 10, concession 7), where they have
found the same kinds of relics ; but the late George Mills, the original
settler on this lot, found much more than has the present occupant.
Although this site covered considerable ground, it is doubtful whether
^ny palisading ever existed at it, not having been compact and lying
.adjacent to higher ground. Its position agrees closely with that of
the mission of St. Louis as marked on Ducreux's map, which lays them
down as they were about the year 1640, almost all having been shifted
before the extermination in 1649,
22. Traces of a village have been found on the east half of lot 7,
concession 7. James Hamilton, sr., was the first settler upon this farm,
about eighteen years ago, and when clearing the land he found ash-
beds, iron tomahawks and other relics.
23. Another exists on the east half of lot 5, concession 7. William
Hopkins, the present tenant, and William Hanes, a former occupant,
have both found the usual pottery and pipe fragments, iron toma-
liawks, flint spear-head, etc. The site is near a small ravine that
drains northeastward to the Sturgeon River.
24. Across the concession line, on the west half of lot 5, concession
S, Arthur Loney, the owner, finds a few remains ; but this site is not
large in comparison with some others in the neighborhood.
25. Farther south on the same line, a site of considerable size occurs
at the adjacent corners of lots 3 and 4, where four farms meet. When
Robert Warden, the owner of the west half of lot 3, concession 8, dug
the cellar for his dwelling house here, they found ashbeds of a surpris-
ing depth. Numerous relics were also found, including beads (native
and European), iron knives and iron tomahawks, the latter in consid-
erable numbers. Across the road in concession 7, near the boundary
between the farms of John Morrison (lot 3, east half) and Robert
Xiochart (lot 4, east half) were some refuse mounds. And in the
adjoining corner of Patrick Canavan's land (southwest quarter of lot
4, concession 8) a few relics have been picked up. It is estimated that
the camps here covered about fifteen acres altogether, situated, as in so
many other instances, upon an old lake terrace.
76 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
26. Another village occurs on the land of Andrew Brown, west half
of lot 4, concession 7. A spring issues near this site and drains to the
Sturgeon River. The occupants have found stone axes or " skinning
stones " and other relics. Large numbers of French iron tomahawks
have been found, especially during the time of the first settler, John
Moad. It is related how the roof of his shanty was the receptacle for
these relics, and was sometimes covered with them, fifty or more lying
upon it at one time. Some scattered relics, similar to these, have been
found on the opposite farm across the concession line.
27. When the east half of lot 3, concession 6, was cleared about
thirty years ago, the first settler upon it — Matthew Campbell — found
relics (including iron tomahawks) indicating the site of another village,
A few were also found on the farm of his brother, the late John Camp-
bell, across the road, but not in sufficient numbers to indicate any site.
William Albert Campbell, a son of the first settler, now occupies lot £
in question. There is lower ground on the rear of the farm where
water could be had, the drainage flowing toward Hogg river.
28. Following the same concession line southward, one finds the site
of another village on the next farm, east half of lot 2, concession 6.
The owner, Hector McLeod, found the camps named in the southwest
part of his farm, and they were strewn with various relics, such a»
pottery fragments, pipes, iron tomahawks, etc. Thomas, his son, found
a large European bead which he sent to the museum. It is a large
coarse glass bead, with hues of red, white and blue in a scallop
pattern. The water drainage at the place runs southward and then
around to Hogg river, passing westward about lot 22 in Medonte.
The site is not large in comparison with others.
29. On the west half of lot 1, concession 7 (John A. Swan, owner),
is another. Traces of it were formerly quite distinct on the high
ground behind the farm buildings, and many relics of the usual kinds-
were found at various times — stone axes, iron tomahawks, tobacco-
pipes (both clay and stone) and pottery fragments. Mr. Swan settled
here in 1870, and in the earliest years of his term of occupation corn-
hills were distinctly visible west of the camps, but these hills have been
obliterated by frequent ploughing. In connection with this site it
should be mentioned that a large bonepit was discovered in the year
1869 on adjoining land across the townline, in the township of Medonte,
It is not yet evident whether this bonepit was connected with this site:
or with another farther south, but it is not too far from this one to
have belonged to it, being only about seventy rods distant from the
townline in front of Mr. Swan's residence.
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 77
30. There is a site on the farm of James Russell, east half of lot 4,
concession 5, and some relics of the usual kinds have been found at it,
but it appears to have been small in comparison with others. There
was a patch of cornhills near by, and probably used by the inhabitants
of this site, on the farm of Wm. Russell, west half of lot 3, concession
6, though these cornhills have been chiefly obliterated by cultivation.
31. The remains of a Huron village, the inhabitants of which
appear to have used the same position for several years, have been
found upon the west half of lot 3, concession 5. The first settler on
this farm, Robert Webb, came in 1865, and remained on it until about
twelve years ago. As he was a close observer, besides having resided
here so long, our information in regard to the site is fuller than in
many other cases. A noteworthy feature was the finding of a cache or
hiding-pit filled with corn. The grains were as black as charcoal, and
the inference was that they had been charred or roasted. But their
black color doubtless arose merely from their great age, 250 years or
more being sufficient to carbonize any kind of seed. The discovery of
the corn is confirmed by Hector McLeod, who observed it while plough-
ing. The amount was estimated at more than two bushels. In the
field south of the site many cornhills were visible when they cleared
the land. Beside the village a human skeleton was found buried.
Among the relics found were tobacco pipes of various kinds, some
with human faces, stone axes, iron tomahawks and knives, pieces of
brass kettles in great numbers. Since Mr. Webb retired from the
farm various persons have lived upon it either as owners 01 tenants
Among these were Matthew Vasey and Wm. Widdes ; the present owner
is George Jones. During their respective terms of occupancy some
relics were also found. John Ashley Bailie, who taught at Russell's
schoolhouse in the neighborhood, frequently searched here for relics.
He writes of the workmanship of the specimens as follows : " The
pottery fragments were nearly all nicely carved ; the carving, of course,
being of a somewhat rude type. The pipes showed a great deal of
skill upon the part of the makers ; their bowls were wrought in a
variety of forms. In some instances they took the form of the head
of some animal or bird. One pipe stem, judging from its appearance,
must have been formed by drilling a hole right through an ordinary
stone. A pipe bowl, formed out of a common stone, about two inches
and a half in diameter, had on either side of the bowl a head of some
animal." Mr. Bailie picked up many little pieces of sheet metal, pro-
bably from brass kettles. He says these were to be found iu all parts
of the field. It would appear that when the kettles obtained from
the French traders became useless from having holes in them, the
78 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
Hurons cut them up by some means into chips and used the pieces as
arrowheads, knives, etc. At some other village sites of the later period
of French occupation, the ground is also strewn with these metal chips^
In order to examine its position, I visited this site on July 5th, 1899,
and made a diagram of it. The usual fragments of pottery and clam
shells were to be seen. The ashbeds were most numerous at the head
of a small ravine, the abrupt descent to which is about 30 feet ; and
here the inhabitants found their supply of fresh water in springs
Passing from this ravine, the ground rises gently through the fieldr
which contains about 12 acres but is not all covered with ashbeds.
There is nothing in its situation to lead one to believe this village had
been palisaded. When the Hurons built a village for defence, it wa&
usual to select a place where Nature assisted. But here, Nature fur-
nishes no aid, rather the opposite. So it is not probable that palisades
will be found. A trail has always existed here, leading past site-
No. 30.
32. On the east half of lot 1, concession 5, there is a site where the
usual relics — pottery fragments, pipes, iron tomahawks, stone axesr
etc. — have been found. Robert Hall, the owner, has lived here since
1873, and he has informed me that before the land was cultivated he
could see the cornhills that were used by the Huron inhabitants of the
village.
33. A small site occurs on the east half of lot 2, concession 3. This
farm was formerly owned and cleared by John Tinney, who found,
previous to 1876, various relics including iron tomahawks. Among
subsequent owners was Michael Russell, and the present occupant is
Hiram Jennett.
34. Various remains, found beside the shore at a spot just west of
Waubaushene, indicate the position of what was a favorite resort of the
aborigines in considerable numbers. It appears to be situated upon
lot 11, concession iO. An area of about ten acres is the extent of
ground over which remains have been found. The patch of second
growth trees here was believed to show where there had once been an
Indian clearance, but, as in many other cases, it may be more correctly
explained by the presence of gravelly soil. It was formerly a favorite
resort for relic seekers, some of whom dug into Indian graves, of which
some exist here. The graves, thus molested, were not communal but
single burials. Some iron tomahawks and gun barrels have been
found, the latter tending to show that the site was occupied in the
eighteenth century by Algonquins. But whether it was a landing
place of the Hurons in earlier times is not yet evident.
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 79
35. Farther west, at Tanner's Mill, (also known as Tannerville)
more aboriginal remains have been found. It was at the shore here
that the trail to the interior had its northerly end. And in the days
of early settlement (in 1830, or soon after) this trail was widened into
a Government road from Cold water, and a blockhouse erected here
The place was a depot on the way to the early mines of the upper
lakes. It had docks, and the early steamers of Georgian Bay made it
a port for calls, the other port being Penetanguishene. Altogether, the
port of Sturgeon Bay — the terminus of the Government portage — in the
days before railways was a stirring place. But its glory has long since
departed. Many legends cling around the old place, and stories of
buried treasures. But the only articles ever found here, so far as can
be learned with certainty, were a few Indian beads and fragments of
human bones, besides some other kinds of Indian relics. These were
found on the high ground just back from the shore. This place was
always a frequent resort of Algonquins ; but its origin was doubtless
earlier, in Huron times, when the trail to the interior was in constant use.
Ducreux's map places the mission of St. Jean (not St. Jean Baptiste)
to the right of the outlet of Sturgeon River, and a short way inland.
It will be seen by referring to our map that there is a tract of high
ground here, an island during the time of the Great Nipissing
Lake, and this tract is separated from the high ground of the interior
by low swampy ground through which a stream flows toward Sturgeon
River. St. Jean was a mission to the Ataronchronons, while the mis-
sion next south of it (according to the Ducreux map), viz., St. Joachim,
was among the Arendaronons. A physical demarcation of some kind,
between St. Jean and St. Joachim, is thus suggested, because the Huron
" nations " were usually divided from each other I y physical bound-
aries. It is possible, therefore, that St. Jean belonged to the isolated
tract of high ground now under consideration, and was a site near
Tannerville, if not the one itself at the place.
36. Rev. Father Chazelle, whose investigations in the Huron
country in 1842 we have already mentioned, made a search on the
east side of the Sturgeon River for the site of St. Ignace, where
Brebeuf and Lallemant were put to death. It is evident that, in doing
this, he was following Ducreux's map, which gives the position of the
earlier and first St. Ignace, and that he had not become aware of the
fact that a second St. Ignace had existed. He directed the French
Canadians with him to run the canoe up Sturgeon River a mile and a
half from the outlet. Near where they landed they found, in the
woods, a village site, and at it some relics, such as conch-shells. Here
were l< blazes " or marks upon trees, made by Indians of comparatively
80 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
recent times, but which lent an antiquarian setting to the place. They
found also, in graves, the bones of two persons, which tradition has
erroneously regarded as those of Brebeuf and Lallemant, forgetful of
the fact that their bones were found by the searching party from Ste.
Marie in 1649, and taken to Quebec.
37. Passing to the high ground east of the Sturgeon River, one
finds the most northerly site of the group on the land of Frank Joseph,
the west half of lot 6, concession 10. Here, on a patch of ground,
cultivated only during the past two seasons, they have found stone
axes, an iron tomahawk, a tobacco pipe and some fragments of deer
bones.
38. Some ash beds of Huron camps are met with on the farm of
Alex. Begg, the west half of lot 5, concession 10. They have found
pottery shreds, pipes, stone axes and numbers of iron tomahawks.
Southwest of this site, which is not large, there is a small huckleberry
marsh ; it is on the opposite side of the road, on lot 4, but near the
site.
39. A site of moderate dimensions occurs on the northwest quarter
of lot 4, concession 10, — the farm of James Stewart. On a patch of
high ground, toward the centre of the farm, they have found pottery
fragments, iron knives, iron tomahawks, etc. Similar relics have been
found on the adjoining fifty-acre farm, or southwest quarter of the
same lot 4, which is cultivated by Mr. Begg ; and also a few on the
east half, owned and occupied by Robert C. Stewart.
40. Across the road, on the east half of lot 4, concession 9, James
Paden, the owner, has found iron tomahawks, pottery fragments, etc.
in ashbeds and patches blackened by Huron camp-fires. These occur
on the highest ground — a large knoll at the rear of his farm.
41. A similar small site occurs on the east half of lot 3, concession
9. In the extreme southeast corner, the usual relics have been found ;
and a part of this site extends into the adjoining land of Joseph
. Greatrix, where he has found the kinds of relics mentioned under the
last site, besides stone axes. On its north side this village was near
another huckleberry marsh.
42. Another site, distinct from the one last mentioned, is on the
farm of Joseph Greatrix, the east half of lot 2, concession 9. Mr.
Greatrix has lived on this farm for 25 years, and has frequently found,
at the rear of it, the usual remains of camps and the same kinds of
relics as occur at the other villages of this group.
1899] ARCIi^OLOGICAL REPORT. 81
It will be observed that the six preceding sites on the Rosemount
Ridge are small, there being probably not more than a dozen camps at
any of them ; and there are no bonepits associated with them. But
on this same high ridge, in Medonte township, about a mile south of
the Tay townline, some bonepits have been found at larger villages.
It is but natural to suppose that, as regards Feasts of the Dead and
the formation of bonepits among the Rock Nation or Arendaronons,
the small outlying villages of this group would be tributary or
subordinate to the larger villages situated farther south in Medonte.
The mission of St. Joachim was perhaps in this group of smaller
villages.
43. At a little distance from the shore of Matchedash Bay, near
Fesserton, many relics of the aborigines have been found. These were
most frequently met with upon rising ground on the farm of George
Bush, lot 5, concession 12, and also on lot 4. Villages situated like
this, near the shores of the large lakes, mostly yield relics which have
undoubtedly belonged to Algonquins of a period subsequent to the
Hurons. But in the present instance, if the remains were those of
Algonquins, they must have belonged to an early period — before the
traders had supplied them with kettles for cooking purposes — as
is amply testified by the fragments of- primitive pots made from baked
clay, so commonly found at Huron sites, and also found here. At the
projection of land known as Bush's Point, some refuse mounds were
formerly to be seen.
44. On the opposite shore of Matchedash Bay, at Bankin's Point, on
lot 6, concession 13, similar remains have been found. Here, by the
shore, were also found a few graves (single burials) in which the skele-
tons had been buried in a crouching position. One of the skeletons
was decked with a large medal, glass beads, and other trinkets done
up in cedar bark, and evidently belonged to a more recent period than
the Hurons. The same skeleton had unusually large proportions, and
the back of the skull was found fractured, whether from accident or
otherwise.
45. In a list of the antiquities of Tay, one should not omit to men-
tion the remains called " The Chimneys," situated on lot 5, concession
13, opposite Fesserton, or rather Bush's Point, on the east side of
Matchedash Bay. Jas. Abbott is the present occupant of the farm.
The remains are located upon what is known as "Chimney Point,"
where an area of about 40 acres had been originally cleared. They
constitute all that is now left of the buildings occupied from 1778 till
1793 and later by Cowan, a fur trader. The writer's purpose in re-
6 A
82 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
ferring to them in this place is because they were formerly often
spoken of as the ruins of a structure belonging to the early French
period. Even yet, they are sometimes referred to as such, and it is
desirable to give a few words of caution against; this error. Governor
Simcoe was the guest of Cowan at this placein 1793. (See MacdorieH's
Diary in Transactions of the Canad. Institute, Fourth Series, Vol. I)".
On a recent occasion when the writer visited this place, the founda-
tion of the main building could be distinctly seen, (built of stone and
lime), and there were three chimnies grouped around this trading house
— one apparently at either end of the building, and another at some
little distance away, representing probably the bakehouse. There
were other buildings near at hand, of which the foundations could
be traced when Mr. Abbott first went there.
46. On Bluff Point, near Port Severn, some pottery fragments,
pipes, etc., have been observed. No other relics have been found that
would indicate the exact period to which this site belonged, which
was doubtless quite early as the coarse fragments of baked clay
vessels go to prove.
v,< Lp
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 83
INDIAN VILLAGE SITES IN THE COUNTIES OF OXFORD
AND WATERLOO.
BY W. J. WlNTEMBERG.
During the past four or five years I have had the pleasure of visit-
ing the following Indian village sites : seven in Blenheim township,
one in the township of North Dumfries ; one in Waterloo Township,
two in Wilmot. and one in East Oxford.
Blenheim Township.
Village Site No. 1, is situated on the farm of James Laidlaw, south-
east quarter of lot 11, concession 8, and is directly opposite the C.P.R.
station at Wolverton. The land has been under cultivation for the last
twenty years, and as it was diligently searched by local relic seekers
every time it was ploughed, naturally, very few specimens of any value
are to be found.
A few mementoes of the primeval forest, in the shape of huge pine
stumps, are scattered on the field. Some of these are over four feet in
diameter, and if the manner of computing the age of trees by means of
the concentric rings of annual growth be reliable, they are of great age.
Several of these stumps stand on the top of an ash-bed, and on one
being pulled up about two years ago, a few pottery fragments were
found beneath it. Evidently the trees grew after the abandonment of
the village by its inhabitants. What appears to have influenced the
aborigines in the selection of this as a suitable place for settlement,
was the presence of a small rivulet, which flowed in a north-easterly
direction.
Wild fruits and nut-bearing trees are abundant in the neighbor-
hood of this village site. Among the fruits may be mentioned,
choke-cherries, wild red, and black cherries, and wild plums. These
all came in for a considerable share in the Indian's bill of fare. Leath-
er-wood or moose-wood shrubs (dirca palustris) are also abundant in
some of the maple wocds. The bark of this shrub is very tough, and,
according to Peter Kalm, an early traveller, the Indians made use of it
for ropes and baskets.
Among the many interesting specimens I found on this site are two
Huronian slate gorgets ; one unfinished, and the other merely a flat,
oval pebble with two perforations. I also found a very small clay pipe,
the dimensions of which are: stem, 1 inch; bowl, height 1£ inches,
diameter at mouth, £ of an inch. This specimen was undoubtedly a
toy and may have been made by a child, as the workmanship is very
rude.
84 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
Articles of shell are common. Many of them are merely the valves
of a species of unio and were, no doubt, used for smoothing the inside
of clay vessels while they were in a plastic state. They may also have
been used in tanning, as they would be found very serviceable in
dressing the hide and removing hair and fur. The larger shells,
requiring no further preparation to adapt them to such a use, may
have been used as spoons. The edges of some specimens are much
worn, and many of them, it is evident, have seen long service as scrapers.
I have found shell-beads on this camp, which are made out of two
kinds of ocean univalves. One of thesa is a species of olivella and is
ground at the apex to admit a thread. The other species has a per-
foration at the mouth. They also perforated for beads the shells of
one of our large fresh-water gasteropods, melantho (paludina) decisa.
The bone beads found on this village site are of the usual cylindrical
form and were sawed off from small bird and mammal bones. They
are from one-half to two and sometimes three inches in length. A
large number of beads that appear to have been made of human finger
bones, sawed in two and perforated at the ends, were also found. The
general assumption among local collectors is, that they were the bones
of enemies killed in battle, and were worn as a badge of honor among
the Indians. I was always rather doubtful of this, as I believed that
they were the bones of some quadruped and later research has proved
this to be a fact, but one unacquainted with the anatomical details of
the human skeleton would readily suppose that they were the
phalanges of the hand.
A bone that seems to have been used as a pipe was found on this
site by a friend. It is either a metacarpal or metatarsal bone from
some large mammal's foot, and has a large hole bored at the larger end
and a smaller, without doubt, the stem-hole, at the other. Mr. Boyle,
to whom I showed thi* specimen and the "finger-bone" beads above
mentioned, thinks that they were used as bangles.
The hammer stones that have been found here are of the usual oval
or rounded form pitted on the flat side. Albert Smart of Plattsville,
found a specimen with a handle, which is pitted on the larger end on
both the upper and lower surfaces. This was no doubt used as a nut-
cracker. The late Newell Waugh, of Bright, found a similar specimen
on village site No. 3. I found a specimen that is not pitted, but
which appears to have come in contact with some hard substance like
flint, for the indentures or pits are not rounded as in most of the
specimens found, but are long and angular; perhaps it was used in
flaking flint and other hard substances.
It is well known that ochre was used as a coloring matter for the
face and hands by the aborigines. I discovered a small deposit of red
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 85
ochre on this site, which appears to have been contained in a pot, frag-
ments of which 1 found with it. It is of a dull, reddish hue when dry,
but when wet it assumes a bright red color. It was no doubt applied
to the body with grease, for thus it would always retain its bright
color.
The finding of articles of native copper on this village site proves
that the primitive inhabitants of this district had some intercourse
with the Indian tribes of Lake Superior, where the copper was
originally procured, for it is well known that no copper of a malleable
nature exists within the boundaries of the Neutral or Attivvendaronk
territory. The objects were awls. The person who found one of them
described it as being over five inches in length, about as thick as an
ordinary. lead pencil, with a sharp point. However, it is to be regret-
ted, all trace of these specimens has been lost, arid none of the same
material has since been found.
When the ground in this field was first broken by the plough, a large
boulder, possessing a very peculiar property, was found. When it was
struck with a stone it emitted a clear, bell-like sound. This stone, I
understand, was removed to Toronto by an archaeologist of that city.
Another large boulder bearing pictographs was also found. This
boulder, the owner of the farm asserts is still, on the place, and is in
the centre of a large pile of stones to the west of the camp.
Robert Laidlaw, father of the present owner, once ploughed up the
skeleton of an Indian, the bones of which are said to be of gigantic
size. Mr. Laidlaw was overcome with superstitious dread and covered
the skeleton with soil, and while he lived, that part of the field
was not touched by the plough again.
When the railway was being built, and while making a deep cut
through a hill on the east side of the Wolverton station, the Italian
laborers are said to have unearthed two burial pots provided with lids,
each containing the skeleton of a child. The Italians, however, not
having archaeological tastes, immediately began breaking the pots to
pieces crying, " Gold ! Gold !" much to the chagrin of the foreman in
charge. Last summer I became acquainted with a person who had
helped to build this railway. I asked him regarding the matter and
he said that there was only one pot found, and it was a large stoneware
milk-pot of white manufacture, containing the bones of a white child.
He also informed me that the foreman in charge had the pot and its
contents reinterred where it would not be disturbed again. In a con-
versation with John F. Rathburn, of Drumbo, I was informed by him
that the above statement was false, and that the bones were really
those of Indians, as well as the pots; and he also told me that Mr.
Fox, an old pioneer residing at Drumbo, would tell me the same. Further
86 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
information bearing on this matter was furnished by George Johnston,
sr., who lives on lot 9, about a quarter of a mile from where these pots
were found. He says that some years ago he pulled a large stump
which stood in one of his fields, and found beneath it a pot containing
the remains of an infant. This pot was also provided with a lid.
Next in order of importance comes Burgess' Lake camp, which I
will in the future refer to as Village Site No. 2. Burgess' Lake is a
pretty sheet of water lying to the south of Drumbo, and the country
surrounding it, apparently, was a favorite rendezvous of the red men
in primeval times. The first time I visited this place was on the 17th
of October, 1897, on the invitation of John F. Rathburn, who lives on
the south half of lot 13, 6th concession We examined the nature of a
deposit of black soil which is situated in a field near the lake. Mr.
Rathburn had dug some test holes a few days previous to my visit, one
in the centre showing that the black soil extended to a depth of three
feet. A number of small stones were thrown out while making the
excavation, all of which showed unmistakeable signs of having been
subjected to considerable heat. Especially was this found to be the
case with a piece of limestone which had been calcined. Strange to
say, no relics of human origin were found, not even a pot-sherd.
In the month of August, 1898, I found three other beds or deposits
similar to the one above referred to, but not one yielded a single speci-
men of aboriginal handiwork. Mr. Rathburn finds pottery fragments
and other relics in abundance on his farm, but not in ash-beds, as is
usually the case. The pottery fragments are mixed with the soil which
does not contain the slightest trace of ashes.
Wild fruits are abundant. Among those I noticed were the wild
black cherries, red cherries and raspberries. There are also a number
of nut-bearing trees, on the east side of the lake. The lake is said to
contain fish. The presence of all this would necessarily cause the
Indians to settle avouni the shore of the lake.
The pottery found on this place is entirely different in material and
style of ornamentation from any I have yet found. Although the
distance between this place and Village Site No. 1 is only about four
miles, there is a marked difference in the pottery. That from Bur-
gess* Lake is of coarse material with ornamentation consisting of rows
of indentures made by some pointed instrument, while that from
Wolverton, although not of elegant pattern, is of better material and
finish. The interior surface of some specimens appear as if it had
been decorated by having a piece of netting pressed against it while
the pot was yet in a plastic state. Mr. Rathburn found fragments of
1899J ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 87
pottery which, in addition to the usual pattern, consisting of oblique
lines, were ornamented in a very peculiar manner. The aboriginal
potter used what appears to have been a piece of wood f of an inch
wide and £ of an inch thick. With this implement, holes were made
around the inside of the pot, about £ inch apart, and 1 inch below
the rim, and the wood being pressed into the clay formed a small, oval
protuberance on the outside of the vessel. I have a small fragment
of pottery from this place, which is also ornamented in this manner,
except that the holes are round and the knobs or bulbs are on the in-
side surface.
Mr. Rathburn has a very choice collection of celts, adzes, chisels,
hammer-stones, grooved axes, pottery fragments, and a large number
of arrow heads. Most of these specimens he found on this farm. It
affords me much pleasure to say that he is taking an intelligent interest
in local archaeology.
About four miles south of Mr. Rath burn's place, there is a field
where a battle is supposed to have been fought. The early settlers,
Mr. Rathburn says, found numerous flint arrow heads deeply imbedded
in the trunks of trees, and even at the present day large numbers of
flint heads are annually turned up by the plough. I cannot believe,
however, that an arrow impelled by a bow, could have sufficient pene-
trative force to penetrate a tree whose wood was of any ordinary
hardness.*
Village Site No. 3, which was first discovered and made known to
me by the late Newell Waugh, is on the farm of John C. Rudell, north
half of lot 23, 10th concession. This site is only a short distance from
a small creek, which flows in a south-easterly direction.
I found a number of relics on this site ; most of them are, however,
not of much importance. The last time I visited the place, I found a
very interesting specimen, the Thunder Bird pipe described and figured
in Mr. Boyle's report for 1897-1898.
On one side it has the representation of the Thunder Bird, a mythi-
cal being to which was attributed the phenomenon implied by its
name. The drawing represents a bird with a human head, and above
the head are two symbols of lightning. The simplest delineation of
lightning among savage folk would naturally be by zig-zag strokes.
They are used by the Pueblo and Tusayan Indians to represent light-
ning, and were used by a more enlightened people, the ancient Assyri-
ans. It is a matter of conjecture what the upright line and the three
* Since this was written, Burgess Lake has been drained, until it is almost dry,
and in the bottom, rows of stakes have been found. Mr. Rathburn writes that stakes
are also found in the bog (the old lake bottom) recently forming the shore. — D.B.
88 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
crossbars on the breast signify. They may represent the vital organs ;
perhaps the heart and lungs, and, symbolically, the life of the indivi-
dual. The zig-zag mark at the right of the bird's tail, no doubt
represents another lightning stroke, or a snake, or, perhaps, both, for
among some savage tribes the lightning and the snake were regarded
as identical ; i. e., the lightning flash, owing to its resemblance to the
sharp, sudden, zig-zag movements of the snake, was often called a fiery
serpent. Thus, some tribes of our Canadian Indians call the lightning
a fiery serpent, and believe that the thunder is its hissing. Curiously
enough, the ancient Greeks, with all their philosophy and learning,
held the same view — the flashes of lightning having been regarded by
them as the fiery serpent of Zeus, the god of the air.
Early in the spring of 1899, I again visited Village Site, No. 3. I
found a bone bead resembling fig. 207 in Boyle's "Notes on Primitive
Man in Ontario." This specimen has three collars on each end and two
in the centre. I again visited this site in the month of May and also in
August, but I did not find anything of very much importance.
I discovered another village site on the farm of Mrs. Geo. Hunter,
about one-fourth of a mile from Village Site No. 4. This site does not
appear to have been occupied for any great length of time, as I have
found very few relics. After a hurried survey of the ground covered by
this site, and finding a " goose-beak " scraper and bead, I dug into the
principal ash-bed with a spade, and found a number of marked pottery
fragments, and a very tine bone awl.
Village Site, No 4, is situated on the farms of Mrs. Geo. Hunter and
Jas. Hall, south half of lots 13 and 14, 10th concession. I found a
number of specimens on this site. Mr. Hall has found celts, arrow
heads, and other specimens.
Village Site, No. 5, is situated on the farm of Albert Kaufman,
north part of lot 8, 12th concession, Mr. Kaufman's son found a num-
ber of specimens on this site, including pottery fragments, arrow points
and part of a ceremonial gorget, with one perforation.
There is a site (No. 6) on the farm of Benjamin Schlichter, north-
east part of lot 4, 13th concession. The land has been cultivated for
about four years. I have never visited this place, but a friend found
a number of specimens. One of the pottery fragments found here is
of very coarse material, and the style of ornamentation on it is similar
to that on the pottery found at Burgess' Lake.
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 89
There is also an isolated camp on the north half of lot 10, 10th,
concession. I visited this place last summer and noticed the usual
stones, cracked by fire, but found no relics. Henry Baxter the former
owner, found a large number of arrow heads, a few very fine flint
drills, and two circular ceremonial objects with a hole in the centre.
The latter specimens were, unfortunately, lost. About one hundred
feet from this camp, Mr. Baxter and his brother, while removing some
sand from the side of a hill, nearly ten years ago, unearthed the skele-
ton of an Indian. They reburied the remains in a fence corner not far
from where they were originally found.
North Dumfries Township.
Up to the present, I have found only one village in this township,
and this is on the farm of Geo. Elliott, north part of lot 42, about 1£
miles north-east of Roseville. The land was cleared over fifty years
ago. When it was first ploughed, Mr. Thomson, the original owner, un-
covered a number of whole clay pots which were kicked to pieces.
Mr. Elliott says that it was a common occurrence to see Thomson's
sons coming to school with their vest pockets full of bone awls,
which were disposed of in boyish barter.
Mr. Elliott has found some very fine relics on his farm. One
skull is all that ever was found in so far as regards human remains,
and this was put on the top of a stump fence where it remained until
decayed. A mortar was also found, but all traces of it have been lost.
On this site there are three large ashbeds — one extending north and
south along a ridge about half-way across the field, the other two lie
to the east of this
The farm, when first cleared, was covered with a dense growth of
pine. The stumps of some of these trees, Mr. Elliott avers, were over
four feet in diameter. To the west of the village site, a marsh and-
small stream formerly existed, and here a number of beavers were
wont to erect their domiciles " in the days gone by."
Mr. Elliott recently found a small meteorite on his farm, which had
evidently been found and carried there by the aborigines. The frac-
tured edge of this specimen looks like the edge of broken cast iron. It
is about the size of a fist and is covered with a brownish oxide.
Waterloo Township.
About two miles from the above site, there is another, the most
extensive one I have yet visited for it covers several large fields. It
is on the farm of John Welsch, who lives either on lot 8 or 9 in the
German Company's tract, which comprises the south-eastern part of
the township. Not having very much time at my disposal when I
visited this place, I had to content myself with a very hasty exami-
nation.
yO ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
Herbert Trussler, a local collector, has been making the most ex-
tensive finds on this site. Messrs. L. J. Niebel and H. Z. Smith, of
New Hamburg, have also done some collecting.
Wilmot Township.
The county surrounding the village of Baden, formed an ideal home
for the Indian. The range of hills that stretches about one mile across
the country, form a conspicuous object for many miles around. Ac-
cording to some of the older settlers, the surveyors who laid out the
route of the Grand Trunk through this part of the country in 1853,
made the calculation that the height of these hills was 960 feet above
the level of the lake at Hamilton, and is the highest point between
Sarnia and Niagara. Signal fires built on these hills could be seen for
miles across the country. To the north of these hills there is a small
lake about half a mile in breadth, to the south-east is another of nearly
the same size.
On the north-east bank of the former, there is a small camp site,
which appears to have been a temporary camp. The ashbed is on the
side of a hill which has a slope of about 40 degrees. This would not
be a suitable place to erect a wigwam, and the aborigines undoubtedly
built it on the top of the hill where it was level, and being near the
edge of the hill they shoved the ashes and other refuse over its side,
thus accounting for their presence.
About half a mile south-east of the largest hill, there is another
village site, on lot 10, Snyder's road concession. My first visit to this
place was in 1897. On a subsequent visit I found a hammer-stone,
having an indenture or pit on one side and two on the other, some-
thing unusual in this class of primitive implements, The pits on this
specimen were not formed by constant abrasion resulting from crack-
ing nuts or a similar operation, but appear to have been formed in
some grinding process as they are smooth, and round. Besides it is
formed of sandstone, a material totally unfit, owing to its soft and
friable nature, for use as a hammer- stone. The edges also do not bear
characteristic marks from hammering as do most specimens of this
class. It is therefore a matter of conjecture for what purpose this
specimen was used.
I again visited this locality in August, 1897, accompanied by a
friend, and we discovered a large number of pottery fragments and a
bone awl over eight inches in length. The ashes on this site are in a
solid bed and the pottery sherds are mixed in with it and the soil.
Some places you may dig to a depth of three feet before you come to
the ashes.
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 91
On another day, accompanied by a young friend, I again visited
the place and found a number of specimens. About four yards from
the principal ashbed is a small rivulet running in a southerly direc-
tion. In hopes of finding evidences of settlement further down the
stream we followed its course southward. While I was examining the
•character of the soil in an opening in the woods on the banks of the
stream, a large glacial boulder attracted my young friend 's attention
and he examined it. He removed the moss and lichens which covered
it and presently startled me with the information that he had dis-
covered an Indian mortar. On reaching the boulder I found that it
had been used for such a purpose, but not for any great length of
time, as the hollow was only about three-fourths of an inch in depth.
The boulder is about three by four feet and about three feet in height.
Material, a close-grained and compact granite. It is partly buried,
only about one foot (on the side where the mortar is) protruding from
the ground. We followed the stream further, until it emerged into a
clearing. Here we succeeded in finding the traces of another camp
site.
It is said that in the early days, when Wilmot township was first
settled, an Indian trail leading from the Georgian Bay to the vicinity
of Baden was still to be seen. According to some of the old Amish*
settlers, a tannery formerly stood on the west hill, and here the In-
dians coming along the trail would sell their furs.
A number of years ago the remains of an Indian were unearthed
near the village of Agatha, about four miles from Baden. The grave
had evidently been covered with birch bark or a birch bark canoe, as
remnants of this material were found on top of it.
An isolated camp site was discovered by L. J. Niebel near the
village of New Hamburg. He found a pipe-bowl, of which No. 16460
in the Ontario Archaeological Museum s catalogue is a cast, on this
site. In company with the above-named gentleman I examined this
camp site in 1896, but we did not find anything.
East Oxford Township.
There is a village site on the farm of William P. Hart, lot 17, con-
cession 3. After nearly half a century's cultivation, the evidences of
aboriginal occupation are still visible in the burnt stones and black
spots in the fields. The largest of these spots is on a high, sandy
knoll, and is about forty feet in width.
Some years ago a few human remains, comprising a humerus, a
frontal bone and a portion of the upper jaw were found while digging
a, ditch through a swarnp on Mr. Hart's place.
* The name of a religious sect resembling the Mennonites in belief. The
people are of German origin. — D. B.
92 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
Mr. Hart found a large number of arrow heads, celts, pestles,,
scrapers, a few ceremonial objects, and a small mortar about six by
seven inches, with hollows, nearly an inch and one-fourth in depth, on.
both sides. The stone is about three inches thick. In one of the fields
there is a large boulder, with a deep hollow on its upper surface, which
was undoubtedly used as a mortar. A large block of freestone, which
I examined, showed unmistakeable signs of having been used as a rub-
bing stone.
A few years ago an unfinished bird amulet was found on this site-
It is now in the possession of R. W. Bass, of Oxford Centre. The
basal holes are not yet bored in this specimen, neither has it been
polished. It was not pecked into shape, but seems to have been re-
duced to its present form by sawing and scraping.
Mr. Hart has, so far, found only fragments of one clay vessel, and
these were found a considerable distance from any of the ashbeds.
This village site is convenient to the old Indian trail (which is now
the old stage road) from Lake Ontario to Detroit River.
THE WYANDOTS.
BY WILLIAM E. CONNELLY.
[Everything relating to the Hurons and their kith — the Tobacco Nation,
Petuns, or Tionnontates — who occupied the country of the Blue Hills, most of which
is now comprised in the township of Nottawasaga, should prove interesting to Can-
adian readers, and especially so to those of Ontario. As allies of the Hurons
proper they shared a similar fate at the hands of the Iroquois, in the middle of the-
seventeenth century, and after many wanderings and vicissitudes at last found a
resting-place in the territory (now state) of Nebraska.
According to the traditions they still entertain, they twice occupied the ground
on which Toronto is built, but on both occasions were driven off by the Iroquois.
Ossuary burial within a few miles of this city attests the statement respecting their
abode here for a time, and we have the authority of Mr. Connelley, who has, for a
great many years, made a special study of the Wyandots (Ouendats) as the descend-
ants of the Tionnontates are now called, that they regarded the locality with much
favor, and speak of it to this day as "The Place of Plenty"— Toh-ruhn'-toh.
No man living is better qualified to express himself authoritatively on matters
relating to the Wyandots than is Mr. Connelley, and the ethnological student of
Ontario has great reason to thank him for his courtesy in contributing to this report.
His exposition of the Wyandot clan system is deserving of special mention, not-
only because it relates to the people in question, but because the subject is one=
possessed of more than average interest to students of early man in every part of
the world.— D. B.]
MIGRATION LEGENDS.
That the Wyandots are related to the people called Hurons by the
French there is no doubt ; but they are descended principally from the
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 93
Tionnontates, * and it will probably develop that the Tobacco Nation
•was the oldest branch of the Iroquoian family. While many fragments
of the Huron tribes fled from the fury of the Iroquois the Tionnontates
retained the tribal organization which we afterwards find in the Wyan-
dot tribe. The Wyandot language is a modernized Tionnontate lan-
guage, and the myths of the Wyandots are the old myths of the Tobacco
Nation but slightly affected by other Huron intercourse after the de-
struction wrought by the Iroquois in 1649-50.
After having studied the Wyandot language and the Wyandot
myths, traditions, and legends for almost twenty years I am of the
opinion that the Tionnontates were more Iroquois than Huron-Iroquois,
and that while they were in alliance with the Hurons they were more
recently and closely related to the Senecas by blood, and that they were
older as a tribal organization than either the Senecas or the Hurons.
In my opinion their folk-lore and traditions confirm this view. I be-
lieve a critical and comparative analysis of the two languages will still
further strengthen this position.
Both the myths and the traditions of the Wyandots say they were
created in the region between James Bay and the coast of Labrador
All their traditions describe their ancient home as north of the mouth
of the River St. Lawrence. Taking their legends as a guide on this sub-
ject the most probable location of the place where the ancient Tionnon-
tates assumed a tribal form is in Labrador, on the head waters of the
Hamilton River ; but possibly a little more to the west, in the district
of Ungava, If not at this place, it was certainly between the point
here indicated and Lake St John on the south. It is probable that at
this period of their existence they ranged to the coast of Labrador and
to Hudson's Bay and were familiar with the country between these
points. They claim to have known the Eskimo. Their migrations led
them along the shores of Hudson Bay, and from here they turned
south and came to the region of the Great Lakes. After a sojourn
here of some time — possibly a long time — they finally settled on the
north bank of the St. Lawrence. They believe that in all these migra-
tions they were accompanied by the Delawares. On the St. Lawrence
they say they had the land on the north bank from the Ottawa River
to a large river to the east, probably the Manicouagan River. The
Delawares had the remainder of the north bank of the St. Lawrence to
its mouth.
This country the ancient Tionnontates called Kooyh'-nohn'-toh't-
tlh'-ah-ha, which means "The rivers rushing by," or "The country of
rushing waters."
* On reading this to an intelligent Cayuga he readily recognized the name,
which he pronounced Tyon-on-tah'-ti-gah, or Dyon-on-dah'-ti-gah. — D. B.
94 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
The Wyandots assert that while they resided there they numbered
many thousands, and that they were the dominant power in all that
country. On the south side of the River St. Lawrence lived at this
time the Senecas,* so the Wyandot traditions relate. Which people
came into this country first they do not say. The Senecas claimed the
island upon which Montreal is now built, and the Wyandots admitted
their right to it. The Senecas and Wyandots have always claimed a
cousin relation with each other. They say they have been neighbors
from time immemorial, but often at war with each other. Their lan-
guages are almost the same, each being the dialect of an older mother-
tongue; they are nearly alike as are the Seneca and Mohawk dialects.
That mixed people of the Mengwe stock made up from all the tribes of
the Iroquois, but principally from that of the Seneca, and called
Mingoes, have long lived beside the Wyandots ; their reservations
adjoinin the Indian Territory. Until within the last five years the
Senecas predominated among this people on the Seneca (Cowskin River)
Reservation and the Wyandots could speak the Seneca language as
well as they could their own, and so could the Senecas that of the
Wyandots. Recently the Cayugas from the eastern reservation*
have overrun the Seneca country, and within the last two years the
Cayuga has become the most common language.
That part of the Wyandot tradition relating to the Delawares hold-
ing them company I regard as having some foundation in fact. The
Wyandots relate a myth describing the origin of the Delawares. While
this myth cannot be true, it indicates an association of the peoples at
a very ancient date. In the Delaware sociology the Turtle Clan is
regarded as the most ancient and most honorable. The Delawares
make some claim to being the oldest of Algonkin tribes. It is pos-
sible that they obtained their ideas of the importance of the Turtle'
from the Iroquoian peoples.
The Wyandot traditions recite that when they lived on the St..
Lawrence River the Ottawas lived on the Ottawa River, in Canada,
and that they were neighbors and friends. Indeed, one account says
they were allies in a war against the Senecas.
When the Tionnontates came to the St. Lawrence River, and how
long they remained there cannot now be determined, even if it is fin-
ally established that their migration legends are founded upon proba-
bility. The Wyandot traditions say that they were with the Senecas
at the Indian meeting to receive Cartier at Hochelaga in 1535, and
that Hochelaga was one of the towns of the Senecas.
+' " * A name formerly often used for the Iroquois. Similarly, Mohawk vra*
sometimes employed to designate all the Iroquois or Five Nations. — D. B.
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 95
Writers have held the opinion that the Tionnontates migrated
from the St. Lawrence directly to the point where they were found by
the French Jesuits. Whatever the facts may prove to be, their tradi-
tions tell a different story. They claim to have become involved in a
deadly war with the Senecas while both tribes yet lived on the St.
Lawrence, because of murders committed by a Wyandot at the instiga-
tion of a Seneca woman.
Hale makes Peter D. Clarke say that the Wyandots fled to the
northward to escape the consequences of this war with the Senecas.
That they fled for this purpose is true, as they admit, but neither
Clarke nor Wyandot tradition says that they fled to the northwest.
The route of this retreat lay up the St. Lawrence, which they crossed,
continuing westward along the south shore of Lake Ontario. They
held this course until they arrived at the Falls of Niagara, where they
settled and remained for some years. They called this point in their
wanderings Kyooh'-dah'-meh'-ehn-de'h, which is only their name for
water- falls, and means " The stream falls into itself," or " The stream
tumbles down to its new level from the rock above." Louisville, Ken-
tucky, or its site, was so-called by them from the Falls of the Ohio.
Tionnontates removed from the Falls of Niagara to the site now
occupied by Toronto, in the Province of Ontario, Canada. Their
removal from the Falls of Niagara was in consequence of the arrival
of the Iroquois on the Hudson and Mohawk Rivers. As the Iroquois
continued to arrive in ever-increasing numbers, and to spread over the
country now known as Western New York, the Tionnontates remained
but a short time at Toronto. Their stay at this point was probably
about five years, and certainly did not exceed ten years. They left
Toronto with much regret, and if their traditions can be relied on, a
band of them returned to their old home here many years afterwards,
but did not remain long for fear of the Senecas. They seem to have
been attached to no other point occupied by them in their migrations
so deeply as they were to Toronto.
The Wyandots, or their progenitors, the Tionnontates, called their
settlement at Toronto, Toh-roohn' -toh'ok. This is their word for
" plenty." It is now pronounced Toh-ruhn-toh. The present name of
the city is only the modern pronunciation of the Wyandots of their
word for " plenty," and the modern pronunciation of their ancient
name for their beloved settlement. As applied to the city, or the
country included in their settlements, it should be interpreted " the
land of plenty," or " the place of plenty," or " the place where food is
plenty." Indeed, Governor Walker slightly modified the name when
he wrote it, and made it Cau-ron-tool. By the power given the letter
e by the Wyandots, this name is Kyooh-rohn'-tooh1. This is a prepo-
96 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
sitional form of the word Toh-r5ohn'-t6h'nk, and means " the land
where food is plenty," and has therefore reference to the abundance of
game and fish they enjoyed during their residence at this point. And
in relating this tradition to me they always dwelt with pleasure on
their residence in the " land of plenty," as they of tenest rendered the
name for Toronto. * No other place in which they lived after their
great migration seems to have so taken hold of their affections. And
this is proved, also, by a band of them trying again to take up a
residence in the vicinity after their return from their wanderings
about the northern lakes.
When the Tionnontates migrated north from Toronto they seized
upon a tract of country to the south and west of the Hurons and
adjoining the country of that people. A war with the Hurons wa&
the result. This war lasted for some time, and as the Tionnontates
were able to maintain themselves in their position so forcibly taken,
it resulted in a close alliance between the two nations, and the Tinnon-
tates became a nation of the Huron confederacy. The old Wyandots
told me this confederacy was formed to resist the arrogance and the
increasing power of the Iroquois.
THE CLAN SYSTEM OF THE WYANDOTS. a
The animals of Wyandot mythology had two very different orders
of descendants. The one consisted of degenerate mammals, birds, or
reptiles having the appearance or nature of the ancient animal gods
but devoid of their supernatural powers. The other descendants are
the Wyandots themselves. This is true, of course, only of those
ancient monsters or animal-gods selected by the Wyandots as the pro-
genitors of their subdivisions known to us as clans or gentes.
Progress in the development of the Wyandot mind was slow and
unsatisfactory, but the belief that the people were actually descended
from the animals was gradually giving place to the conception that
they were the creation of the Good One of the twins born of the
woman who fell down from heaven, •}• and this belief once firmly
seated would, in time, have overthrown entirely the older faith in the
ancestry of the totemic animal-gods. But it had not made that
degree of progress when the stronger faiths and beliefs of the white
man forever arrested development in the mythology of the Tionnon-
* Sagard, referring to the word Touronton, which, in the narrative of De la
Roche Daillon, seems to mean oil, says (p. 893). "The copyist of the Father's
letter mistook, according to my opinion, the Huron word Otoronton, which he
gives as meaning oil. Properly speaking it signifies plenty, or Oh! how much." — D.B.
t See Ontario Archaeological Report for 1898, p. 58. — D. B.
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 97
tates. The animal myth, while losing ground, stood side by side with
the higher conception, Tseh'-s8h-howh'-hoohngk, and the mind of the
Tionnontates had not made sufficient advancement to enable it to dis-
tinguish this difference or perceive this incongruity. Thus while the
Tionnontate believed he was the work of Tseh'-sSh-howh'-hooh11^, he
also believed that he was the descendant of the animal gods, who held
the Great Council to devise a home and resting place for the woman
who fell from heaven.
Matthias Splitlog reasoned as follows upon this matter : :
" The animals of the present time are the descendants — degenerate
descendants — of these same animals that made the Great Island for
the home of the woman who fell down from heaven. They are dimin-
utive in size as well as devoid of the divine attributes possessed by
their ancestors, though all animals were supposed by us to be endowed
with reason, and to be able to exercise it upon all occasions, and our
faith also endowed them all with an immortality as lasting as we
imagined our own to be.
" These ancient first animals are the heads of their own species to
this day, i.e., the Great Turtle who bears up the earth is the ancestor
of all the turtles in the world of the same species : this rule applies to
every species of animal living at this time. The animals are subject
to their ancestors in a certain degree yet, and it is supposed that griev-
ances against either other animals or man may be complained of to
these animal-ancestors who will regard the complaint, and perhaps
inflict some form of punishment. On this account the bones of certain
animals supposed to be peculiarly sensitive to insult were treated with
consideration by the Tionnontates and their descendants, the Wyan-
dots."
" The gens is an organized body of consanguineal kindred in the
female line," is Powell's excellent definition of the subdivisions of the
Wyandot tribe, but as I have selected for my task the making of a
record of what the Wyandots say of themselves, and as they always
used the word clan when speaking of these subdivisions, although they
say the Wyandot word denoting this subdivision should be rendered
tribe, I have followed the Wyandots, and used the word clan to denote
this subdivision of the tribe.
All my investigations among the Wyandots tend to confirm the
view that in the ancient times when the Tionnontates first assumed a
distinct tribal organization they called themselves a Turtle People.2
Particularly does their mythology indicate that this was true of the
ancient Wyandots. The Big Turtle made and yet bears up the Great
Island, and his selection as chief officer of the Great Council called to
devise the Great Island indicates that he was the most important per-
7 A.
98 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
sonage among the ancient monsters who ruled the world before the
coining of the woman. The Little Turtle was a potent factor in this
first Great Council, and she varnished the thin coating of earth about
the edges of the shell of the Big Turtle when he made from it the
Great Island. Then she was made the Keeper of the Heavens and the
creator of the sun, moon, and many of the stars. The Mud Turtle had
a hand in the creation, for she dug the hole through the great island
for the use of the sun in going back to the east to rise each new day.
She turned aside -from this work long enough to create in the bowels
of the earth the most beautiful land the Wyandot imagination could
picture. This land is the future home of the Wyandots, and until the
arrival of the woman, who fell down from heaven, who is to go and
rule there when time is no more in this world, the Mud Turtle is the
ruler of this Wyaudot elysium, the home of the soul, the land of the
little people.
The Turtle clans were always considered the most ancient and
most honorable of the tribal subdivisions, and the order of precedence
and encampment was according to the " shell of the Big Turtle." The
turtle idea was interwoven with the whole social and political fabric
of ancient Tionnontate institutions.
That the multiplicity of these tribal subdivisions was the work of
a long development is proven, I believe, by the remembrance to this
day of the myths accounting for the origin of the Hawk and Snake
clans. If there is any merit in my conjectures I write the first sub-
divisions of the cribe as follows : — 1, Big Turtle; 2, Little Turtle; 3, Mud
Turtle. Of the other clans I feel positive that they were added later,
in the following order, as the tribe increased in numbers :3 — 4, Wolf ;
5, Bear ; 6, Beaver ; 7, Deer ; 8, Porcupine ; 9, Hawk.
The next addition to the number of clans was made by a division
of the Mud Turtle clan, the seceding party or band taking the name
of Prairie Turtle, or Highland Turtle, or Box Turtle.4
And after this the Big Turtle clan was divided, the seceding party
taking the name of Striped Turtle.5
The last addition to the number of clans was made by a division of
the Deer clan, the seceding party taking the name of Snake.6
The Wyandot name for the clans is Hah-tih'-tah-rah'-yeh,7or Hoh-
teh-dih-reh-shr6h^'ny6hny8. In designating a single clan the same
term is used, and, whether one or more clans, is determined by the
context. The old Wyandots always used the word in the sense of
tribe or tribes.
Major Powell says in his " Wyandot Government " that " up to the
time that the tribe left Ohio, eleven gentes were recognized, as follows :
1, Deer ; 2, Bear ; 3, Highland Turtle (striped) ; 4, Highland
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 9
Turtle (black); 5, Mud Turtle; 6, Smooth Large Turtle ; 7, Hawk ;
8, Beaver ; 9, Wolf ; 10, Sea Snake ; 11, Porcupine."
As to the names of the Wyandot clans, Major Powell's informant
was certainly in error.
Peter D. Clarke, in his " Traditional History of the Wyandots,"
says only ten clans existed in the tribe ; but he enumerates nine only,
and two of these he does not distinguish. His list is as follows :
1, Big Turtle ; 2 and 3, two different kinds of smaller Turtle ; 4,
Deer; 5, Bear ; 6, Wolf; 7, Porcupine; 8, Hawk; 9, Big Snake; 10,
some clan that became extinct at a remote period.
Clarke always meant well. Some things he did fairly well, but
his judgment was often at fault as to what was most deserving of
preservation in the Wyandot traditions. And this idea of ten tribes
was of missionary origin, to conform to the absurd theory long held,
that the Indians were descended from the ten lost tribes of Israel.
Even the scholarly Governor Walker did not refute this error,
although he possessed the information that would have enabled him
to do so. His list of the Wyandot clans is as follows :
1, Deer ; 2, Bear ; 3, Wolf ; 4, Beaver ; 5, Porcupine ; 6, Snake : 7,
Hawk ; 8, Big Turtle (Mossy Back, or Snapping) ; 9, Dry Land Tur-
tle ; 10, Little Turtle (Water Terrapin).
Finley, as would naturally be expected, enumerates but ten clans.
They are as follows :
1, Bear ; 2, Wolf ; 3, Deer ; 4, Porcupine ; 5, Beaver ; 6, Eagle ; 7,
Snake ; 8, Big Turtle ; 9, Little Turtle ; 10, Land Terrapin, or Turtle.
It will be observed that Finley calls the Hawk clan the Eagle
clan. This was the result of his inaccurate and loose manner of
writing.
Why the correct names of the clans of the Wyandots have not
been recorded is somewhat remarkable, for up to the time of their
departure from Ohio the names could have been obtained without
difficulty. When I commenced a search for the Wyandot names of
these clans I met with many discouragements. I had no difficulty in
getting the desired information concerning the clans in existence, but
when it came to the extinct clans it seemed for a long time as though
no knowledge of them could be had. I went on many a tour of
investigation in this field only to return disappointed. Every old
Wyandot was consulted. Finally, at Mr. SpliUog's suggestion, I went
with him to some old Senecas that lived on the Cowskin River,
and who were married to Wyandot women in Ohio when the tribes
lived there side by side. We were unsuccessful here, but these old
people directed us to another quarter, and assured us that we could
100 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
there obtain the information we sought. It was necessary for me to
return to Kansas city, and I had not time to see the persons referred
to, at that time, but Mr. Splitlog said he would do so and meet me in
Kansas city in a short time, when he would inform me of the result
of his mission. It was a month afterwards when he came into my
office and informed me that he had been entirely successful. I had
carefully instructed him, and he had obtained not only the names of
the extinct clans but the description of the animal for which each of
the twelve clans was named. It was in this matter as in all others
where information is difficult to obtain — after we had solved the pro-
blem we found a number of sources from which the desired information
could have been procured. The most trustworthy of these was George
Wright, who confirmed all that Mr. Splitlog had learned, the only
point of difference being the shortening of some of the names and a
difference in the accent caused by the dropping of syllables. The
following is the list as given by Wright :
1. Big Turtle (Mossy Back). Tehn-gyowh'-wihsh-hih-yooh-wah'-
neh'-r5h-noh. The people of the Big (or Great) Turtle.
2. Little Turtle (Little Water Turtle, sometimes called " Speckled
Turtle "). Tehn-ygh'-roh-noh. The people of the Little Turtle.
3. Mud Turtle. Yah'-nghs-teh'-roh-noh. The people of the Mud
Turtle.
4. Wolf. Tehn-ah'-reh-squah'roh-noh. The people of the Wolf
or the clan that smells a Bone.
5. Bear. Tehn'-yoh-yehnk'-roh-n6h. The people of the Bear, or
the clan of the Claws.
6. Beaver. Tsooh'-tih-hah-teh-zhah'-tooh-tgh'-roh-noh. The peo-
ple of the Beaver, or the clan of the House -Builders.
7. Deer. Tehn-dah'-ah-rah'-roh-noh. The people of the Deer, or
the clan of the Horns.
8. Porcupine. YSh-rSh'-hehseh'-roh-nSh. The people of the Porcu-
pine, or the clan of the Quills.
9. Striped Turtle. Mah-noh-hooh'kah-sheh'-roh-noh. The people
of the Striped Turtle, or the clan that carries the Stripes, (or colors).
10. Highland Turtle, or Prairie Turtle. Yeh' toh-zhooh'-roh-noh.
The people of the Prairie Turtle, or the clan that carries the House.
11. Snake. Tehn-gohnt'-roh-noh. The people of the Snake, or the
clan that carries the Trail. Sometimes called the " Little Clan of the
Horns."
12. Hawk. Tehn'-dgh-soh'-roh-noh. The people of the Hawk, or
the clan of the Wings.
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 101
The following is the list of names of the clans of the Wyandots as
procured for me by Mr. Splitlog :
1. Big Turtle, or Great Turtle. Hah'-tehn-gyowh'-wihsh-hih'-yooh-
wah'-n§h roh-noh. The people of the Big (or Great) Turtle, or the
clan that bears the Earth.
2. Little Turtle (Little Water Turtle, sometimes called " Speckled
Turtle"). Gyowh'-wihsh-huoju '-tehn-ygh'-roh-noh. The people of
the Little Turtle, or the clan that keeps the Heavens.
3. Mud Turtle. Gyowh'-wihsh-yah'-neh's-teh'-roh-noh. The people
of the Mud Turtle, or the clan that digs through the earth.
4. Wolf. Hah'-tehn-ah'-reh-squah'-roh-noh. The people of the
Wolf, or the clan that smells a Bone.
5. Bear. Hah'-tehn'-yoh yehngk'-roh-noh. The people of the
Bear, or the clan of the Claws.
6. Beaver. Yooh-tsooh'-tlh-hah'-teh-zhah'-tooh-teh'-roh-noh. The
people of the Beaver, or the clan of the House-builders.
7. Deer. Hah'-tehn-dah'-ah-roh-noh. The people of the Deer, or
the clan of the Horns.
8. Porcupine. Y66h-rehn'-hgh-sah'-roh-noh. The people of the
Porcupine, or the clan of the Quills.
9. Striped Turtle. Gyowh'-wihsh-yooh-mah'-noh-hooh'-kah-sheh'-
roh-noh. The people of the Striped Turtle, or the clan that carries the
Stripes (or colors).
10. Highland Turtle, or Prairie Turtle. Hah'-tah-squah'-ygh'-toh-
zhooh'-roh-noh. The people of the Prairie Turtle, or the clan that
carries the House. (Members of this tribe were sometimes called
" Shell-shutters " and " House-shutters ").
11. Snake. Hah"-tehn-gohnt/-roh-noh. The people of the Snake,
or the clan that carries the trail. Sometimes called the " Little clan
of the Horns."
12. Hawk. Hah'-tehn'-dgh'-sohn'-roh-noh. The people of the
Hawk, or the elan of the Wings. Sometimes called the " Clan of the
Feathers."
The order in which the clans are recorded in the two foregoing
lists is the order of precedence of the clans of the Wyandots.8i In
their march or migration as a tribe they marched " on the Trail of the
Snake." What this phrase signifies can now be only conjectured. It
may have had reference to the windings of their paths or trails through
the forests, or it may have been the office of the Snake clan to select the
route of the march in advance of their movement and report it for
approval. But I was unable to learn anything definite as to its
meaning.9
102 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
The march was under the immediate direction of the Wolf clan,
and was commanded by the chief of the Wolf clan.10
Their camp was formed " on the shell of the Big Turtle." It com-
menced at the right fore-leg and continued around the shell to the
right to the left fore-leg in the order of precedence, except that the
Wolf clan could be either in the centre of the encampment or at " the
head of the Turtle." The tribe was placed in this order, with the Wolf
clan " at the head of the Turtle," in the Great Yooh'-wah-tah'-yoh, by
Tseh'-sSh-howh'-hoohngk, and marched out in the order of precedence.
In one of the versions of the myth ascribing this retirement to the
Yooh-wah-tah'-yoh, this order of precedence and manner of encamp •
ment are given.
I subjoin here the order, family, genus and species of the animals
used by the Wyandots as totem or clan insignia as they were procured
for me by Mr. Splitlog, and they are undoubtedly, in the main,
correct.12
1. Big turtle. All the turtles were either fresh-water or land
animals. One seems to have been either water or land animal, or both
water and land animals, living in the water or on the land when he
pleased or as his convenience, circumstances, or inclination required.
No reference to the sea was ever made by the Wyandots in describing
any of the turtles or their habits.
The big turtle is called gyowh'-wihsh-hlh'-yooh-wah'-neh' ; order,
Chelonia ; family, Ghelydridce ; genus, Chelydra ; species, Serpentina.
He is often spoken of as the mossy-backed turtle, or the mossy-
backed fellow. It is the common snapping-turtle.13
2. Little turtle. The Little Turtle clan is often called the Speckled
Turtle clan. The term little turtle was used to distinguish the clan
from that of the big turtle after some of the minor clans were extinct,
and the remainder of them given the common designation of " Little
Turtle," and spoken of usually as a single clan. But the true little
turtle clan was as often called speckled turtle as little turtle. This
turtle is usually described as " these little spotted fellows that crawl
up on logs, stones, sticks in large numbers to sun themselves.14 Refer-
ence to this habit is made in the myth of the creation of the sun ; the
cloud contained lakes, ponds, etc.
The little turtle is called by the Wyandots gyowh-wihsh'-yah-neh'-
steh, the turtle that carries his spots. It is also called Keeper of the
Heavens ; and also the Turtle that carries the Fire. Order, Chelonia ;
family, Emydidce ; genus, Chelopus ; species, Guttatus.15
3. Mud turtle. This turtle is the soft-shelled turtle that buries
itself in the mud of lake or river beds. It is spoken of as " the fellow
899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 103
that digs in the ground " (or mud). Order, Chelonia ; family, Tryon-
ychidce ; genus, Amy da ; species, Mutica16
4. Wolf. The wolf is the black timber-wolf found in the forests
of eastern North America. Wyandot name, hah'-nah'-reh'-squah — he
smells (sniffs) a bone ; an allusion to his ravenous nature. Order,
Carnivora ; family, Canidce ; genus, Lupus ; species, Occidentalism
5. Bear. The common black bear. Its Wyandot name is hahn'-
yohn-yShnk. This name is supposed when pronounced by a Wyandot,
or any one else, properly, to be an imitation of the whine of the young
bear. The clan reference is to its strong claws. Order, Carnivora ;
family, Ursidce ; genus, Ursus ; species, Americanus.18
6. Beaver. The Wyandot name is tsooh'-tah-ih, and the clan
reference is to its building houses in places prepared for that purpose —
more properly, perhaps, village-builders. Order, Rodentia ; family,
Casto ; genus, Castor ; species, Fiber.™
7. Deer. The deer common to eastern North American forests.
Wyandot name, skah-n5h'-toh, formerly ough/-sk6oh-noohnek'-t65hngk
and the clan reference is to its horns, indicative of power, ability to
fight, pride. Order, Ungulata ; family, Cervidce ; genus, Cervus ;
species, Virginia nus.*°
8. Porcupine. The porcupine is the eastern species of semi-
arboreal North American porcupine. Its Wyandot name is tseh'-neh-
kah'-ah. The clan reference is to its sharp quills. Order, Rodentia ;
family, Sphingurince ; genus, Erethizon ; species, Dorsatus.*1
9. Striped Turtle. The Wyandot name of this turtle is gyowh'-
wihsh-ooh'-zhooh'-toh. The name does not signify " striped turtle "
but a turtle of a peculiar color, and also one that can travel through
the woods. The literal translation of the name is " the wood turtle of
the peculiar color," or the "strange color"; and it may have been called
" striped turtle " because of its striking color or because of some habit
or circumstance unknown to us. Mr. Splitlog called it the leech turtle.
The clan allusion is to its peculiar color. Order, Chelonia ; family
Emydidce ; genius, Chelopus ; species, Insculptus.22
10. Highland turtle, or prairie turtle. This turtle is always
spoken of as the box turtle, or highland turtle. This is the only land
turtle clan, or highland turtle clan ever in existence among the
Wyandots. The Wyandot name of this turtle is hah'-tah-squah', and
signifies a " house -carrier," and the clan reference is to this name.
Governor Walker calls this the dry land turtle. Order, Chelonia ;
family, Emydidoe ; genus, Emys ; species, Meleagr is.23
11. Snake. The Wyandot name of this mythical Snake is yahn-
goohnt'. He had four legs ! The Snake clan is an offshoot from the
Deer clan. The name, horns, and form of the snake were fixed to
104 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
keep in memory this relationship, for the snake had the horns of the
stag, and the snake clan was sometimes called the " Little Clan of the
Horns." The clan allusion is to the location of the trail of the march
in migrations. Whether it was the office of thev Snake Clan to dis-
cover and point out the trail I cannot say. In the absence of any
direct descendant of this snake the Wyandots reverenced the rattle-
snake as a wise and discreet relative of the mythical ancestor of one
of their largest and most important clans.24
12. Hawk. Like the snake the hawk is largely mythical. It is
spoken of as hawk, eagle, and often simply as the big bird, or chief of
birds. But the condition is not the same as that of the snake, for a
certain kind of bird is designated as the direct descendant of this
ancient bird. Even with Mr. Splitlog's assistance I was not able to
specify this bird beyond question. Cooper's hawk is nearer the des-
cription than any other, and I have little doubt that it is the bird
meant, although I have sometimes thought the Wyandots described
the sparrow hawk. The eggs of the hawk were usually spoken of
and described as being blue and unspotted. The clan allusion is to the
wings of the hawk. Wyandot name, yahn-dSh'-soh ; order, Accipitres ;
family, Falconidce ; genus, Accipiter ; species, Cooperi.25
Some of 'the minor turtle clans were the first of the Wyandot clans
to become extinct. The Prairie Turtle clan became extinct in Ohio,
about the year 1820. An old woman was the last member of this
clan. She died at Upper Sandusky, and George Wright saw her
buried ; he was then a good sized boy. She declared she would be
the last of her clan ; that her clan should be buried with her. If she
had desired to do so she could have perpetuated it by adopting some
members of other clans if they would have consented ; or she might
have adopted white persons.
Just before the removal from Ohio the few members of the Little
Turtle, Mud Turtle, and Striped Turtle clans began to be called by the
general name of Little Turtle, to distinguish them more readily from
the Big Turtle clan which yet contained many members. The Mud
Turtle and Striped Turtle clans did not have any separate existence in
Kansas, although there were a few members of each clan in the tribe ;
they were called Little Turtles.
The Beaver clan became extinct in Kansas. James Washington,
one of the principal men of the tribe, and principal chief more than
once under the elective chieftancy, was the last member of the Beaver
clan. He died in Wyandotte County, Kansas, December 1, 1852.26
The Hawk clan became extinct either immediately before, or
immediately after the migration from Ohio ; some say before — others
say a few of them still lived when they came west.
1899J ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 105
The extinct clans of the Wyandots are: 1, Mud Turtle ; 2, Beaver ;
3, Striped Turtle ; 4, Highland Turtle, or Prairie Turtle ; 5, Hawk.
The existing clans in the Wyandotte nation are as follows : 1, Big
Turtle ; 2, Little Turtle, or Speckled Turtle ; 3, Wolf ; 4, Bear ; 5,
Deer ; 6, Porcupine ; 7, Snake.
The separation or division of the tribes into two or more groups
was common to the Iroquoian people. Each division contains a cer-
tain number of the clans of the tribe, and is called a phratry. Major
Powell enumerates four phratries which he says existed in the Wyan-
dot tribe. They are as follows :
First phratry : 1, Bear ; 2, Deer ; 3, Striped Turtle.
Second phratry: 1, Highland Turtle ; 2, Black Turtle , 3, Smooth
Large Turtle.
Third phratry : 1, Hawk ; 2, Beaver ; 3, Wolf.
Fourth phratry : 1. Sea Snake ; 2, Porcupine.
Major Powell's informant was as much in error in this respect as in
that of the clans.
John W. Gray-Eyes gave the Bureau of Ethnology a list of the
Wyandot clans, and the phratries of the tribe. This list is as follows :
First phratry : 1, Big Turtle ; 2, Small Striped Turtle ; 3, Deer.
Second phratry : 1, Smooth Big Turtle ; 2, Bear ; 3 ; Beaver.
Third phratry: 1, Porcupine; 2, Snake; 3, Hawk; 4, Highland
Turtle.
This is as far from being correct as is the list of Major Powell.
I have the diary or journal kept by Mr. Gray-Eyes for many years.
Here is what he says in it of the phratries : —
" Names taken of the different bands or tribes who are voters of
tribe conventions, the names of the tribes yet in existence in the
Wyandotts are as follows : — 1st. The Porcupine ; 2nd, the Beare ; 3rd,
the Deer ; 4th, the Big Turtle; 5th, the Specie Turtle; 6th, the Snake ;
7th, the Woolf, and the tribes have become extinct are as follows : —
the Hawk, the Beaver and the Highland Turtle, and when in full
there were ten bribes. These tribes are again divided in plattoones in
threes. 1st, the Beare ; 2nd, the Deers ; the 3 Snakes ; and the Big
and Speckle or Small Turtles and the Porcupine forms another plat-
toones, the 1st, Hawk ; 2nd, the Beaver ; 3rd, the Highland Turtle
makes the third divition. The woolf stands an independent tribe, and
holds a Cousin relation with all the different Tribes, and is by all
regarded a General mediator in cases of controversies between any [of]
the tribes.
" And now the present plattoones are as this : —
The 1st, Beare, The Big Turtle,
" 2nd, Deer, " Small Turtle,
" 3rd, Snakes, " Porcupine,
and the Mediator the Woolf makes the 7th in number."
106 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
It will be observed that the "potts," or ''messes," as he has else-
where called the phratries in the first classification, do not correspond
to the " plattoones " of the second classification. His last classification
is correct, and the one now existing in the tribe.
There never at any time existed more than two divisions or phra-
tries in the Wyandot tribe. And the Wolf clan always stood between
the divisions, bearing the relation of cousin to each of them, and
belonged to neither division, but was always the executive power of
the tribe and the mediator or umpire between the divisions and
between the clans.
The ancient divisions of the tribe are as follows : —
First division. 1, Bear; 2, Deer ; 3, Snake ; 4, Hawk.
Second division. 1, Big Turtle ; 2, Little Turtle ; 3, Mud Turtle ;
4, Beaver ; 5, Porcupine ; 6, Striped Turtle ; 7, Highland Turtle, or
Prairie Turtle.
Mediator, executive power, umpire, the Wolf.
This classification is correct beyond the possibility of doubt. In
ancient times marriage was prohibited between the clans of a division.
This law was modified so that the prohibition applied to members of
the same clan only. The ancient law of marriage will be understood
when we consider that the clans belonging to a division bore the
relation of brother to each other. The clans of one division bore the
relation of cousin to the clans of the other division. The law pro-
hibiting marriage between all but the clans of the opposite divisions
of the tribe was abolished before the Methodist missionaries went
amongst them.
WYANDOT GOVERNMENT.
The principles of Wyandot government are well laid down by
Major Powell, although there are some errors of minor importance.
He follows Finley, and Finley was never to be wholly relied upon.26*
The present Wyandot government, in the Indian territory, is based
on the ancient divisions of the tribe. An extract of the constitution
adopted September 23rd, 1874, may be of interest : —
" It shall be the duty of the said Nation to elect their officers on
the second Tuesday in July of each year. That said election shall be
conducted in the following manner. Each tribe, consisting of the
following tribes : — The Big and Little Turtle, Porcupine, Deer, Bear
and Snake shall elect a chief, and then the Big and Little Turtle and
Porcupine tribes shall select one of their three chiefs as a candidate
for Principal Chief. The Deer, Bear and Snake tribes shall also select
one of their three chiefs as a candidate for Principal Chief ; and then
at the general election, to be held on the day above mentioned, the
one receiving the highest number of all the votes cast shall be
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 107
declared the Principal Chief ; the other shall be declared the Second
Chief. The above named tribes shall, on the above named election day,
elect one or more sheriffs.
" The Wolf Tribe shall have the right to elect a Chief, whose duty
shall be that of Mediator ?
" In case of misdemeanor on the part of any Chief, for the first
offence the Council shall send the Mediator to warn the party ; for the
second offence, the party offending shall be liable to removal by the
Mediator, or Wolf and his Clan, from office."
This has always been the position of the Wolf Clan.
, Anciently the office of Principal Chief was in a manner hereditary
in a clan, but if the heir was considered unfit to exercise authority he
was passed over, and a chief selected from the tribal council. In this
event the chief was first nominated by the Chiefs of the Big Turtle,
Bear and Deer clans, though not necessarily from any one of their own
clans, and never from the Bear clan. Thus the last Sahr-stahr-rah'-
tseh of the tribe was of the Deer clan, and was known to the white
men as the Half King ; he died at Detroit in 1788, and was succeeded
by Tarhe of the Porcupine clan. Tarhe was selected because of his
ability. Governor Walker says of the Half King :27
" He inherited his position — good man — a Catholic. After his
death the chieftainship which had previously been confined to his
tribe and family selected Tarhe of the Porcupine tribe on account of
his abilities, good conduct, purity of character and general fidelity, as
head Chief ; and it continued in that clan till the head Chief became
elective."
The inheritance of the sachemship was not changed until after the
defeat of the Indians by Wayne, the Wyandots say.
WYANDOT PROPER NAMES.
All the proper names of the Wyandots were clan names. The unit
of the Wyandot social and political systems was not the family nor the
individual, but the clan. The child belonged to its clan first — to its
parents afterwards. Each clan had its list of proper names, and this
list was its exclusive property which no other clan could appropriate
or use. These were necessarily clan names. They were formed by
rigid rules prescribed by immemorial custom, and no law of the Medes
and Persians was so unchangeable, so rigidly enforced was custom by
the Wyandots. Custom was inflexible — exacting — and could be
modified only by long and persistent effort (and then but by almost
imperceptible degrees), or by national disaster. The customs and
usages governing the formation of clan proper names demanded that
they should be derived from some part, habit, action or some peculiarity
108 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
of the animal from which the clan was descended. Or they might be
derived from some property, law, or peculiarity of the element in which
such animal lived. Thus a proper name was always a distinctive badge
of the clan bestowing it.
When death left unused any of the original clan proper names, the
next child born into the clan, if of the sex to which the temporarily
obsolete name belonged, had this name bestowed upon it. If no child
was born, and a stranger was adopted, such name was given to the
adopted person. This was the unchangeable law, and there was but
one exception to it. When a child was born in connection with some
extraordinary circumstance, or bearing some distinguishing mark, or
when a stranger so marked was adopted, the Council-women of the
clan, who stood at the head of the clan and regulated its internal
affairs, informed themselves of all the facts and devised a name in
which they were embodied. This name was made to conform to the
ancient law governing clan proper names, if possible ; but sometimes
this could not be done. These special names died with their owners.
The parents were not permitted to name the child. The clan
bestowed the name. Names were given but once a year, and always
at the ancient anniversary of the Green Corn Feast. Anciently,
formal adoptions could be made at no other time, and until within the
last forty years, names could be given at no other time. The name
was bestowed by the clan chief. The clan chief was a civil officer of
both his clan and the tribe, and he was a member of the tribal council.
He was selected by the council-women of his clan. At an appointed
time in the ceremonies of the Green Corn Feast, each clan chief took
an assigned position, and parents of his clan having children to be
named filed before him in the order of the ages of the children to be
named. The council- women stood by the clan chief, and announced to
him the name of each child presented. The chief then bestowed the
name upon the child. This he could do by simply announcing the
name to the parents, or by taking the child in his arms and addressing
it by the name.
The formal adoption of a stranger might be accomplished in the
simple ceremonial of being presented at this time to the clan chief by
one of the sheriffs, (as we might call them, and as they are now called
by the Wyandots.) He must have been previously adopted into some
family of the clan. The clan chief bestowed a name upon him (one
that had been previously prepared by the council-women), welcomed
him in a few well chosen words, and the ceremony was complete. Or
the adoption might be performed with as much display, ceremony and
pomp as the tribal council might, from any cause, decree. The
tribal council generally controlled the matter of adoptions, although
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 109
it never opposed the adoption of a person determined upon by any
tribe. It could not prevent the adoption by any clan of any one if the
clan chose to assert its rights. But there was rarely any disagreement
upon this matter between the tribe and the clan.
A man (and perhaps a woman) might have two names, sometimes
more. He was not prohibited from assuming an additional name.
The tribal council might order a special name to be bestowed upon
him for distinguished services to the nation. But these were only
incidental names and he might be called by them or not, as his fellows
chose. His clan name was his true name, and while he might have
others, he could not repudiate it nor cast it aside. Whatever he was
to his tribe, or to others, he was to his clan only what his clan name
indicated, and was almost always so called. Any additional names he
might possess died with him ; they were never perpetuated.
This manner of naming was advantageous. A man disclosed his
clan in telling his name. The clan was his mother ; he was the child
of the clan ; his name was his clan badge and always a sure means of
identification.
"When first visited by white men the Wyandots had a well-developed
and well-defined system of mythology. This is shown by their clan-
proper names. All the clan animals had their mythical traits,
attributes and actions imbedded in clan-proper names. The most
tenacious and unchanging words in the Wyandot language are the
names of persons, peoples and places.
It is now almost impossible to obtain many name-meanings. • The
Wyandots themselves do not remember them, so far away from their
ancient language and customs have they gone. I have been able to
preserve a few of the ancient Wyandot clan-proper names and their
meanings. I give them below.
1. Deer Clan. Hahng'-gah-zhooh'-tah. When the deer runs his
tail is up.
2. Deer Clan. Shah'-rahn-tah. The young buck drops his spots,
i. e., the fawn changing color.
3. Deer Clan. Deh'-h6hn-yahn'-teh. The rainbow. 29
4. Deer Clan. Hahr'-zhah-tooh11*11- He marks, i. e., the big buck
comes to the mark to meet all comers of his kind of whatever number
or size. s<
5. Porcupine Clan. Dah'-rah-hoohngk- He throws up his quills
or the porcupine in the act of throwing up his quills for battle when
angry.
6. Deer Clan. Tooh-kwah'-nah-yooh'-teh. She speaks fair, or her
words are beautiful, or her words float like clouds.
7. Snake Clan Sehts-ah'-mah. Holding a flower.
110 ARC BIOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
8. Deer Clan. Tooh-nSh's.' A pond : a deer-lick.
9. Deer Clan. Kahn'-dah owhngk- The old doe.
10. Bear Clan. Shah'-tah-hooh-rohn'-teh. Half the sky.
11. Porcupine Clan. 1st. name: Ohn-dooh'-tooh. The meaning
of this name is lost. 2nd. name : Stih-yeh'-stah. Carrying bark, i. e.,
as the porcupine carries it in his pocket-like jaws from the top of the
hemlock, where he has been feeding.
12. Clan unknown. Yan-nyah'-m6h-d§h'. Meaning of the name
unknown. He was the last full blood Wyandot, and died in Canada
about 1820. So say the old Wyandots.
13. Big Turtle Clan. ' A negro. Was captured in Greenbrier
county, (now) West Virginia. Bought by Adam Brown, Chief of the
Wyandots, and was adopted. Named Sooh'-quehn-tah'-rah-reh. Means
the act of the Big Turtle in sticking out his head when it is drawn
into his shell. A good translation would be " He sticks out his head."
See Finley's " Wyandot Mission " for information about him. For the
peculiar manner of his interpreting John Stewart's sermons see
" Grandmother's Recollections " in Western Christian Advocate about
1897. The Wyandots confirm what is there said.
14. Famous Wyandot preacher at the Wyandot mission, and one
of the first converts to Methodism. See Finley. His name should
have been written Mah-noohn'-kyooh. Big Turtle Clan. Meaning
of name lost.
15. Porcupine Clan. Neh-nyeh'-eh-seh. Meaning of name lost.
A tall woman. Davis-Mohawk.
16. Porcupine Clan. Skah'-mehn d(ih'-teh. Meaning of the name is
lost. She married George Armstrong and is said to have been a term-
agant.
17. See Finley's "Wyandot Mission" for information about him. He
was a famous native preacher, and a man of strong character. Sah-
yooh-tooh'-zhah'. Clan and meaning of name lost.
18. Wolf Clan. Hah-sheh'-trah. The foot- print of the wolf.
19. Little Turtle Clan. Dah'-teh-zhooh'-owhngk- Meaning of name
lost.
20. Deer Clan. Mghn'-dih-deh'-tih. Means the echo ; the wonder-
ful talker ; what she says goes a long way and then comes back again.
21. Porcupine clan. Reh'-hooh-zhah.12 Means the porcupine pull-
ing down the branches and nipping off the buds and bark.
23. Deer Clan. Nehn'-gah-nyohs. It describes the act of a deer
throwing up its hair when angry.
23. Bear Clan. TSh-hooh'-kah-quah-shrooh. Means " Bear with
four eyes." So called because he wore spectacles when he was adopted.
24. Snake Clan. Nyoohn-dooh'-tohs. Meaning of name lost.
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. Ill
25. Snake Clan. Squah'-skah— roh. She moves quickly ; or she
moves suddenly ; or she turns unexpectedly.
26. Snake Clan. Teh-hooh'-mah-yehs'. Means " you cannot see
him ; or invisible."
27. Clan unknown. MSh'-rooh-tohn'-quah. Meaning lost.
28. Snake Clan. Dah'-ny66hn-dehk/. Meaning lost.
29. Clan unknown. Name, Kah-weh'-tseh. Meaning unknown to
me.
30. Clan unknown to me. Name, Zhah'-hah-rehs. Meaning un-
known to me. Formerly Mary Peacock ; married Peter Bearskin.
31. Clan unknown to me. Name, Yooh-mtih'-reh-hooh'. Meaning
unknown to me.
32. Snake Clan. Name, Yah'-ah-tah'-seh. Means, " A new body."
Said of the snake when she slips off her old skin, as snakes do once a
year. Her second name is Ooh-dah'-tohn'-teh. Means " She has left
her village." One of the first (if not the very first) names for women
in the list belonging to the Snake Clan. See note 24.
33. Clan unknown to me. Name, Dih-e"h-shehnk. Meaning un-
known to me.
34. Clan unknown to me. Name, Meh'-nooh-n6h'-tah. Meaning
unknown to me.
35.. Big Turtle Clan. Teh-shohnt'. Strawberry, or the turtle's eye.
The Big Turtle has a strawberry-colored eye.
36. Big Turtle Clan. Kyooh-deh'-meh. Meaning of this name
is lost.
37. Snake Clan. Tsoohn'-dehn-dehk/. Means " We clothe the
stranger," or literally, " The Snake receives and clothes the stranger."
She was a Pennsylvanian, and a teacher at the Wyandot mission.
Married Francis Driver ; after his death sjie married Francis A. Hicks;
came to Kansas with the Wyandots in 1843. Buried in Huron Place
cemetery.
38. Big Turtle Clan. Husband of the above mentioned. Teh'-hah-
rohn'-yooh-rgh'. Means " Splitting the sky," i. e., the Big Turtle is
rushing across the sky, dividing it with his course.
39. Clan unknown. Tooh'-noh-shah'-te'h. Meaning lost.
40. Big Turtle Clan. Through his mother he was descended from
the famous Madame Montour. Born near Detroit, in Wayne county,
Michigan, March 5, 1800 ; came to Kansas in 1843. He was a man of
education, refinement, and great force of character. Less than one-
fourth Indian. In 1853 (July 26th) was elected provisional governor
of Nebraska Territory. Had two names. First, Sehs'-tah-r<~>h (more
properly Tsehs'-tah-roh). Means " Bright," or " The Turtle's eye as it
j
112 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
shines in the water." Second name, Hah-shah'-rehs. Means " Over-a
full," and refers to a stream at flood, or overflowing its banks.
41. Porcupine Clan. Daughter of Silas Armstrong, sr. Name,
Yooh'-reh-zheh'-nohs. Means " The wind blows it over." Refers to
the wind blowing up the long 'hair of the porcupine.
42. Porcupine Clan. Sister of above mentioned. Name, Mehn'-
tsShn-noh. Meaning lost.
43. Porcupine Clan. Daughter of Mrs. Morris. Name, Kah'-yooh-
dihs'ah-wah'.2 Meaning lost.
44. Founder of the Wyandot mission at Upper Sandusky, Ohio.
Adopted into the Bear Clan. Name, Reh'-wah-wih'-ih. Means, " Has
hold of the law." In his books, Finley does not write his name pro-
perly. He had a nickname : Hah-gyeh'-reh-wah'-neh. Means, " Big
neck," because, the Wyandots say, he had the neck of a bull.
45. Adopted into the Little Turtle Clan. Name, Yah'-rah-quehs'.
Meaning lost.
46. Big Turtle Clan. Brother of Governor William Walker.
Name, Rah'-hahn-tah'-sgh. Means " Twisting the forest," i. e., as the
wind moves, waves, and twists the willows along the banks of the
stream in which the turtle lives.
47. Big Turtle Clan. Name, Towh-hghn'-shreh. Means, "The
Turtle sees the light," i. e., when he floats up to the surface of the
water.
48. Big Turtle clan. Name, Nyeh'-meh-ah. Means " Accom-
plisher." Refers to the work of the Big Turtle in the creation. Their
marriage was in violation of clan law of the Wyandots.
49. Big Turtle Clan. Toh-rohng gygh'. Meaning lost.
50. Big Turtle Clan. Tsoohn'-deh-shrah'-ten. Meaning is lost.
51. Little Turtle Clan. Treh'-hghn-toh. Means, "Tree shaking,"
i.e., by the current, or flow of water against it.
52. Little Turtle Clan. Wah-trohn'-yoh-noh'-ngh. " She takes
care of the sky," or " Keeper of the heavens."
53. Porcupine Clan. Gweh-rih'-rooh. " Tree climber."
54. Little Turtle Clan. Heh'n'-toh. The meaning is lost.
55. Married into the tribe and given a little Turtle name.
Qughn'-deh-sahk/-teh. Means, vibrating voice, or a voice which goes
up and down. The voice intended to be described is the voice of the
Little Turtle heard un summer nights. This is very nearly the same
as one of the Big Turtle names, which is sometimes written as here
spelled, but it has a different meaning in that clan.
56. Bear Clan. Teh'-owhngk/. Swimming (female) Bear.
57. Bear Clan. Mah'-shehn-dah'-rooh. Meaning is lost.
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 113
58. Bear Clan. Teh'-ah-rohn'-tooh'-ygh. This is the famous
name in the Bear Clan. It means, between the logs.
59. Big Turtle Clan. MShn-sahk'-teh. The meaning is unknown
to me.
60. Deer Clan. Yah-rohn'-yah-ah-wih'. The Deer goes in the
sky and everywhere.
61. Deer Clan. Shrlh'-ah-wahs. " Cannot find deer when he
goes hunting."
62. Deer Clan. Nahn-dooh'-zhoh. An old deer.
63. Deer Clan. Tgh'-skook-heh1*'. At (or in) the deer-lick.
64. Wolf Clan. Tooh'-ah. It means " There," i.e., at the Wolfs
house, or the Wolf's position in the tribal camp.
65. Big Turtle Clan. Quihn'-deh-sah'-tgh. " Two lives," or " he
lives in the water and in the air," or " in living he goes up and down."
This name is written and pronounced a little differently in the Little
Turtle Clan, and has a different meaning.
66. Deer Clan. Mah'-ygh-tgh'-hah't. "Stand in the water."
Refers to the habit of the deer, which stands in the water in summer
to get rid of the annoyance of flies.
67. Wolf Clan. A famous Wyandot Chief. See treaties made
with the Wyandots while they were in Ohio. He is said to have been
a poor Cherokee. Name, Hah-rohn'-yooh. The meaning is lost. His
wife was adopted into the Wolf Clan. Name, Yahn'-y6oh-mghn'-tah.
The meaning is lost. Their marriage was permitted because they were
both " strangers" — of foreign blood.
68. Big Turtle Clan. Brother of Governor Walker. Name, Wah'-
wahs. It means, Lost Place. The name was given from the following
circumstance : His mother was a woman of great influence with all the
tribes of the north-western confederacy ; she spoke the languages of
most of them. It was often necessary for her to attend their councils.
She was sent for to attend one of these on one dark night. Her period
of maternity was fulfilled. She was expecting confinement, and ob-
jected ; but the business of state could not wait on the business of
nature, and she was put into a wagon, and the journey for the council
commenced. In the intense darkness the team left the path and soon
was lost in the woods. The result was as she had feared. She was
seized with travail, and soon a son was born to her. To commemorate
the circumstances under which he was born he was given this name of
Wah'-wahs — Lost Place.
NOTE "A."
The whole of the Wyandot sociology rested on the clan system
This system had its advantages and its faults. Its 'principal ad van -
8 A
114 , ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. L1*
tage was in its binding the tribe together with a bond of blood. In
the Five Nations it was the feature of real strength.
The clan system was responsible for much of the fierce warfare
made by one tribe upon another. It was a religious duty to keep the
clan full, i. e., every name in the clan list of proper names. No name
was allowed in ancient times to become wholly obsolete. The animal
from which the clan claimed descent was always angry when these
names were not in use, for they were not in his honor ' To suffer a
clan to become extinct was a reproach to the nation or tribe. It was
followed by dire calamity. This both the old Wyandots and Senecas
have often told me. War was often undertaken to replenish the
depleted ranks of a decaying clan. White men were eagerly adopted >
and to such an extent had this practice been carried by the Wyandots
that after the year 1820 there was not a full- blood Wyandot alive.
Few women and girls were slain in battle or tortured as prisoners even
in ancient times. They were adopted into the different clans of the
tribe
The Wyandots claim that as late as 1800 at least, the Wyandots
and Cherokees made war upon each other for the sole purpose of
obtaining women and children for adoption.
NOTES ON THE CLAN SYSTEM OF THE WYANDQTS.
1. George Wright said the same, almost precisely the same, to me
upon this matter. There can be no higher authority than was Wright.
Many years after the Wyandots had told me this I saw some of these
ideas much better expressed in an article by Major Powell, but I do
not now remember where it was published.
2. The first place is conceded to the Big Turtle by all the Wyandots.
There is no precedence and encampment is the form of the shell of the
Big Turtle. And he made the Earth (the Great Island).
The Little Turtle Clan is, undoubtedly, the second in antiquity, of
the clans of the Wyandots. She spread the Earth brought up by the
Toad upon the shell of the Big Turtle to make the Great Island. She
is the Keeper of the Heavens, and created the sun, moon, and many
of the stars. She controls the element, fire ; and the lightning is also
subject to her. She rides in the clouds provided by the Thunder God.
That the Mud Turtle is subordinate only to the Big and Little
Turtles in point of importance and antiquity has always been main-
tained by the Wyandots. She dug the hole through the Great Island
for the use of the sun. She also made the land for the use of the
Little People and for the future home of the Wyandots, while engaged
in this work. She is the ruler of that land to which the Wyandots
go after death, and where the Little People now preserve the ancient
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 115
government of the Wyandots for the use of the tribe as it gathers
there from death in this world. The Mud Turtle did not go into the
sky with the other animals, but to this land of the Little People in 'the
bowels of the Great Island. She may be found there now. No great
creative power or important part in the creation was accorded or
ascribed to any but the Turtles.
It has been claimed that the Delawares were at one time a Turtle
people. The Wyandots say that the Delawares came with them from
the far north, and lived below them on the St. Lawrence river before
the war with the Senecas broke out. These tribes were always par-
ticularly friendly, and the Delawares called the Wyandots their uncles.
It is possible that the Delawares copied the customs of their superiors.
3. This conclusion was reached after many years of patient inves-
tigation. I cannot say that it is correct beyond doubt, but I could
arrive at no other conclusion.
4. This was the opinion of George Wright. He said that Prairie
Turtle clan names were often used by the Mud Turtle Clan after the
Prairie Turtle clan became extinct, but they were used by no other
clan. He also recited tradition in support of this position.
5. I have this from Mr. Splitlog, and also from Mr. Wright. Their
authority was the finding of Striped Turtle clan names in use in the Big
Turtle clan after the Striped Turtle clan was extinct ; also Wyandot
tradition. Among the old generation of Wyandots that came from
Ohio to Kansas the ancient traditions of the people were well preserved
in the form of songs. The children of that generation remember none
of the old pagan songs, but their import only. Few are now left that
remember even so much.
6. The Wyandot tradition preserving this event is still well remem-
bered by the old Wyandots in the Indian territory. They have often
repeated it to me. Smith Nichols recites the best version.
7. John W. Gray-Eyes gave me this word. I do not regard it as
the best word for this use.
8. This word was given me by Smith Nichols. I regard it as the
better word. But I have often believed I found traces of two lan-
guages in the Wyandot tongue. These words mean practically the
same thing, but are nothing alike. And when questioned upon this
point the old Wyandots say there was an old Wyandot language, or
a sacred language in which much of their lore lay wrapped, and that
but few of them could ever understand all of this old tongue. For-
merlv the " Keepers of the True Traditions " were the custodians of it,
and taught it to their successors. Mr. Wright told me that the lore
of the Senecas was formerly preserved in this same ancient tongue
used by the Wyandots, to a certain extent, and he believed the same
116 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
was true of the Cayugas. If he was correct in this (and I do not
doubt it to a certain extent) it may be that all the tribes of the Iro-
quoian family preserved their sacred traditions, songs and myths in a
dead tongue, which had formerly been the common language of the
family before its separation into distinct tribes and the creation of
distinct dialects.
I give here two other words, much the same as the second one,
either of which may mean clan or clans. 1. Hooh-teh'-tah-rihng' (the
last syllable may be pronounced ra/tng, also). 2. Hooh'-teh-rlh'-nyah-
shroon-nuh.gk
8|. Powell says, in his " Wyandot Government," that " the camp of
the tribe is an open circle or horse-shoe, and the gentes camp in the
following order, beginning on the left and going around to the right :
" Deer, Bear, Highland Turtle (striped), Highland Turtle (black),
Mud Turtle, Smooth Large Turtle, Hawk, Beaver, Wolf, Sea Snake,
Porcupine.
" The order in which the households camp in the gentile group is
regulated by the gentile councilors and adjusted from time to time in
such a manner that the oldest family is placed on the left and the
youngest on the right."
This is an error. The order of precedence and encampment is
given accurately in my lists. What he says about " beginning on the
left and going around to the right " may or may not be correct. If
one were standing with face to the encampment it is true ; if looking
away from the encampment then it is incorrect.
The Deer was the principal clan of the tribe, but this was evi-
dently true only in later times, and perhaps within the time when
white men have known something of the Wyandots. In ancient times
the Deer Clan must have been inferior to a number of clans, as evi-
denced by its place in the order of precedence and encampment.
9. George Wright gave me this information. That this is the fact
he was positive, but as to the meaning of the term " on the trail of the
snake " he could give me nothing.
10. I obtained this from Mr. Wright, and have had it confirmed by
other old Wyandots.
11. My authority for this paragraph is Wright.
12. Mr. Wright did not agree entirely with these identifications.
13. There can be no question as to the accuracy of this identifica-
tion. All the Wyandots with whom I consulted were agreed upon it.
The term " Mossy-backed fellow " was given to me by Mr. Wright.
14. That is Mr. Wright's expression.
15. There can be no doubt of the correctness of this identification.
I never heard any other so much as suggested in all my investigations
of the matter.
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 117
16. This is Mr. Splitlog's description and identification. Mr.
Wright questioned it and believed it incorrect. He said it was a
turtle with a hard shell and not so large as the turtle here described.
He said he never saw any of this species except in Canada, and very
few of them there. I have not succeeded in identifying and classify-
ing the turtle he described. I am inclined to believe Wright correct,
and that this is a Canadian turtle, little known to the later genera-
tions of Wyandots.
17. Wright questioned this identification, but I have failed to identify
the wolf he described — a yellow wolf, and of double the size of the
ordinary wolf, often even larger. They were rare in the Canadian
woods even in his day, he said. He described the track of this wolf
as being as large as that of a pony, and he declared that he had seen
the heads of these wolves that would measure twelve inches from the
end of the nose to the top of the skull. He affirmed that his name
signified the foot-print of the wolf he described to me. While I can-
not confirm his statement, I do not doubt it. He said also that the
Wolf Clan of the Delawares was descended from this same wolf which
he described.
18. All accounts agree that this is correct.
19. There can be no question as to the accuracy of this identifica-
tion. The Beaver Clan became extinct in Kansas, although there yet
live in the Indian territory some persons descended from males of this
clan.
20. If any other species of this family was ever the animal claimed
by the Wyandots as the ancestor of this clan, it was so far back in the
past that all remembrance of it is obliterated from the Wyandot mind.
There can scarcely be a doubt as to the accuracy of this identification.
21. No dispute as to the correctness of this identification.
22. All the accounts I was able to obtain concerning this turtle
agree as to its identity. But for all that I have sometimes believed
the identification incorrect. Mr. Splitlog was very positive in his
belief in the accuracy of this identification, and Wright agreed with
him, I had before believed it was an exclusively water turtle.
23. I believe there can be no doubt of the correctness of this identifi-
cation. Wright produced the shell of one of those box turtles when
describing the animal. It was the ordinary land terrapin which I
had seen so often in Eastern Kentucky. They are found in great
numbers in the present home of the Wyandots.
24. The myth in brief is as follows :
A young lady was selected to become the mother of the new clan.
She was sent into the woods to receive the address of all the animals
and to choose one for a husband ; their offspring was to form the new
118 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
clan which was to be named for the animal so chosen. She made no
choice, but the snake, by assuming the form of a fair young man,
seduced her from her mission. She was his wife ; but he could not
retain the form of the young man long, and when he assumed his true
form of the snake, she fled from him and crossed a great water with
the assistance of a man she "found on its shore with a canoe. The
snake was very wroth when he found she had fled and he pursued
her, calling to her to return. She did not heed his cries, and he
raised a great storm on the water to engulf her. But Heh'noh, the
thunder-god, came to her rescue, and slew the snake with a bolt of
lightning.
The woman was delivered of a number of snakes, and these were
the progenitors of the Snake clan.
The act of the woman in leaving her husband's lodge is called
Ooh-dah-t5hn'-teh. It is perhaps the first name for woman in the list
belonging to the Snake clan. It means " she has left her village."
The act of the snake in calling to his fleeing wife is called Kah-yooh'-
mghn-dah'-tah. It is the first name in the list for men belonging to
the Snake clan. It means " calling to one your voice cannot reach,"
or " calling to one your voice does not influence."
25. The myth of the origin of the Hawk clan is, in brief, as
follows :
A young woman was wandering about in a prairie one day when the
sky was suddenly overcast. On looking up she saw the king of birds
coming down upon her. She fled into a wood and crept into a log, but
the big bird seized the log and carried it up to the top of a crag far
above the clouds where he had his home. When he was gone the
young woman came out of the log and found a nest, and in it two
young birds, each larger than an elk. She learned that the big bird
had slain his wife in a fury and thrown her down from the crag-top.
The big bird assumed the form of a young man and the girl was his
wife, but she wished very much to escape. She finally thought she
might escape by the aid of one of the young birds. She fed the larger
one well and he grew rapidly ; soon he could fly away a little distance
and back again. One day when the big bird was gone she led the
young bird to the edge of the precipice ; here she suddenly sprang on
his back, and the force of her action carried him over the precipice.
They tumbled along for a while but finally the young bird spread his
wings, caught himself in the' air, and flew The girl had prepared a
small stick and when he did not go down in his flight she tapped him
on the head ; then he went down. Soon the girl heard the big bird
coming in pursuit, and his trumpetings were of thunder. She tapped
the young bird constantly and he soon came to the ground. The girl
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 119
jumped from his back and pulled the long feathers from his wings,
then fled into a wood and hid in the rocks. The big bird came to the
ground and flapped his wings; the result was a hurricane which
levelled the forest. He searched for the girl but could not find her.
He took his disabled son in his talons and went back to his crag. The
girl came from her hiding place and gathered up the long feathers she
had plucked from the young bird's wings, and went home. When her
time was full she was delivered of a number of hawks. They were
each given a feather of those from the wings of the young bird. They
became the progenitors of the Hawk clan of the Wyandots.
26. He was the last of the pagan chiefs of the Wyandots. But he
became a true and humble Christian at an early age and so continued
until his death.
27. Sahr'-stahr-rah'-tseh was an official title, and the highest
originated and conferred by the Wyandots. It is believed that they
conferred this title only upon the head chief who gave repeated
evidences of bravery and high executive ability. Many chiefs could
never attain this high rank, as the Wyandots were very jealous of its
bestowal.
This title was conferred upon the writer at a feast ordered and
Tield for that purpose in the Indian territory, March 22nd, 1899.
28. Upon this subject my best authority was George Wright.
Not that the information which I received from others was inaccurate
or unreliable, but that Mr. Wright was so much better informed upon
all subjects of this character.
29. This name was given me some years ago when I was first con-
sidered by the Wyandots as one of their number. On the 22nd day
of March, 1899, I was formally adopted into the Deer Clan of the
Wyandot tribe (having been previously adopted into a family of that
clan) and "raised up" to fill the rank of Sahr'-stahr-rah'-tseh, which
had been vacant since the death of Dah-66hng'-quaht, or the Half
King, at Detroit in July, 1788. The clan name of the Half King was
Tooh-dah'-reh-zhooh', and that name was given me as my clan name.
It means: The great Deer; or the Deer that leads; or the Deer that
stands above his fellows.
Dah-66hng-quaht is a special Deer Clan name bestowed upon the
Half King by the tribal council. It is said to mean " Long Bark "
30. His mother was a Wyandot- Seneca of the Tsah-d8h'-shrah-
nyoh'-kah or Snipe Clan, and according to a strict construction of In-
dian kinship he would be a Seneca of that clan. But he is a Wyandot,
the son of Matthew Brown, and the great-grandson of chief Adam
Brown, who founded Brownstown.
120 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
Powell, in his " Wyandofc Government," says that the tribal coun-
cil was composed of one-fifth men and four-fifths women. The Wyan-
dots deny that this was ever true. I doubt its accuracy. All that I
have been able to learn on this subject leads me to believe that the
tribal council was composed of the hereditary chief of the tribe, the
chief of each clan, and such additional warriors of ability and courage
as the hereditary chief and council chose to " call to the council-fire."
Women were not excluded from the deliberations of the council in
certain contingencies, and were often called upon to give an opinion.
The oldest Wyandots say that women were never recognized as mem-
bers of the tribal council. This is the more probable, as the tribal
council possessed only delegated and limited authority. The govern-
ment of che Wyandots, in its functions, was a pure democracy. Ques-
tions affecting the interests ef the whole tribe were determined by it
in general convention, and men and women alike were heard, and
voted, the majority ruling.
In the tribal council the vote was anciently by clans, the heredi-
tary chief calling upon them in the order of precedence and encamp-
ment, the " calling of the clans " being the word " Oh-heh' " and the
response of the clan chief being H-e-e-eh'-zook, if voting in the affirma-
tive. If assent of the clan was not given the clan chief remained
silent, and no " voice " was heard. In ordinary matters if the " voice "
of a majority of the clan chiefs was heard the proposition was carried^
but in matters of great moment unanimity was necessary. The num-
ber of " voices " heard was reported to the head chief by the WolfV
i.e., the clan chief of the Wolf Clan, and by the head chief announced
to the council. In arriving at his decision the clan chief consulted the
warriors of his clan that were members of the tribunal council. He
might consult other members of his clan. A. question was rarely voted
upon until at least one day had elapsed after its proposal. The tribal
council did not necessarily consist of any certain number of persons.
In voting in the general convention of tribes the account was kept
with grains of corn, white being affirmative and red or blue negative.
The vote was " taken " by. the Wolf, who gathered them in two bark
receptacles. . They were counted by the tribal council and the result
was announced to the convention by the Wolf. George Wright in-
formed me that he had attended general conventions of the tribe in
Ohio where the vote was thus taken.
Concerning the head chief, or hereditary chief, Powell says that he
was formerly of the Bear Clan. If this be true, it was so far in the
past that none of the Wyandots that left Ohio for the west remem-
bered it ; no tradition that this was ever true remained in the tribe,
none remains to-day. The Bear Clan was always a turbulent, re-
ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 121
fractory and troublesome clan. It was often disciplined by the tribe,
so I was informed by Wright and other old Wyandots. While it had
individual members held in esteem in the tribe and noted for courao-e
O
and intelligence, as a clan it was to a certain degree degraded and held
in contempt. The office of head chief was hereditary in the Deer Clan
back to the time of the remotest remembrance, until after the battle
witli Wayne, where the chiefs of that clan were all killed, with a sin-
gle exception, they say. Then the tribal council changed it to the Por-
cupine Clan at the instance of Tarhe of that clan, who had exercised
the supreme authority since the death of the Half King in 1788. This
change was opposed by the Deer Clan, and many of the tribe con-
sidered it an illegal and unwarranted proceeding. Only the great
ability of Tarhe, which was recognized by the whole tribe, caused the
action appointing him head chief to be acquiesced in. Many of the
Wyandots regard the Deer Clan hereditary chief the true sachem of
the tribe to this day. In this succession, Smith Nichols, living at the
present time in the Seneca Nation, and married to r Seneca woman, is
the hereditary chief of the Wyandots.
While the sachem was, in a manner, chosen by the tribal council,
the choosing was more in the manner of a " raising " than a real selec-
tion of a person to fill the office. The council was restricted to the
clan and family in this choosing, and unless some good reason could be
shown the chief by heredity was never passed over.
THE DOOH'-SEH-AH'-NEH, OR THE ORIGIN OF THE EL'-LEN-NA'-PA,
(DELAWARES.)
(According to Wyandot Tradition.)
The Wyandot calls the Delaware his nephew and the Delaware
calls the Wyandot his uncle. The Wyandot had as a tribe no other
nephew than the Delaware, and the Delaware had no other uncle than
the Wyandot How this relationship came to be recognized can per-
haps never be ascertained. The Wyandot name for the Delaware does
not explain it, and has no reference to it in its interpretation. This
name is dooh'-seh-ah'-nSh, while the Wyandot word for nephew is
hSh-wah'-tah.
The terms were evidently the result or incident of some treaty
between the tribes, and probably of considerable antiquity, although
the absence of any reference to this relationship in the Wyandot name
of the Delawares would seem to indicate that it was of modern origin.
The Wyandots have the following myths (possibly legends) upon this
subject. As they relate also to the origin of wampum it may finally
be determined that the relationship is of long standing. In relating
122 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
the story the Wyandots always commenced — " Long before the Wyan-
dots came to the country where Quebec and Montreal now stand."
The myths are as follows :
" It came about in this way. The young woman who was to
become the mother of the future head chief of the Wyandots belonged
to the Big Turtle clan. She was comely and well favored, She was
headstrong and rebellious. Her father selected from a proper clan a
young man to become her husband. In this selection reference was
had to the wishes of the young woman, for it was the custom to select
an older man for a girl of her age. More from the perversity of her
disposition than from her real feeling she scorned and refused the man
she had caused to be selected. She went away with another Wyandot
and lived in his lodge.
This action of the young woman enraged her family and her clan
as well as the tribe. Her clan sought to slay her. She and her
husband were compelled to flee far away from their tribe to escape
death. The office of head chief was taken from the Big Turtle clan
and made hereditary in the Deer clan.
The young woman and her husband lived in a strange land. They
had many sons and daughters. These married the people of the land
in which they were born. In the course of time the descendants of
this Wyandot girl and her husband formed a great people. In their
migrations they encamped near the land of the Wyandots. The
Wyandots had no recognition for them but did not make war upon
them."
THE WAMPUM BIRD.
The villages of the Wyandots stood about a beautiful lake. One
day a maiden went from the village to a marsh to get some cranberries.
When she came to the marsh where the cranberries were growing she
saw a great bird, half a tree tall, fierce and of frightful mien. This
bird was feeding upon the cranberries of the marsh, and seemed incap-
able of rising to fly away.
The maiden was greatly frightened at what she believed to be a
hooh'-keh' bird. She ran to the village and told the chief about the
strange bird she had seen in the cranberry marsh. The Wolf sounded
the great shell and the council was immediately assembled. Fear was
in all the village.
The council caused medicine to be made. It was found that this
fierce bird in the marsh where the cranberries grew was the wampum
bird, the first of its kind ever seen in this lower world. It was deter-
mined that the bird must be killed and the wampum obtained.
All the warriors went with the chief to slay the wampum bird.
It was devouring the cranberries. So fierce and desperate was it that
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 123
the warriors could not approach it with their clubs. The chief said to
the warriors : " He that kills the wampum bird with an arrow shall
have my daughter to wife."
The maiden, the chief's daughter, was much desired by the warriors.
They shot their arrows at the wampum bird. When an arrow struck
the wampum bird it stood up its full height and shook off all the
wampum with which it was covered. This precious substance fell in
showers like rain all about the warriors. In an instant the bird was
again covered with wampum which was its only plumage. The purple
wampum covered its wings ; on the remainder of its body was the
white wampum.
No arrow shoj by the warriors could kill the wampum bird.
While they were shooting, a youth came through the woods to where
they stood. He was of a strange people. The warriors wished to kill
-and scalp him. The chief permitted him to shoot at the wampum
bird. He cut a slender willow from the marsh. From this he fashioned
an arrow which he shot. None of the warriors saw the arrow leave
the bow of the young man, nor did they see it strike, but the wampum
bird was dead in an instant. The arrow was found piercing its head
through the eyes. The Wyandots secured more wampum than could
be placed in the largest lodge in their village.
The warriors carried the youth to their village. They still wished
to kill and scalp him, for they had not been able to kill the wampum
bird. The chief said to the young man : " My son, tell me from whence
you came." He replied that he was a Delaware. He said his people
lived in a village which was not far away.
The council sent the young man to bring his people to a great
council which it appointed. At this great council the Wyandots
recognized the Delawares as their nephews. A treaty was made which
has not been broken to this day. The young man was given to the
Wyandots and by them adopted. He was given the wife he earned
by killing the wampum bird.
This treaty was confirmed between the parties to it by giving back
and forth strings of the wampum secured from the wampum bird slain
by the young man. Since that day no treaty has been concluded by
the Wyandots without the passing of the wampum belt.
The Wyandots and their nephews, the Delawares, lived side by
side a long time. Then they came from the north land to live on the
banks of the St. Lawrence.
124 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
THE WAR OF THE IROQUOIS.*
BY M. BENJAMIN SULTE.
Before entering upon an account of the conflicts which the colony
of Canada had to encounter during the 17th century against the Iro-
quois we must first learn something about the many peoples who, at
that epoch, were the hereditary possessors of the greater half of the
continent of North America — the Nations, with whom the early dis-
coverers and explorers came in contact — after which we shall the more
readily understand something of the bitter antagonism of the Iroquois
against French exploration and French colonial expansion.
Following a map of the times, and leaving eastern Pennsylvania,
crossing Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire*-
Maine, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, all the Province of Quebec, the
River Ottawa, Lake Nipigon, the Sault Ste. Marie, Lake Superior
Wisconsin and Michigan, Indiana and Ohio, we find ourselves in a vast
circle held by Algonkin tribes — wandering bedouins, fishermen and
hunters — without stationary homes or lodges ; lacking high ideals and
without a regular form of government. In habit improvident and
shiftless, living ever in the present hour and forgetful of the future,
with annual sufferings from a rigorous climate which no hard experi-
ence taught them to prepare for, they feasted and gorged themselves
while abundant harvests in natural luxuriance flourished around them*
in turn suffering all the pangs of hunger, starvation and cold from
their improvidence. Their language was composed of an infinity of
dialects and patois, which rendered the speech of these Arabs of North
America a strange tongue to all othernations iving beyond a radius
of one hundred miles. The purest specimens of the Algonkin language
were to be found among the dwellers on the banks of the Ottawa.
River, on Manitoulin Island, in Wisconsin and Illinois. The physical
type was more European than Asiatic, the skin white, not red. It
almost appeared as if these people had a common origin and one not sa
very far different from that of our own. These men, however, were
primitive savages, not having the instincts to raise themselves above
the level of brute creation and ignorant of their gross ignorance, they
were dwellers on the lowest rung of the ladder of humanity.
Now, let us glance within the circle embracing Upper Canada, the
State of New York and the north of Pennsylvania. This region was.
* Translated by Mrs. Mary E. Ro3e Holden. — " This translation of Mrs. Mary
E. Rose Holden is an honor I highly appreciate, and I take pleasure in adding that
I have compared it with the original and cannot expect a more accurate expression
of my text from any writer.
BENJAMIN SULTE.
Ottawa, Oct. 17th, 1889."
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 125
inhabited by the Huron-Iroquois race, peoples of sedentary habits,
having well-built lodges, villages and towns. Cultivators of the soil,
ruled by an effective political and military administration which aston-
ished Europeans.
Thrifty and provident in all seasons, these people lived comfort-
ably, favoured with a beautiful climate, they presented a group of
primitive, civilized men surrounded by neighbouring barbarians. If
they had been left to the natural law of the evolution of peoples and
races they might at the present time have been compared to the empire
of ancient Greece. This supposition does not imply that their
cruel practices would no longer have been in use ; for cruelty towards
enemies is the last evil instinct to leave a barbarous people, and parallel
cases in cruelty were found even in Egypt, Greece, Rome and Spain,
and in all probability the year 1900 would have brought with it to the
Huron-Iroquois, if left untouched by European civilization of the 14th
and 15th centuries, a civilization similar to that of Mexico and Peru
without its luxury, but in as an advanced social condition. The red
tint of their skin indicated other source than that of the Algonkin
from whom they differed materially in so many respects. It must be
admitted that they had taken many steps in raising themselves from
a savage condition, through which superiority they held themselves
apart from the Algonkin tribes.
Like the Germans, they called themselves "Allemenn" (Allemands)
"superior men," "hommes, par excellence." Their language was beau-
tiful, full of resource and variety of expression, with few dialects.
Towards the year 1600 the Huron-Iroquois were found dispersed
through Upper Canada, the centre of the south-west of the Province
of Quebec, wherever was to be found the finest climate.
The tribes living about Lake Simcoe and Georgian Bay were called
Hurons by the French on account of the fashion which they followed
in dressing their hair. Others were called the Neutrals, and the Tobacco
people, or pipe-smokers. These latter stretched towards Goderich, on
Lake Huron — the Neutrals towards St. Thomas, on Lake Erie.
East of the two great lakes, at Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse,
Oswego, Utica and Albany, were five tribes whom the French called
Iroquois, from the habit which their orators followed of ending their
orations in the fashion of Homer's Greeks by saying " Iro," or " Hiro "
"J'ai dit" — ipse dixit. A sixth family inhabited the north of
Pennsylvania and were known as the Andastes. The seventh, the
Eries, occupied the south-east country of the lake bearing their name.
The eighth, the Tuscaroras, stretched into Virginia.
About the year 1600 the Hurons were a powerful people. They
numbered three thousand warriors. The Iroquois at that time in
126 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
comparison were but " a little nation," having been almost extermi-
nated by their enemies, but we shall soon see that this " remnant of a
people, like a fruitful germ, multiplied exceedingly in number and
filled the earth." So writes, in 1650, one of the Jesuit fathers,
In all the countries of North America we find history repeating
itself — the old story of wars and as to whom shall be the greatest, which
has existed upon the globe since the days of Adam and Eve, was now
in full force.
The Iroquois branch called the Mohawks, or Agniers, located near
Albany, were the greatest warriors of the five groups of which we
have spoken. They descended by route of the Chambly river and
ravaged the country of the Algonkins, living on the banks of the
St. Lawrence, between Quebec and Montreal. Such was the state of
affairs in the country when Champlain arrived in Canada in I(i03.
/ The Algonkin country was the first territory reached by the great
explorer. It was, therefore, most expedient for him, in the further-
ance of future discovery, to form alliance with these people, and as a.
pledge of his faith in the promises made him of guarding him from
personal seizure or loss, and also of furnishing him with guides and
protection in western explorations, he joined them in an expedition
against the Iroquois, 1609.
Historians have drawn exaggerated conclusions from this so-called
rash alliance, even going the length of saying that Champlain rashly
attacked the most redoubtable Indian confederacy on the continent of
North America. He did not begin the attack, his allies were defending
themselves from invasion. It was not the shot of Champlain's arque-
bus which gave birth to Iroquois antagonism. As well say that
^Eneas carrying his father into Italy foreshadowed the conquest of the
world by the Romans, Let us make note that the Agniers (Mohawks)
were not making war against the French, but were at that particular
time at war with the Algonkins, and Champlain found himself amid
the conflict. It was an unfortunate introduction, yet one which could
not have been avoided.
The more fatal step, into which he was afterwards drawn, was
that of invading the country of the Mohawks at the head of his
Algonkin-Huron allies. Champlain was crippled by enactments and
decrees of government from Paris, and unable to follow any independ-
ent policy with the native nations. Herein lies the whole root of the
matter.
In 1614 the Dutch or Flemings, established a trading post at
Orange, the present Albany. The following year a party of Flemings
accompanied the Iroquois in an incursion into the country of an ally
of the Hurons. Three of the Dutch were taken prisoners, but were
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 127
returned in safety to Albany, for the Hurons had told them of the
arrival of the pale-faces and of Champlain's alliance with the Algon-
kin-Hurons made at Quebec. The Flemings were supposed by their
captors to be Frenchmen or allies of the French. Were these Euro-
peans supporting the Iroquois in war ?
In 1615 the Hurons invaded the Iroquois country, penetrating as
far as Syracuse, in the State of N. Y. Champlain was with them.
The expedition was unsuccessful, and was a much more serious affair
for Champlain than the encounter on the Chambly river in 1609.
We see clearly, that the Hurons and Iroquois were mighty and
hereditary rivals. It is impossible to know from what cause or date
this antagonism originated. This fact we do know, that the feud ended
only with the wiping out of the Huron villages and towns and the
final dispersion of the nation into Lower Canada — forty years later.
The Jesuit Relation of 1660, written by Etienne Brule, furnishes a
good account of this anti-fraternal warfare. That priest in 1615
lived with the A ndastes( Pennsylvania), and these people of theHuron-
Iroquois language were then at war with the Iroquois of Onondaga.
"The five tribes which constituted the Iroquois League, those whom
we call " Agnieronons," fluctuated between success and defeat of their
foes for a period of over 60 years — a continued series of revolutions of
the " fortunes of war," than which we can scarcely find a parallel in
modern or ancient history. . . . Towards the end of the 16th cen-
tury the Troquois were almost exterminated by the Algonkin-Hurons ;
nevertheless, the handful left, like a fruitful germ, had multiplied
within a few years, who in their turn had reduced the Algonkin to a
pitiful number, thus most effectively turning the tables upon their ene-
mies. But this triumph was of very short duration, for the Audasto-
gehronnons, during a ten years' war, had been so successful that the
Iroquois for the second time as a confederacy were almost annihilated,
and so humiliated, that the name of an Algonkin made them tremble,
and the memory of their defeat pursued them even to their council
fires."
The defeat of the Mohawks by the Andastes, shows us that the
Iroquois as a confederation, if already in existence (1620-1630), was
not yet in such a position as to afford succour to any one of the sev-
eral tribes of the league when seriously menaced by a foe. The Rela-
tion continues : " At this time the Dutch were allies of the Mohawks,
having for 30 years carried on the fur trade with them." The Relation
of 1637 p. 158, et 1647, p. 8 gives the following : "The savage d'An-
dastohe, of neighbouring Virginia had at one time alliance with the
Hurons, many of whom settled in their country. The Andastes lived
on the shores of the Susquehanna. They stretched to the sea, from
128 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
which they brought back shell-fish, which they exchanged for other
commodities with the inland tribes — from which they have been called
the " porcelain people."
The five nations of the Iroquois Confederacy have been ranked as
nearly as possible as follows : Agniers (Mohawks) to the north of
Albany and the Schenectady ; Onneyouts (Oneidas), back of Oswego ;
Onnontagues (Onondagas), towards Syracuse. N. Y. Central ; Goyo-
gonins (Cayugas), near Rochester; Tsonnontonans (Senecas), east of
Buffalo. The Eries following the length of the greater part of Lake
Erie near Cleveland and Sandusky.
Champlain wrote : Iroquois, Irocois, Yrocois ; the Jesuits : Hiro-
quois, Iroquois. The Dutch called the Agnier, Maquois ; the English
made it Mohawks. When the Algonkins saw the Iroquois coming
they cried out : " Nattaoue ! The enemies.'
The advent of the French into Upper Canada was not at first of a
nature to alarm the Iroquois, for some of these men were missionaries ;
others, runners or traders for the peltry trade ; but by the year 1634
the number of palefaces had increased to sach an extent, that the
nations south of the St. Lawrence, becoming alarmed, formed them-
selves into a political league, called Iroquois by the French. They
designated themselves as one body, by the name of Onguehonwe :
" Superior men dwelling in perfect houses." The strength of this
confederacy became more and more firmly consolidated, as the Iroquois
realised how they were being surrounded by the pale -faces. To the
south of them were the English of Virginia, the Swedes of New Jersey,
the Dutch of Manhattan (New York) and Orange (Albany).
The Dutch and New England colonies, bent upon extending their
trade, supplied the Iroquois with blankets, firearms and rum, and had
built up a profitable connection for themselves.
The finest peltries were to be found in Upper Canada. The
Hurons and the Iroquois delivered these to the French. The Iroquets
people of the Algonkin tongue, who claimed to have once possessed
the island of Montreal, occupied the territory between Kingston, Vau-
dreuil and the Rideau river.
It will be now seen that the Iroquois held a most precarious
position. To the north of them their hereditary foes, to the south-
east three peoples of European pale-faces from England, Sweden and
Holland. Now their extraordinary diplomacy came into play and a
political policy was projected by the league in solemn conclave around
their council fires, to which they tenaciously held to the last, and
which saved them from being overcome by foe or invader. The'first
step to take in carrying out this policy was to attack the^Hurons'and
their allies, the French. A war not planned on the oldjbordering^raids
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 129
and incursions (of 1600-30) into the Algonkin and Huron countries,
but a series of aggressive, well thought-out and planned operations
against the Europeans, with one view ever in mind, viz : the domina-
tion of the Troquois. Such a national conception was worthy of the
genius of a Caesar.
We must not leave out the Sokokis, of the Connecticut river, and
the Wolves, (Mohicans, Mahingans), on both sides of the Hudson, people
of the Algonkins, enemies of the Iroquois, who, under the eyes of the
Dutch, completely wiped out of existence the Sokokis and Wolves. The
captives taken in 1630 becoming adopted into the Iroquois confederacy.
Part of the Iroquois policy was to war directly with the native nations,
conquer them, incorporating into their league all captives, or lesser
tribes or clans fearing extinction, who demanded their protection, or to
stir up war between the lesser tribes so that the one might be destroyed
by the other. Surrounding the Iroquois were the Abenakes of Maine,
the Algonkins of Lower Canada and the Iroquets, the Hurons,
Neuters, the Pipe Smokers, Mascoutins and Andastes. A circle of
formidable foes to be overcome one after the other, or the one by the
other.
The home government of France did not interfere, with these plans
of the Iroquois, while the English, Swedes and Dutch were largely
benefited so far by these successes of the confederacy that the peltry
tride of the west was directed to Albany and drifted from Montreal
and Quebec without any effort on their part. The French who traded
in Upper Canada did not go there to settle, but to trade, and this the
Iroquois perfectly understood The Coufreurs des bois and six or
eight " black robes," who lived in the depths of the country, and who
were looked upon in the light of overseers of the peltry trade by
by the Indians, were tolerated, but the Hurons as a people must be
destroyed. We might never have read of the martyrdom of the
Jesuit missionaries if the dealers in furs had not been living under
the shelter of the Hurons. It was in pursuit of the monopoly of the
northwestern fur trade that the Hurons were driven from their
homes, and in this destruction the French, as the allies of the Iroquois'
hereditary foes, suffered such terrible disaster.
During the month of August, 1635, Champlain appealed to Car-
dinal Richelieu for military assistance to restrain the disastrous policy
of the Iroquois, and stated that if sufficient aid were sent out to Can-
ada, that with the assistance of the Hurons the league might be
destroyed and the whole peltry trade of the N. and N. W. be con-
trolled by the French. Richelieu did nothing in reply, and Champlain
died the 25th December the same year. Canada was now left to
itself and desolation through the passive policy of the French crown.
9 A
130 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 12
while the Dutch of Albany sold firearms to the Iroquois, who from
this date ravaged both Upper and Lower Canada. The war with the
Hurons waged furiously from 1636. There is little doubt that the
Dutch, Swedes and the Iroquois were well aware that France was at
this time engaged in civil war and unable to send out assistance to her
colonists. If at that time France had but spared a few of her regi-
ments to assist and strengthen her Canadian colony, neither her army
nor her prestige in Europe would have suffered and French rule would
have been made secure in North America. History is now (1898-99)
repeating itself in Africa in the rival establishments of European com-
merce, at the same time in the opening up and exploring of the " dark
continent" of modern times. If the new comers do not make war
themselves, they induce the natives to attack the rival successful traders.
In 1G39 the Iroquois exterminated the Wenrohronons, who lived
beyond lake Erie more than eighty miles from the Hurons, and were
old friends of the Neuters. The Iroquois attacked them in 1 639 and
dispersed them; more than six hundred of these poor unfortunates
perished. A large number of women and children and the aged found
shelter with the Hurons and Neuters in a village situated northeast of
Sarnia, afterwards called the Mission of St. Michael. These Wenrohro-
nons were a branch of tlie Erierohnons, of the Cat people, established
near Cleveland and Sandusky, not far from some bourgades of the
Neuters, which stretched as far as Toledo after having crossed
the river Detroit. Their language was that of the Hurons and the
Iroquois. The dispersion of the Eties in 1639 drove the principal
group of the Eries into the State of Ohio, where they lived for twelve
years in large villages, cultivating the land according to their ancient
custom.
The Neuters (Attiwendorons) who had until 1638 kept intact their
traditional neutrality between the Hurons and Iroquois, in turn fell
before the power of the Iroquois. They had occupied the lands
between the Niagara River, Saruia, Goderich and Hamilton, and num-
bered (I GIG) thirty-six villages with a garrison of 4,000 warriors,
the same number of warriors in 1611, with a population of 12,000
souls, but this census was much larger a few years previously. On
Galinee's map of 1670 was found near the Burlington Heights, City of
Hamilton, Ontario, these words, placed at the head of the river : " Ici
etait autrcfois la nation Neutre." In ploughing the ground in this local-
ity were found in the space of an ordinary farm 800 tomahawks, left
there probably at the end of a battle where the people of the locality
had evidently been exterminated, leaving no one. to gather up the
arms. The river in question runs south, empties into Lake Erie at
Dunnville, county of Haldimand. At Southwold, county of Elginf
18W»] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 131
have been discovered curious ruins of a Neuter village, thought to be
the capital city of the Neuter Confederacy. The most important mis-
sions established by the Jesuits before 1650 in the Neuter territory
are Notre Dame des Anges, near Brantford ; St. Alexis, near St.
Thomas ; St. Joseph, county of Kent ; Saint Michael, north-east of
Sarnia ; and St. Francois, a little east of Sandwich. There were also
three or four other towns of the Neuters on the other side of the Detroit
river, i. e. on the United States side of the river.
The conquest of Upper Canada commenced by a ferocious attack
of the Iroquois against the Neuters, carried on in such a manner that
the Neuters were unable to contend against it, after which the Hurons
were vanquished in their turn, but the extermination of the Neutrals
did not take place until 1650, after the total collapse of the Hurons.
From 1639-40 the genius of the Iroquois inspired them with a new
plan of warlike operations worthy of comparison with that of Napoleon
in 1805. To subjugate, one after the other, the races surrounding
them, and arbitrating at the same time the destinies of the French and
Dutch settlements on the continent, was their evident policy — a policy
which they pursued without faltering during a quarter of a century
that is to say, until the arrival of the Carignan regiment from France.
In summing up the tide of affairs at this time, Charlevoix says : " The
" Iroquois, assured of being supported by the Dutch who furnished
" them with arms and ammunition, and to whom they sold the peltries
" which they had seized from the French traders and the Hurons, con-
" tinued at this time their predatqry exploits of capturing all the peltry
" trade on its transit from the west to Quebec and Montreal and Three
" Rivers. The rivers and 1 akes were infested by Iroquois bands, and com -
" merce could be carried on only at great risks. The Hurons, whether
" through their national indolence, or from fear of their old enemy who
" scornfully triumphant over them, treated them with a galling supe-
" riorty and contempt of manner, which paralysed all efforts of resistance,
" even when their bourgades and frontiers were being razed and burned
" to the ground." Father Sagard (1625) named the Hurons " Howan-
datcs," from which term has been derived Ouendat, Wyandot and
Yaudat. They lived between Matchedash and Nottawasaga bays, the
river Severn and Lake Simcoe. They cultivated pumpkins, Indian
corn, beans, tobacco and hemp. Their principal tribes were the
Bear (Antigonantes), the Wolf (Antigonenons), the Falcon (Arendoro-
nons), the Heron (Talnmtainnats). (See Dean Harris, St. Catharines.)*
According to Champlaiii the Hurons in 1615 numbered from 20,000 to
30,000 souls, including the Tionnontates, " The Smokers of Tobacco,"
who lived on the western heights of the Blue Mountains, at the head
of Nottawasaga bay, in the township of the same name, two days
* History of the Early Missions in Western Canada, by the Rev. W. R. Harris.
132 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
inarch from the Huron villages. They had nine or ten bourgades, with
a population of 10,000. Traces of thirty-two villages and forty bone-
pits, or cemeteries, were found in this region. After 1640 the Smokers
joined themselves more firmly with the Hurons. The missions of St.
John, St. Matthew and St. Matthias were established by the Jesuit
Fathers, and became centres of ten or twelve missions scattered through
the counties of Simcoe and Grey.
Mr. David Boyle, well known as an authority in these matters says,
that these people were more intelligent and more industrious than
most of the other savages of North America.
During the month of June, 1641, the Hurons on their annual de-
scent to Three Rivers with their peltries, unexpectedly found the post
blockaded by the Iroquois whom they thought away from the scene
and busy in another direction, but experience was fast teaching the
French, that as soon as one expedition proved successful their indefati-
gable destroyers feigned a false calm and satisfaction with the exploit,,
only to appear in the most unexpected direction, and by this means
kept up an unceasing warfare. Bands of young Iroquois warriors-
encouraged by the non-resistance of the Hurons, kept up an incessant
series of petty invasions and predatory attacks on the French and
Huron settlements.
The Neutrals owed their name to the pacific role which they fol- '
lowed between the many different Huron and Iroquois tribes of the
northern and southern countries of the lakes — Ontario and Erie. They
did not hold these pacific sentiments regarding other nations, prin-
cipally the Mascoutins or Fire People of the Algonkin language who
lived beyond the Detroit river. This powerful nation claimed sover-
eignty to the extreme western section of lands on lakes Erie and Huron
for the Algonkins — Ottawas, inhabited the county of Bruce and Mani-
toulin Island. These hostilities were still in existence in 1642. As
reported in Relation of 1644, p. 97 : " The Neuters are always at war
" with the Fire Nation In 1642 in number of 2000 they attacked a
" palisaded town defended by 900 warriors, who sustained the assault ;
" after a siege of 10 days, they raised the siege, took 800 captives, as
" many men as women and children ; they burned over 70 warriors,
" g°uging the eyes and burning the lips off all the old men, who were
" afterwards abandoned to wander homeless in their misery,"
This was the .scourge which was depopulating the country, for with
these native tribes, war was- but extermination. This nation of fire was
more populous than the Neutrals and the Huron-Iroquois taken
together. They possessed a large number of villages and spoke the
Algonkin tongue in great purity. We may consider the Mascoutins
during the years 1615-1666, as the most powerful- people of the pre-
1899] ARGH-^pLOGlCAL REPORT. 133
sent State of Michigan, lying between the city of Detroit and the
Straits of Mackinaw.
The spectacle of these barbarous wars, like, those of mediaeval
Europe twenty cejituries ago assumes a geographical aspect, that of a
rotatory movement. Circling found lake Huron, the Hurons, the
Tobacco Nations, the Neutrals with the Iroquois attacking, on the south
the Eries, and Mascoutins ; these latter in their turn inspiring terror
among the Ottawas of the county of Bruce and Manitoulin island,
and as far as the Amikowes (the Beaver) in the Algoma district, over
the continent north of lake Huron. Encircling this sheet of water
raged these internecine wars which exterminated seven or eight
valiant nations, the future spoils of the Iroquois.
The year 1643 is marked -by a remarkable change in the strategy
of the Iroquois. Up to this date they had approached our settlements
in large attacking bands, and then only during the summer season
when transport by canoe was available, but from this epoch, they
modified their plans and dividep! their members into bands of twenty,
thirty, forty, or one hundred men and in this way spread themselves
like a network over all the waterways of the St. Lawrence. " When
" a band starts out — writes the Father Vimont — another follows*
" little groups of well armed men leave the Iroquois country to occupy the
"Ottawa river — to station everywhere crafty ambuscades, from which
4t they unexpectedly launch themselves upon unsuspecting Montagnais,
" Algonkins, Hurons, and French. It was known in France that the
" Dutch encouraged the Iroquois in thus harassing the French, for they
" furnished them with firearms that they might all the more effectually
" force the French out of the country and at the same time abandon the
" missions of the Church."
The French colony was now practically without military defence.
Still less was- it in its power to make war in Upper Canada.
1644. The Iroquois desired above all things to isolate the French
from their allies, and in pursuance of this policy formed ten predatory
bands of warriors, who over-ran all Lower Canada. Two of these
bands held the portages of the Chaudiere and the Rideau (the present
Ottawa city). A third watched the Longue Sault. A fourth held
lakes St. Louis and the Two Mountains. The. fifth intercepted the
waterways of the Ottawa. The sixth occupied the island of Montreal.
The seventh, eighth and ninth, in flotillas of canoes, held the Richelieu,
lake St.' Peter, and the neighborhood of Three Rivers. The tenth and
last was composed of a large flying column of warriors, a formidable
reserve with which to attack the country of the Hurons.
In the spring of this year Father Bressani was seized as a prisoner
near Three Rivers, his Huron friends were massacred. In the band
134 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
which committed this outrage were six Hurons and three Wolves
(Mohicans) naturalized Iroquois. For half a century the ranks of the
Five Nation warriors had been increased and strengthened by their
policy of adopting into the league the captive warriors of the native
nations.
In the month of September, 1644, Mr. Wm. Kirke, Governor-
General of New Holland, delivered Father Bressani, who had been
fearfully tortured during his captivity, from the hands of his
executioners.
During the month of July (1644) a number of colonists arrived
from France, among whom were a company of soldiers, commanded by
M. Labarre. The Iroquois were now masters of Canada, but knowing
that the chances of war might turn against them, if the new
arrivals were well supplied with ammunition, they offered terms of
peace, hoping by armistice to check any further relief being sent out
from France, and at the same time give the Nations time to quietly
prepare for some still more terrible coup de guerre against the colonists,
the Hurons or Algonkins, and mayhap the triple alliance at one grand
coup.
The French gladly made a treaty of peace with their enemies.
During the autumn of 1644, twenty-two soldiers joined the Hurons in
their descent of the St. Lawrence to trade at Three Rivers, where they
arrived the 7th of September, 1645, in company with sixty Huron canoes,
charged with peltries. Here a grand and solemn council of all the
Nations was assembled, and a general peace proclaimed, at the request
of the Iroquois chief. A year rolled on, when the Iroquois, learn-
ing that France could or would not send out succour to the
colony, again sounded the war-cry and raised the hatchet. The French
gathered themselves together in the forts of Montreal, Three Rivers
and Quebec, but a few souls, one hundred in all, including men, women
and children. This was in the autumn of 1646, at the very time when
Father Jogues had, in answer to a request from the Iroquois, left
Three Rivers to spend the winter with the Five Nations. The
missionary and his servant, Lalande, were both massacred. Later on a
list will be given of the names of those massacred by the Iroquois
between 1636-1664. Fort Richelieu (Sorel) had lost two men, toma-
hawked by the marauders, another dangerously wounded. The fort
was abandoned for want of soldiers to place on guard, and burned to
the ground by the Iroquois. Soon these bands again secretly stationed
themselves from Montreal to Quebec and the course of the Ottawa to
surprise and seize the Algonkins and French. Father Vimont in
Relation of 1645, p. 19, says, " The warfare of the Iroquois was no
more like that of France than the warfare of the Parthians was that
of the Romans.
1899) ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 135
To wage battle against the Iroquois was an impossibility. Although
of the same race the Hurons were lacking in military spirit and organi-
zation, and had no conception of the imminence of their national peril.
The firearms with which the French supplied them they had used like
children. Individual courage existed among the Algonkin, without
the slightest attempt at military cohesion. Even in the hour of suc-
cess, through sheer thoughtlessness, or lack of purpose, they were apt
to lose whatever advantage they had gained — fleeing in their emergency
back upon Three Rivers, Sillery or Quebec, followed in swift and terri-
ble pursuit by their enemies.
The military tactics of the Iroquois were well thought out, and
organized plans adopted at the war councils of the Five Nations.
They concerted together — their union was strength — with one purpose
in view the bands fought. And in the hour of defeat, they fled and
sheltered themselves from pursuit in the most marvellous manner.
Not so the French, who lacked soldiers — the strife was an unequal
one and the result self-evident. The French colony, without means
of defence, lived under the sombre shadow of the scalping knife of the
Iroquois. It is almost inconceivable how the little colony escaped
annihilation.
Let us look at another scene :
" Beyond the Neutral Nations," writes Father Ragueneau, who
lived with the Hurons living towards the East.
" Near New Holland, there lived the Andastoeronnons, allies of our
Hurons, who have the same language. Separated from us in a direct
line of 1,600 miles. (Relation, 1648, p, 4G),
The Andastes, (north of Pennsylvania), in the beginning of the year
1647, sent an embassy to the Hurons, inviting them to join with them
against the Iroquois.
" These people are of the Huron language, and hereditary allies
" of our Hurons. They are very warlike, and in one bourgade num-
" ber 1,300 warriors."
" The two Andast6 envoys, said to the Hurons, " If you are losing
" courage and feel yourselves too weak, as against your enemies, we
" wish you to know as we have understood that you have enemies,
" that you have but to let us know and we will raise the hatchet with
" you and whether it be peace or war, support and help you."
Charles Ondaaiondiont, a good and old Christian convert, was sent
as a deputy to the Andastes. He left the land of the Hurons the 13th
of April, and arrived at his destination in the beginning of June, to
solicit the Andastes to intercede with the Iroquois for a general peace,
or to continue the war in which they had been engaged for so many
years. The Andastes sent one embassy to the Iroquois from four of
13« ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
their cantons to arrange a peace between them and the Hurons, which
the Agniers (Mohawks) were forced to agree to, for it was always
these latter who kept up war with all the other nations.
Charlevoix adds : " This offered a grand opportunity for the Hurons
to regain the superiority which they at one time held over the Iroquois,
an opportunity which they allowed to slip, only asking for a long
peace, and because they did not use the best means to re-establish
themselves by preparing themselves for eventual war, they fell the
victims of the treachery and artifice of their enemies."
Unfortunately the Hurons betrayed the secret and informed the
Iroquois of the proposition made them by the Andastes. In return for
this confidence the Iroquois promised them peace on land and sea.
This is what the Hurons wanted and also what, for the time being, the
Iroquois wanted also.
Nicholas Perrot, in speaking of his forty years' experience with the
Hurons, in scathing terms remarks upon the utter baseness of the
Hurons. Charlevoix also says, " there is every appearance that the
Hurons refused the offer of the Andastes, while they amused them-
selves in negotiating with the Onnontagues(Onondagas). The Agniers
(Mohawks) and the Tsonnontonans (Senecas) suddenly fell upon two
hunting parties of the bourgades of St. Ignace and utterly destroyed
them. For some time after this hostilities ceased.
Charles, whom we left with the Andastes, had occasion to visit
New Sweden, and learned that there were no missionaries among the
Europeans of these settlements, which were in regular correspondence
with the Dutch on the Hudson river. It was while here that he heard
of the assassination of Father Jogues, who had some few months pre-
viously returned to his mission among the Iroquois. " We judge,"
reports Father Ragueneau, upon hearing this report, " that the settle-
ment,of European allies of the Andastoeronnons, is chiefly composed
of Dutch and English, or rather a gathering of many nations, who for
special reasons have placed themselves under the protection of the
King of Sweden, and they have called this part of the country " New
Sweden." Their interpreter told Charles that they were French
people. (Relation 1 648, pp. 59-60). Charles left the Andastes the 1 5th
August, returning to Ste. Marie of the Hurons the 5th of October, hav-
ing been pursued by the Tsonnontonans (Senecas).
The first nation to abandon Upper Canada were the Iroquet, the
larger number of whom settled near Three Rivers.
The only trade of peltries made at Three Rivers in 1647, was
made by the Attikamegues, T£te de Boule of St. Maurice, and some Iro-
quets, the Hurons 'did not leave their own country on account of the
war.
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 137
From 1640 to 1648, the number of colonists arriving in Canada
-was insignificant, which is explained by the disordered state of affairs
a,t that time in France. The inertia of the One Hundred Associates, and
the ravages of the Iroquois, kept up even to the very doors of the
various settlements, on the St. Lawrence. M. de Montmagny dismayed
by the sad condition of affairs, was recalled in 1648, and M. d'Aille-
boust, his successor, possessed neither money nor means to remedy the
.situation of public affairs. He was replaced in 1657 by M. de Lauzon,
who thought little of lightening the miseries and perils of the colonists
as long as he could advance his own personal gains.
The affair of the Andastes seems to have decided the Iroquois in
making a final attack upon the Hurons. Full of assurance in their
own strength they chose the time when news from France spoke but
of war with Spain, and revolts at home and butcheries identical with
those committed by savage races from time to time in the colony.
On the 4th of July, 1648, the town of St. Joseph, in the country of
the Hurons, during the absence of the warriors was attacked, the mis-
sion and bourgade were set on fire — Father Antoine Daniel massacred
— and his pierced body thrown into the burning chapel.
In the month of July, 1648, the Iroquois blocked Three Rivers, when
wiost opportunely, 250 Hurons guarded by five renowned warriors,
•with Father Bressani and three Frenchmen arrived upon the scene, and
raised the siege. Trade was carried on as usual. In the beginning of
August the fifty or sixty Huron canoes returned, with 26 Frenchmen,
five priests, a lay brother, three children, nine traders, and eight soldiers
on board, besides four persons who joined the party at Montreal (note
Journal des Jesuites) the greater part of these perished some months
later, and without doubt were massacred during the reign of terror
which then raged over the lake region. This convoy of 1648 was the
Jast which for six following years reached the western missions.
The departure of M. de Montmagny from Canada marked the end
of a regime which had lasted from 1 636 ; but the new order of things
was not better than the old, and the colony continued buried under
the sad conditions which had been imposed upon it.
The new Government of 1648, according to M. Leon Gerin,* consti-
tuted upon the old rule a saving of 19,000 francs, which sum lay at
the disposal of the Council. D'Ailleboust was determined to apply
this amount to the formation of a company of soldiers, who should
be employed to turn out at any moment and from any part of the
colony in pursuit of the Iroquois. He gave the command of this
flying column to his nephew, Charles d'Ailleboust des Musseaux. It
is evident that this measnre was most advantageous for Montreal, which
was the most exposed of all the French forts. M de Montmagny had pro-
* Leon Gerin, dans la Science Sociale, Paris, 1891, p. 564.
188 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
jected the plan of forming such a flying column, of which the soldiers-
were to be enrolled as a volunteer militia, who should hold the country
and be in readiness to repulse and pursue the enemy as soon as they
should be seen approaching the settlements. Lack of means pre-
vented M. de Montmagny from carrying his project into execution.
His successor took up the idea and carried it into effect.
Following the regulations of the King, writes Faillon (Historic de
la Colonie, 11, 96), this flying column had to be composed of forty-
soldiers, and M. d'Ailleboust, who well understood all the requirement*
of the situation, added in 1G51 another thirty men to the force.
In 1647 a fort had been constructed at Sillery. In 1649 the walls;
were erected by means of the community's allowance of 19,000 francs,
which the King had granted for the benefit of the country. The fugi-
tive western Indians and those of St. Maurice in large numbers;
found shelter here in 1651.
In the spring of 1649 M. d'Ailleboust sent to Montreal M. des-
Musseaux, his nephew, in command of 40 men of the flying column to-
assist the Montrealers to drive back the Iroquois, which was easier to-
do than to give them battle, for as soon as they heard the sound of
the oars of their chaloups, they would flee with such swiftness that it
was not an easy matter to catch up to them. This reinforcement
encouraged the colonists of Montreal greatly and their confidence in
the force was much augmented by the name and qualities of him who-
was in command. If they had only then been possessed of the experi-
which we have at the present time, and the knowledge of to-day
(after 1670) of their country, 40 good men well armed and
well commanded would have acquired to themselves great glory and
rendered signal services to the country, and have held our enemies in
fear and check, by the blows which they would have been able to give
back ; but we had not then the light which we have to-day, and we
were not so skilful in canoeing, the only means used in those days of
transport over the difficult navigation of the St. Lawrence which could
be used against the savages.
M. Dollier had been a cavalry officer before he entered the priest-
hood. In 1666 he was appointed chaplain to the attacking troops on
the Agnier (Mohawk) Cantons. He was placed in charge of the
military department of affairs, but what hopes could he have of success
with half a company of soldiers, when in 1649-50, the poweiful Iro-
quois were at their apogee, and the prestige of the renown of their
military powers was measured an hundredfold from the deplorable
affairs pending in France. A situation, too well understood by the
Mohawks. Oneidas, Onondagas, Senecas and Cayugas, in one word,
the Iroquois, or Five Nations.
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 139
Champlain, fifteen years previously, reduced to moderate his de-
mands for succour to the lowest number of soldiers necessary to keep
the enemy in check, and facing a danger which, compared with that of
1649, was but a trifling one, demanded 120 soldiers as indispensable
for the protection of the colony, and certes, he possessed a coup d'oel
which no one of his time could surpass. This was a military question.
The two companies Champlain had under his command could have
crushed the Iroquois' league in its birth ; lacking the foresight to
appreciate the crisis in 1649, what were we forced to do ? Make a
parade of forty infantry, when one thousand men would have been
scarcely sufficient to overthrow, that which we had tamely allowed to
be built up? That was art undertaking ten times greater than ours was.
The 40 men of the flying column were not sufficient to defend Montreal
alone, for the enemy came on a war of skirmishing ambuscades, which
alike killed our bands of soldiers and colonists, without their attacking
the main body of defence — what then remained for Three Rivers or
Quebec ? Nothing. And the Iroquois, who did not direct all their
forces on Montreal, in bands descended the river, a distance of 00
leagues or 180 miles, to harass these lower settlements.
The new governor arrived in Ville Marie in the spring time of
1649, and rejoiced by his presence the hearts of the colonists who were
charmed to have among them one of the Associates of Montreal as
governor of the colony. The incessant hostilities of the Iroquois did
not allow of travel on the river without escort, and, M. d'Aillcboust, in
making the voyage from Quebec was accompanied with a body-guard
of one dozen of armed soldiers. During the whole of 1648-9. the
Iroquois were occupied in harassing, burning and killing the Hurons
in their own country, in consequence of which but few predatory incur-
sions were made against Ville Marie, and these M. de Maisonneuve by
his prudence and courage easily kept at ba}'. They lost but one man
during that time. M. d'Ailleboust informed M. de Maisonneuve that
the Grand Company wished to recognize the good services which Ville
Marie had rendered the colony under his government, especially in
having increased the garrison by six soldiers, and that instead of the
3,000 francs which had hitherto been allowed him and his garrison,
that sum in the future should be increased to 4,000 livres or francs.
A little farther on the same author (Faillon) writes, that in 1648 he
had learned that the lack of interest which the Associates of Montreal
had shown towards this work accounted for M. d'Ailleboust's having
turned his prayers for succour to the Grand Company of One Hundred
Associates on behalf of the colony in its present distress.
The 16th March, 1649, the Iroquois unexpectedly surprised the mis-
sions of St. Louis and St. Ignace in Upper Canada, burning and mas-
140 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
sacring all before them. The fathers Brebceuf and Gabriel Lallement
died after suffering most terrible tortures. The 17th, Ste. Marie was at-
tacked without result, but on the 25th of May the Hurons abandoned
the district, taking refuge on Manitoulin island. About the same time
the town of St. John was surprised by the enemy and the Rev. Father
Gamier killed.
All bent before the Iroquois ; they annexed Upper Canada to their
hunting grounds, which yearly added to their aggrandisement. The
French had made no defence of this territory. The Iroquois judged
that we no longer feared the redskins and they prepared for new fields
of conquest.
A party of Hurons escaping from their butcheries took refuge with
the Smoking Nations, living towards Goderich, where three months
previously three Jesuit fathers had established missions. Others had
taken refuge in St. Joseph, in rear of Ste. Marie, where a mission also
had been organized during the previous year. Another group, as has
been said before, fled to Manitoulin island, where the fathers thought
they would remove the headquarters of their missions. They event-
ually, however, decided upon St. Joseph.
The Cats (Eries) driven back to the centre of the State of Ohio by
the Iroquois (1689) now gave refuge to one of the bands of fugitive
Hurons, likewise driven from their homes in 1649-50. The following,
taken from the Relation of 1660, p. 14, tells the tale how they all per-
ished together. Others took shelter with the Neutrals, thinking to find
with them a refuge, as their neutrality among the Nations of North
America had up to that time been recognized by the Iroquois. But these
traitors, to save themselves, turned against the Smokers of the Pipe of
Peace. These latter in turn had to seek shelter from the Algonkins
on Lake Superior (west of Lake Huron). Others fled to the forests,
others to Andasloe', Virginia, and others joined themselves to the Fire
Nation (Mascontins) and the Cat Nation, while a whole town sought
shelter with the Senecas, one of the five nations, where they were well
treated, living together in a canton, separate from the Iroquois, where
the christianized Hurons lived still following the teachings of the new
faith.
A note found on page 344 Relation of Father Bressani, tells that the
first band of Hurons retired to Manitoulin Island, the second reached
the Iroquois, hoping to make terms with them, the third sought asylum
on the Island of Mackinac, but followed by the enemy, they re-
treated to Green Bay and later towards the southwest of Lake Super-
ior. A fourth sought the shelter of the Cats (Eries) in Ohio; the fifth
descended to Quebec, lived some years on the Island of Orleans and
finally were established at Lorette. The Smoking Nation does not seem
ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 141
to have suffered great losses in these massacres, but they emigrated
towards the Upper Mississippi, where Chouard and Radisson found
them in 1660, and father Allouez in 1667.
In the month of August, 1649, a party of about ten soldiers left
Three Rivers for the Huron country, with four Jesuit fathers, servants
or lay brothers Peter Tourmente, Charles Roger, Peter Oliveau and one
named Raison. Towards the 22nd Sept., Father Bressani returned
from the missions in Upper Canada, travelling with friendly Indians
to Three Rivers. The French were heavily laden with five thousand
Ibs. of beaver, valued at 26,000 francs, 26 livres. Desforsse's, a soldier
with his brother who had been living for the past year with the
Hurons, carried for their share 74- Ibs. weight, which brought them 4
francs per lb., and the other at 5 livres, 5 sols. The other Frenchmen
forming the party of the same expedition were carrying 25,000 Ibs.
weight of beaver skins, which narrowly escaped capture by the Iro-
quois, the latter having surprised them a half mile from the Fort, and
only after a sharp encounter they reached Three Rivers. Father Bres-
sani and the Hurons returned to Upper Canada in the beginning of
October, but they had suddenly to retire at the River des Prairies,
north of Montreal, for fear of the Iroquois, these latter in bands in-
fested the shores of the St. Lawrence, says Charlevoix, pillaging
and burning houses, and killing the isolated colonists, pressing defiantly
even to the very gates of Quebec. They scoured in like manner the
districts of St. Maurice and the Ottawa.
Not content with pursuing in the north and west, the remnants of
the vanquished and dispersed Huron and Algonkin tribes, the Iro-
quois engaged in constant hostilities with all the neighboring tribes.
Their audacity, and dexterity, and the spirit governing their councils
joined to the sad circumstances under which our own government
suffered, gave to them for a long period of years the preponderance of
authority and terror on all the shores of the St. Lawrence.
The Sokokis savages of the south-west of Maine and New
Hampshire in their turn took up arms against the Agniers (Mohawks).
During the winter of 1651-52 they had sent a war party against the
Andastes but had been repulsed with great loss.
Father Ragueneau, writing from Ste. Marie, of Manitoulin
Island, the 13th of March, 1650, says :— " We have at present thirteen
"priests in the mission, with four coadjutor brothers, twenty per-
" manent servants and eleven others, trained laborers, engaged on time,
" six soldiers and four children — in all sixty persons."
The year 1650 brought with it a long series of anxieties and
sorrows for Lower Canada, but the troubles which we most dreaded
were for the time being averted from us, the Iroquois during this
142 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
time being engaged in the annihilation of the Neutral Confederacy
and in extending westward conquest.
The autumn of 1650 they gained a first great victory over these
people, and in the following spring accomplished a final triumph over
the Neutrals. The half of these unfortunates became fugitives, the
rest prisoners or killed in combat. The 3rd of August, 1651, the Mere
d'Incarnation at Quebec, writes, that these victories of the Iroquoia
over these people rendered them still more insolent and overbearing.
At this time news arrived at Quebec, that the French had aban-
doned Upper Canada, and the savages attached to our cause learned
that war had again broken out in the south. The 30th of August, she
again writes : "A captive who escaped from the Iroquois, reports that
the Andoovesteronons (Andastes) warriors and those of the Neutrals had
taken two hundred Iroquois captive. If that is true they will be treated
in a terrible manner." The Andastes really had raised the hatchet
against the Senecas in aiding the Neutrals, later news that reached
Quebec 22nd April, 1651, corroborated by the relations of the Jesuits,
states that the Iroquois to the number of 1,500, had in turn attacked
the Neutrals, and razed a town. Being pursued, the Neutrals in their
retreat captured 200 prisoners.
The Five Nations, resolved on supremacy, sent 1,200 warriors against
the Neutrals. In 1649 bands of Iroquois having already attacked the
territory of St.Maunce,in crossing lake St. Peter by the river Machiche,
massacred the Attikameques and the Algonkins living in their territory.
Groups of Nipissing Hurons, people of the Upper Ottawa, arrived via
northern watercourses reached Three Rivers for safety from the pur-
suer. Desolation reigned 300 miles beyond the war camps of the west.
The llth May two men were massacred while working on their farms
near Three Rivers and two others near by at the Champlain river.
The Mere d'Incarnation relates many of the seizures and captures which
occurred during the spring in the neighboring outskirts of Quebec.
June 7th, 1650, Father Bressani, with twenty-five or thirty
Frenchmen and as many Indians, embarked to revisit the Huron Mis-
sions of Upper Canada, before proceeding very far up the Ottawa river
they were forced to return. The unmarried men of the party fled
towards the lower river, in the hope of finding boatmen who would
take them out of the country. In the beginning of August nine French-
men were killed at Three Rivers. The year 1651 presents on its records
similar cases. The Hurons fleeing before the hatchets of the enemy
were continually seeking colonial protection. " If this little handful of
Europeans in Canada, could not present a bolder front than 30,000
Hurons fleeing in defeat before the Iroquois, the inevitable fate re-
mained of their being tortured and burned at the stake in like manner.
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 143
No succour could arrive from France, for home authorities at that time
were unable to send a sufficient force to resist the Iroquois." (La Mere
<TIncarnation).
The fort of Three Rivers, situated on the high land called the
"Platon," which divides the waters was, in 1641, defended by a moat
and drawbridge. No pa'isade, but several cannon. The town stood
About 300 ft. to the left on the N. E. plain, which a little lower down is
-called the "Table" which overlooks the river to the right, rising abruptly
to a height of 60 ft. above the town of to-day, which was then laid out in
farms. It is said that in 1G4S Iroquois prisoners were confined in one
-of the bastions of the fort, which gives the impression that the fort was
a. large square building having small turrets or bastions built at the
angles which constituted all the fortifications of the place, for the
village itself was without a palisade All the plateau of the upper
town proper was under cultivation, or at least as well cleared farms,
leaving for pasturage the lower town which M. de Montmagny had
granted to the habitants as a common. About this date we find re-
corded nearly one-twentieth part of the land as being held in rights by
the colonists. The father James Buteux writes the 21st Sept.,
1649 : " In the residence of Three Rivers, our constant care and atten-
tion are bestowed alike on French and savages. We have no forts but
loor forts, and no ramparts but thoss which in a dry season can easily
be set fire to." June, 1G51, at Three Rivers, Pierre Boucher received a
commission as Capt lin of the village Militia from the Governor-General,
carrying with it instructions to divide the inhabitants into detach-
ments for military drill. This may be considered as the first official
recognition of the establishing of a Canadian Militia, from which arose
o ^
the further development of the system by Count de Frontcnac in 1673.
The 17th March, 1650, the Rev. Mother of the Incarnation wrote :
" We are gathering the youth together to send against the Iroquois.^
It is possible that the young men of Quebec were organized into a
militia, but if so, we read nothing further of them.
The marauding Iroquois knew well how to seize our cattle
wherever found. The Three Rivers Common enclosed a goodly num-
ber in 1648 and a large number of acres of hay on the south of the
river at Ste. Angele. In the spring of IG49, wheat was sent from here
to Quebec during the famine. For the past twenty years the colonists
had been able to raise for their own consumption, wheat, cattle, pigs,
p?ase, hay, without reckoning Indian curn. " Three quarters of the
habitants/by their labor, sustained themselves and their families,"
writes Mother Incarnation, 1st Sept., 1652.
It is quite evident that Montreal was not taken into account, for
here the proportion was much less. Supplies from Franco are this
144 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
season " absolutely necessary at Three Rivers, for, to tell the truth
this post has been so far sustained in the most miraculous manner.'r
The 25th Oct., 1651, the Iroquois killed 25 Attikamegues on the river
St. Maurice.
It was now six years since the colony of Montreal had been,
enclosed by walls, and kept alive by provisions brought from France,
when in 1648-49 it was decided to clear the surrounding forest, as had
been done at Quebec, Sillery, Port Neuf and at Three Rivers. The
Associates of Montreal had just been newly re-organized at Paris..
In 1651 the colonists were able to raise crops of wheat in spite of the
incessant harassments of the Iroquois. Terrified by their enemies, the
Algonkins had withdrawn from the place, thus diminishing the
defence of the town by their absence. Still, always filled with hope
and faith that God was their protector, the little settlement waited for
brighter days. The men who composed the first recruits of Montreal
were not hardy men. Much progress in agriculture during the first
few years was very slow. In 1646, according to Dollier de Casson,
all supplies were still furnished from France. Sister Morin informs-
us that " all the colonists remained eleven years within the fort," living
together as a community. During this time and for several years
previously in the neighborhood of Quebec, the settlers from Perche
a province of France, had established themselves in the outlying places.
These people were all cultivators of the soil, settlers from habit and
true habitants of the Fort. We must ever bear in mind that the
colonists of Montreal were always exposed on all sides to the
attack of the Iroquois and this explains the reason without doubt in a.
great measure for the long inaction of the colonists. Maisonneuve,,
D'/. illeboust, Closse, were all military chiefs. Maisonneuve had
entered the army at the age of 13, and made it his life profes-
sion. D'Aielleboust was an experienced military engineer. Both of
these men were eminetly fitted to conduct military organizations in
the early colonies and for these very reasons we can preceive that they
were all the less likely to become practical agriculturalists. The
Jesuits, like the society of Montreal, had at the beginning powerful
and generous patrons, the Duke de Ventadour, the Marquis de
Gamache, the Commander Sillery also the Duchess D'Aiguillon, inter-
ested themselves in the work of Jesuit missions and their first
relations inform us of the great number of personages who favoured
their missions in North America. Time, however, brought with it the
death and lukewarmness of many of their patrons and the work
demanded constant support.
The work of Montreal had a very good reason for not counting on
the support of the Quebec government. Quebec looked unkindly
1899J ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 145
upon Montreal for the latter had been established as a settlement with
a good deal of eclat, and from its inception had affirmed its independ-
ence of Quebec. This fact generated a considerable amount of jealousy
between the two towns. Quebec could not forget the proud attitude
of the rulers of Montreal who would not acknowledge any authority
from Quebec, and when necessity constrained and Ville Marie was
forced to assist Quebec, it was with bitterness of spirit that assistance
was received. In 1651 the Sister Bourgeois wrote that Montreal num-
bered but 17 men capable of carrying arms against the Iroquois The
Superior of the Jesuits calculated that there remained, "in all but a
population of fifty in Montreal." Seeing the gravity of the situation
M. de Maisonneuve left for France to obtain relief leaving
M. de Ailleboust des Musseaux to command during his absence assisted
by Major Lambert Closse. It was during the year 1651 that the five
or six farm houses outside of the walls were abandoned, the colonists
taking refuge again within the fort.
Quebec was still but a village, the thirty residences of which were
perched together on the sides of the heights, the upper town and its
environs.
It would be impossible to tell how many habitations Three
Rivers had but there were 28 families making a population of 100 souls.
All Canada held but 600 French, men women and children. What
was sorely needed was a military force sufficient to protect the tillers
of the ground and the traders of the rivers and forests. For Upper
Canada was lost for commerce and trade, and St. Maurice and the
Saguenay had fallen into the hands of the Iroquois.
The gentlemen of the Company of Habitants, strangely blinded to
a situation which was of as great importance to the interests of the
association as to the interests of the colony, won but little admiration
from the line of conduct which they pursued, as may be learned from
the following circumstance related by Aubert de la Chenaye in 1676.
" It was not difficult for them to obtain large credits at Rochelle,
" for loans were raised in the name of the community, although that
" consisted but of six families (forming the so-called Company of
" Habitants). And these poor people found themselves enriching the
" company at their cost, and yet this very management was ruining the
" credit of the company." After some few years' possession they deter-
mined not to pay Rochelle, which had made complaints to Paris, and
after much solicitation a syndicate was formed to raise means in the
name of the Community for the large sums still due the city of Rochelle.
The Governor and the families made counter-complaints of mismanage-
ment to the King, who appointed to the board of managers personages
of the highest standing to take into their consideration the affairs of
10 A
146 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
the colony. These were M. de Moranges, M. de la Marquerie, Vertha-
mont and Chareur, and later on M. Lamoignon, de Boucherat and de
Lauzon. The latter, also on the board of managers, offered to visit the
country and there arrange as far as possible existing difficulties. He
sailed from Rochelle. He was a man of letters.
John de Lauzon does not figure in the first list of the One Hun-
dred Associates of 1627, but he was none the less most active in the
establishment of the company in the country ; he continued an active
member until 1663. In truth, he was the mainspring of the company
during thirty -six years, which was recognized in his bringing with him
upon his coming out to Canada the appointment to a seat in the
Administration, which he held from 1651 to 1657, during which time
the Bureau at Paris was very little troubled.
The three years' government of M. d'Ailleboust would expire in the
autumn of 1651. The Company of One Hundred Associates held a
meeting in Paris at the residence of Sieur Cheffault, his secretary.
The 2nd Jan., 1651, the names of Jean de Lauzon, Duplessis-Kerbodeau
Becancour were presented to the King from which the King should
appoint the new governor for the coming three years; M. de Lauzon
received the appointment.
The 14th Oct. M. de Lauzon arrived at Quebec, with M. Duplessis-
Kerbodeau as governor of Three Rivers. The salary of the latter had
been raised to 5,250 livres. It seems as if Robineau had made the
voyage at the same time. These traders worked harmoniously together.
To make up the increase given to M. Duplessis, M. Maisonneuve's
annual allowance was rebated 1,000 francs for himself and his garrison,
his total annually now being but 3,000 francs. The Governor- General
obtained for himself a supplementary sum of 2,000 livres without any
additional tax than that of supplying the garrison of Quebec with
three soldiers. The 9th November M. de Maisonneuve left for France.
The arrival of de Lauzon in 1651 inaugurated miseries and humilia-
tions for Ville Marie. The first act of the new governor was to with-
draw the 1,000 livres from Maisonneuve which D'Ailleboust had
accorded him.
"At Quebec," bitterly remarks M. Faillon, " the government granted
pensions to the j.esuits, to the hospitaliers, the fabrique of the parish, to
the surgeon, baker, and to many others, and there remained for Ville
Marie but 3,000 livres to the governor for his garrison and 1,000 livres
for the caretaker of the Company of Habitants."
Affairs in Paris were in a deplorable condition. The civil war still
rent the country. The declaration of the peace of Rueil in 1649,. had
terminated the old conflict of the Fronde parliament, but disputes were
renewed in new forms. Mile, de Montpensier and the Prince of Cond6
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 147
declared themselves as against the Court, while Turenne turned his
back upon the malcontents and placed his services to the Court which
he had formerly defied.
On the 13th Sept., 1648, the Queen, Mazarin and the young King
(then nine years of age) had left Paris for St. Germain. Some time
after they returned to the Capital, and the following 6th of Jan. they
were forced to seek again the shelter of St. Germain.
It was after this that the Princes of Cond6, de Conti and de Longue-
ville were arrested and thrown into prison. When Her Highness
the Princess Royal of France placed herself at the head of the Gentle-
men of the Fronde against the Court faction, Conde was soon liberated
and took up arms. It was now that Mazarin, in order to regain the
confidence of the people in the governing power, took upon himself
the blame for having brought on the national crisis, retired from the
Cabinet and took up his residence at Cologne. Such was the unfor-
tunate political condition of affairs at Paris when M. de Maisonneuve
arrived in France from Canada. The Court was in exile at St. Ger-
main. The majority of the young King was proclaimed the 7th Sept.,
1651. Conde defeated by Turenne within the walls of Paris — the
latter re-entered the city in triumph, having his adversary on his heels
(2nd July. 1652). The Royal Princess, after many plots and counter
plots in vain endeavors to assist Conde, was obliged to retire to her
own domains. Mazarin was recalled to power (3rd Feb., 1653), before
all was amicably arranged, but the civil war was not really terminated
until the end of the year (1653). This news from France to Canada
had a paralyzing effect upon the courage of the colonists. The Iroquois,
aware of all that was going on in Europe, redoubled their contidence
and ardour. The Mother of the Incarnation in Sept. 1652, writes that
no assistance from France can be expected. The year 1652 brought
with it to Canada sorrowful and sinister shadows. Dangers had
increased on every side, for the Iroquois kept well informed of the
European news, with increased confidence redoubled their schemes and
aggressions, knowing full well how feeble any assistance from the
mother country would likely be if sent to the colony. Canada now
seemed to the colonist on the verge of an abyss, over which everyone
saw himself or herself ready to be plunged at any moment by the
Iroquois. News received from various sources all pointed towards
Three Rivers as the central point of attack of the enemy. It appeared
as if the flying column would have to be garrisoned there during the
winter of 1651-52, or that they were sent there in the early spring.
During the first days of March, M. de Lauzon, Grand Senechal, accom-
panied by Rene Robineau and 15 soldiers, visited Three Rivers. Already
the enemy had begun their ravages in the neighborhood. In speaking
of M. de Lauzon's traits the following circumstance speaks for itself
148 ARCH^OLOGICAL REPORT. [12
He had promised M. de Maisonneuve ten soldiers, for whom he had
sent on in advance the accoutrements. In the (autumn of 1652) he
sent ten men in an open boat to Montreal, insufficiently clad for the time
of the year or provisioned for the trip, who upon their arrival looked,
from starvation and cold, more like living skeletons than human beings.
How shattered ! two of the number were children and were cared for.
One was called St. Ange and the other boy called himself La Chapelle.
These poor soldiers were not long at Montreal before every care was
bestowed upon them, in feeding them well and comfortably clothing
them. They were soon in a good condition to aid in our endeavors
against the Iroquois. Montreal hoped nothing good from the new
Governor-General, and this explains the trip of M. de Maisonneuve to
France.
In 1652 M. de Lauzon was made Governor in place of M.d'Alilleboust
He persecuted Lemoine and withdrew 1,000 livres from M. de Maison-
neuve which the company had granted him, for which he was thereby
sufficiently punished in that the Iroquois, in this year, took the rest of
the refugee Hurons on the Island of Orleans and killed his eldest son
and servant members of the household of M. de Lauzon within view of
the people of Quebec. Montreal was in great peril.
In 1652 Lauzon disbanded the flying column, thus depriving Mont-
real of the assistance which M. d'Ailleboust had granted to the island.
Later on he tried, (but without succeeding), to impose a tax on all
merchandise passing Quebec en route to Montreal.
The 7th of July, 1652, at Three Rivers, Major Lambert Closse, of
the garrison of Montreal and M. des Mazures, officer of the flying
column, were present at the ceremony of a contract of marriage.
In an Act of d'Ameau, dated 5th August, 1632, Three Rivers, we
read " William Guillemot, Esq., sieur Duplessis Kerbodot, captain of
the flying column, governor of the fort and habitation of Three Rivers,
appointed by M. de Lauzon, bought lands on this occasion."
At the naval engagement of canoes at Three Rivers, the following
19th of August, were killed or taken into captivity by the Iroquois,
M. Duplessis-Kerbodeau, soldiers Manuel Langoulmois, Lapalne,
Lagrave, Saint -Germain and Chaillon.
In October, 1652, Major Closse marched against the Iroquois with
twenty-four men of Montreal, which seems to have been the number
of men capable of carrying arms in that town. M. de Maisonneuve in
writing from France said that one hundred armed men were necessary to
maintain the French colony at Montreal.
The 4th November, 1652, Nicholas Rivard, Captain of the Militia
at Cap la Madeleine, sold land to Gilles Trottier. He held the same
position the preceding year.
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 149
About the middle of December, 1652, the Iroquois captured two
Hurons near Three Rivers. They also constructed a fort nine miles dis-
tant, in the depths of the forest, to the west of the village, in order to
station themselves so that they could cut off hunting parties in the
neighborhood during the winter. Such tactics were a new departure
on the part of the Iroquois in Lower Canada. The French fortified
the fort of Three Rivers to the utmost of their power, which was well
guarded during the winter, but as soon as the river broke up in the
spring of 1653, bands of marauders reappeared, seizing hunters and
all travellers passing through the country. The fur trader suffered
severely from the evil influences of all these wars. In 1653 the trade
at Three Rivers was so small that all resources were applied to the
fortifying of the place. The beaver, the chief article of commere, was
most scarce — not a single skin had been brought to Montreal that
year, although the yield had been very abundant, all of which had
been directed by the Iroquois to New Holland (Albany).
On the north shore of the St. Lawrence the French attempted to
open up trade with the natives, but found the Iroquois already in
advance of them at the sources of the St. Maurice and the Saguenay,
and soon found them terrorizing all the ports of the north country,
comprising Tadousac. M. de Lauzon, seeing that all the trade of Upper
Canada and of St. Maurice brought in so small returns, formed a
company of merchants of Quebec to undertake the trade of the
Saguenay, of which district the Company of Habitants had possessed
the monopoly for the past four or five years. These " Habitants " were
accused of having a deficit of more than half a million of francs. M.
Aubert de la Chenaye, quoted above, very strongly condemns their
conduct.
Fifty Frenchmen (farmers no doubt), whom M. de Lauzon had
enrolled to make up a flying column, left Sillery the 2nd July, 1653,
under the command of Eustace Lambert, with the intention of sailing
up the river to check the Iroquois, who in bands had been over-running
the country. The plan of the Iroquois was to blockade Three Rivers,
for this reason they marched in numbers of several hundreds, which
appeared in conjunction by land and water, cutting off all communica-
tion between the different French settlements. One of these bands
near Quebec, seized the Jesuit Father Poncet, of whom they served
themselves as an envoy of peace. The humiliating defeat which they
had sustained on the 22nd August at the assault of Three Rivers, where
Pierre Boucher commanded, prompted them to follow their old ruse of
asking for peace. The French, unable to do otherwise, consented to the
proposal. Prisoners were exchanged, and the autumn saw joy and
tranquility reigning over the land. Understanding well the unstable-
150 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
ness of this surprising calm and cessation from hostilities, the colonists
hoped that if an outbreak did occur, ere that time reinforcements
surely would reach them from France. This truce lasted thirty months,
and was marked only by isolated attacks upon the French country by
the Iroquois, whose principal forces, during this time, were engaged in
war with other neighbouring nations to the east and south of their
country. We must remember that ere this time the Iroquois had
conquered Upper Canada, later on they successfully undertook the
conquest of the west. All this success because we (the French) had
so few troops on our side to protect our own farmers, and at the
same time engage against the Iroquois.
So much for a eulogy on this incapable regime !
September, 1653. The jubilee procession took place at Quebec,
where prayers were offered heaven for the safe return of M. de Mas-
sonneuve with the reinforcements which he had been promised in
France. The Journal of the Je'suites Notes, " The Iroquois witnessed
the procession, in which parade there were more than 400 fusiliers in
fine marching order." Another authority writes, " They saw march-
ing in good order 400 mousquetaires well armed, which alarmed
the Iroquois looking on at the sight."
The Abbe Faillon also comments :
" We have to suppose that the large number of these armed men
were Indians from Sillery or the Isle of Orleans, and that these 400
mousquetaires were not capable of inspiring great terror, for the 100
whom M. de Maisonneuve brought into the country were regarded as,
and were in effect, the saviours of the country."
From 1648 to 1652 clearings were made for farms, and in 1653
Ville Marie at last gave the appearance of a regular colony or settle-
ment. It was in this year ('53) that Maisonneuve brought from France
100 colonists, recruits principally from Maine and Anjou. A large
number of whom had grants of land conceded to them and with the
assistance which they received from the Society of Notre Dame of
Montreal, they set to work to establish themselves thereon.
According to the Ven. Mother, there were in 1653 more than 2,000
Frenchmen in the colony, but other calculations show a reading of
not more than 675 souls as the population ; but if we add the floating
or itinerant census we might say there were 900 souls. She ought to
have written " near a thousand " and the copyists have read " more
than two thousand." M. 1'Abbe Ferland, giving the total as two
thousand, says, " Even that would not have been a great number for a
colony in existence for 45 years, while that of New England (follow-
Josselyn) numbered 100,000 souls a few years later. According to the
MSS. of the Sister Bourgeois, quoted by M. 1'Abbe Faillon, there were
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 151
but five or six houses in the upper town of Quebec and some stores or
warehouses in the lower town. The Sisters doubtless were speaking
only of the vicinity of the Ursulines or the Hotel Dieu, and continues
in enumerating Cap Rouge, Sillery, the Cote Ste. Germain, Notre Dame
des Anges, Longue Pointe, Chateau Richer, Beauport, 1'Ange Gardien,
Cap Tourmente, C6te de Lauzon, all of which places were inhabited
and were outside of the town of Quebec. Our calculations give 675
souls for the fixed French population in Canada in the summer of
1635, viz. :
400 for Quebec and environment.
175 for Three Rivers and Cape Madelaine.
100 for Montreal.
Total.. 675
At the end of September of this year M. de Maisonneuve brought the
contingent of 100 men the larger number of which were artizans, but
not soldiers or farmers, but this did not prevent M. Dollier and after
him others, to prepare and drill them as recruits in the defence of
Montreal. It was in this way that they were called a military force.
The truth is, that from 1657 they had been obliged to take up arms
against the Iroquois, who had again become dangerous, and from forty
to fifty of these brave men perished in combat during the following
year.
The reader of this paper can see after a perusal of these pages
what kind of colony the pompous Company of One Hundred Associ-
ates with Richelieu at their head had projected and carried out, to justify
authors in finding all things admirable in Canada during the " Heroic
Age," when the bad faith of governors and governments exhausted the
loyalty, patience, industry and indomitable courage of the colonists
of La Nouvelle France.
152 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
NOTES ON SOME MEXICAN RELICS.
BY MRS. WM. STUART.*
:;cMrs. Stuart, during her residence in San Geronimo, Oaxaca, in the Tehuante-
pec Isthmus, Mexico, has directed some attention to the archaeology of the country,
and has succeeded in bringing together a collection of interesting specimens, which
it is her intention to present to the Museum.
The writer supplied with her notes a large number of admirably drawn pencil
pictures of her best material, but unfortunately the&e could not be satisfactorily
photographed for engraving purposes, and greatly reduced copies of only a few
are here reproduced in one half diameter.
San Geronimo, a village of some 3,000 inhabitants, lies near the
south of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, in the republic of Mexico, and
is situated on the line of railway which runs across the Isthmus from
Coatzacoalcos to Salina Cruz. It is within the state of Oaxaca ; the
border of the sister state of Chiapas, being about 100 miles distant, to
the south-east. A small river supplies water to the village for all
purposes. Lofty mountainous ridges some 30 miles away, show very
decided traces of volcanic action, — in the distance, yet high above
those to the south-west, towers Eucanto, one of the ancient mountain
" Cities of Refuge." Certainly its bold outlines convey the idea of a
secure stronghold, and thither did the Zapotecs repair in times of
invasion by their enemies, On the sloping ridge of the hill of Ixtalte-
pec, or " the white mountain," about four kilometres south-east of San
Geronimo, are perched two huge boulders, which have evidently been
dislodged from somewhere near the summit. These stand on end, and
are supported by each other.
The ancient people, so quick to take advantage of every quirk of
Mother Nature, saw in these boulders a fit and lasting monument on
which to portray in their famous, indelible, dull red paint, certain
strange drawings of hieroglyphical import — iguanas, and rabbits' heads,
with various numbers of discs following, and innumerable other signs
and symbols. It is said that certain American explorers have visited
these rocks, and photographed the symbols, but no one here seems to
know what was the outcome.
Among the low range of hills which lie to the east of San Geronimo,
at a place called Puente, and about four kilometres from the village,
another series of these rock paintings is to be found, which are quite
as interesting as those of Ixtaltepec mountain. These are not generally
known, and therefore, it is said, have never been visited by persons of
inquiring minds. Further off, notably among the lagunas, near
Chuichitan, some twelve miles away to the south-east, are other rock
paintings, and, it is said, sculptures well worth seeing.
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 153
Besides the " c irreta " or cart-road running between San Geroiiimo
and Chuichitan, and some three kilometres to the north-east, is an
ancient mound some thirty feet high, with a circumference of about
120 feet, roughly speaking. There seem to be no traces of mortar
about the mound, but many good specimens of ancient idols have been
picked up there, and much broken pottery lies around.
The natives of this region are not, as a rule, tall, and in fact appear
short and slight when standing beside most of the " Gringos," who
come down here, (the people of Ixtaltepec alone excepted,) as they are
noted for their general large size. Many of the women have beautiful
features and a queenly carriage. Some, when well dressed, convey
the idea of a Cleopatra or a Queen of Sheba.
The native language here is Zapoteca ; (very likely much cor-
rupted), but Mexican- Spanish is also generally well understood and
spoken. Some town-lands are more loyal than others to their ancient
tongue, and preserve solely a variety of Zapoteca as their common
language, which is notably instanced in the case of the town-lands of
Barrio and Petapa, lying beside each other to the north-east of San
Geronimo, and near the Tehuantepec railway. In Petapa all the
natives speak a strange dialect (?) of Zapoteca, which has a very
drawling yet pleasing intonation, quite different from that spoken in
the Tehuantepec region, and they use many words differing totally
from those which signify the same thing in Zapoteca as spoken else-
where, and very few understand Mexican-Spanish at all ; whereas, in
Barrio, their neighbors commonly speak Mexican-Spanish, and are
often nonplussed when in conversation with a native of Petapa.
San Geroiiimo has been visited occasionally by the vendor or col-
lector of antiquities, who, establishing himself for a few days at the
principal fonda or hostelry of the village, gives notice to the various
tiendas (shops) that he is there to collect all sorts of pottery of ancient
make found in the earth or river ; copper or stone axes, and every
kind of " antigua " the people can bring in, including coins of all sorts
not current at the present day. In this way, several large cases of
antique figures of idols, ollas,* etc., have been removed from this village
and its vicinity, so that now it is very hard to find here the best class
of such article — at least in the houses — though without doubt a vast
quantity of these things lies imbedded where the village stands.
During over two years' residence, I have failed to discover, or even
hear of, a single case of a " fake-dealer " or of a spurious specimen of
any description whatever.
The natives do not, as a rule, value their specimens at all, until they
hear there is " money in them," when their cupidity is aroused, and
they will try to make a bargain, though on an absurd principle ; a
* Prononuced awyas or owyas.
154 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
roughly made and broken olla, if it is only large, appealing more to
their ignorant minds for a high price, than a small and perfect speci-
men does.
In the neighboring districts, many valuable specimens have been
found during the past ten years, notably two small gold images, which
I am told have been forwarded to the United States, and one small
gold idol head, weighing one ounce, which was found some years ago at
the foot of the hill of Ixtaltepec, and presented by the finder, Count Henri
de Gyves, a citizen of San Geronimo, to the President of the Republic
of Mexico Count Henri also informs me that he had the good fortune
to be the possessor many years ago of a beautiful little olla, which was
found in this neighborhood, and which he believes was made of chal-
cedony, with a cameo-like head carved on one side of it. This he sent
to France for presentation to M. Emile Zola.
In my own collection here may be noticed a most rare and beauti-
ful olla, made out of a solid block of white quartz, which is very heavy
It measures 5£ inches across the mouth, and about 7£ inches across the
bowl or body. See description following. I have been fortunate
enough also to procure a little image of a very hard, pale green, polished
marble, perfect and well finished. A little image cut out of white
quartz, and several articles made from a beautiful pale green marble-
like stone have been found around this place.
As it is thought that some of the specimens enumerated in the fol-
lowing list may be included in the valuable varieties of jade or jadeite,
it may not be out of place to insert here a portion of a letter from Mr.
Edward (well known in Mexico City) to the Mexican Herald of
Sep. 24th, 1899, on the subject of a supposed jade pumpkin, which is
in the Museo Nacional of Mexico city. He says, "We do not know
whether the word ' chalchiuhtl,' which the Spainards translated by
' piedras verdas ' referred to emeralds only, or to emeralds and objects
in jade or jadeite. The latter (jadeite) is the term which men of
science apply to one especial variety of Mexican jade, of a light greyish-
green, very translucent, mottled, with patches of a deep, leek hue.
This is harder than other varieties of jade, and takes a far more bril-
liant polish. No one but a jeweller can tell what is jade and what is
not, for the jades of commerce are by no means confined to the
nephrites of mineralogy. Therefore, no one in Mexico connected with
archaeology can say authoritatively whether this enormous mass (the
pumpkin) would be recognized by the trade as a genuine jade. French
lapidaries have for a long time enjoyed a monopoly of jade cutting, for
the Orientals will not sacrifice any portion of a material so valuable
and therefore the object carved depends entirely upon the shape of the
nodule. The result is, that an oriental collection of carved jade pre-
1899]
ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT.
155
sents objects so fantastic that their meaning cannot be recognized, and
the beauty of the material is all but lost."
A great variety of other finds are mentioned in the following list —
some very crude and others daintily worked and finished, but each
valued as revealing the necessities and inventive genius of those who
used them.
Four odd looking specimens (one of which is here figured) from
four to five inches long, were presented to me by Mr. F. Wehner, of
Tehuantepec, who procured them from near Union Hidalgo, a village
about 20 miles from
SanGeronimo,inl897.
They are probably
made of an alloy of
copper and tin, and
are occasionally used
by the natives who
work with hides for
the purpose of scrap-
ing the skins, though
there is much evi-
dence that for such
purpose they were not
originally intended.
In J. Carson Bre-
Fig. 17. x S voort's book on "Early
Spanish and Portugese Coinage in America," he notices on page 5,
Cogulludo's " History of Yucatan," published 1688, page 181, where
reference is made to money used anciently by the natives, and along
with cacao beans, bells, and hawk bells of copper, colored conch shells
from other countries, and precious stones and gold dust, are mentioned
" small copper hatchets coming from Mexico," as forming articles of
exchange. Plate I. in Brevoort's book gives a good illustration of one
of these.
He further adds : " These last were probably like the one figured
in Dupaix's ' Antiquites Mexicanes,' Plate XXVI., No. 74, which is
formed like a shoemaker's cutter, and served as a skin scraper. See also
Herrera I. V. 5."
Brevoort further adds, on page 5, that Humboldt in his " Essai
Politique sur le Royaume de la Nouvelle Espagne " states that pieces
of copper in the form of the letter T were used as currency in some
provinces.
Mr. W. H. Holmes in his " Archaeological Studies, Part II., Monu-
ments of Chiapas and Valley of Mexico," page 287, gives an excellent
account of these articles. He says :
156
ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT.
[12
" Among the most characteristic of the Mitlan art remains are
certain hatchet or tau-shaped objects of hammered copper found in
very considerable numbers in graves, and possibly also in hoards or
caches. Measured with the stem they vary from 4 to 7 inches in
length, and the width across the blade is about the same, As the
blades do not exceed one-tenth of an inch in thickness in any part, it
is apparent that they could not have been employed as hatchets or
chisels, although, set in handles, they would perhaps have served a
good purpose as trowels, knives or scrapers. The generally accepted
theory of their use is that they were the money of the ancients, or at
least served as a standard of value. It may be remarked that the
shape and tenuity suggest the possibility of their use as ornaments>
and it appears that if well polished and set as* a crowning feature in a
helmet or head dress, they would prove very effective. Possibly, how-
ever, they were symbols, and served some religious purpose."
About four miles from San Geronimo a native found several of
these objects buried in the earth, in which they had been laid in some-
thing of a star-like form, the cross ends meeting in the centre, and the
points outwards.
Mrs. N. P. Bell, San Geronimo, has a broken off shank (?) of a very
large specimen of these strange articles. It measures If inches across
the base.
This rare and beantiful specimen (figure 18) was dug up near Union
Hidalgo, some twenty miles from San Geronimo, and was procured
and presented by
Mr. F. Wehner. It
appears to have
been cut out of a
solid block of white
quartz. The portion
m of the lip (from
which the piece was
broken when given
me) shows the
sparkling quartz to
perfection, while
the earth from
which it was turned
up has left a last-
ing remembrance
o
of itself in toning
Fie- 18- the inside and out-
side of the jar to a light yellowish hue. The outside is slightly rough-
1899]
ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT.
157
ened, but not sufficiently so to spoil the beauty of the specimen. It is
provided with three short feet.
A very good and perfect olla is represented by figure 19, in
dark, well-burnt clay, with rather regular pattern marking. Each
double set of these
is repeated on both
bands, which go all
round the olla. Lo-
cality — San Gerofi-
imo. Lent by Mrs.
N. P. Bell.
A small, neat olla,
(figure 20), is remark-
ably perfect, with two
small handles ; these
do not come opposite
each other. It is of
a blackish gray color,
and came from Chui-
chit an.
This mask (fig. 21)
Fi J9 of a woman's face
(called by the natives
" a queen ") seems to be made of baked clay. It is now quite black
and well preserved, and is really well executed. It was procured at
Chuichitan from a native who said it had been found buried in the
earth, about 1894. It is
the only specimen of the
kind I have seen here.
In my collection are six
varieties of what may be
termed seals or stamps.
Three of them are roughly
made, and are not remark-
able, but the others are
very fine. All were found
in the neighborhood of San
Geronimo. They are made
of more or less finely baked clay, and are of a whitish color.
A somewhat unusual specimen has come into my possession,
namely, a small block of dark, well-polished stone, one side being
Fig. 20.
158
ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT.
[12
Pig. 21.
highly ornamented with numerous, though inartistically arranged,
rings, cut into the hard stone by a tubular drill, possibly a
bird's bone; the little raised
centres of each ring are plainly
seen. The reverse side has very
firmly cut lines running rather
obliquely from end to end ;
though doubtless intended at
first to be perpendicular. The
four narrow "sides are deeply
grooved at each corner only.
This specimen I have seen in
only two varieties, the first being
the one above described ; the
other has single lines on one
side, while the reverse is devoid
of all ornamentation, and the
stone unpolished, the sides still
showing the deep grooves at the
corners. From this it would ap-
pear that they were probably used as amulets, or, as some suggest, as
plummets, for all come in the same size, and vary but slightly in
weight.
In my collection are a stone hammer and a stone axe, both picked
up on the surface here by myself, about a mile out of the village. The
stone hammer is notched at both sides of the narrower end, while the
periphery is considerably worn. The stone axe is remarkably similar
to that shown on p. 50 of Mr. Boyle's Archaeological Report for 1896-
97 ; in fact the pointed end is identical, and has not required the hand
of man to shape it for its purpose. In this specimen the groove is
deeply and firmly cut, and a rounded socket has been cut out of the
remaining portion of the stone.
Among my ollitas, one is unique, made of reddish, well-baked
clay, and carefully, though not symmetrically, worked. Three tusks
hanging out of the mouth may indicate Tlaloc or some other rain-god.
This comes from Chuichitan. One is of white baked clay. It is a
small, squarish mouth and six suspension holes, one in each ear and
two on each side ; this is from San Gerofiimo. A third is made of
reddish clay, but now very brown from long contact with mother
earth. It is unfortunately much broken, and a portion of it is mis-
sing. Still enough remains to show it was well executed, and it shows
every trace of antiquity. This was found by my little daughter in a
neighboring "milpa," or cattle- field, where only the small, round, raised
handle appeared above ground.
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 159
I have two very carefully made and rare little images. One is of
white quartz, but is p? etty well browned by its sojourn in the ground,
from which it was taken about 1895, near Tehuan tepee. It has one
pair of bi-conical perforations in the middle of the back, which, with
its many deep and clean cut grooves (notably those around the neck
and feet) would indicate that the image was intended for suspension
as a pendant ornament. The other is made of a pale green, marble-
like stone, possibly onxy, with highly polished surface, and worked
with much, precision and skill. It has two pairs of bi-conical perfora-
tions, connecting the sides with the back. These come about the
middle of the image and point to its purpose as an amulet.
Among other amulets, one is of very hard, dark baked clay from
Chuichitan. It seems likely that the legs and arms were formerly
joined together. A second is a beautiful specimen of some pale green
and gray stone, which sparkles considerably when turned about.
Though formed like a little adze or chisel, it was likely used only as
an ornament. Another was evidently also intended as an ornament, a
perforation at the top of the forehead having been commenced, but not
completed. It is of baked clay, hard, black and shining. A fourth
has only his head to show, with one pair of bi-conical perforations at
the back of the neck, showing its use as a pendant. It is made of a
marble of sage green shade, and well polished. I cannot trace the
history of this specimen, but I am told that others like it are found in
and near Oaxaca City and Mitla. One gentleman ki Tehuantepec has
five in his possession. What appears to be a child's rattle, contains
a small stone. It is made of white baked clay. And I have a pendant
with two suspension holes — it is of baked clay, quite black and shining.
A variety of small articles includes what appears to be a necklace
bead of brown baked clay ; an odd-shaped necklace bead made of blue-
green marble-like stone, highly polished, and showing distinct indica-
tion inside that the perforation was worked with a tubular drill ; half
of a necklace bead, which I only mention, as we have never found
anything else of the same material here — is made of some soft polish-
ed stone of pale green color; two that appear at first sight to be beads,
but are more likely spindle whorls, one being of a reddish color, very
neatly shaped, and quite smooth, while the other is of clay burned a
dark brown and apparently mixed with granite or other stone ; twin
specimens, found together in the ground near Ixtaltepec, about five
miles from San Geronimo, both apparently had belonged to the same
s tring of necklace beads They seem to be formed out of a stalactite
or some such material, are hollow throughout, and of a whitish color,
with little raised incrustations scattered over the surface, and two
slight grooves (evidently for ornamentation) at each end. I have also
160 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
numerous small articles, specimens of which are very plentiful ; they
are made of reddish-brown, poorly baked clay, and as a rule rudely
fashioned ; among some seventy, only four or five. being neatly moulded
They vary much in size, with only two variations from the usually
smooth surface. These are described below. Professor Frederick
Starr, of the University of Chicago, writing on " Little Pottery Objects
of Lake Chapala," calls the similar specimens found in that lake
"sinkers." It may be that these were so used by fishermen in some
localities. Those in my collection were all found on the .surface of dry
ground, at distances anywhere between 50 yards and 4 miles from the
river. Professor Starr further adds that they are quite like the beads
described by Thurston, and figured at page 320, in his "Antiquities of
Tennessee," but are not perforated. I am reliably informed that 'near
Tapana on the south coast of Oaxaca, a number of beads in shape like
these clay objects, but made of bronze and perforated, were found in a
grave along with a portion of the string which bound them together,
which however literally crumbled to dust when handled. Some people
here are of opinion that they were strung together in graduating sizes,
with two strings, thus, with the largest in the centre, forming a neck-
lace. I have successfully strung mine together in this way, but
personally incline to the third opinion as to their use, which is, that
they may have been used in some game, to slip along strings, or in
some other way, for gambling purposes — the two varieties mentioned
above having somewhat the appearance of dice, one variety being
marked with a little indented ring in the centre of each concave end,
while the second variety has five little indented circles round a centre
circle on one concave side.
Among the many pieces of obsidian knives found in this neighbor-
hood, I have been unable to procure a perfect knife, the longest
specimen measuring only about two and a half inches in length^
although many of the shorter pieces show remarkably sharp and un-
broken edges and points. Some of the flakes are about an inch and a
half square, and about a fourth of an inch thick. Mr. W. Holmes, in
his " Ancient Cities of Mexico," part II, p. 287, says : " I did not see a
single well-shaped arrow- point while in the valley of the Rio Mitla-
Finely made flaked blades and specialized points are occasionally
found, however, in the Oaxacan region."
Obsidian arrow-heads found here seem much smaller than the
flint arrow-heads from the Six Nation Reserve, Ontario, illustrated on
p. 49 of Mr. Boyle's Archaeological Report for Ontario of 1896-7, and
which he states " are of convenient size for arrows, but their purpose
may have been that of adornment about the person."
I have a beautiful specimen of a flint (?) knife. It is of a red-
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 161
brown, autumn-leaf shade, carefully cut and wonderfully perfect, only
a, very small portion from the extreme tip being broken off, and it
shows no signs of ever having been used. This, along with another,
was found by a native about 1897, while ploughing his field in the
the neighborhood of San Gerouimo.
A very fine and perfect specimen seems to be like a small spear-
head, and is made of dull, white flint. In the Archaeological Report
for Ontario, 1896-7, p. 61, Mr. Boyle shows us a very similar one, and
says his specimen " was most likely a scraper or knife." He adds :
" ^Vhat are called ' women's knives ' of slate, are in most instances of
this form." (It seems a pity that such a carefully-cut specimen should
in the end turn out to be only a " woman's knife.") *
This little specimen may have been intended as a small arrow-head
or ornament. It is made of slate, and it seems scarcely possible that
it is only a flake of slate, which has so happily chosen to break into a
pretty leaf shape.
A very small and beautiful hatchet has been made out of a sage
green, hard stone, which has streaks of darker sage, and some yellowish
markings, and a polished surface. This was found in 1898, in a
neighboring " milpa " or fenced-in field, lying on the surface, and near
some pottery fragments.
Fig. 22.
A broken end of what seems to have been a hatchet or chisel, is of
material which is very unusual ; it is a pinky white flint, highly pol-
ished, and shows many signs of hard usage.
Two other specimens of different sizes of chisels may be diorite.
Fig. 22 seems to be a chisel. It is made of a light green, hard
stone, with some very dark green markings on one side, and on the
other are some green and yellow delicately traced lines, reminding one
of the outlines of oak knots. (This beautiful specimen is in the private
collection of Mrs. N. P. Bell in San Geronimo, and was kindly lent
with some other specimens, for insertion in this sketch of the arch-
aeological remains of San Geronimo and its neighborhood).
* Why is it a pity ? and why " only a woman's knife ? "— D. B.
11 A
162 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
This strangely shaped article (figure 23) was likely used as a ladle,
and the fact of the handle being so deeply grooved and sloping down-
ward so peculiarly, suggests that it may have served as a channel for
Fig. 23.
carefully running off any fluid contained into the ladle.* It is made
of dark, well hurt clay. From San Geronimo. Lent by Mrs N. P.
Bell
Here is a unique sort of ladle, which looks also very much as
though it might have been intended as a fancy frying-pan, but it
shows no signs of ever having been used in any capacity. Almost in
the centre of the bowl a small hole has been bored. This article is in
white, well burnt clay, and comes from near Juile on the Tehuantepec
railroad. Lent by Mrs. N. P. Bell.
a b
These two idol heads are decided contrasts. Fig. a is made very
smoothly of clay, well burnt and a grayish color. This specimen has a
* The shap 8 is probably a survival from the time when such articles were made from &
arge shell. L» . B.
1899]
ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT.
163
peculiarity which distinguishes it from all other heads I have seen,
viz., that the ear discs are pierced from side to side, showing a clear
well made hole. Fig. b is of whitish, well-burnt clay with very distinct
outlines and^markings.
Here we have a variety of strange heads;
Figs, c and d are perhaps intended to represent
the head of the king vulture or " Rey de los
Zopilotes." Fig. e. A monkey's face of dark
well burnt clay. It is hol-
low at the
c d e f
back like a mask. Fig. / is an odd, impish looking little head, of well-
burnt dark colored clay.
Among other small but interesting objects are 'vhat is supposed to
be a white stem of white burnt clay, with large mouth piece, but un-
fortunately the bowl has not been found ;* a copper finger ring, found
about 1894 in the bank of the river of San Geronimo ; a very small
specimen of an axe or hatchet and a good specimen of the usual stone
axe, both of a very dark, greenish-black stone ; a large copper axe or
chisel. Three others of the last named kind, two of them much
smaller .than this one, have been found in this neighborhood.
*Old ^Mexican pipes had no bowl, they were merely tubes. Mrs. Stuart's
" stem " is probably a complete pipe. — D.B.
164 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
AN OLD LETTER ABOUT THE ORIGIN OF THE INDIANS.
The following brief notice of the Indians is not devoid of interest
as showing among other things the beliefs entertained by many
intelligent people not so long ago respecting the origin of the Indians.
The " Creation" and "Indian Summer" myths will probably come as
novelties to most readers now-a-days.
The notes were in the form of a letter to Mrs. Sydere of Yarmouth,
Elgin county, Upper Canada, and were written in 1843 by the Rev. L.
C. Kearney, then R.C. clergyman in St. Thomas, Upper Canada.
As was customary until within a comparatively recent time, the
reverend gentleman is quite indefinite when he refers to the beliefs of
"some Indian tribes," and he speaks of " the Indian traditions," just as
one might refer to the European fable or the Asiatic myth, but in all
probability the Indians about St. Thomas half a century ago were
Ojibwas, or some other branch of Algonkin stock.
" The Indians of North America are for the most part a wandering
race, deriving their precarious support by fishing and hunting, a course
of life so unfavorable to the propagation of the human species. They
are generally tall and well made in their person and their complexion
is of a dark copper color. They are taciturn to an extreme and are not
easily moved by pleasure or pain, bearing either with the seeming
indifference of a stoic philosopher.
" There is little doubt on my mind but that the Indians of this
continent are descended from the two lost tribes of Israel which the
' Sacred Volume ' informs us separated from the other ten. The
similarity between the Hebrew and Indian languages, the figurative
expressions and soft euphony with which each so beautifully abound,
as well as many of the ancient rites of the Jews, which characterize the
poor red man's devotion when praying to the ' Great Spirit ' are all
convincing reasons to believe that the untutored savages of North
America are descended from the ancient Israelites, the once favored of
Heaven !
" Some antiquarians are of the opinion that they are descended
from the Scythians, and indeed the cruelty and ferocity they inflict
upon whatever prisoners they take in war agree with the most
authentic records of that warlike and barbarous people. Others
believe that they may have been a colony from ancient Rome, whilst
some are to be found who say that they were once a learned, warlike
and commercial people, but after a long residence degenerated into
their present state of degradation. Fortifications are to be met with
in several parts of Canada, and about them are to be found helmets,
spears and other military weapons, as well as pottery and several
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 165
other articles, which prove to a demonstration that Canada was form-
erly inhabited by some race of men of far superior intelligence in the
art of war and civilization to the present aborigines. And yet the
Indians have not the least tradition upon which we might base a con-
jecture as regards those forts and tumuli which exist in every district
in United Canada Thus, after being tossed from one conjecture to
another, we are at last compelled to drop the subject in conscious
ignorance and leave it for the accumulated wisdom of future ages to
unravel.
" The Indian tradition of the creation, can, in my opinion, be traced
to some indistinct recollection of the account as given by Moses in the
first chapter of Genesis.
" The ' Great Spirit,' when about to speak this world into existence,
assumed the form of an immense bird, and flew over the chaos ; when
he floated majestically, the undivided elements became a perfect plain ;
when he flapped his wings the earth moved into hills .and valleys, —
the water into oceans, lakes and rivers.
" The 'Indian Summer,' which generally takes place in October,
and continues, sometimes, as long as six weeks, is the most beautiful
and agreeable part of the year ; and surpasses in balmy influence, all
we 'can imagine of the climate of Southern France. During this de-
lightful season the earth is enveloped by a refreshing vapor, which
does not partake of the qualities of fire or water, and through this
rectified ether you behold the sun in clouded majesty, giving to vege-
table life all the freshness peculiar to the land of 'the happy valley.'
Some Indian tribes believe that this smoky weather is caused by the
aborigines of the 'far west,' setting on fire their savannas, trackless
prairies, and interminable forests. Other tribes, that it is caused by
the happy hunters in 'the land of spirits,' offering sacrifice to the
Great Spirit, for having bestowed upon them such 'delightful hunting
grounds and rivers teeming with fish. Nevertheless, the greatest
admirer of nature can only enjoy the delightful season of 'Indian
Summer' and attribute the phenomenon to some peculiar characteristic
in the climate of Canada, which has long, but to no purpose, attracted
the attention of every resident of this appendage of the British
Empire."
166 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
MUSIC OF THE PAGAN IROQUOIS.
The same argument that applies to the study of things material
connected with primitive life, has equal force when it affects every
phase, condition or circumstance of early society, and the pursuit of
pre-historic archaeology, either in its purely material form, or as it
may be otherwise aided, is not conducted merely because of the bald
fact that this or the other people happens to be concerned, otherwise
than in so far as the study may assist us in arriving at a knowledge
of developmental stages, from a generalization respecting which
among many peoples we may arrive at the why and wherefor of where
we stand ourselves.
Theories respecting the origin of music, are almost as numerous
and as varied as are those that have been propounded to account for
the beginnings of speech, but with speculations of this kind we have
nothing further to do than to supply what we can to the general stock
of information, an accumulation of which may, in time, aid some student
in arriving at well-founded conclusions.
We are fortunate in being able to procure from the lips of the
Iroquois people themselves such songs as have, in most instances, been
received by them from a long line of ancestors, and in all probability
with but slight variation — in some instances, I am almost certain,
without any.
The case would have been different had our sources of informa-
tion lain among the christianized nations — Caniengas, Oniedas, Tusca-
roras, — but it is not likely that the pagan nations — Senecas, Onon-
dagas and Cayugas, would, at any rate, consciously, allow innovation
even to the extent of a note. Proof of this may be found in the
determination they have maintained, to use only the old-time drum
and rattles when these songs are sung, notwithstanding the fact that
their congeners on the New York reserve have introduced the use of
brass instruments during similar ceremonies.
All the following songs are as sung by the Senecas. No attempt
has yet been made to procure Onondaga or Cayuga versions, and until
this is done, it will be impossible to make any comparison should
differences exist. My own opinion is that if there be any difference
the older and purer forms will be found among the Cayugas.
With a continuation of the interest that has been manifested in
this subject by the Hon. G. W. Ross (now Premier, and formally
Minister of Education), it will be possible to bring together a mass of
aboriginal musical notation of extreme value to the scientific musician
as well as to the ethnologist. As an illustration of the extent to
which we may contribute, the following extract will supply some idea
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 167
In a recent article on The Primeval Language* the writer takes
the novel, but reasonable enough ground that music is but a "develop-
ment of the early power in speech," which, he claims, consisted at first
of vowel sounds only. After giving a few examples of words so com-
pounded from Polynesian speech, such as aeaea, aoao, aia, auau,
aeoia, iaua, etc., he proceeds : —
"But besides the mere variation and repetition of simple sounds,
in itself a very rich resource, the primeval tongue was rich in many
other resources. It had a very wide range of tone. The men of old
sang up and down the scale, instead of merely dragging their words
evenly across it as we do. And one must go to a land where the tone
element still survives to realize what a very rich resource this would
be. Take the Siamese, for instance, who have a rich diapason of
tones, and listen to them singing to each other, rather than speaking,
and one realizes how much music can be in speech. Gaelic, to come
nearer home, has much the same element, and that musical element
has come clear through into the modern dialects, in which English
vocables are overlaid on Gaelic sounds. Thus Cork and Kerry at the
one end, and Fifeshire and Edinburgh at the other, have a definite
melody in every phrase. And so it was in the primeval tongue ; to
the almost infinite expressiveness of speech itself was added the quite
expressiveness of music.
And all our music is a development of this early power in speech,
which has been gradually dying out of our speaking, as it has grown
into song. Many old tongues kept it, but for holy uses or magical
ends only. It appears as swara in the Vedic hymns. Read them and
you are inclined to scoff at their claims to magic ; but hear them
chanted by a full choir till the air rings and the very walls seem to
vibrate, and you will be ready to profess as thorough a belief in
incantations as any magician or astrologer of them all. Within a
month I have heard the very same chant in a fire-temple of the
Parsees in Bombay and in the Cathedral of the Saviour at Moscow ;
how much of our Church music has the same origin, would be a
matter of uncommon interest to know. Much of it may carry us back
to the Chaldeans of the days of Daniel ; even then it was but a sur-
vival of primeval speech.
Then, again, besides the tone of single vowels there is the sing-
song or cantilena of whole sentences corresponding to musical melody ;
and here, too, the primeval tongue was rich. And another musical
quality — stress — ranged from pianissimo to fortissimo, and added a
new richness to expression.
The Primeval Language, by Charles Johnston, Contemporary Review, for Nov. 1899,
pp. 698-9.
168 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
If music be magical, touching the emotions directly, then the
oldest speech was full of magic ; and we may well describe it by saying
that it consisted of streams of vowels set to music, with all the quali-
ties of tone, melody, stress and time which music possesses."
Respecting the use of vocables in the singing of primitive songs>
the writer just quoted favors the belief that they never had any
meaning — that they are simply words fitted to the music, as a result
of whim, or, perhaps, of supposed suitableness. Another view is that,
although in most cases, the so-called words are now devoid of signifi-
cance, it was not always thus, and that what remains represents
words, either of what we may call a hieratic vocabulary, or of an old
form of common speech.
What follows from the pen of Mr. Cringan will be read with much
interest. He has been at infinite pains to arrive at accurate repre-
sentation of the various songs, and in many cases this was not free
from considerable difficulty.
As the graphophone cylinders, bearing the songs, have been pre-
served, reference may be made to them by musical experts, by
arrangement with the Education Department.
PAGAN DANCE SONGS OF THE IROQUOIS.
By Alex. T. Cringan.
The publication of a collection of native Indian melodies in the
Archaeological Report of last year has evoked many expressions of
interest in the subject from eminent archaeologists and musicians in
Europe and America. The action of the Education Department, in
seeking to preserve the songs of our native tribes from the oblivion
which would otherwise result, has been received with many manifes-
tations of commendation. It has been felt that the results attendant
on the experiment of last year warrant a further investigation of the
subject on a more extended scale.
In the previous endeavour to secure a transcription of Iroquois
songs the notes were written while being sung by Kanishandon who
had been selected by his brethren as the most skillful exponent of
Iroquois song. The process employed was necessarily somewhat crude
and laborious, but, it was the best available under then existing con-
ditions. Doubtful passage's had to be many times repeated before
their notation could be even approximately determined and, in a few
instances, compassion for the singer demanded that further repetition
be discontinued. The desire to secure the largest possible collection
of musical records of unquestionable accuracy, developed methods
which were ultimately productive of most satisfactory results.
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 169
The most scientific of modern devices for recording sound was
employed in the form of the graphophone. It was thought that by
the employment of this instrument vocal repetition of the songs would
be unnecessary, while the accuracy of the records permanently im-
pressed on the waxen cylinders would enable the investigator to test
the truthfulness of the transcriptions at any time.
Two native singers, Kanishandon and Dahkahhedondyeh, were
selected as being the most capable and reliable exponents of Indian
song. In accordance with Mr. Boyle's instructions they were occupied,
for several months previous to visiting Toronto, in preparing a list of
the most important tribal songs within their knbwledge. In this they
were aided by the advice of various natives of the reserve who were
acknowledged authorities on the subject.
It must be admitted that some doubts were experienced regarding
the results on the Indian mind of the effect produced by hearing their
own voices emanating from what their native superstitions might lead
them to consider a " devil machine." These were soon proven to be
groundless. In order to demonstrate the action of the graphophone
their own " Pigmy Song " was sung by the writer, and immediately
reproduced. They were so surprised and delighted by the result that
no persuasion was necessary to induce them to sing into the receiver
while the recorder was making the almost invisible indentations which
are now preserved as a permanent record of Indian vocalisation. The
singers sang their best and the graphophone worked so successfully
that the experiment resulted in the acquisition of no fewer than forty-
seven authentic records of typical Indian melodies.
The transcription of these into musical notation presented a task of
considerable difficulty. Fortunately, however, the graphophone is not
made of muscular tissue, and one can compel it to repeat its vocal
phrases as often as desired and as slowly as the intricacies of the sub-
ject may require, without experiencing unnecessary qualms of con-
science or feelings of sympathy for the singer. In the work of tran-
scription every effort has been made to secure absolute correctness in
so far as this can be represented by ordinary musical notation. In
some instances several hours were occupied in analysing a single
melody before the correct notes could be determined. In analysing
the songs as sung by a native, various elements of difficulty are
encountered. Unlike his more cultured white brethren the Indian
has not acquired the habit of falling from the pitch at which he com-
mences his song. I have never heard a native singer flatten or sharpen
from the key, but, he does not strike his notes in a manner calculated
to impress the listener with the correctness of his intonation. On the
contrary, he invariably approaches, and quits his tones with a glide or
170 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
scoop which makes the pitch somewhat awkward to determine.
Another peculiarity of his vocalisation is the frequency with which he
uses the vibrato or tremolo in songs which seem to express intensity of
emotional feeling. Grace-notes he uses freely in the ornamentation of
his musical phrases. The source of greatest difficulty is found in the
tonality of the majority of his songs. To ears accustomed only to the
tonality of modern music the modes employed in Indian songs must
be exceedingly difficult to define. Modern music is confined to two
modes, major and minor, in both of which there exists what is techni-
cally known as a leading-note at the interval of a semitone below the
tonic or fundamental note of the scale. In most of the Indian melodies
the absence of this leading note, essential to modern harmonies, is con-
spicuously noticeable. This peculiarity is not confined to Indian songs
but may be observed in many of the older melodies of Scotland, " Auld
Lang Syne " and " Scots, wha hae " may be quoted as familiar
examples of this peculiarity. In modern music, harmonic laws demand
that the final note be a constituent of the fundamental chord of the
key in which the composition is written, but with the Indians all
harmonic laws are freely disregarded, and their songs end on any tone
of the scale which may be found convenient. This peculiarity tends
to dispel the conclusive effect which is usually expected at the close of
a stanza, and it may be assumed that this is precisely the object which
the Indian has in view. In the ballads of civilized peoples each stanza
treats of some specific aspect of the principal theme, and the music
ends in a cadence which gives the effect of a close, partial or complete,
before a return is made to the beginning for the opening of a fresh
stanza. Were this the case in Indian songs, the main object for which
they exist would be completely frustrated. The majority of Indian
songs are employed as an essential adjunct to the various ceremonies
so intimately interwoven into the life-fabric of these primitive people.
The theme of their songs is at all times simple as the habits of the
people of whose lives it forms a part. In connection with their cere-
monials this simple theme is repeated continuously until the close of
the ceremony, of which it forms a part, when it is brought to an
abrupt close irrespective of the point in the musical phrase at which
this close may be demanded. Were the melody to end in a definite
musical cadence, suggestive of a close, as in the modern ballad, the
attainment of this desired effect of continuity of sentiment would be
rendered impossible. When the Indian wishes to emphasize the close
of his melody he employs a method characteristically unique and even
more convincing than the most perfect of conventional cadences. This
is simply a long drawn out whoop, commencing in the upper region of
the voice and gliding downwards throughout the compass of a fifth,
ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 171
and occasionally a complete octave. This whoop is frequently pre-
ceded by a short staccato ejaculation, not easily described. In some
instances the whoop is omitted, in others it is repeated.
One other distinguishing characteristic of Indian song calls for
discussion. If the melodies included in the present collection are
analysed, it will be observed that nearly all commence on the upper
and end on the lower tones of the scale. It would seem as if the singer
used this means in order to command the attention of his audience to
the opening strains of his song. One cannot listen to the initial
phrases of such as the " Scalping Song " or the first " Discovery Dance
Song " without being convinced that this intention is distinctly mani-
fested.
The space available within the limits of this Report will not
permit of a detailed analysis of individual melodies, consequently much
has to be withheld which might otherwise be written.
In " Returning from the Hunt " (No. 1), the tonality is distinctly
that of A minor, although the leading tone, G sharp, is absent. To
avoid unnecessary repetition of reference to this peculiarity, it may
here be stated that, of the songs composing this collection, two ex-
amples only of the leading- tone, or major seventh, of the minor scale
are to be discovered. It is interesting to observe that both of these
are found in songs peculiar to women, viz.: Nos. 21 and 36. Whether
this would imply that the Indian woman is possessed of a finer musical
instinct, or is more advanced in her tendencies than her lord and master,
the reader is left at liberty to determine. In this, as in No. 2, we
have a melody of a decidedly cheerful and inspiriting effect. It is
strongly expressive of the feelings likely to be experienced on return-
ing from the hunt well laden with the spoils of the chase.
The second group introduces a gruesome subject. I am informed
by Dahkahhedondyeh that No. 3 was sung by the brave of olden times
when his foe was vanquished and he was about to secure the coveted
scalp, while No. 4 was reserved, as a song of exultation, on the accom-
plishment of this barbaric practice. From a musical standpoint, each
contains at least one outstanding characteristic. It will be observed
that No. 3 contains five beats in each measure after the opening phrase
in two-four time. It cannot be said that this effect is in the least
unpleasant. On the contrary, it is one of the most rhythmical melodies
in the collection, which serves to emphasize the fact that the Indian
mind is capable of definite rhythmical conceptions, the expression of
which is vividly coloured by his unique personality. No. 4 seems to
open with a similar rhythm, as a measure of three-four combined with
one of two-four gives, approximately, the same effect as one of five-
four time. This might have been expressed in another way, by writ-
172 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
ing a pause over the second beat in the second measure. This, how-
ever, is immaterial, as the most important feature presented is the
modulation from A minor to A major, in the third line. This modu-
lation is freely used in modern compositions. A familiar example
may be found in Dr. Dyke's beautiful hymn-tune, " Vox Dilecti,"
usually associated with the hymn commencing, " I heard the voice of
Jesus say." The modulation, in this, is accomplished by a leap of a>
major sixth from the fifth of the minor key, and, it will be observed
that precisely the same means are employed in the song under discus-
sion. This again presents a wide field for speculation. Have the
Indians any sub-conscious perception of the recognised close relation-
ship which exists between a minor key and a major on the same tonic?
Why does this melody fail to return to the original key ? Have they
acquired this means of modulation from hearing modern compositions ?
I am assured by my Indian friends that this is among the most
ancient of their traditional melodies, consequently the latter question
may be answered in the negative. The others must become the sub-
ject of future investigation, while the melody remains to speak for
itself. The " Old Chief's Favorite Song," No. 5, is an example of
pentatonic melody, as it contains five scale tones only. This is the
favorite scale of the Indians, as was fully described in the previous-
Report. The " Second Chief's Favorite Song," No. 6, presents an
example of a rhythmical figure, two measures in length, reproduced
continuously without interruption. The absence of the leading-tone
D natural is again noticeable.
The precise sense in which the title " Discovery Dance " is applied
to the next group is somewhat difficult to determine. Dahkahhedond-
yeh explains that " These songs were sung during the progress of a
duel with knives, and, that the title refers to the effort of the brave to-
discover his opponent's weaker points of attack." In listening to this
group, a strong expression of exultation and defiance is 'readily
observed. In No. 7 we have another example of pentatonic melody.
The next might almost be mistaken for a modern bugle call, as, with
the exception of the A in the first measure, it contains no tones other
than those of the fundamental chord of B flat.
As their name implies, the following group consists of songs em-
ployed during the night watch beside the dead. Nos. 10 and 11 are
pentatonic melodies, befittingly weird and mournful, while No. 12 is
so indicative of excitement and passion as to seem entirely at variance
with the sentiment of the mournful ceremony in which it is employed.
In the " Four Nights' Dance Songs " we have several examples of
the final whoop already mentioned. Musical notation cannot give
adequate expression to the effect produced by this characteristic end-
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 173
inor. It is simply a yell commencing on a high note and gliding down-
wards with diminishing force. Of the eight songs included in this
.group the leading tone is found in No. 18 alone, the others being
strictly pentatonic in construction. The last of the group, No. 20, is
strikingly suggestive of an ancient Gregorian chant. If we exclude
the F introduced for the final whoop it will be observed that the
melody is confined to two tones, the first and third of the key of C
minor.
The Women's Dance Song introduces a pleasing example of the
effect of mixed rhythm. The opening period comprises five measures
of animated rhythm in four-four time, equalling in dash and abandon
the most modern of popular " two-steps." This is quickly succeeded
by a graceful movement in waltz time, producing a pleasing contrast
in which the essential elements of unity and variety are combined
with artistic intuition sufficient to satisfy the most advanced of modern
musical critics. As already stated, this song presents an example of
the employment of the complete minor scale including the major
•seventh or leading-tone rarely met with in the music of the pagan
Iroquois.
In former investigations the pathetic character of the ''War Dance
Song" led me to question its fitness for the ceremony with which it is
-associated On discussing this with Dahkahhedondyeh he informed
me that there are two songs associated with the War Dance, the first
being sung at the preliminary pow-wow at which the question of en-
gaging in war is discussed, and the second, when it has finally been
•decided to march on the war-path. A comparison of No. 22 with 23
elicits some interesting features. Both are composed of the tones of
pentatonic scale of G/minor, the plaintive first and fourth being
prominent in each. Owing to the slow tempo of No. 22 the effect of
these two tones is intensified thus producing an effect at once pathetic
and thoughtful. In No. 23 the rapid tempo, combined with the
hurried reiteration of minute rhythmic divisions, completely obscures
the mental effect of individual tones. The effect is strikingly fierce
-and vindictive and thoroughly in keeping with the sentiment which
it is designed to portray.
The three songs included in the next group are simple in character
as they serve only to supply a musical accompaniment to the prim-
itive games suggested by their titles. Their counterpart may be
iound in such games as "Jing go ring" or "London Bridge" well
known to the children of all English speaking races.
The Death Feast Song must not be confused with the Wake
Songs, as it forms part o£ an entirely different ceremony, having as
its principal objects the commemoration of the departed. The melody
174 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
is very simple in construction, possessing no new features of interest,
with the exception of the close on the fifth of the scale.
In the Joining Dance Song, No. 28, the most noticeable feature is
the syncopated rhythm employed in every measure. This rhythmic
peculiarity is so strongly characteristic of Indian, melody as to lead
some investigators to thereon elusion that the Indian has no definite con-
ception of rhythm as the term is understood among musicians. A
careful study of the various melodies here presented should convince
the most sceptical that the Indian mind is capable of definite rhythmic
conceptions, but that he is not subservient to pedantic musical laws,
reserving to himself the right to express his musical sentiment in a
manner peculiarly his own.
The term Ahdonwah, which distinguishes the group of songs now
to be discussed, means literally, " Songs of Joy." The first presents
several examples of syncopated rhythm referred to above. The most
interesting melody of the group is No. 30, in which we again have an
example of mixed rhythm produced by the insertion of measures
containing four beats, the normal measure consisting of three. It will
be observed that the key signature is that of A Major, while the first
and second measures are distinctly in the key of A minor. Both keys
are freely employed, and as if to emphasise this fact, the interval of
the minor seventh from the tonic is used in each in a manner which
cannot fail to be understood. In No. 31, a new example of mixed
rhythm is afforded by the insertion of a single measure of five-four
time.
The use of the second of the minor scale is very rare in Indian
melodies. The interval of a semitone by which it is related to the
minor third of the scale does not seem to be favourably regarded by
primitive races. Some eminent musical authorities maintain that the
employment of the pentatonic scale is mainly attributable to the
aversion which primitive folks evince towards this interval. To omit
all tones which necessitate the employment of an undesirable interval
is certainly a most effective means of getting over any apparent
difficulty which its employment might entail. In the song connected
with the ceremony of making chiefs, No. 45, this rare interval is freely
used, while in No. 36, we have the additional semitone consequent on
the introduction of the major seventh, or leading tone of the minor
scale. The latter belongs to the group of songs sung by the women
who may be left in charge of the camp while the braves are on the
war-path or engaged in the hunt. In No. 38 the change from four-four
to six-eight time is again noticeable, and it is interesting to note that
in this, as in the previous instance it occurs in the women's song.
Of the Green Corn Dance song two forms are given. The old
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 175
form, No. 40, seems to have been employed in some way which led to
its being considered unfit for use in the sacred feast of which it had
previously formed a part. The demand for a new song resulted in the
composition (?) of No. 41. The reader is left to draw his own con-
clusions regarding the originality of the composition. The rests shown
in various measures are not such in fact. The music is simply inter-
rupted to permit of the insertion of spoken interjections which cannot
be represented by any system of musical notation.
The most prominent feature of the " Naked Dance Songs " is the
unconventional measure in which they are sung. In No. 42 we have
the only discoverable example of the exclusive use of five-four time,
while No. 43 is equally unique in the employment of the most excep-
tional form of measure in seven-four time. The latter may be
regarded as composed of three and four beat measures alternately, but
this only serves to increase the difficulty of determining which is
intended to come first. In listening to this melody as sung by Kan-
ishandon, no doubt could be entertained regarding the accentuation of
the first beat of each group of seven, while examination reveals the
fact that the rhythm is distinctly repeated at the distance of two
measures of seven beats each.
The three remaining numbers of the collection present no char-
acteristics apart from those already discussed.
In order to appreciate the genus of pagan Indian song, one must
become thoroughly familiar with it through constant repetition. The
habits and customs of the people by whom they have been evolved
must also be carefully taken into account. When it is considered that
these songs have been produced by a people among whom musical
notation is utterly unknown, the unprejudiced investigator must be
surprised at the nascent ability which they exhibit. Although these
simple melodies have descended by tradition from time immemorial,
it must not be presumed that the form in which they originated has
been preserved intact. On the contrary, they represent a gradual
development unconsciously effected by the many generations through
which they have been transmitted.
Of the variations which they have undergone we have no means
of ascertaining, but, that they are even now subject to alteration we
are assured. In a few years some might be irretrievably lost ; their
existence remembered only as myth.
That they are worthy of a better fate must be conceded by all
interested in the history of these primitive peoples. It is hoped that
the attempt now made to represent them in musical notation will
result in their preservation, not alone for the satisfaction of ethnological
students, but for the descendants of the natives in whose ceremonials
they have played so important a part.
176
ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT.
No. 1. RETURNING FROM THE HUNT.
[12
J=110
z3F3:E:
- titi^zpipzpisit L— j*ipir=P
i— •E-i^F-
•*
<»
*ZZIg~'~ "1"*ZI5? * ^~P g~g
y~ _~*rt
[Z ^^ -t.-^. tz ^ ^^!z ^^tz
| 7si Tliine
rp~pzzz:
^z=
No. 2. RETURNING FROM THE BUFFALO HUNT.
J=110
-_^_ _ _.^. i ^- -
1^ — p_ L — -Tfi* — ..-..taBS —
liz.2:^iiipz:czirzz:*z czpzgz
Repeat ad. lib
~i
No. 3. SCALPING SONG.
=94
^^^=^^^^^^^^^=^^
~ *— '-'fc "*fc^r
Repeat ad. lib
<Z*r5z*zS
1899]
ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT.
No. 4. AFTER SCALPING SONG.
177
,'=116
D. C. three times. 4th time
— r
No. 5 OLD CHIEF'S FAVORITE SONG.
=126
Ko. 6. SECOND CHIEF'S FAVORITE SONG.
J=96
ife*3|3^i£^£l! ^*i^-Ii^ii§
— M
12
178
ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT.
No. 7. DISCOVERY DANCE SONG (FIRST).
[12
,'=176
r:tfc=BEf
=
Repeat once
No. 8. DISCOVERY DANCE SONG (SECOND).
=126
*
~t"~
No. 9. DISCOVERY DANCE SONG (THIRD).
=66
Repeat ad. lib.
No. 10. WAKE SONG (FIRST).
_ - ^-j — ___— -- -— i — i —
_I3_K _ U _ C_J -- C_i_ _ ^H_ __ LZ _ • — \-—f --- L^. — trf—
_Ij-P— P — *1| ,_^.._i_-^—
zfb^zp^tzt*:-1
1899]
ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT.
No. 11. WAKE SONG (SECOND).
]79
.'=160
! — -- — (--
~ tf~ ^-&>—- *~j&~
- ^ — - -H — i— 1
-r- m~ f-~ — +~~^— ^— r ^
No. 12. WAKE SONG (THIRD).
=184
Fine.
D. C. n/
.'=144
No. 13. FOUR NIGHTS' DANCE SONG (FIRST).
:p»=*=-zp p^^— -p_— =-:r=:i:p-aiip=i— rift:
No. 14. FOUR NIGHTS' DANCE SONG (SECOND).
=144
D. C.
Fine.
No. 15. FOUR NIGHTS' DANCE SONG (THIRD).
J=152
Sa^^^^^^^^&^^^j^^^
y— 4-! --W-- F-r— Ezb-E -^ |-zE±±rE-rt=z|z:- Er.t=-' bc*:E
D. C. arf /«6. Fm<r.
180
ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT.
[12
No. 16. FOUR NIGHTS' DANCE SONG (FOURTH).
=63
Fine.
D S. al fine.
No. 17. FOUR NIGHTS' DANCE SONG (FIFTB).
=56
p
?.y
7 — t — ta^***1 — —
pzz *c
Glisse.
No. 18. FOUR NIGHTS' DANCE SONG (SIXTH).
=104
I.*
.a* «
L«
z^in:izir~zi:r"~r:^'z:r~^i: — r:
» » » — *-F *— j»— » — — P- F -«-»— «— »
^:zj^r-iz:prczt::z^mr.^afr~ br n ^^, — j_
;^z-z*zi=H
Glisse.
1899]
ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT.
181
No. 19. FOUR NIGHTS' DANCE SONG (SEVENTH).
=132
-»T -- — ^j|
:fr— = ggr.^=-^g±:--L
G/«s* —
No. 20. FOUR NIGHTS' DANCE SONG (EIGHTH).
=126
Glisee.
No. 21. WOMEN'S DANCE SONG.
J.=60
182
ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT.
No. 22. PRELUDE TO WAR DANCE.
[12
=112
1 ------ - ---- 1 — I I
r- — i^^^ — I --- ^^^~
r- — i — I --- ~r~ — ----- r
,'=80
No. 23. WAR DANCE SONG.
:LJz=t3r
J=160
No. 24. HIT STICK SONG.
h_£— atuM t t"**
No. 25. CHANGE BODY SONG.
J=80
ifezEEEz
P — * — P- « — »— F- (*— <p — * — — - — F
— *j-<» F— ^ — *m
_z] — , — i — z^_^ — ^^F — — — - — •— — F F
— »— i — — ^— — j-h — — N — i — i— 1 i- — i — )
• — * — •— ^ — *•--! — — i — i — -r 1—— I 1— I 1 1 •! ' 1—
-- 1 — i
_^_. =-
L-^—^-CIP—— zp_^_^_p_*_^_^__
i --- 1 — F- — It H — i -- P— j --- --- 1 — i ---- • -- m— *-\ — & — *— r
--j— j zEit=-miEiE-i=z*^ — r-E->^tz=3==gi:{zJ-£
1899]
ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT.
No. 26. BEAN SONG.
183
J=104
No. 27. DEATH FEAST SONG.
J-126
-^=±i&:
:p:r=j=».:
Repeat ad lib.
No. 28. JOINING DANCE SONG.
=108
? f
No. 29. AHDONWAH (FIRST).
= 112
"^TJ^ J^B^ — *^ "^ . — .•••
-o—^ — — p— ^— - i— C— -m ^— t— ^ — j — i --p
s?=^rht??sE^iE.2^_=^l^^-E_--rE
— I 1 >^
— I -P-
184
ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT.
No. 30. AHDONWAH (SECOND).
'=104
.8
:-P-p:
— :-— ::T^--^-,— =1
.=104
NO. 31. AHDONWAH (THIRD).
5 beats
times Fine.
No. 32. AHDONWAH (FOURTH).
=104
:*ziz,_p_p_ ,_ iz^zzT
:^=-.W=-~- ^-~m-~= ±
- *-
:pz
-| *-
1899]
ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT.
No. 33. AHDONWAH (FIFTH).
185
J=96
j n'^T-'
,
D. S.
No. 34. MAKING CHIEF SONG.
( When on the road from fire to fire.)
See Hales Book of Iroquois Rites.
,'=104
D. C.
No. 35. MAKING CHIEF SONG.
(On arrival at the fire.)
J=60
Eftfe
1st time
2nd lime
Glisse.
No. 30. LONESOME WOMAN'S SONG (FIRST .
]=100
r-^
l__ i L_i C
L EiE -tziEiE=i
^-^—^rr^
G It see
186 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT.
No. 37. LONESOME WOMAN'S SONG (SECOND).
[12
"^Ljz" zjj, — izizEzzizizqzEz izsziz^'Ezzjziz^zE
No. 38. LONESOME WOMAN'S SONG (THIRD).
=120
rail.
-J
=80
~P-F"P-i"-^^:^i:^=ip=:zi:^=irrzzlip
rh: r~tr~F~P p~'^~P: Ez*±z*~| ~*zz
No. 39. JOINING HANDS DANCE SONG.
J=104
-gn
Glisse.
1899]
ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT.
187
No. 40. GREEN CORN DANCE SONG (OLD FORM)
J=150
r_p:=p:p~ ===-iri: i=j==|:pr:iqz:=f^rp::nii=:
^_
;
D. C.
No. 41. GREEN CORN DANCE SONG (NEW FORM).
JLuo
Fine.
D. C. al fine.
No. 42. NAKED DANCE SONG (FIRST).
,'-108
5§£§B5«
n:4 _zt vrnr-ti"— C
.-zrn-^
:^_— tz=t==
.«-J_
Gltsse.
188
ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT.
No. 43. NAKED DANCE SONG (SECOND).
[12
=108
— — — --__
**•- --- ' -- 1 — — -- 1 -- I~ -- 1 -- 1 -- 1 ---- 1 — " -- '— -- 1 ------- ! -------
-S-8-— J— — ' — -^— — — '-p— — ' -- •* — —I — — 1 -- ' -- I-F— —I -- i --- ! -- 1 -- l-
~ — *— -& - -—--- -
No. 44. NAKED DANCE SONG (THIRD).
=104
No. 45. OLD MAN'S FAVORITE SONG.
-hv • 1^^ — 1-|
----~
:m m
Repeat ad lib.
1899]
ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT.
No. 46. YOUNG MAN'S FAVORITE SONG.
189
J=92
~*— * *"*~ "- — •---
7$?$^*— +_?—*-**--+•-» — j»-g=g— p-g -g^g--- 1
rE*?~
• — i — •••
« mam^m
Repeat ad lib.
No. 47. NAMING OF THE BOY.
=96
1 1 U^.- I
— I — b*-'
-| -- ^ --- ; -- hi -- ^K -- * —
— ' — — — — "
— | — *-
D. S.
1
^=^~~ :=f±-ff±lH^i
— l — C^ — | ' — i 1~
190 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
A STUDY OF THE WORD TORONTO.
BY GENERAL JOHN S. CLARK
Every Indian geographical name must describe accurately some
feature of the locality to which it is affixed. The description may
relate to some topographical feature, to some historical event, to a res-
idence of some noted chieftain, to the natural productions, or to some
relation to some other place. Frequently a name is applied to more
than one place, but it must be under such circumstances that no mis-
take or misapprehension can arise as to the meaning. Occasionally
names are used figuratively, as was the case with that of the great
Iroquois confederation, Kanonsionni, from kanonses or kanonsis, a
house, and ionni, extended or drawn out. — thus using the figure of a
long-house as representing their political structure. They carried the
figure still further. As each of these houses had a door at each end,
they also had doors at the eastern and western extremities of their
occupied territory, the eastern guarded by the Mohawks, the western
by the Senecas. As several of these long- houses constituted a village
or castle, and was surrounded by an enclosure of palisades, it became
necessary to have openings through the enclosure at different points to
pass in and out for wood, water and x>ther purposes. Their confedera-
tion was also enclosed by an imaginary structure, having gateways for
purposes of peace or for military operations offensive and defensive,
and parties having business with the confederation must first make
that business known to the guard at one of these gateways, and who-
ever entered by any other way placed themselves in a position to be
suspected of haying evil purposes, and being treated as spies and
enemies. Every other confederation had like places, well known and
recognized by their neighbors. These places sometimes had local
names, and when it was desired to describe them as gates, it was done
by adding the word for gate to the local or general name. Thus Lake
Champlain became known as Caniaderi Guaruntie. In precisely the
same manner Lake Simcoe at an early date was known and recognized
as the Lake Door or Gate- way of the country of the Hurons. It will
be readily seen by an examination of maps that all intercourse with
the Hurons, whether relating to peace or war, from the south and
east, must necessarily pass through Lake Simcoe. Many routes of
travel centered in that lake, and in aboriginal intercourse, as in mod-
ern times, it was a key to inland navigation. When Lake Ontario
was closed to all other tribes, as described by Champlain. and the in-
land waterway via Quinte Bay became exceedingly dangerous, all ihe
commerce of the Hurons with the French sought the much longer and
more difficult route of the Ottawa as fraught with less danger. This
1899J ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 191
change increased the importance, temporarily, of Matchedash Bay as
a gateway to the Huron country. After the Hurons were driven out
a,nd Indian commerce returned to the natural channels, it was then
and in this manner that the name of Toronto became prominent as
the name of the bay of the same name, as the southern terminal of
what may well be called the international inland waterway between
Lake Ontario and the great northwest. If the theory advanced by
the writer is correct that Toronto is an abbreviated compound word,
somewhat disfigured, but based on kaniatare, lake ; and iokaronte, a
gap, breach, or opening, then it has always been the name of Toronto
Bay considered simply as a bay. And this will be the same if Dr.
O'Callaghan's theory be true, for his derivation reaches the same con-
clusion, and each will agree with Dr. Lewis H. Morgan who gives Neo-
da-on-da-quat, a bay, as the name of Irondequoit Bay. Neither is
there any material variation from the Rev. Asher Wright, who gives
the meaning of the name as ' the turning aside of the lake,' as this con-
stitutes the bay. All parties reach the same conclusions by slightly
varying methods of explanation. In none of the theories where this
name has been discussed has any idea been presented of a possible
origin from karonta, a tree ; or karonto, a tree or log in the water
except at present Toronto. As must be conceded, this last derivation
must be erroneous, as it would be impossible to find the name in differ-
ent localities several hundred miles apart based on a fact appurtenant
to one location. This is a violation of the fundamental rule relating
to Indian place-names that the fact on which the name is based must
be common to all the localities. This can only be found in the word
signifying ' an opening.' If an opening from a lake, as a bay, the name
will disclose it, as Toronto bay, or Ouentaronto, this last meaning the
lake that constitutes the opening or gateway of the country, and this
brings us around to the Mohawk form of Caniaderi Guaruntie, of
which Governor Pownall gives the meaning, as " The Mouth or Door
of ye Country."*
* •' Lake Chnmplain, as the French call it ; Corlaer, as the Dutch call it ; but
according to its Indian name, Caniaderi Guarunte, lies in a deep, narrow chasm of
the land, bounded up to the water's edge with steep mountains on the western
shore which continues as far as Cumberland Bay. Pownall, 1776. p. 13. On the
map appears the legend " L. Champlain, called by the Indians Caniaderi Guarunte,
signifying the Mouth or Door of ye Country." Analysis of Pownall — Evans' map
1776.
Gov. Pownall, in writing to Under Secretary \Vood in 1758, says :
By the reduction of Cape Breton and its dependencies, the uninterrupted
Dominion of these Seas and the Powers of Trade are again restored to His Majesty's
Subjects ; by the destruction ot Fort Frontenac and the naval armaments and stores
at Cadaraqui, the Dominion of the Lakes which sooner or later will be the
192 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
Rev. Jean de Lamberville, missionary at Onondaga in 1684, in writ-
ing to M. de la Barre in October of that year, says : " Had I the honor to
converse with you somewhat longer than your little leisure allowed
me, I should have convinced you that you could not have advanced
to Kania-jPorwifo-Gouat, without having been utterly defeated in the
then state of your army, which was rather a hospital than a camp."
This was the present Irondequoit Bay, near Rochester,New York, a body
of water substantially of the same general features as Toronto Bay.
Evidently de Lamberville was skilled in the Iroquois dialects, and knew
the meaning of the name as understood by the Onondagas. Br
O'Callaghan, the learned translator, says in a note, "Literally an opening
into or from a lake ; an inlet or bay ; from Kaniatare, a lake, and
Hotontogouan, to open. — (Col. Hist., N. Y., IX. 261.) This is in line
with the statement of Spafford in 1813, author of Spaffor.l's Gazette,
of N. Y., in which he says "Teoronto was the proper name of Ironde-
quoit Bay, meaning in Onondaga almost a lake" The name given by
De Lamberville is in accord with the names of the bay appearing in the
Franquelin great map of 1684, Gannia-Tarecmfo Quat, and Gannia-
Toronto Gonat ; and of the Jesuit's map 1065 Andia-TWonta-Ouat ; of
Denonville's account of his expedition, 1687, Gannia-TYtrowta-Goua^
and numerous others. This particular form appears to have been com-
pounded from Kaniatare, lake, and the Onondaga term to open, as
given above, and appears to account for the terminal gouat of De Lam-
berville and others. Ouoq gives lokaronte, an opening, and Bruyas,
Gannhotongouan, to open the door. The several words appear to
rest on a common base, meaning an opening, or its equivalent, and in
Dominion of America, is restored to the British Empire ; and from the prosperous
way in which the Western operations now are by the reinforcements brought by
Major General Amherst, I cannot even entertain a doubt but that the very gates of
Canada, ( as Lake Champlain is truly called by the Indians ) must be put into our
hands, so that for the future the enemy must live with us in peace, or not at all.
Boston, 30 Sept., 1758. Col. Hist, N.T., VII., 349.
Gov. Pownall states in his Administration of the Colonies (Ed. 1768 and 1774,
p. 267) that the Indian name of Lake Champlain is Caniaderi Guaruntie, that is
"The lake that is the gate of the country." It is compounded of " Kanyatare,"
the Mohawk word for lake, and " Kanhohkaronde," door. — Doc. Hist., N.Y.,
Quarto III, 723.
The early French writers do not refer to the Indian name, but speak of the lake
as the passage that leads tw the country of the Iroquois. — Palmer's Lake Champlain,
p. 12.
The Mohawks certainly had abundant reason for remembering Lake Champlain
as a door leading to these countries, for Champlain, in 160P, gave them in that
quarter their first lesson in the use of gunpowder. And in 1666, Courcelfes and
Macy ravaged their country and burned their ' castles ' with an army that passed
through this gateway.
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 193
which the idea of door is understood, if not expressed. Rev. Asher
Wright in discussing this from the Seneca standpoint, and there is no
better authority, says the name -is compounded from Ganyiudaeh, a
lake, and Odaghwah, it turns aside, making the name Onyiudaondag-
wat, literally the lake turns aside. As in entering a cabin, the door is
opened by turning it aside, possibly the same idea is carried in the
name for the bay. As a rule, the earlier forms of the name beginning
with the Jesuits' map, 166£, conform very closely to the model of De
Lamberville. The variations are such as would arise from different
modes of expression in the different dialects. The substance of the
several opinions shows that the name signifies simply a body of water
connected with the lake by an opening. Historically considered, when
such an opening became an important factor in reaching the Seneca
villages from the lake as a thoroughfare, the signification was brought
within the field of a gateway or door to the country of the Senecas,
precisely as lake Champlain became the mouth or gateway of the
country in general, and that of the Mohawks in particular. From the
earliest historical period, each of these places was considered as the
gateway of the confederation. Denonville availed himself of the
advantages of Irondequoit Bay in 1687, when he ravaged the country
and destroyed their castles. After that date the Senecas removed
their larger western villages to the vicinity of the Genesee river, but
the bay continued as the route through which all the intercourse and
traffic connected with the lake was held, and as the veritable gateway
or western door of the Iroquois country.
The name of Irondequoit Bay appears in a great variety of dis-
figured and corrupt forms, but all are based primarily on the Indian
word for lake in some one of the Iroquois dialects. The Onondaga term
for opening (Ganhotongouen) appears in many of the names, but the
precise manner of compounding is not understood. De Lamberville
was most excellent authority, and the name of Toronto must mean
substantially the same as the Seneca form which all authorities say
means simply a bay, and taken in connection with Caniaderi Guarun-
tie as applied to lake Champlain, the conclusion that the two are
identical cannot be far from the truth, and that the definition given by
Gov. Pownall will furnish a reliable explanation of the meaning of
Toronto Bay on the north side of the lake. It will be seen that the
parallelism between the two bays is especially significant aside from
the names. The Toronto of the north, had been known, unquestionably,
far back into the prehistoric occupation of the country. It was a
new discovery to Joliet and Perray in 1668, and ten years later
had leaped into notoriety as a most important thoroughfare, but not
for several years did the name that has now prevailed appear on the
13 A
194 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
maps of that locality. The bay of the south shore has been known
from the earliest historical period of the Senecas as their landing
place, and the route to their castles. It was beyond question one of
the most important points in charge of the Senecas as guardians of
the western door of the confederacy. The importance of Toronto Bay
and the passage to lake Huron was not fully understood until some
years after the construction of Fort Frontenac in 1673. The anxiety
of the French to secure a monopoly of the fur trade led them to
believe that all the trade could be controlled from that point. It was
soon apparent that the Indians and traders found ways to reach the
English and Dutch without passing Fort Frontenac. La Salle who
was the original projector of that stronghold, in August 1080, on his
return voyage from the west, took the Toronto route via lake Simcoe
and again in 1681 when journeying westward, desiring to reach lake
Huron from lake Ontario, availed himself of the Toronto portage, and
was for a fortnight engaged in the work of transporting his goods
and provisions to lake Simcoe. It was not known as Toronto until
some years later, but was called the portage of Teioiagon, which was
the name of a small Seneca village near the Humber river. It
undoubtedly was known in prehistoric days by some distinctive name,
but not until it became part of an important thoroughfare did it take
the name of Toronto, the gateway of the ancient Huron country,
which implies a way, or route, through which people pass to and fro,
as through a gateway in a palisade enclosure. On the map of Raffeix,
1688, is the legend written along the line " chemin par oia les Iroquois
vont aux Outaouas."* and along the northern shore of lake Ontario
appears the following : " Villages des Iroquois d'ont quariite s'habit-
uent de ce cote."^- A fair copy of this map will be found in the Very Rev,
W. R. Harris' History of the Early Missions of Western Canada, and a
skeleton copy in Winsor's Hist, of America IV. 234. The map of Raffeix
was of about the date when the name of Toronto was very generally in-
dicated on the maps of the period. It shows that the Iroquois introduced
the name, and not the Hurons, for the latter had long previous to this
date been driven from the country or incorporated with the Iroquois.
If, therefore, a correct meaning of the name is desired it must be from
Iroquois sources, and from their standpoint.
It may be well at this point to allude to the earliest known name
of lake Simcoe, which appears as Lacus Ouentaronius on the Ducreux
map of 1060. This is the Latinized form of Ouentaron, Oentaronck,
and Oentaronk, as given on other and later maps. The map of Ducreux,
though dated 1060, was in fact compiled from data of about 1645.
*Way by which the Iroquois go to the Ottawas.
f Villages of the Iroquois, of whom many live in this region.
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 195
This was previous to the destruction of the Hurons, and while the
Jesuit missionaries were on the ground and in daily communication
with them. The missionaries make no mention of Taronto as a name
of the lake, or in any other connection. The name Ouentaroii was used,
and I desire to point out a few facts which leads me to believe that
Taronto and Ouentaron may have been identical in meaning. The
form Ouentaron appears to have continued as the name of Lake Simcoe
for over a hundred years, from Sanson, 1656, to D'Anville and other
French maps as late as 1755 and later. But beginning with La
Hontan, who was in the country from 1684 to 1691, the form Toronto
appeared and finally prevailed. La Hontan accompanied D'Anville
in 1687 in his expedition against the Senecas, and it is somewhat sig-
nificant that he not only gives the name Toronto to Lake Simcoe, but
to its outlet now known as Severn river. He also calls Matchedash
Bay " The Bay of Toronto," which he describes as twenty-five leagues
long and fifteen wide. He places the name on some of his maps
bet ween Ohouendoe Island* and the mainland, and other maps apparently
following La Hontan carry the name Toronto quite up to the River of
the French. La Hontan names one of the Huron villages Torontogneron,
which he says was destroyed by the Iroquois, and locates it near Lake
Couchiching. RafFeix, on his map of 1688, makes Lac Tarontha as the
name of Lake Simcoe, which is very near the word given by Cuoq of
Kah-ron-tha, to make an opening (93). Denonville, in writing to M.
Seignelay in Nov., 1686, says M. de la Durantaye is collecting people
to fortify himself at Michillimacina, and to occupy the other passage
at Taronto, which the English might take to enter Lake Huron. (Col.
Hist., N.Y., IX. 296). Now, if as I suspect, Toronto is a contracted form
of a compound word derived from Kaniatare, lake, and onto, to open ;
and the name Ouentaron is also a compound Huron word derived from
the Huron ontare, for lake, and a root equivalent in Huron to open,
or a door, or gateivay, it will go far to establish an absolute identity
between the two names Ouentaron and Taronto. Both of these names
based on Ontare, lake, will explain why the Hurons were known as
Lake Indians, and their country, or at least the country around Lake
Simcoe, as Toronto.
There was another name occasionally applied to Lake Simcoe by
the French, which was " Lac aux Claies," which in English would be
" The Lake of the Fish Weirs.'' These were described by Champlain
in 1615, as located between lakes Couchiching and Simcoe, in the
narrow channel now known as the Narrows. The Indians, known as
Ojibways of the present day, speak of the locality as Mitchekun, which
means a fence, or the place which was fenced, or staked across. The
* Christian Island.
/96 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
structure was composed of small sharpened stakes, from six to ten feet
in length, driven into the clay and sand which constitutes the bottom
of the channel, and were from an inch to two inches in diameter-
Champlain says : " They almost close the strait, only some little
openings being left where they place their nets." Probably smaller
twigs were woven in back and forth in the form of what is called
" wattling." Fish weirs constructed in this manner were common
along the Atlantic coast, and are illustrated by White in Harriott's Hist-
of Virginia, also in Beverly's Virginia, 1675. In the " French Onon-
daga Dictionary," from a manuscript of about 1700, in the Mazarin
Library, Paris, Gaya-ouenta-ha is given as the equivalent of the
French word Claye, which in English is hurdle, flat screen, or wooden
grate. It will be seen that the six letters from the heart of this word,
are identical with those found in the name Lacus Ouentaronius of the
Creuxius map, supposed to be derived from Ontare, lake. Gah-a-yah
.is given by Rev. Asher Wright as/ewce in Seneca. An analysis of the
name Gayaouentaha will probably disclose a fair description of the fish
weirs in the Narrows, the base of the French name of Lac aux Claies.
This could have only a local significance, unless it should appear that
other weirs of like character existed at other points, which is not
probable.
On several maps lake Couchiching is named Lake Contarea. The
Relations give this as the name of a Huron village and tribe
of Kontarea, which Brebeuf describes as a day's journey from
Ihonatiria. A site at the narrow passage between the two lakes
would be about thirty-five miles from Ihonatiria. The Ducreux map
locates L. Contarea a few miles west of Ste. Marie on the Wye, which
could not be more than five or six miles from any supposed site of
Ihonatiria. These facts appear to indicate that the earlier site of
Kontarea was near the narrow passage between the lakes, and that
previous to 1645 the village or villages had removed to the west of Ste.
Marie on the Wye. The Relation of 1642, p. 74, says : " Last winter
the Hurons had a real fright in consequence of a false alarm that had
reached them that an army of Iroquois was on the point of carrying
the village of Kontarea, the chief bulwark of the country." Burrows'
edition XXIII., 105.
The Kontarearonons are mentioned by Vimont in the Relation
1640, p. 35, as a distinct tribe, sedentary, and speaking the Huron lan-
guage. The name appears as number nine in a list of twenty-nine
names, and is followed by the Ouendats. When the Hurons abandoned
their country a large number took refuge with the Iroquois and were
known as Hurons of Kontarea. That the name was generic, and re-
lated to the country of the Hurons in some instances is certain. If
1899] ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT 197
lake Couchiching was known as lake Kontarea, it would be very
strong evidence of a residence near it at some earlier period, and that
Brebeuf s statement of a location a day's journey from Ihonatiria was
correct. An analysis of the name shows that it was derived from
Oontare lake in Huron, and as g and k are interchangeable in Indian
names it would become Kontare, this with a diminutive terminal a,
the result will be Kontarea. La Hontan appears to have had in mind
a waterway on all sides of the Huron peninsula by giving the name
Toronto to lake Simcoe, Severn river, Matchedash Bay and the pass-
age between Ahoendo* and other islands, and the main land. Just what
he meant by the name Torontogne is uncertain. The name as given
by the Raffieix map of 1688 of Tarontho should be carefully considered
in the study of these more or less affiliated names, as this comes very
near to the modern Mohawk of Kkahrontha fCuoq 24) Kkaronte-Kka-
ronten, meaning an opening, as a door or gateway.
It is an interesting fact that wherever this name of Toronto has
appeared either as combined with other words, or in its evidently con-
tracted form, it has always from the very beginning, been on an im-
portant thoroughfare of water-communication. The fact that it has
-appeared in several positions with several hundred miles intervening,
is proof conclusive that the name is not based on any fact incident to
any one locality. It must be from something common to all, having
a distinct meaning, and must be so clearly expressed " as to
convey that meaning with precision to all who speak the language
to which it belongs, and whenever from phonetic corruption or by
change of circumstances, it loses its self -interpreting, or self-defining
power, it must be discarded from the language." This rule laid down
by Mr. J. H. Trumbull in his " Indian Names of Connecticut " applies
with equal force in Iroquois as in Algonquin place-names.
There is no question whatever in my opinion as to a common origin of
Caniaderi Guaruntie as applied to lake Champlain; the Gania Toronto
Gouen of De Lamberville as the name of Irondequoit Bay, and of To-
ronto as names of Toronto Bay and Lake Simcoe. Each in its place
was a gateway of the country. Ouentaron was probably of the same
meaning and derived from the Huron Ontare, lake, and Taronto, a
door or gateway. As will be seen later on, the final part of
the word-sentence, which carries the idea of a door or gateway,
makes it appurtentant to the initial part of the sentence, which
describes the character of the body in which the opening is
made. Thus lotstenra, a rock, combined with Karonte, makes
lotstenrakaronte, a a grotto or cavern, distinctly an excavation in
a rock whether natural or artificial, and every grotto or cavern has
* Christian Island.
19? ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. [12
a door or entrance. lokahronte is a gap, breach or opening ; fCuoq
6, 93^ so kkahrontha is to pierce, to make an opening as a door
or window, or breach in a wall fCuoq 24). Katenhenra-karontha
is given in the verbal form, to make an opening in an enclosure and
put a gate in it fCuoq 93). A curious example is given by Cuoq (93)
which is Tekahontakaronte. This appears to be Honta, an ear, the
organ of hearing; Tekahonta, two ears, that is, the two openings in
the head, the organs of hearing, which sometimes become obstructed ,
and the person becomes deaf or partially so. Tekahontakaronte then
means to open the two openings that- the person may hear.
Auburn, N. Y., Dec. 30, 1899.
DANIEL GARRISON BRINTON.
Born in West Chester, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., May
1 3th, 1837. D^d, July 31 st, 1899.
When reference was made in the report for 1896-7 to
the death of our distinguished friend Horatio Hale, it was
said, " Mr. Bale's place in scientific ranks will be hard to
fill and perhaps none will more readily acquiesce in this
statement than Dr. D. G. Brinton, of Philadelphia, who,
having so long shared his mantle, must now wear it
alone." Now that Dr. Brinton himself has departed, the
loss, for the time-being, seems almost irreparable.
His services in the study of American ethnology in
its very widest sense, can hardly be overestimated.
As a thinker he was as bold as he was original, and with
respect to conclusions at which he arrived, he sometimes
stood alone
Few American writers in any department of science
have produced so many books, pamphlets and papers as
he did on his favorite subject— even the mere naming of
them in type,as they appeared from 1859 until within a few
months of his death, would require several of these pages
While inclined to be somewhat dogmatic in the
enunciation of what he conceived to be truth, he was too
great a man to be jealous of what others had achieved,
and he was always willing to assist inquirers with his
opinions or advice.
At the time of his death he was Professor of American
Linguistics, and Archaeology in the University of Penn-
sylvania.
As an authority on the studies he had so markedly
made his own, he will long be quoted, and even when, as
is almost inevitable in the advancement of knowledge, it
shall appear that he formed some wrong conclusions, he
will always be credited with great scholarship, sound,
critical judgment, considerable caution, and the courage
of his convictions.
[199]
BINDING G^T. JUL 181968
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