Iroquois folk lore, gathered from the Six nations of New York

Iroquois Folk Lore

-~~~~5-^^_ -76 92 7

Gathered from the Six Nations of New York.

Selected and Arranged by the

Rev.Wm. M.*'Beauchamp, S.T.D., LL.D.

FOR THE

Onondaga Historical Association

1922

THE DEHLER PRESS
SYRACUSE, N. Y.

ftnl?

642788

2Y-

IROQUOIS FOLK LORE
BY THE REV. W. M. BEAUCHAMP, S.T.D., LL.D.

At the request of this Association, now sixty years old,
I select for my last publication some things from my large
collection of Iroquois folk lore which may interest some,
and which comes from many sources.

As a charter member of the American Folk Lore Society
in 1888, I had two papers in its first volume, and con-
tinued this for many years, Indian themes being in de-
mand. My first important pubic work of this kind was of
a material nature, gradually approaching my present theme.
Mr. Arthur C. Parker, my successor, went farther in this,
and I have freely quoted from his admirable publications.

The Bureau of Ethnology takes in a larger field, mainly
in the West, and with a large staff, but in its second volume
(1883) published Mrs. Erminnie A. Smith's "Myths of the
Iroquois." She was a native of Marcellus, N. Y. Later the
Bureau has published bi-lingual Onondaga, Mohawk and
Seneca myths (vol. 21) by J. N. B. Hewitt, who aided Mrs.
Smith.

The Dutch told of Indian customs and superstitions, most-
ly Algonquin. The Jesuits had written so much of a kindred
people in Canada, that here they said little. The English
knew little of the upper Iroquois till late in the 17th century.
After the Revolution there was more direct contact and
more became known.

THE IROQUOIS TRAIL AND DAVID CUSICK

When the Iroquois learned to speak and write English
we found they had much to tell. David Cusick, 1825, the
Tuscarora, first threw a lurid light on his people through
his pictures and tales. My "Iroquois Trail," 1892, con-
tains his history, and Mrs. Smith included some tales and
four pictures. His chronology is a "long, long trail," in
which Onondaga often appears. The creation of the Great

fe)-

4 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

Island, the Great Turtle and the woman who fell froi
upper world, the two children and their strife, the ere?
of the On we Honwe on the Kanawage or St. Lawre
river, and the shipwreck of some foreign people who aft
last became extinct — these lead the way. Then the northern
giants troubled the people, but were driven off 2,500 years
before Columbus came. A welcome peace followed, and then
s the Mischief Maker made trouble, as he always does. The
Big Quisquis (hog) and the Big Elk attacked the towns
south of Lake Ontario and were slain. A league was
formed, with its council fire on the St. Lawrence.

About 2,200 years before Columbus ambassadors went
south to visit the great emperor living in the Golden City.
He built forts near Lake Erie, and there was a hundred
years war, which left his forts in ruins. The home people
suffered. A great horned serpent lurked in Lake Ontario;
a blazing star fell into a river fort ; the people fought each
other till all were destroyed, wild animals alone remaining.

Some, however, hid themselves in a hill at Oswego Falls,
and were called thence by the Holder of the heavens, who
led them down the Mohawk and Hudson to the sea. Most
returned, settling as Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayu-
gas and Senecas. Part went to Lake Erie and the Missis-
sippi, but these five became the Five Nations.

A century later the Flying Heads and Lake Serpent
troubled them. They had to make forts. About 1,250 years
before Columbus came the Stone Giants, who were cannibals
and marched against Fort Onondaga. /"The Holder of the
Heavens led them into a deep ravine ancTin the night rolled
great stones on themT] But one escaped. "The hollow, it is
said, is not far fromunondaga." A land serpent also troub-
led them, but the best Onondagas fought bravely and killed
him.

Now comes a thriller. About 1,000 years before Col-
umbus came civil war and great Atotarho lived at Fort
Onondaga. "His head and body was ornamented with black
snakes; his dishes and spoons were made of skulls of the
enemy; after a while he requested the people to change
his dress; the people immediately drove away the snakes —
a mass of wampum was collected and the chief was soon

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 5

dressed in a large belt of wampum ; he became a law giver,
and renewed the chain of alliance of the Five Nations and
framed their internal government, which took five years in
accomplishing it. At Onondaga a tree of peace was planted
which reached the clouds of Heaven ; under the shade of this
tree the Senators are invited to set and deliberate, and
smoke the pipe of peace as ratification of their proceedings ;
a great council fire was kindled under the majestic tree,
having four branches, one pointed to the south, west, east,
north ; the neighboring nations were amazed at the powerful
confederates; the Onondaga was considered a heart of the
country; numerous belts and strings of wampum were left
with the famous chief as record of alliance, etc., after he
had accomplished the noble work he was immediately named
Atotarho, King of the Five Nations, and was governed by
the Senate, chosen by the people annually; the successor of
the Kings to follow the woman's line."

About this time the Senecas were defeated by the
Squakies, but the Onondagas came to their aid and the foe
lost the day, the Senecas extending their bounds to Oak
Orchard creek, un the days of Atotarho II the Great
invaded the country. At Skonyatales lake, in Madison
County, there was a dreadful fight between this and a lake
lion. The bear was killedj "About this time a great mus-
queto invaded the fort Onondaga ; the musqueto was mis-
chievous to the people, it fiew about the fort with a long
stinger, and sucked the blood of a number of lives." The
Holder of the Heavens was one day "visiting the king at
the fort Onondaga ; the musqueto made appearance as usual
and flew about the fort, the Holder of the Heavens attacked
the monster; it flew so rapidly that he could hardly keep
in sight of it, but after a few days chase the monster began
to fail ; he chased on the borders of the great lakes towards
the sunsetting and round the great country ; at last he over-
took the monster and killed it near the salt lake Onondaga,
and the blood became small musquetoes."

In the next reign the Oneidas built forts farther down
the Susquehanna. In one a boy was born who became Big
Neck, a giant. He made trouble, building a fort where he
was afterward killed.

In the reign of Atotarho IV, 800 years before Columbus,

6 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

the double headed snake encircled the fort at Canandaigua
lake, ate many of the Senecas, and was killed by a dream-
ing boy. The fort was abandoned.

Under Atotarho V, the Senecas and Ottawas were at war.
A Seneca party near Lake Chautauqua, found a poisonous
animal which killed many thro' pestilence. The war lasted
long in a desultory way.

Atotarho VI reigned 650 years before Columbus. Some
Senecas went from the fort at Tonawanda to the Ohio river.
There a furious Lizard destroyed all but one who was res-
cued by the__H_ol_der of the Heavens in a lion's form. By
burning the flesh as soon as bitten off the Lizard 'was des-
troyed. The Ottawas, too, sued for peace. Thus, under the
next Atotarho, an exploring expedition was sent and went
to the Ohio and beyond the Mississippi. There they saw a
flying fish and were welcomed by the Dog Tail Nation, with
short tails. These sat on perforated seats. A giant stopped
them before reaching the Rocky Mountains. One ambassa-
dor went to Kentucky and another to the Ottawas. The
latter had bad luck.

Under Atotarho VIII, 400 years before Columbus, there
was war between the Senecas and Missisaugas, and the
latter planned to destroy Fort Kienuka. They were de-
feated. An Onondaga hunter was captured by a Stone
Giant in Canada and had a curious escape, bringing him
good luck. It was at this time that the Nanticokes brought
witchcraft here. Near Fort Onondaga 50 persons were
burned for this. Near Oneida creek occurred the dead
hunter episode.

In the days of Atotarho IX, 350 years before Columbus,
the Eries became powerful. At this time the Peace Queen
reigned, but she took sides with the Eries. When she asked
peace the Eries were left alone. At this time the Five
Nations are said to have had 23,000 warriors, a wild esti-
mate.

Atotarho X reigned 250 years before Columbus. Another
Great Bear appeared.

Atotarho XI reigned 150 years before Columbus, and the
Tuscaroras had aid from the Five Nations, coming north

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION -j

much later. At that time there was a comet, an earthquake,
and a prophet foretold the white man's coming.

Atotarho XII, 50 years before Columbus, saw war be-
tween the Mohawks and Mohegans. The Oneidas and Onon-
dages aided the former, defeating the latter, who at that
time were between them and the Hudson.

Atotarho XIII, 1492, saw the Eries and others destroyed.

Despite his extravagant chronology David Cusick
recorded many of the most persistent Iroquois tales, tell-
ing them briefly, but as an Indian would have told them.
The white man often mistakes, giving Algonquin names to
Iroquois men and women, or interpretations of names which
are far from the truth, as those of Oswego and Skaneateles.

WRITERS IN GENERAL

In Onondaga county, Mr. J. V. H. Clark, first president
of our society, may be said to have begun the record of
superstitions and tales in later days, and I regard those in
his history as superior to those in his later "Lights and
Lines of Indian Character," etc., 1854. Some later writers
on Iroquois folk lore have been Lewis H. Morgan, Dr.
Horatio Hale, Rev. John W. Sanborn, Wm. W. Canfield,
De Cost Smith, Mrs. H. Maxwell Converse, Arthur C. Par-
ker, Mrs. Helen F. Troy, David Boyle, Miss M. E. Trippe,
Mrs. E. E. Emerson, H. R. Schoolcraft, Judge Dean, Mrs.
N. P. Martin, with some Indians. Several of the former
were good linguists, and had their information directly from
Indians. Many others told of a few. With the valued aid
of Albert Cusick and others on the Onondaga reservation,
I collected much folk lore and some tales. My general
record includes much from the Jesuit Relations and Mora-
vian Journals.

THE CREATION

Mr. J. N. B. Hewitt gave bi-lingual Onondaga, Mohawk
and Seneca versions of this, published by the Bureau of
Ethnology, 1903. The Onondaga he had in 1889, from the
late John Buck, Onondaga chief and fire-keeper on the
Grand River reservation, Canada. The Mohawk version

g IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

he had from the same place, and the Seneca from Cattar-
augus. The arrangement is good. The translation is on
the upper part of the page, arranged for our use. Below
are the words as used by the Indians, with translation
under each. This is fine for study, but tedious from minute
detail and frequent repetition. I therefore give another
simpler account. Though I copied Judge James Dean's in-
teresting and early Oneida account in the N. Y. State
Library, which includes some things not found in others,
it seems better to take David Cusick's story, just as he
wrote it.

DAVID CUSICK ON THE CREATION

"Among the ancients there were two worlds in existence.
The lower world was in a great darkness, the possession
of the great monster; but the upper world was inhabited
by mankimTf"amrfhere was a woman conceived and would
have the twin born. When her travail drew near, and her
situation seemed to produce a great distress on her mind,
and she was induced by some of her relatives to lay herself
on a mattress which was prepared, so as to gain refresh-
ments to her wearied body; but while she was asleep the
very place sunk down towards the dark world. The mons-
ters of the great water were alarmed at her appearance
of descending to the lower world; in consequence, all the
species of the creatures were immediately collected into
where it was expected she would fall. When the monsters
were assembled, and they made consultation, one of them
was appointed in haste to search the great deep, in order to
procure some earth, if it could be obtained ; accordingly the
monster descends, which succeeds, and returns to the place.
Another requisition was presented, who would be capable
to secure the woman from the terrors of the great water,
but none was able to comply except a large turtle that came
forward and made proposal to them to endufe her lasting
weight, which was accepted. The woman was yet descend-
ing from a great distance. The turtle executes upon the
spot, and a small quantity of earth was varnished on the
back part of the turtle. The woman alights on the seat
prepared, and she receives a satisfaction. While holding
her, the turtle increased every moment, and became a con-

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION Q

siderable island of earth, and apparently covered with small
bushes. The woman remained in a state of unlimited dark-
ness, and she was overtaken by her travail to which she
was subject. While she was in the limits of distress one
of the infants was moved by an evil opinion, and he was
determined to pass out under the side of the parent's arm,
and the other infant in vain endeavored to prevent his
design. The woman was in a painful condition during the
time of their disputes, and the infants entered the dark
world by compulsion, and their parent expired in a few
moments. They had the power of sustenance without a
nurse, and remained in the dark regions. After a time the
turtle increased to a great Island, and the infants were
grown up, and one of them possessed with a gentle dis-
position and named Enigorio, i. e., the good mind. The'—
other youth possessed an insolence of character, and was
named Enigonhahetgea^ i. e., the bad mind. The good mind
was not contented to remain in a dark situation, and he was C-T
anxious to create a great light in the dark world, but the
bad mind was desirous that the world should remain in a
natural state. The good mind determined to prosecute his / < ^ K T
designs, and therefore commences the work of creation.
At first he took the parent's head, (the deceased) of which r-» $ j
he created an orb, and established it in the center of the K c<
firmament, and it became of a very superior nature to be-
stow light to the new world, (now the sun) and again he
took the remnant of the body, and formed another orb,
which was inferior to the light, (now the moon.) In the
orb a cloud of legs appeared to prove it was the body of
the good mind, (parent.) The former was to give light to
the day and the latter to the night; and he also created
numerous spots of light, (now stars;) these were to regu-
late the days, nights, seasons, years, etc. Whenever the
light extended to the dark world the monsters were dis-
pleased and immediately concealed themselves in the deep
places, lest they should be discovered by some human beings.
The good mind continued the works of creation, and he ^ t-e+Ji
formed numerous creeks and rivers on the Great Island,

Cf >^ i *—

and then created numerous species of animals of the small-
est and greatest, to inhabit the forests, and fish of all kinds
to inhabit the waters. When he had made the universe he
was in doubt respecting some being to possess the Great

10 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

Island ; and he formed two images of the dust of the ground
in his own likeness, male and female, and by his breathing
into their nostrils he gave them the living souls, and named
them Ea-gwe-howe, L, e., a real people; and he gave the
Great Island, all the animals of game for their mainten-
ance; and he appointed thunder to water the earth by fre-
quent rains, agreeable to the nature of the system; after
this the Island became fruitful, and vegetation afforded
the animals subsistence.

"The bad mind, while his brother was making the uni-
verse, went throughout the Island and made numerous high
mountains and falls of water, and great steeps, and also
creates various reptiles which would be injurious to man-
kind; but the good mind restored the Island to its former
condition. The bad mind proceeded further in his motives,
and he made two images of clay in the form of mankind;
but while he was giving them existence they became apes,
and when he had not the power to create mankind he was
envious against his brother ; and again he made two of clay.
The good mind discovered his brother's contrivances, and
aided in giving them living souls. (It is said these had the
most knowledge of good and evil) .

"The good mind now accomplishes the works of creation,
notwithstanding the imaginations of the bad mind were con-
tinually evil; and he attempted to enclose all the animals
of game in the earth, so as to deprive them from mankind ;
but the good mind released them from confinement, (the
animals were dispersed, and traces of them were made on
the rocks near the cave where it was closed.) The good
mind experiences that his brother was at variance with the
works of creation, and feels not disposed to favor any of
his proceedings, but gives admonition of his future state.
Afterwards the good mind requested his brother to ac-
company him, as he was proposed to inspect the game, etc.,
but when a short distance from their nominal residence, the
bad mind became so unmanly that he could not conduct his
brother any more. The bad mind offered a challenge to his
brother and resolved that who gains the victory should
govern the universe, and appointed a day to meet the con-
test. The good mind was willing to submit to the offer,
and he enters the reconciliation with his brother; which
he falsely mentions that by whipping with flags would des-

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION H

troy his temporal life; and he earnestly solicits his brother
also to notice the instrument of death, which he manifestly
relates by the use of deer horns, beating- his body he would
expire. On the day appointed the engagement commenced,
which lasted for two days; after pulling up the trees and
mountains as the the track of a terrible whirlwind, at last
the good mind gains the victory by using the horns, as
mentioned the instrument of death, which he succeeded in
deceiving his brother, and he crushed him in the earth ; and
the last words uttered from the bad mind were, that he 6 ^ »
would have equal power over the souls of mankind after
death ; and he sinks_dowji_tx> eternal doom, and became the ^ Le
Evil^Spirit. 'After this tumult the good mind repaired to /
the battle ground, and then visited the people and retired
from the earth."

There are many variants of this story. Judge Dean's
is one of the best of these. In Van der Donck's early Mo- ^
hawk version the woman comes ffbm'ancl returns to heaven,
well pleased to have fulfilled her mission of being the uni-
versal mother of all men and animals. In Hewitt's versions
the woman who falls is the grandmother of the two boys,
the good one being called Odendonnia or Sapling, in the
Onondaga tongue, and the other Ohaa or Flint. Usually
several animals dive to bring up mud to place on the Turtle.
Some die in the attempt. In these recent accounts the ani-
mals have a prominent place.

'The Abbe Galling^ (who visited the Seneca towns with
the great explorer in 1669, had the creation myth from
La Salle in quite a different formj After the fall of the
woman, "a Spirit descending from the heavens with three
arrows, passed two of them over her body. She conceived
two male children, one of whom became a great hunter
and was greatly beloved of his mother; the other, being un-
fortunate in the hunt and killing only lean beasts, his
mother despised him. This one, afflicted by his misfortune
and losing heart, the Jjpjirik..]3is father, visited and con-
soled him by promising to give him fortune in the hunt,
and to teach him besides the art of building and agricul-
ture. In fact he showed him the park where the fat beasts,
which his brother killed in the hunt, were shut up, and led
him under the waters, where he showed him a house built
neatly and commodiously. He gave him the seeds of melons,

1

12 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

corn, etc. He then built for his mother a house of this
model, gave her fruit and very good venison to eat, and be-
gan to grow so much in her good graces as to cause his

brother to be jealous.

"A great serpent having destroyed all the men first made,
the son invoked the aid of the Spirit, his father. He gave
him the third arrow, and showed him how he must kill
the serpent with it, and what he must do with the body.
All was done, and men came again. The father at last be-
came a beaver, and for this reason beavers understand
building. From him spread the nation of the Iroquois/

The game park, gifts and house appear in some N. Y.
stories.

FALSE FACES AND CREATION

On the Grand River, in Canada, David Boyle relates
myths connecting the Flying Heads and False Faces with
the creation. Here is one:

"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 (Hawenneyu)
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 I 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 mountains to come nearer, and it moved
close to them. Rawen Niyoh was very much surprised at
the result, on which he ordered the other mountain to ap-
proach, which it did — the two remaining so nearly together

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 13

that Rawen Niyoh and the False Face had hardly 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 by the people who are com-
ing to this place, because you are so ugly, for every one
v/ould follow you to look at you.' Ak-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 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.'

"Rawen 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 ob-
serve a dance — the False Face Dance — at the Long House
forever. Now we make this bargain, which shall last as
long as you and I, and the people and the world shall last.'
Akonwarah replied, 'It is well'." In other stories the False
Face fails to move the mountain.

False Face orders are more in Canada than in New York,
and as such will appear again. Some stories which I col-
lected and published years ago in the Journal of American
Folk Lore, will follow. Most of them I had at Onondaga
from Albert Cusick.

THE TERRIBLE SKELETON

In old times the Onondagas lived on a much larger reser-
vation than now — a great land, — but they made hunting
parties to the Adirondacks. A party once went off in which
were an old man, his daughter and her husband, and their
little boy. They went one day and camped, and another
day and camped, and then separated. The old man, his
daughter and her husband turned one way, but the little
boy accidentally went the other with his uncle. The three
kept on, and late in the day found an empty cabin in a
clearing. There was an Indian bedstead on each side within,

14 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

and as no one seemed to live there they resolved to stay
for the night. They gathered plenty of fuel, stripping long
pieces from the shag-bark hickory, built a fine fire, spread
their deerskins on the rude bedsteads, and then went to
sleep — the old man on one side, and the man and his wife
on the other.

When the fire became low and it grew dark in the cabin,
the young people were aroused by a sound like a dog gnaw-
ing a bone. They stirred about and the noise ceased, but
was followed by something like rattling bones overhead.
They arose and put on more fuel, and were going back to
bed when they saw a dark stream from the other couch.
It was blood and the old man was dead. His clothes were
torn open and his ribs broken and gnawed. They covered
him and lay down again. The same thing happened the
second time, and this time they saw it was a terrible skele-
ton, feeding on the dead man. They were frightened and
in whispers devised a plan of escape. They made a greater
fire, and the wife said to her husband, "I am so thirsty;
I must go to the spring and have a long drink." She went
quietly out, but a little way off ran with all her might to-
ward her own country.

When her husband thought she had a good start he made
a very big fire, to last a great while, and then he said,
"What has become of my wife ? I am afraid she is drowned
in the spring. I must go and see." So he went out, and
a little way off he, too, ran with all his might, and when he
overtook his wife he caught her by the arm and they ran
on together. By and by the fire went down, the skeleton
came again, and when he found both were gone he started
in chase. Soon they heard him howling terribly behind
them and ran the faster for this.

It happened that night that the Onondagas had a great
dance and it now drew near morning. The fugitives heard
the drum far away, turn-turn, turn-turn, and ran faster and
shouted, but the skeleton did the same. They heard the
drum again turn-turn, turn-turn, and it was nearer and they
shouted again. Their friends heard the distress-hallo and
came with all their arms., The skeleton fled. The fugitives
fainted and did not regain their senses for four hours. Then
they told their story.

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION l§

A council was held and the worriers started for the
dreadful spot. They found the hut and a few traces of the
old man. In the loft were some scattered articles and a
bark coffin. In this was the skeleton of a man left un-
buried by his friends. It was determined to destroy every-
thing. Fuel was gathered and fire applied. The warriors
stood around with bended bows and raised hatchets. The
fire grew hot, the cabin fell in, and out of the flames rushed
a fox with red and fiery eyes, dashed through the ranks
and disappeared in the forest. The dead hunter was seen
no more.

"But what had the little boy to do with all this?"

"0, that is to show it was well he went the other way."

David Cusick briefly related the above, but I had this
from Albert Cusick, Sa-go-na-qua-de, his grand-nephew, as
well as the next. Both stories were published in 1888, as
he related them to me. The lakes mentioned below are in
the group at Tully and the tale is unique, though with some
features peculiar to the thunder god stories. It is their
mission to destroy harmful serpents and other pests. There
are many Oneidas on the Onondaga reservation.

Sa-go-na-qua-de, "He who makes every one angry," told
me this story, which I reproduce nearly in his own words.
An old Oneida came into his aunt's house at Onondaga
Castle, and after all had given him the customary tobacco,
the story-teller's fee, he related the following tale:

A long time ago, in an Indian settlement, were two wig-
wams not far apart, and in these lived two squaws who were
very good friends. They had two children of about the
same age, who played together, and when they had little
bows and arrows they shot together. As they grew bigger
they wanted stronger bows and arrows, and their uncles
made some for them. They used these every day, and be-
came skilful in killing birds and small game, and then asked
for some still stronger, that they might kill larger animals.
They were now young men and good hunters. One of them,
being handsome and kind, was very much liked by the

10 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

\vomen and some of the maidens would have married him,
but he refused all offers. At last his friend talked with
him, and told him he had better marry, or something might
happen for which he would be sorry. This troubled him,
and he said he would soon choose a wife, but first they
would have a long hunt together.

They got ready for this, telling their mothers they were
going away on a great hunt, far from their village, and
might be gone many days. So their mothers took some corn
and roasted it, and then pounded this into meal in their
wooden mortars. This was light and would keep a long
time. The young men filled their sacks, took their bows,
and went to their hunting ground. They walked all day
and camped in the woods. They walked all the next day,
and camped on the hunting ground, where they soon built
a wigwam.

After this they hunted every day, and one was lucky and
brought home a great deal of game, but the one whom the
girls liked came home without any, and said very little.
This happened for several days, and the one who had been
so happy and such a favorite seemed sorry all the time.
Every morning they went to hunt in opposite directions,
and one day his friend thought he would follow him and see
what he did. They went out as before, and after he had
walked a little way the lucky hunter turned back into the
other's path. He soon saw him running very fast through
the woods and hurried after him, calling to him to stop,
but he did not. They ran till they came to a lake, and the
first one plunged into the water and swam across, while his
friend went around the shore. The swimmer got there first,
paying no attention to his loud calls. They ran on to a
second smaller lake, where they did the same, but this
time the one on shore got ahead. The sorry young man
then turned back, and his friend ran past both lakes, and
was hiding in the bushes when the other came ashore. As the
swimmer entered the other jumped out and caught him,
asking what was the matter and why he acted so strangely.

At first the young man could say nothing and seemed
to know nothing, but soon came to his senses. He told his
friend that he was going to be married and must leave
him all alone, for he could not go back to his home. If

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 17

he wished to see him at any time, he might come to the
lake, bringing fresh Indian tobacco and clean clay pipes.
These things he must lay on bark just from the tree, and
must then say to the lake, "I want to see my friend." So
he went off another way and married the big serpent in
the lake. When he had gone his friend went back to the
wigwam, and he, too, was very sorry and did not wish to
hunt. He built a fire and sat down alone.

It was very still for a long time, and then he heard some
one coming. When he turned around a young man stood
in the doorway, dressed in white and with white feathers
on his head. The visitor said, "You seem to be in trouble,
but for all that you are the only one that can help us. My
chief has sent me to invite you to our council." Then he
gave him wampum, to show that he brought a true mes-
sage. The hunter said, "Where is the council?" The
young man in white answered, "Why, you came right by
our wigwam in the woods, though you did not see it. Fol-
low me, and you will find it quite near." So he went with
him, not very far, till he saw smoke rising from the ground,
and then a wigwam. Going in, he saw eight chiefs sitting
quietly on the ground. All had white feathers on their
heads, but the principal chief had larger feathers than the
rest. They gave him a place, and the hunter sat down
and smoked with them. When the pipe came round to the
principal chief, he rose and spoke to the young man:

"You have come to help us, and we have waited for you
a long time." The young man said, "How can I help you?"
The chief answered, "Your friend has married the big ser-
pent in the lake, whom we must kill. He has told you
how to call him when you want to see him, and we will
furnish the tobacco and pipes." The chiefs then gave him
clean pipes and fresh tobacco, and the hunter took these
and went to the lake. The principal chief said also, "When
your friend comes you must ask to see his wife. She will
want to know if the sky is clear. When she comes you
must take them a little way from the lake and talk to them
there. The chiefs will come in the form of a cloud; on
the lake, not in the sky."

So he took the fresh tobacco, the clean bark and pipes,
and laid them by the shore. Then he stood by the water

lg IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

and called loudly for his friend, saying he was going away
and wished to see him once more. Soon there was a ripple
out on the lake, and the water began to boil, his friend
coming out of it. He had a spot on his forehead, and looked
like a serpent and yet like a man. His friend talked with
him, asking what he should say to his mother when he got
home. Then he asked to see his wife that he might tell his
mother what she was like. The serpent man said that she
might not wish to come but he would try. So he went to
the shore and lay down, placing his lips to the water and
beginning to drink. Then the hunter saw him going down
through the water, not swimming like a man but moving
like a snake. Soon the water boiled again and he came
back, saying that his wife would come, but she did not.
Then he looked around to see if the sky was clear; and
went to the shore once more, drinking again and going
down in the water like a snake.

Now a greater sight was seen. The lake boiled again,
not in one spot but all over, and great waves rolled up on
the shore as though there had been a strong wind, but there
was none. The waves grew larger, and then the serpent
man's wife came out of the water. She was very beautiful
and shone like silver, but the silver seemed like scales.
She had long hair falling all around her, as though it had
been gold and silver glittering in the sun. Her husband
came with her through the waves and upon the shore, and
all three sat down on a log and talked together.

The hunter remembered the chief's words, and at last
saw something like a cloud a great way off, moving upon
the water and not through the sky. Then he asked them
to go into the woods, where the sun was not so hot, and
there talk with him. When they did this he said he must
step aside, and then he ran away, as the chiefs had told
him. As he ran, a great cloud came at once over every-
thing, and terrible thunder and lightning followed where
they had sat, with rain everywhere.

At last all was quiet again and the hunter went back
to the lake, where a big and a little serpent lay dead on
the ground. They were the serpent woman and his friend.
The eight chiefs were there, too, and had a dance, rejoicing
over their dead enemy. When this was over they cut up

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 19

both serpents, making eight equal bundles of them. Each
chief put one on his back and then they were ready to go.
All thanked the young man for what he had done, and told
him he would always be lucky, saying, "Ask us for what
you want at any time, and you shall have it." Then they
went off through the woods in Indian file, and as he looked
they seemed to step higher and higher, until they went up
to the sky. Then there was a great thunder storm, for the
chiefs were the Thunderers.

The hunter went back to his wigwam, but it was quiet
and lonesome and he was sad; so he took down part of his
meat, carrying it a half day's journey into the woods, where
he hung it up on the trees. Then he returned for .more,
doing the same with the rest until he got home, where he
told the story to the mother of his friend. She was very
sorry for the death of the son whom she had loved, but
adopted him in his place, and so the young man had two
mothers.

So far, the old Oneida said, it was "all a true fact," but
he had an opinion about the place which was not a part
of the story. He thought Crooked Lake, in a group of lakes
far up the valley, was the first lake the young man swam
across, and Round Lake the second. This seemed likely to
him, but it was only his opinion.

0-KWEN-CHA, OR RED PAINT

Out of my collection of Iroquois folk lore I select some
that are distinctly Onondaga. My friend, Albert Cusick, or
Sa-go-na-qua-de, began writing this story, but, finding it
slow work, he dictated the rest to me and I took it down
with care, reproducing his words as well as I could. He
remarked the three trials, which are so frequent a feature
of European tales, and other things may be noted, but
others are early and typically Indian, such as the bones and
the tree. Cusick thought this a genuine old Onondaga
story. He had it from Bill Lije or Soo-noo-weh, a famous
story teller over half a century ago.

There was once, a long time ago, a little boy named
0-kwen-cha or Red Paint, who lived with his old grand-

20 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

mother in an old Ka-no-sa hon-we, or old-fashioned house,
which had no windows and but one doorway. The door
was made out of the skins of wild animals, such as deer,
bears, wolves and foxes. The old skin door was so old
that nearly all the fur had disappeared, and the smoke
stack was so large that, a little way off, the old house
seemed to have no roof. This smoke stack was its win-
dow and chimney. But the old Ka-no-sa hon-we had a
roof of bark, covered with moss. The bark was so old
that a young maple was growing on the roof, and the moss
was so thick that the bark could not be seen from the
outside. The inside of the old cabin had no floor, and the
fireplace was in the center, on the bare ground. On one
side of its walls were hung dried venison and bears' meat.
On another were war clubs, bows and arrows, feather
heads, buckskin leggings, coats and moccasins. These had
not been used for many moons. There was also a ga-
na-cho-we, or Indian drum, and many other things used in
hunting, dancing and war were hung on these old bark
walls.

0-kwen-cha's grandmother did all the work, brought all
the wood and killed all the game. Many a time she returned
with a deer or a bear on her back, and sometimes brought
a string of fish, so that they always had plenty to eat. She
went away every day but always told him, when about to
leave, that he must not touch the drum that hung upon
the wall.

He was a very small boy, about knee high, and his clothes
were made of the skins of different wild animals. The coat
which he wore was a fox skin, and his leggings the skin
of a white weasel. His belt was a rattlesnake's skin, and
his feather head-dress was made of the feathers of a par-
tridge. In his belt were stuck a war club, a stone toma-
hawk and a bone scalping knife. On his back hung his
arrow pouch, full of arrows, which his uncles had made for
him many moons ago. His bow was made from a rib of a
Ka-ya-kwa-ha, or Mammoth Bear. All his face was painted
with streaks of red, that could not be washed off. That
was why he was called 0-kwen-cha, or Red Paint.

So you can imagine how he looked with his wild Indian
dress. He was never allowed to go out of this Ka-no-sa

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 21

hon-we, or cabin, so he amused himself, day by day, shoot-
ing at the flies and fleas, and some times at his grand-
mother's old moccasins.

In this cabin were four beds that no one had slept in
for many moons. 0-kwen-cha had his mind full of these
things, and sometimes would sit and think what the beds
were for, and why he was so often told not to touch the
Indian drum, and why he was not allowed to go hunting
with his grandmother and be out of doors. While in these
deep thoughts he would get up and give a little war whoop,
and then say to himself that he was a young man and as
good a runner as any warrior; that he could hunt, as he
had killed many flies and bugs. This made him bold, and
sometimes he would say, "I could kill a bear like this."
Then he would take an arrow from his pouch and shoot
at the dry bear's meat on the wall. Then he would pull
the arrow out of the meat, and look at the point for fresh
blood.

One day, getting tired with his games, he thought he
would amuse himself with something new. Thinking what
it should be, he set him mind on the ga-na-cho-we, or Indian
drum. So he got upon the bed and reached the drum. As
soon as he got down he said to himself, "This is the way
I think my uncles used to do." Then he began to drum and
to chant his war song: "Ha-wa-sa-say ! Ha-wa-sa-say !"
etc. Then came his uncles from under the four beds, danc-
ing the war dance. When they did this their dancing was
heard throughout the world.

O-kwen-cha's grandmother was at the end of the world
when he danced with his uncles, and she heard the beating
of the drum and dancing, as plainly as if she had been in
her own cabin. So she ran home at once and when his
grandmother ran her steps were heard throughout the
world. So the world and its people, and the bad men with
magic powers (orenda), heard the beating of the drum and
the dancing, and the running of the old woman. Then the
people said, "He, Ha! (i. e., Ho, ho!). So Cho-noo-kwa-a-
nah (i e., Uncombed Coarse Hair), is in trouble again. We
will soon know which of the men with magic powers will
try to take her life, or her children's life, if she has any
more left."

22 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

While he was beating his drum, 0-kwen-cha heard his
grandmother running home. He got right down and put
the drum in its place; but he was very sorry to do this,
for he lost the fun he had had with his uncles. When the
drum was hung up they were no more to be seen. He looked
under the beds whence he saw them come, but they were
not there. So he went back and put more wood on the fire,
listening for his grandmother's footsteps. At last she came,
with the sweat on her face and all out of breath. "Oh,
my grandchild," she said, "what have you been doing?
Oh, you have caused my death ! You have killed me ! What
have you been doing?"

He replied, "Oh, nothing, only I have been making your
old moccasins dance. Oh, it was real fun to see your moc-
casins dance!" But Cho-noo-kwa-a-nah, his grandmother,
said, "But whose foot-tracks are these on the dust?" "Oh,
those are your moccasin tracks," he said, "just see what
I can do." So he went to a corner and got her old moc-
casins, putting them in a row and then taking his bow and
arrows. He then began to beat on the string of his bow
and sang his war song, "Ha-wa-sa-say ! Ha-wa-sa-say !"
and the old moccasins danced till the cabin was full of dust.
"Oh," said his grandmother, "O-kwen-cha is quite a witch!"

She went off the next day, and he had the dance of his
uncles again. Again the world heard the drum and danc-
ing, and the running of the old woman. When she came
he repeated the moccasin dance. On the third day he made
his uncles dance again, and the world heard the drum and
dancing, and the running of Cho-noo-kwa-a-na.

This time she had not been very far, so she caught him
with the drum still in his hands. She had said hardly
a word when a very tall man appeared. He was so tall
that he could not walk into the cabin, but had to crawl
on his hands and knees, and to stoop down as he talked.
This was what he said: "Three days from to-day you
are to appear at my place, and be ready for a grand wrest-
ling match. We are to bet for our heads. If I throw you
three times I will cut your head off, and if you throw me
three times you may cut my head off and save your life."
His name was Sus-ten-ha-nah, or "He Large Stone," for he
lived on a very large flat stone. He lived on human flesh,

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 23

and never was beat in wrestling. He cut off the heads of
all whom he threw and ate their flesh.

As soon as he left, Cho-noo-kwa-a-nah made ready to go
to the large flat stone. It was a three days' journey. As
she left her cabin she said to 0-kwen-cha, "You must stay
here and not go out of doors, for you have plenty to eat
and plenty of wood. Only hope that I may throw and kill
Sus-ten-ha-nah when we wrestle." So she went away, feel-
ing very sorrowful, for she knew that her days had now
come to an end.

She journeyed a day. In the evening she made a fire, ate
her dried bear's meat, and stayed over night. In the morn-
ing she ate again and took her journey. About noon, on
the third day, she reached the place where Sus-ten-ha-nah
lived. He was anxious for her coming, for now he was
very hungry. He had eaten up all that came in his way,
all that lived near and far, and all the game he could find.
He was a great eater. He would eat a whole bear or deer
at a single meal, and now he had eaten nothing for a long
time.

Cho-noo-kwa-a-nah got up on the flat stone. Hardly had
she done this when Large Stone seized her by the neck
and was going to throw her on the stone. Just then he
heard some one calling to him, "Here, here! that is not
the way to wrestle. Here, here ! give me the chance, grand-
mother !" Sus-ten-ha-na stopped to see where the voice came
from. He was looking afar off and said "Ho, ho! plenty
of game to-day!" The voice came again, "I say, grand-
mother, give me the chance!" She loooked around, when
O-kwen-cha appeared, coming through the stone and say-
ing, "Give me the chance! give me the chance to wrestle!"

Red Paint, small as he was, was now very powerful in
magic. "Ho, ho," said Large Stone, "So you want to
wrestle with me, do you? What do you amount to?" said
he, at the same time clutching him by the legs. He tore his
body in two pieces and threw them aside. Then he went at
Coarse Hair again, but up came 0-kwen-cha again, crying,
"Give me the chance, grandmother!" So she let him try
again.

He threw Large Stone three times, and then Sus-ten-ha-

24 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

nah said, "Now you can cut off my head." So he knelt
down to give O-kwen-cha a chance. As soon as this was
done the head flew high up in the air, and Red Paint and
his grandmother wondered when ^t went up so high. The
body remained kneeling. While they looked the head came
down again, and stuck to the body. Then O-kwen-cha took
his bone scalping knife and cut off the head again. Then
the head flew up again for three times. The third time,
when the head flew up, the boy said to his grandmother,
"Let us draw the body to one side," and they laid it on the
flat stone. When the head came down it struck on the
stone, and that flew into a thousand pieces, which were
scattered all over the world. That is why we have stones
lying about everywhere. The head also broke into a thou-
sand pieces, which flew all over the earth, and the brains
became snails and that is why they are found everywhere.
(Ge-sen-weh is the Onondaga word for both snails and
brains.)

Thus O-kwen-cha killed Sus-ten-ha-nah. His grand-
mother said, "Now we have killed our enemy we will go
home." But he replied, "No! we have lived below long
enough. Now I have to go after my uncles." Then he told
her to go home alone. When she had gone, he gathered
all the bones that lay there, of those whom Sus-ten-ha-nah
had killed, and put them all together in a row — all that
he could find. Then he went to a great hickory tree which
stood there, and called out, "Euch! Euch!" or "Take care!
take care! This tree will fall over you; you had better
get out of the way !" He pushed hard on the tree, and the
big tree fell, and the bones came to life and began to run
away. Some had short backs, and some short legs, and
some had big heads on little bodies, or little heads on big
bodies; while some had the heads of bears, and others of
deer or wolves, for the right bones had not always come
together.

When Red Paint saw how oddly they looked, he made
them exchange heads and bodies, and all other parts that
did not match; so that the men looked like men, and the
bears and deer as bears and deer should. Then the people
wanted Red Paint to stay with them and be their chief;
but he said, "No. Go back to your own homes and your
orvn people, your fathers and your mothers." He found one

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 25

of his uncles in the crowd, and told him to go home to his
grandmother. "Tell her," he said, "I am going to find my
other three uncles." Then all the people went to their
homes, and Red Paint made his journey again.

When the evening came he built a little fire and lay down
for the night. On the third day of his journey he heard
an Indian drum some where, he could not tell where. In
the evening he built a fire again, and heard the drum all
the time. Then he went to sleep, but when he woke again
he found himself a great way from his fire, and dancing.
He was going toward the drum. He said "He, He ! the old
fellow is quite a witch!" When he journeyed in the morn-
ing he went 'toward the drum again, and heard it all the
day, but did not see it. He stopped again and made a fire.

The same thing happened again, and he found himself
dancing in the morning. The sound grew louder, and the
third day he came to an opening, where there was a great
crowd. A big man was beating the drum very hard, as
he sat by a kettle of boiling soup. The people were danc-
ing around very hungry, and waiting for him to give them
some soup. Every little while he grabbed one of them and
ate him, while Red Paint stood a little way off to see what
he was doing.

Then Red Paint took his war club and ran at the man,
whose name was Kah-nah-chu-wah-ne, or He Big Kettle.
When he ran at him he hit him on the forehead with his
club, but he seemed not to notice it at all. He hit him
again, and the third time Kah-nah-chu-wah-ne looked up
and scratched his forehead, saying, "It seems to me the mos-
quitoes bite." Red Paint called out, "They do bite, and I
will show you some more of that." He Big Kettle tried to
catch him, but Red Paint got hold of him and they began
fighting. In the midst of this 0-kwen-cha took his bone
scalping knife again, and cut off his head, throwing it into
the big kettle of soup. The people were very glad when
they saw this, and wanted Red Paint to be their chief, but
he said he could not, for he had something else to do.
Then they wanted something to eat, but he said, "If you
eat the soup in the kettle you will all die." So he sent
them away to their own homes, their fathers and mothers,
their wives and children.

26 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

After they had gone away, he broke in pieces the biff
kettle and big drum. Also he made a big fire, and when
he had cut Kah-nah-chu-wah-ne's body in pieces he threw it
into the fire. When every thing was destroyed, he gath-
ered all the bones, and placed them in a row on the ground,
near a big pine tree. He gathered all he could find, and
arranged them as well as he could, by their appearance.
Then he pushed hard against the tree and called out, "Euch !
Euch! Look out! look out! this tree is going to fall on
you." Then the bones came to life and ran out of the
way. But some had long arms and some short; the heads
had sometimes get on the wrong bodies, and he had to ex-
change different parts, until all appeared as men, deer and
bears should. He found one of his uncles there and said,
"You must go home to my grandmother, and tell her I
am going to find my other two uncles." So he sent all
to their homes and went on alone, going west all the time.

When he had traveled three days he heard the barking
of a dog, as though it were a great way off. He went in
that direction all day, without seeming to come near him.
He built a fire and camped that night, but when he had
traveled all the next day he had not seen the dog. On
the third day he met a tall man, whose flesh was eaten on
his legs from his feet to his thighs. When 0-kwen-cha
first saw the man he stopped and looked, and he was a great
way off. Then he saw the dog running after the man, and
biting great pieces of flesh from his legs. The man cried
out, as if in great pain, every time the dog bit him.

Then Red Paint said, "I wish my dogs were here to fight
this dog." So he whistled for his dogs to come. The dogs
were Ok-wa-e, the Bear, and Ku-hah-sen-tea-tah or Lion.
These were his dogs, as he called them. He set them on
the dog which bit the man. Lion and Bear pitched on the
dog, killed and tore him in pieces. Then Red Paint said to
his dogs, "Go back to your places till I call you again." He
then put spittle on the tall man's legs, and the fiesh healed
up till all was right again. Then he saw that he had found
his third uncle. He told him to go back to his grandmother,
for there would be no dangers on the way. All these were
now over. He said, too, "I am going to find my other uncle.
Tell my grandmother I will soon be back."

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 27

Red Paint went on. He had journeyed three days when
he came to a settlement, and at once went to find some one
who was very poor. On one side of the reservation (settle-
ment) he found a little boy and made friends with him.
They soon became great friends, and the boy asked him to
go to his home and stay with him. He lived there quite a
while, and they often went out hunting with bows and ar-
rows. The little boy had a small bow, but 0-kwen-cha's
was of the rib of the Mammoth Bear. He was a good
hunter and killed much game.

At last these boys became such good hunters that they
brought in partridges or wild turkeys almost every day.
Sometimes they had a deer or bigger game. The boy's
mother liked Red Paint, because he was such a good hunter,
and would have been very sorry to part with him had he
wished to go home.

One day the little boy, Red Paint's friend, told him that
there was to be a great feast at the council house that night.
There would be dancing and many things to amuse the
people. There would be big kettles of soup for the feast, and
they would make wampum, too. O-kwen-cha said, "How
is this, that the people make wampum?" His friend an-
swered, "They are going to hang up a human being's skin
on a long pole. This skin the people have had for many
moons past. When they want to make wampum they take
the soup and pour it in the mouth of the skin, and as it
passes through it turns into wampum, and falls down."

Now this skin was the very one Red Paint wanted. He
asked his friend to go with him that night, when they held
their great feast, and he replied, "I'll ask my mother and
see what she says about it." But she said, "No, you two
had better stay at home. The people will run around and
I am afraid they will run over you." But on the night of
the dance O-kwen-cha had already made up his mind what
to do.

Quite late in the evening, when the whole nation was
gathered at the long house, he went over, and there he saw
a great crowd of people. Then he said, "I wish Tah-hun-
tik-skwa, the bat, would come here. Then I wish that Che-
ten-ha, the mouse, would come. And I wish that Tah-hoon-
to-whe, the long eared owl, would be here." All came and

28 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

he told them what to do. He said to Tah-hun-tike-skwa, the
bat, "You may amuse the people by flying around, so that
they will chase you." He told Che-ten-ha, the mouse, to
climb up on the pole and gnaw off the cords which held up
his uncle's skin. He told Tah-hoon-to-whe, the owl, to fly
to and fro, between him and the mouse, to tell him how
the mouse got along.

So the bat flew into the council house, and the people
had great sport flying around and trying to catch him.
After a while the owl came to him and said, "The cords are
almost broken* now.' The owl also went into the long house
and told the bat that their work was about done. Then
the owl and bat flew off and left the people, who were al-
most breathless. The sweat ran from their brows, so lively
a time had they had in chasing the bat. When they had
cooled off, a chief made a speech about the ceremony now
to take place, but, while he was speaking, Red Paint went
and took his uncle's skin away. When he did this he stopped
and thought, "I wish all to sleep." He went back to the
council house and found all asleep.

Then he said, "I'll pay you for taking my uncle's skin."
So he went in and cut off the leading man's head, taking it
with him and hiding his uncle's skin. He had gone but a
little way when the people woke up, and found that the
principal chief's head had been cut off and carried away.
When they went to find the skin, that was gone too. Then
there was a big stir, and some said they knew Red Paint
was on the reservation and had done this, for they had
seen him on one side of the village with the little boy.
Then there was a greater stir, and some cried, "Where is
he? Look for him! Search for him! Kill him!" Then
Red Paint pretended to be looking, too, and halloed from
where he was in the dark, but a little way off, "Here he is !
here he is!" Then they began to chase him. He ran ahead
of the rest calling on them to follow. "There he is!" said
he, "there he is, over yonder." But he carried the chief's
head all the time, while pretending to be one of them. They
ran a long way off, and some got out of breath and went
back, giving up the chase.

Then 0-kwen-cha went back to the council house about
daylight. "There,' he said, "I have killed the man who

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 29

stole the skin. I have killed the man who cut off our chiefs
head." So they thought it was Red Paint's head, and when
he threw it into the crowd they kicked it around, having
a game of foot ball with it. While they did this he slipped
off and got his uncle's skin from the place where he had left
it. When he had run very far off some one noticed the
head and said, "Why, this is our chief's head and not 0-
kwen-cha's!" When they lifted it, so it was. Then they
said, "Red Paint has cheated us again !" There was another
great stir, and they shouted, "Chase him ! kill him !" They
threatened to catch him and take his skin off, too. But
he was very far off by that time. It was too late.

When Red Paint was going homeward by himself, he
found it very lonesome. "Why should I not have company,"
he said to himself, "while I have my uncle with me?" Then
he began to breathe in the mouth of the skin, and the last
of his four uncles came to life again. So they journeyed
on together, having a pleasant time.

When he reached his grandmother's, she had fastened
the old door very tight, so that no one could come in. He
rapped at the door and begged and begged her to open it.
He said, "Grandmother, I have got back now with my
fourth uncle. Open the door!" But all the answer they
had was a cry. They begged and begged again for a long
time, but all the answer was the old grandmother's cry.
At last they broke the door in.

When they got inside, Red Paint found his grandmother
had become very old, and was bending over a little fire,
trying to get warm. The dust and ashes lay on her back
about an inch thick. She always cried now when any one
rapped at the door, because, after Red Paint was gone, the
rabbits would come and rap at the door. Sometimes the
squirrels would come and say, "Grandmother, I have got
back." This they did to fool her, making her think it was
Red Paint. When she opened the door away would run a
rabbit or squirrel. This made her cry when any one came
and rapped, for she said, "It is only a rabbit, a squirrel or a
coon. You are fooling me;" for she was very old.

When he saw her look so old, Red Paint said, "I will
make a young woman out of my grandmother yet." Then
he took a little stick and stuck it in the back of her ear,

30 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

under the loose skin, and twisted it till all the wrinkles were
straightened out, and her face became smooth again. His
grandmother looked up, with not a wrinkle on her face,
and seemed a handsome young woman. Then she turned
around and Red Paint stood there. She knew him at once,
and was so glad that she felt young again all over.

O-kwen-cha said, "Now we will fix up the old house."
He went around and looked at it, and said, "I want it such a
size," and at once there was a nice new house where the
old kanosa honwe had been. Just then the other three
uncles came along. They had been hunting on the way
and had not traveled fast, but they brought plenty of bear's
meat, which they had dried on the hunting grounds. So
O-kwen-cha restored his family, and when I came away
they were all living happily.

"When I came away," is the proper ending of an Onon-
daga story. The bones and falling trees appear in early
Iroquois legends. This year (1921) I had a variant in a
Caddo story in Oklahoma, where a falling arrow takes the
place of the tree.

THE GOOD HUNTER AND THE GREAT MEDICINE

In the Journal of American Folk Lore, 1901, pp. 153-159,
was an article of mine with the above title, part of which
I now transcribe. The Canadian Onondagas probably have
this, but I find it in several versions among those of New
York, who have many medicine ceremonies and rules for
its use. Capt. Samuel George was at one time appointed
physician at Onondaga by our authorities, some thinking
his remedies as good as ours. My two versions of the
Good Hunter are from N. Y. Senecas and Tuscaroras.

/ In the Jesuit Relation for 1636 is an account of the Huron
feasts, and one of these lacks clearness. "The Ononhara is
for the madmen. . . . They refer the origin to a certain
interview of the wolves and the owl, where this nocturnal
animal predicted to them the coming of Ontarraoura, that
is, a beast which approaches the lion by the tail (retire au
Lyon par la queue), which Ontarraoura revived, they say,
a certain good hunter, a great friend of the wolves, in the
midst of a good feast ; whence they conclude that the feasts

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 31

are capable of healing the sick, since they even give life to
the dead/y'

It was easy for me to see that this beast was the panther,
an animal little known to the missionaries or Hurons, but
which has been widely named the mountain lion. The Onori-
dagas still call it Sken-tak-tes-go-nah, Long Tail. Its noc-
turnal habits and even its cry, often mistaken for that of
the panther, might have associated the owl with it in tales
of the forest, but what was the story of the good hunter?
In answering this question I have nothing very original to
offer, but will transcribe two accounts very nearly as I
find them. In neither of these does the panther or owl
figure, but the death of the good hunter, the gathering of
birds and beasts, his revival and the gift of the great
medicine, are prominent features. In the lapse of two cen-
turies and a half, and in its relation by another people it
has slightly changed, but is probably essentially that of the
ancient Hurons.

The oldest version of this recorded is in Doty's History
of Livingston County, New Young, as it was given long ago,
by an old Seneca, to Mr. Horsford, their missionary. I
quote this brief account in full.

"In ancient times a war broke out between two tribes.
On the one side the forces were jointly led by a great
warrior and a noted hunter. The latter had killed much
game for the skins, the remains being left for beasts and
birds of prey. The battle was going against his side, and
he saw that, to save his own life, he must quit the field.
As he turned, the body of a great tree Jay across his path.
He came up to it, when a heavy blow felled him. On re-
covering he found, strangely enough, that he could as easily
pass through as over the obstruction. Reaching home, his
friends would not talk with him; indeed they seemed quite
unaware of his presence. It now occurred to him that he,
too, had been killed, and was present in spirit only, human
eyes not seeing him. He returned to the place of conflict,
and there, sure enough, lay his mortal part quite dead, and
its scalp gone. A pigeon hawk, flying by, recognized the
disembodied hunter, and gratefully offered to restore his
scalp; so, stretching away in its flight to the retiring vic-
tors, he plucked it from the bloody pole. The other birds

32 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

had, meantime, prepared a medicine which soon united the
scalp to the head, when bears and wolves gathered around
and joined in the dance. The hunter got well and lived
many years, his experience strengthening their religious
faith, and teaching them how to use the remedies so strange-
ly acquired, which, to this day, are among the most effi-
cacious known to the Indians."

In 1881, Elias Johnson, a Tuscarora chief, published the
"Legends, Traditions, and Laws of the Six Nations," in
which the story has an ampler form. Of this I will give
a summary. The good hunter appears, as before, as one
noted for kindness and generosity to all, even to beasts and
birds. Though a hunter he was considered the protector of
these. On one occasion he went out with a war party.
The battle was furious, and in the most desperate struggle
he was struck down, scalped and left for dead.

A fox came along when the conflict was over, and recog-
nized this friend of bird and beast lying lifeless on the
field. Shocked by the sight he raised the death lament,
and called all the beasts together. Their cries were heard
in the forest; they came by hundreds to the spot and tried
to revive their friend. Vain were all their efforts, and he
remained lifeless. As they sat down on their haunches to
hold a council, they raised their heads and a dolorous cry
rent the air. Then the bear was asked to speak, as being
the nearest relative and best friend of man. He appealed
to each and all for medicine, but though each had his own,
none did any good. Again they lifted up their heads and
howled a mournful requiem, long continued and with many
varied tones.

This sad lament, wild as the Highland coronach, brought
the oriole to the spot. He was told of their sad plight, and
in turn went and called a council of the birds. There was
a flapping of wings everywhere, and all came, from the
eagle to the wren, in response to the call. With beak and
claw they made every effort, but nothing came of it. The
hunter was dead, stubbornly dead, and his scalp was gone.
The eagle's head had become white in his long and wise life,
and from his lofty eyrie he had looked down, and knew
every force of nature and every event of life. This white-
headed sage said that the dead would not revive unless the
scalp was restored.

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 33

First of all the fox went to seek this. He visited every
bird's nest and every hen-roost, but no scalp did he find.
The pigeon hawk took up the search, but soon returned.
She flew so swiftly that no one expected her to see much,
for birds have characters as well as men. The white heron
flew more slowly, and said he would do better, but came to
a field of luscious wild beans, which tempted him. He fed
and slept, and fed again, while the council awaited his
return. At last the crow took up the mission. The warrior
who had the scalp knew of the council, but feared nothing
when he saw the crow flying near, for he was accustomed
to that. She saw the scalp stretched on its hoop, to dry
in the smoke above his cabin. Her chance came and she
carried it off. Great was the rejoicing at her successful
return. At once they put the scalp on his head, but so dry
and warped had it become that it would not fit.

Here was a new trouble. All did their best but nothing
availed. Then the great eagle said that on the high rocks
where he lived far above all other birds, the mountain
dew had collected on his back, and perhaps this might serve.
He plucked one of his long feathers, dipped it in this dew,
and applied it to the scalp. It worked finely and the scalp
was moist again. The animals brought other things for
the cure. The scalp was placed on the head, to which it
closely adhered. The hunter revived and recovered his
strength. They gave him the compound which had restored
him, as the gift of the Great Spirit, and there was then
a pattering of feet and a rustle of wings as the council
dispersed. The good hunter returned to his lodge in peace.
The Seneca chief, the late Edward Cornplanter, gave a fine
version of this also.

THE MEDICINE

The medicine was always cherished, and was used in the
same way as at Onondaga, where I had the local account.
A wooden cup is taken to a running stream, and filled by
dipping down the stream. When brought back to the house
it is placed near the fire, with some native tobacco, (N.
rustica). There are prayers while the tobacco is gradu-
ally thrown on the fire. The smoke is grateful to the Great

34 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

Spirit, and with this American incense their prayers rise
heavenward. The medicine man then places a piece of
skin near the cup, and on this the medicine is laid. He
takes up a little of the pulverized compound with a wooden
spoon and dusts it on the water in three spots '.' in the
form of a triangle. This is closely watched. If it spreads
over the water and whirls about on the surface, the sick
person will recover. If it sinks at once he will die and
nothing can be done. In the one case the medicine is given :
in the other all the water is thrown away.

This is not the only medicine, and Mr. Johnson gave an-
other story and use : One day a hunter heard the sweetest
music in the woods, but thorough search did not reveal its
source. Charmed by the sound he went again and again,
but with no better success. Not a note was heard. At
last the Great Spirit came to him in a dream and told
him what to do. He was to purify himself before seeking
it, and this he at once did. The forest path was taken, the
charming strain fell upon his ear, and he listened atten-
tively till he could sing every note himself. Then he drew
nearer. A tall green plant stood before him, with long
and tapering leaves. This he cut down, but it was im-
mediately healed and became as before. He did this re-
peatedly with the same results, and then knew it as medi-
cine especially good for wounds. Rejoicing in his great
discovery, he took part of the plant home, where it was
dried and pulverized. Then he touched it to a bad wound
which a man had received, and it was healed at once. Thus
did the Great Spirit give this great medicine to men, and
very grateful were they for it.

This medicine is used very differently, and Mr. Johnson
described the feast to which it specially belongs. Once in
six months there is a great feast at the hunting season, and
this comes in the spring and fall. On the night of the
feast, as soon as it is dark, all concerned assemble in one
room. Lights are extinguished, and even the coals are
carefully covered. The medicine is placed near these and
tobacco is laid beside it. Then all begin to sing, proclaim-
ing that the crows are coming to the feast, and the other
birds and beasts whose brains formed part of the first great
medicine, the one which originated when they revived the
good hunter. At the end of the song their calls are imi-

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 35

tated. Thrice, during the night, prayers are offered, and
during these tobacco is thrown on the smothered embers.
In these it is asked that all may be protected from harm,
and that this medicine may heal hurts of every kind. To
preserve due solemnity and prevent interruption, the doors
are locked when the ceremonies begin. None may enter
or go out, or even fall asleep. Anything like this would
spoil the medicine.

The actual feast begins just before daybreak. The past
observance being here described as in the present, the master
of ceremonies first takes a deer's head and bites it, imi-
tating the call of a crow. He then passes it to another,
who bites it in turn and imitates some other beast or bird.
Thus it goes around. When it begins to be light the master
of ceremonies takes a duck's bill and dips it full of the
medicine. Some of this he gives to each one present, who
puts it into a piece of skin, wrapping it in several covers.
This is kept for the next feast, six months later. The
panther's skin was preferred for the first cover, when it
could be had.

Those who take active part in this feast are all medicine
men, but chiefs may be present and those who have been
cured by the medicine. While these things are going on
inside the house, the young people are having a merry time
outside, and the remnants of the feast are theirs when
those inside are done. The tune heard at its discovery is
sung when this medicine is used, both at the feast and at
its administration. The ceremonies are thought to make it
effective. Each medicine man has a large quantity, which
he keeps in a bag. To this he sometimes adds pulverized
corn roots or squash vines, if he fears its exhaustion. When
it is given several assemble and sing. Both kinds were
deemed very useful in healing wounds received in war.
These were the great medicines ; others were less important.

Mrs. Harriet M. Converse, who has been initiated in the
Seneca Na-gu-gar-ha, gives a favorable account of this
society, and says that devout Christian Senecas are among
the active members. The Onondagas call a secret medicine
lodge Ka^noodkah, the one that makes the great medicine,
but there are other names having some reference to these.

36 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

FALSE FACES

Though there have been medicine men of local reputa-
tion among the Onondagas, the False Faces have taken
their place here in ceremonies for the sick. The members
wear large wooden masks, the faces grotesquely carved and
painted, the eyes adorned with brass or tin, and with horse
hair for long flowing locks. Doorkeepers wear corn-husk
masks here, but in Canada these form a distinct society.

In the N. Y. Regents' Report for 1850, Mr. Lewis H.
Morgan gives an account of them. The actual False Faces
were properly evil spirits with supernatural powers, and
without bodies or limb — really the traditional Flying Heads.
They frequented solitary places, starting from tree to tree,
paralyzing men and bringing storm and pestilence.

As a society they appear in all Iroquois villages, having
secret initiations, ceremonies and dances. If one dreamed
he was a False Face, he related his dream to a proper
person, and as Iroquois dreams must be fulfilled, he gave
a feast and was initiated. If he dreamed he ceased to be
a member, he gave a feast and withdrew. The dream gov-
erned throughout, j

When they appear in public as such, they all wear masks.
All are males except one woman, who is Mistress of the
Band. She is called Go-go-sa Ho-nun-na-tase-ta, or Keeper
of the False Faces. She has charge of the regalia, and is
the only organ of communication with the members, whose
names are supposedly unknown.

When one is to be healed a feast is prepared at the sick
man's house, and the False Faces come in in Indian file, led
by the woman. On the occasion described, each wore a
mask, a tattered blanket, and carried a turtle-shell rattle.
They stirred the ashes on the hearth, and sprinkled hot
ashes on the patient until his head and hair were covered.
All manipulated him in turn, and led him around with them
in the False Face dance. This concluded the ceremony.
The feast prepared was distributed to them, and carried
home to be eaten. They never unmasked before others.

I have met them on their tramp around the Onondaga
reservation, at the great winter feast, to drive all witches
and evil spirits away. They have good times, too. An

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 37

Onondaga hunter, at Green Lake (State Park) west of
Jamesville, once heard many voices, and wondered at this
in a spot so wild. Creeping quietly to the edge of the cliff
he looked down from the rocks to the lake below. The
False Faces were coming up from the water, loaded with
more fish then he had ever seen. They were very merry
over their good luck, and were shouting "Hoh ! hoh-o-o-oh !"
as they came along. But the old chief looked up and around,
and said : "Some one is coming ; look out !" So they went
directly to the precipice, and one by one they disappeared
in the rocky wall. The man above heard their voices in
the rocks far under him, as they sang "Hoh! hoh-o-o-oh!"
till the sounds died away in the ground. All was quiet
again. The Onondagas think there is an underground gal-
lery thence to the reservation quarries.

Among the Onondagas a small stone mask was a sign
that a man belonged to the False Faces. I have seen very
few. When a child is sick and they hold a feast for him,
this makes him a member. Some one makes him a little
wooden mask, which becomes his assistant against evil
of any kind. This he keeps. It is called Ho-yah-dah-nuh-na,
an assistant. Kah-je-sah, a name for a mat, is applied to
the corn-husk masks, worn by doorkeepers at public feasts.
These keep those in the council house from leaving, catch-
ing and throwing them back if they try, but a little present
makes the way easy.

A wooden mask must not be long left with the face up-
ward, for it resents the attitude of death and should have
frequent attention. I had a fine mask with a small bag
of tobacco attached. This should be often changed. After
some years I gave it to our Historical Association and I
suppose the tobacco is still there. I had this from Mr.
De Cost Smith of Skaneateles, who made a fine collection
of wooden masks, and whose exhaustive article en "Witch-
craft and Demonism of the Modern Iroquois" appeared in
1888. (Jour, of American Folk Lore, '88, pp. 184-193.)
He said, "During the 'New Year's Dances' there are three
occasions on which the masks are used, or, in other words,
three 'devil dances,' or dances in honor of the Hon-do-i.
Two precede the 'burning of the white dog'." I omit these
two, which were held in 1883 on January 14th and 15th.

38 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

Mr. Smith said, "The dance of Thursday, January 26th,
was more interesting, but was, properly speaking, a 'medi-
cine dance,' in which the Hon-do-i were not asked to help
the people against the witches, but were expected, in view
of the honor shown them, to withdraw the sickness for
which they themselves were responsible." I may say that
Mr. Smith's personal observations were confined to the
Onondagas, with whom he was a favorite. I quote his ac-
count in full, as the best of which I know.

"During the early part of the day the dancers went from
house to house, dancing for the cure of those who could not
leave home. In the afternoon, toward three o'clock, the
people gathered in the council house to await the coming of
the Hon-do-i. Two old women were cooking a kettle of
dried corn, beans, and slices of pork over the fire at the
women's end of the room, for on this, as on other occasions,
one end is occupied by the men and the other by the women.
Food for feasts is always prepared at the women's end
of the house, excepting bread and cakes, which are fur-
nished from the private houses. During this time the devils
would appear occasionally before the door, the people with-
in and without giving way immediately for them, and the
'head devil' would push open the door suddenly and enter
with a bound, to see if the feast were ready. When this
had happened several times the food was declared cooked,
and the whole band of dancers entered and took seats near
the middle of the room.

"The head chief then stood up and addressed the dancers
as A-gwe-ge, 'All.' Then proceeding to the stove, he threw
tobacco into the fire, and lifting off the pot full of food
gave it to the 'head devil,' who took it and walked out, fol-
lowed by the others. While they were gone a number of
benches were arranged in a semi-circle in front of the
women's stove. On this semi-circle of benches those who
were suffering from disease or sickness now seated them-
selves to the number of thirty or forty. When the devils
had eaten the food they returned to the council house, and
all save one (the 'head devil,' whose duty it was to guard
the door) went to the stove, and with a great deal of grunt-
ing and groaning, 'Han-han, han-han,' ran their hands
through the. ashes on the hearth, and then started in single
file around the half-circle of benches, each Hat-do-i in turn

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 39

rubbing ashes upon the head of each of the sick persons.
The action consists in rubbing the hands quickly on the
head, and then blowing upon it two or three times.

"After this the devils sat down, and a man with a turtle
shell rattle took a seat on a separate bench, facing the in-
valids, where he sang an accompaniment, and with the
rattle beat time for the following dance. A woman some-
what beyond middle age, apparently appointed for that pur-
pose, led out to the nearer end of the seats one of the sick
women, while at the same time a man led forth one of
the devils to dance with the patient. The pair, having danced
facing each other to the other end of the row of benches,
resumed their seats, and another couple took their place,
a sick woman being brought forth, as before, by the old
woman, and a devil by the man already mentioned. These
two also danced across the floor, and upon taking their
seats were followed by others, until each sick woman had
danced with one of the devils. Then all in the council
house danced, in an irregular crowd, around the inside
of the building.

"During these ceremonies the head demon had stood with
his back against the door to prevent persons going out, and
I was afterward told that if any one present refused to
take part in the final, general dance, the Hon-do-i 'would
throw him down, put ashes on him/ and inflict various in-
dignities upon him. The medicine dancing was now over,
and the crowd was allowed to go and come as it chose.
The group of sick persons that had occupied the benches
consisted of men and women, old and young, but only the
women danced, as I have described, each with a separate
JIat-do-i."

IJThe Jesuits, in their missions to the Onondagas, never
saw these masks, but one, who was with De Nonville's 'ex-
pedition against the Senecas, in ^687,^ saw one in a cabin
there. Bartram found them at Onondaga in 174£|/ Nowhere
did they find the burning of the white dog accompanying
the dream feast of the New Year. Both features are very

modern.

If one connects the masks with the Flying Heads, as de-
picted by David Cusick, he will get a hint of their first
meaning. About 1400 years before Columbus — no matter

40 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

about the time — '"The Holder of the Heavens was absent
from the country, which was destitute of the visits of the
Governor of the Universe. The reason produced the oc-
casion that they were invaded by the monsters called Ko-
nea-rau-neh-neh, i. e., Flying Heads, which devoured several
people of the country. JThe Flying Heads made invasions
in the night; but tEe~~people were attentive to escape by
leaving their huts and concealing themselves in other huts
prepared for that purpose. An instance: — there was an
old woman which resided at Onondaga; she was left alone
in the hut at evening; while others deserted. She was
setting near the fire parching some acorns, when the mons-
trous Head made its appearance at the door ; while viewing
the woman it was amazed that she eat the coals of fire, by
which the monsters were put to flight, and ever since the
heads disappeared and were supposed concealed in the
earth."

STONISH GIANTS

I have alluded to the Ot-ne-yar-heh or Stonish Giants,
who overran the country, fought a great battle, and held
the people in subjection for a long time. "The Stonish
Giants were so ravenous that they devoured the people
of almost every town in the country." At the Mississippi
they had separated from all others and gone to the north-
west. "The family was left to seek its habitation, and the
rules of humanity were forgotten, and afterwards eat raw
flesh of the animals. At length they practiced rolling
themselves on the sand, by this means their bodies were
covered with hard skin; these people became giants and
were dreadful invaders of the country."

So said David Cusick. 'According to him the Holder of
the Heavens led them into a deep ravine near Onondaga,
and rolled great stones on them in the night. But one
escaped, and since then "the Stonish Giants left the country
and seeks an asylum in the regions of the north.")

The Onondagas have a local but different story. They
say that a Stone Giant lived near Cardiff, a little south of
their reservation, which is by no means their early home.
He was once like other men, but was a great eater, be-

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 41

came a cannibal, and increased in size. His skin became
hard and changed into scales, which alone would turn an
arrow. Every day he came through the valley, caught and
devoured an Onondaga, a fearful toll. The people were
dismayed but formed a plan. They made a road in the
marsh with a covered pitfall, decoyed the giant through
the path and down he went and was killed. Of course when
the Cardiff Giant was "found" it did not astonish the
Onondagas that he was of stone.

The Onondagas have also a story of a Stone Giant's race
with a man near Jamesville. He ran the man into the
hollow at Green Pond, west of that village, where the rocks
rise 200 feet above the water on three sides. On the south
side the precipice can be ascended by a natural stairway
at one spot, and the man was far enough ahead to reach
the top before the other. He lay down and looked from the
rocks to see what the other would do. The latter came
and looked around. Not seeing the man he took out of his
pouch what seemed a finger, but was really a pointer of
bone. By means of this he could find any object he wished,
and so it was always useful in hunting. As he climbed the
rocks the man reached down and took away the pointer
before the other saw him. The giant begged him to re-
store it. If he would do this he was promised good luck
and long life for himself and friends. Though he begged
so piteously the man ran home with it to show his friends,
leaving him there helpless, unable to find his way. His
friends interceded, telling him to accept the giant's good
offer and not incur his enmity. So they went back and
found him still at the lake. He received his pointer, promis-
ing to eat men no more, and good luck followed the man.
This is one of the oldest Stone Giant stories, closely re-
sembling one told by David Cusick.

INDIAN FAIRIES

The fairies, or little people, did not often appear to the
Indians, but did many things for them. In the ravine,
west of Onondaga Valley, is an exposed and precipitous
bank of boulder clay beside the road, with large stones in
places. Thomas Webster said the little people had worn

42 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

this smooth in sliding down hill, and that they liked the
bounce the big stones gave them in doing this. Gis-twe-ah-
na, Little men, is a name for the Valley.

David Boyle gives a Canadian account of the pigmies and
the pigmy dance. "A race of small people is believed to
inhabit caves in rocky places. These people did not ap-
pear 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 high 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, how-
ever, it was, as a matter of course, necessary that a feast
should be given in their honor. In the old days the cus-
tom was to kill the first deer for this purpose, and as the
pigmies were particularly fond of corn soup, this dish
formed a prominent 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 accompaniment to the women's dance, in perfect dark-
ness. Wherever 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 do 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 backwards, the dan-
cers 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 ceremony performed in darkness referred to the
doubt and difficulty connected with an unsuccessful hunt,

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 48

while the lighting up symbolized the capture of game. In
accordance with the Mohawk myth, as held by some, the
pigmies are fond of playing pranks by throwing stones,
hence the name — Yagodinenyoyaks." — Stone Throwers.

My esteemed friend, the late Rev. Thos. La Fort, Onon-
daga Wesleyan minister, told the following in 1899: "By
our forefathers it has been related that long, long ago,
there lived between Mohawk and Palatine Bridge, very
little folks. They lived by themselves and were called
'stone-throwers.' I, Thomas La Fort, saw such a one about
thirty years ago, when I was traveling on the road to
Albany; he sat on top of a hill and looked down on the
road. These little men could appear and disappear when-
ever they wished.

"About 200 years ago there was a poor man, running
around hunting in the woods, but unable to kill a deer.
So he was feeling very badly and very hungry, when sud-
denly he saw a very little old woman standing before him,
who said she had been waiting for him and could make him
very happy. She offered him three different things: (1)
He could find precious gold; (2) He could find bright silver;
(3) He could kill as many deer as he wished, having the
power to call the animals to him. Then she told him he
would enjoy the venison which he would find on the shelves
of his wigwam. It happened as the little woman had said,
he could shoot the deer without trouble, for they came to
him when he called.

"When I was a boy my grandmother told me that she
had a grandchild who once was walking with her great
grandmother on a road, the grandchild going ahead. Sud-
denly there appeared a strange-looking little woman, who
spoke to her and said, 'You are feeling unhappy because
you cannot walk as steadily as in your younger days, and
yet you may become young again, providing you will do as
I tell you. Tell your grandchild to walk straight ahead,
and not to look back until I give her permission.' The
grandmother did as she was bidden, and the little woman
took a bone comb out of her pocket and said, 'Comb your
hair with this as far as your hands can extend.' The old
woman noticed that her hair was lengthening as far as she
could reach, at the same time her skin changed color rapidly,

44 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

when suddenly the grandchild looked back, and her grand-
mother, saying, 'My dear child you have destroyed me/ fell
down dead."

At a later day, not long before his death, Mr. La Fort
gave me the following tale :

"While all the Onondagas were once off sugar-making,
a young man remained at home alone because he was ill.
While lying on his couch he felt fingers stroking his fore-
head. Then they patted his shoulders, but no one was seen.
Then they came down his arm, and a small arm appeared,
but no body. He seized the arm with all his might, but
could not hold it, and received a blow upon his head. Then
all was still.

"His mother came home and he told her all this. '0,
my son,' said she, 'You have done very wrong. You have
driven away your best friend, but I will try to make amends.
To-night I will take a good deer's hide and cut it in pieces
for twelve pairs of moccasins. This I will put in a con-
venient place, and lay with it beads, thread and colored
moose hair.' This she did. At midnight the young man
heard a noise and felt the fingers, as before, but kept
still. Then the fingers went away and he heard a sound
where the deer-skin lay. In the morning all was gone.
The next night came and nothing was heard, but in the
morning there stood a pair of moccasins, beautiful beyond
anything Onondaga had ever seen. The sick youth was
soon well."

Such things, IJa Fort said, used to be frequent in the
old times, the little men being often seen, helping men,
but since Christianity had prevailed they had disappeared.
He asked what I thought of this. I do not recall the answer.

The Onondagas call them Che-kah-eh-hen-wah, Small
People or Little Men. The Mohawks, Yah-ko-nen-us-yoks,
or Stone Thowers. The Tuscaroras term them Ehn-kwa-si-
yea, No Men at all.

I add to the above Mrs. H. Maxwell Converse's account,
prefaced by Arthur C. Parker's notes. He said: "The
Stone Throwers are a band of elves who are fond of playing
harmless pranks. Should one offend them, however, the
prank may cease to be harmless. An Indian who discovers

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 45

that he has been punished by them at once holds a proper
ceremony for their propitiation. Mr. M. R. Harrington,
who questioned the Oneidas regarding their belief in the
Jo-ga-oh, was told that when a good round stone was needed
for a hammer or corn crusher, that an Indian would go
down to a creek and place an offering of tobacco beneath
a flat stone, and, returning the next day, find within the
radius of a man's length a stone just suitable for his pur-
pose.

."The ceremonies of the Pygmy Society are called at cer-
tain times to propitiate the elves and sprites, who often
wish to be assured of man's gratitude for their favors. The
writer has translated the entire ritual, and recorded the
songs and chants on the phonograph. The Seneca name for
the society is Yot-don-dak-goh.

"The editor has questioned a number of Iroquois children
regarding the Jo-ga-oh, and has been told that these little
folk have sometimes been seen running through the woods.
They generally are dressed in all the traditional parapher-
nalia of the Indian, but sometimes are entirely naked. The
Seneca children who described them, said that they were
about a foot high and ran very fast. With adults they are
more often heard than seen, and are known by their drum-
ming on the wet drum. The listening initiate who hears
the tap of the ringing water tomtom, knows instantly that
the elves are calling a council, and summons his society
to meet and make the proper offerings to these elves who
run in the darkness and who wander upon the mountains.

"The elves are naturally unsuccessful hunters. This is
not because they lack skill, but because the animals have
learned to detect their peculiar scent. Because of this the
members of the Pygmy Society save the parings and scrap-
ings from their finger rails, and tie them in little bags to
throw among the rocks for the elves. They are believed to
saturate them in water and bathe in it. The animals think
that human hunters seek them and are not afraid."

Mrs. Converse's account follows. Her strong poetic taste
is shown in all her stories, and I give this one literally to
show her personality.

40 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

"NEH JO-GA-OH, THE MYTH DWARF PEOPLE

"GA-HON-GA, THE STONE THROWERS

•

"Among the fable folk of the Iroquois, the Jo-ga-oh, or

invisible little people are beings empowered to serve nature
with the same authority as the greater spirits. These little
people are divided into three tribes, the Ga-hon-ga of the
rocks and rivers, the Gan-da-yah of the fruits and grains,
and the Oh-dan-was of the under earth shadows.

"The Ga-hon-ga, guardians of the streams, dwell in rock
caves beside the waters, and though dwarf in being are
gigantic in strength. They can uproot the largest tree by
a twist of the hand, and hurl massive rocks into the rivers,
to lift the waters when floods threaten. They have fre-
quently visited Indians in awake dreams, and led them to
their dwelling places, and then challenged them to feats of
strength, such as playing ball with the rocks, often hurl-
ing them high out of sight in the air. Because of this
fondness the Indians often called them 'Stone Throwers/ J

"When a drought parches the land, the Indian, wise in
mystery ways, goes far into the forests, and searches along
the mountain streams, until he finds the signs of the Ga-
hon-ga. These are little cup-shaped hollows in the soft
earth that edges the streams, and are the promise of rain.
The Indian carefully scoops up these hollows in the mud,
and dries them on a fragment of bark in the sun. They
are the 'dew cup charms' that, placed in a lodge, attract
the Gan-da-yah of the fruits and grains, who begin imme-
diately their activity in the ground of the garden.

"In their province of watchfulness they instruct the fish,
directing their movements, and giving them shelter in their
deep water caves, if pursued by merciless fishermen, or
confused in the whirl of the flood. They know the twists of
every trap, and will loosen them to release the captive
fish, when they deem it wise to do so. They can command
a fruitful or barren season, and, unless propitiated, fre-
quently punish negligence with famine.

"By a legend of these Gahonga, at one time an abandoned
orphan boy was playing by the side of a river, where one
of these little people was paddling his canoe. The boy
was invited to take a ride, but the boat was so small that

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 47

he at first refused. By continual urging, however, the
little rock thrower induced the boy to venture in, when,
with a single stroke of the paddle he swept the canoe high
from the bosom of the river, up into the air and into the
side of a cliff that towered from the mouth of the river.
They had entered a cave filled with the old and the young
of the little folk, who began their Joy dance in honor of
their visitor, the orphan boy.

"Dwelling with these people, the boy was taught their
wondrous ways, their mysticism, exorcisms and dances, all
so efficacious in coaxing the fruits to come forth to the sun.
In the dark recesses of the high cliff cave he learned many
strange things, as he saw the little people at work, and so
marvelous was it all that his stay seemed but a few days.
Then suddenly they commanded him to return to his people.
He was given a portion of each bird and animal as a charm,
and told how to employ each with effect. The corn and the
beans would obey his words, and the berries and fruits
would ripen at his bidding, the harvests would be full when
he sang, and the flowers would unfurl as he walked through
the lands. Unknowing, as they were instructing him, he
was being let down in the valley from which he had come.
The Ga-hon-ga had vanished, and going among the people
he found himself a man; his captivity had been one of 40
years, and yet it seemed but a visit of so many days. He
was a man of gigantic proportions, and inspired awe when
he taught to the wise the laws and the charms, the dances
and songs of the Ga-hon-ga.

"Thus has the story of the little rock people been trans-
mitted from generation to generation for numberless years.
The fisherman and the hunter know it; the grandmothers
tell it to their children's children, and the children tell it
to their dolls; the medicine men chant its songs, and in
their incantations for the harvests they dance for the little
folk, and the dancers in darkness chant the story in song."

"NEH OH-DO-WAS, THE UNDEREARTH MYTHS

"The Little Folk of the Darkness, the underearth dwel-
lers, are most wise and mysterious. Seldom do the eyes
of men penetrate the gloom to recognize them. These Oh-

48 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

<lo-was are the wondrous band of elf folk that hold juris-
diction over the sunless domain beneath the earth, where
dwell the creatures of the darkness, and the prisoners that
have offended the regions of light.

"In the dim world where the Oh-do-was live are deep
forests and broad plains, where roam the animals whose
proper abode is there, and though all that live there wish
to escape, yet both good and bad, native and captive, are
bidden to be content and dwell where fate has placed them.
Among the mysterious underearth denizens are the white
buffaloes, who are tempted again and again to gain the
earth's surface, but the paths to the light are guarded, and
the white buffalo must not climb to the sunlight, to gallop
with his brown brothers over the plains. Sometimes they
try to rush up and out, and then the Oh-do-was rally their
hunters, and thin out the unruly herds with their arrows.
'Tis then that a messenger is sent above to tell the sunlight
elves that the .chase is on, and the earth elves hang a red
cloud high in the heavens, as a sign of the hunt. Ever
alert for signals the Indian reads the symbol of the red
cloud, and rejoices that the Little People are watchful and
brave.

"Always intent on flight, the venomous reptiles and crea-
tures of death slink in the deep shadows of the dim under-
place, captives of the watchful Oh-do-was. Though they
are small, it is not often that they fail to fight back the
powerful monsters that rush to the door to the light world,
but sometimes one escapes and, whizzing out in the dark-
ness of earth's night, spreads his poisonous breath over the
forests, and creates the pestilence that sweeps all before it.
Then the monsters, maddened by jealousy, search out the
places where the springs spout to the surface, and poison
the waters, and, where a deep grown root has pushed its
way through the underearth in search of water, they tear
it with their fangs, and the earth tree above wilts and
dies. But such things are rare, for the Oh-do-was are
vigilant, and faithful and strong, and will not willingly let
death escape to their elves and their human friends.

"At certain times they visit their relatives above. At
night they hold festivals in the forests, and the circle
beneath many a deep wood tree, where the grass refuses

49

to grow, is the ring where the dances are held. Inhabiting
the darkness, the light of the sun would blind them, but
they do not fear the moon's soft rays. The creatures
of the night, the bats and birds, and the prowlers of the
darkness, know the Oh-do-was and are wary, for some-
times offensive intruding animals are captured, and carried
far beneath the fields and forests, nor may they expect to
be ransomed by their elf guardians of the light, when they
visit the regions below, for no Jo-ga-oh ever questions the
act of another.

"Thus banded, the Jo-ga-oh of the earth, above and below,
guard, guide and advise all living nature, and protect the
Indians from unseen foes. The Indian, grateful for this
unselfish service, reveres the Little Folk, and sings their
praises in ceremonies and dedicates dances to them.

NEH GAN-DA-YAH OF THE FRUITS AND GRAINS

"In the divisions of the Jo-ga-oh the Gan-da-yah are the
most beloved by the Indians. The office of these elves is
to protect and advise the fruits and grains. They are the
little people of the sunshine, who bring joy and brightness
to the Indian's heart.

"In the springtime these 'Little People' hide in dark, shel-
tered places, and whisper to the earth as they listen to the
complaints of the growing seeds. When the sun bestows its
full summer glow they wander over the fields, tinting the
grains and ripening the fruits, and bidding all growing
things to look to the sun. Their labor commences with the
strawberry plant, whose fruit is a special gift to man-
kind. When the earth softens from the frost, the 'Little
People' loosen the earth around each strawberry root, that
its shoots may better push through to the light. They
shape its leaves to the sun, turning the blossoms upward
to its touches and guiding the runners to new growing
places. Assisting the timid fruit buds at nightfall, they
direct them from the west sky, where they had followed the
sun, back to the east and the morning's glow. When the
full fruit first blushes on the vine, these guardian elves
protect it from the ravages of evil insects and the mildew
of the damp.

50 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

"The ripening of the strawberry is the signal for a thanks-
giving by the entire people. The fruit, the first grown of
the year, is greeted with songs of joy and gratitude. The
•^Priestesses (Ho-non-di:ont) hold meetings of praise in
the darkness of the night. In their Dark dances the berry
had its own Joy dance, and there is an especial dance and
song for the Jo-ya-oh, by whose fostering care the fruit
has come to perfection. The strawberry wine is made on
these occasions and distributed among the people, a separate
portion being reserved for the singers who officiate at the
Berry dance.

"There is an ancient folk tale that when the fruits were
first coming to earth, an evil spirit stole the strawberry
plant, hiding it under the ground for centuries, until it
was finally released by a spy sunbeam, who carried it back
to the sunny fields of earth, where it has lived and thrived
ever since, but fearing another captivity, the 'Little People'
maintain special guard over their favorite fruit.

"These elf folk are ever vigilant in the fields during the
season of ripening, and vigorous are their wars with the
blights and diseases that threaten to infect and destroy
the corn and the beans. The universal friends of the red
man, they assume various forms for protection and guid-
ance, frequently visiting the lodges of the Indian in the
guise of birds. If they come as a robin they carry good
tidings; if as an owl, watchful and wise, their mission is
one of warning, an enemy is coming who will deceive; if
as a bat, that winged animal, the symbol of the union of
light and darkness, it denotes some life and death struggle
close at hand. The most minute harmless insect or worm
may be the bearer of important 'talk' from the 'Little
People,' and is not destroyed, for the 'trail is broad enough
for all.'

"According to a law enacted by these guardian elves, a
true Indian should not relate the myth tales of his people
during the summer. No one could tell, they thought, when
some bug or bird might be listening and report the offence
to the elves, who, in turn, would send a watcher to en-
force silence on the part of the breaker of the law. They
dread that some creature of animate nature may over-
hear these tales, and entranced by them, forget to go back

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION fil

to winter homes when the snow falls. Even the vine that
crept over the lodge door, may listen so eagerly that it
will forget to let down its sap before the frost comes, and
die. The bird singing on the tree's limb, which leafs above
the door, may, in his wonder and bewilderment, forget the
sun way to the south, and fall a victim to the first snow.
The ground animals may stop to listen, with their heads
half out of their burrows, and, marveling over the story,
tarry till the winter seals them there, to perish in the ice
breath of the north blast. Knowing these things, the Indian
reserves his myth tales until the winter time comes and
his fireplace glows.

"When the leaves have strewn the barren earth, and the
snow has covered the leaves and built its mounds high in
the lowlands, the 'Little People' are safe folded in their
shadow slumbers, and the earth knows them no more until
the melting snows, and the swollen streams and the leafing
trees summon them to the season of springtime."

The three sections of the above interesting paper seem
to have been written at different times, and united with-
out revision.

Some of the animal stories are close reproductions of
those of the white man, and some of the earlier ones are
somewhat affected by changed conditions. The following,
which I had from Albert Cusick, closely adheres to the
primitive type. The first part he wrote himself, and the
latter I took down from his dictation.

THE LOST BOY

"A long time ago, among the Onondaga Indians, were
several families who went off to camp near the wildwood
streams, where fish, deer, otter, beaver and other like game
could be caught for winter use. These Onondagas, or
People of the Hill, journeyed several days, and finally came
to the hunting grounds. The hunting ground where they
stopped was a very beautiful place, with its little hills and
the river with high banks. Not far from their camp was
a beautiful lake, with high, rocky banks, and with little
islands full of cedar trees. When they came there it was
in the moon or month of Chut-ho-wa-ah, or October. Some

62 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

of these Indians made their camps near the river, and
some near the lake. As it was quite early in the season
for hunting, some of the Indians amused themselves by
making birch bark canoes. With these they could go up
and down the river and on the lakes, fishing and trapping,
or making dead falls for other small game.

"In the party were five little boys who had their own
bows and arrows, and would go hunting, imitating their
fathers and uncles. Among them was one much smaller
than the rest, who was greatly teased by the other and
older boys. Sometimes they would run away from him
and hide themselves in the woods, leaving him crying;
then they would come back and show themselves, and have
a great laugh over the little boy's distress. Sometimes
they would run for the camp, and would tell him that a
bear or a wolf was chasing them, leaving the little boy
far behind, crying with all his might. Many a time he
sought his father's camp all alone, when the other boys
would leave him and hide themselves in the woods.

"One day these little Indians found a great hollow log,
lying on the ground. One of them said, "May be there
is a Ta-hone-tah-na-ken (rabbit) or a Hi-sen (red squirrel)
in this hollow log. Let us shoot into it, and see if there
is any Ta-hone-tah-na-ken in it.' All agreed to this, and
they began to take the little boy's arrows from him, and
shoot them into the hole ; then the larger boys said to him,
'Now go into the hollow log and get your arrows.' The
little boy said, 'No; I am afraid something might catch
me.' Then he began to cry, and was not at all willing
to go into the log. The others coaxed him to do so, and
one said he would get his uncle to make him a new bow
and arrows if he would go into the log and get the arrows
they had shot there. At last this tempted the little boy.
He stopped crying, got down on his hands and knees, and
crawled into the log. When he had gone in a little way
he found one of his arrows, and handed it out. This gave
him courage to go in a little farther. When he had ad-
vanced some distance in the log, one of the larger boys
said, "Let's stop up the log and trap that boy in it, so
that he can't get out." This was soon agreed to and the
boys began to fetch old rotten wood and old limbs, stop-
ping up the hollow log and trapping the little boy in it.

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 53

When this mischief was done the four boys ran to their
camp, saying not a word about the little boy who was
trapped in the log.

"It was two days before the mother and father began
to notice the absence of their boy, for they thought he must
have stayed over night with one of the others, as very
often he had done ; but the second day a search was begun,
and the other four boys were asked whereabouts they had
left him. They all said that they did not know, and that
the last time they were out the little boy did not go with
them. Then the entire camp turned out to join in the
search, as now they knew that the boy must be lost. After
they had hunted a long time he could not be found, and they
ceased to look for him. They thought he must have been
killed and eaten by a wolf or bear.

"When he was first shut up in the log the little boy tried
to get out, but could not do it, as the chunks of rotten
wrood were too large for him to move. He could not kick
or push them out. Then he cried for help, but no one came.
There he was for three days and three nights, crying
loudly for help, and now and then falling asleep. But on
the fourth night, while he was in the hollow log, he thought
he heard some one coming. He listened, and was sure he
heard the crying of a very old woman, and the noise of the
tramping of feet. The crying and the tramping came
nearer to the log where he was. At last the crying came
very close to him, and then he heard a noise as though
some one sat down on the log. Now he heard the old
woman cry in earnest, and now and then she would say:
'Oh, how tired I am! how tired I am! and yet I may have
come too late, for I do not hear my grandchild cry. He
may be dead ! he may be dead !' Then the old woman would
cry in earnest again.

"At last he heard a rap on the log and his own name
called: 'Ha-yah-noo! Ha-yah-noo! are you still alive?'
Ha-yah-noo, or Footprints under the Water — for this was
the little boy's name — answered the old woman, and said
that he still lived. The old woman said, *O, how glad I am
to find my grandchild still alive !' Then she asked Ha-yah-
noo if he could not get out; but he said he could not, lor
he had already tried. Then said the old woman, 'I will

54 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

try to get you out of this log/ He heard her pull at the
chunks of old wood; but at last she said she could not get
him out, as she was too old and tired. She had heard
him crying three days before, and had journeyed three
days and nights to come and help her grandchild out of his
trouble. Now this old woman was an O-ne-ha-tah, or Por-
cupine. She lived in an old hemlock tree, near the spot
where the boy was shut up in the log.

"When Grandmother O-ne-ha-tah had said that she had
to journey three days and nights, and now she could not
help Ha-yah-noo out of the log, she was very sorry and
began to cry again. Finally she said she had three children
who were very strong, and that she would get them to help
her; so she went after them. It was almost daylight when
they came, and then Ha-yah-noo heard them pull out the
chunks which stopped up the log. At last Grandmother
O-ne-ha-tah said to him, 'Come out now. My children have
got the chunks out of the log. You can come out.'

"When Ha-yah-noo came out he saw four wild animals
around him. There was Grandmother O-ne-ha-tah and her
three children, as she called them. They were Oo-kwa-e,
the Bear ; Sken-no-doh, the Deer, and Tah-you-ne, the Wolf.
'Now/ said O-ne-ha-tah, 'I want one of you to take care of
this boy, and love him as your own child. You all know
that now I am very, very old. If I were younger I would
take care of him myself/

"Tah-you-ne, the Wolf, was the first one to speak, say-
ing she could take care of the boy, as she lived on the same
meat on which he fed. 'No/ said O-ne-ha-tah, 'you are
too greedy. You would eat up the boy as soon as he is
left with you alone/ The Wolf was very angry. She
showed her teeth and snapped them at the boy, who was
much afraid and wanted no such mother.

The next that spoke was Sken-no-doh, the Deer. She said
that she and her husband -would take care of the boy, as
they lived on corn and other things which they knew the
boy liked. Her husband would carry him on his back wher-
ever they went. But Grandmother O-ne-ha-tah said, 'No;
you can't take care of the boy, for you are always travel-
ing, and never stay in one place. The boy cannot do the
traveling that you do, for you run very fast and make

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 55

very long journeys. The boy cannot stand it and you have
no home for him for the winter. Boys like this have homes.'
Then the Deer ran away, very happy, as though she were
glad to be rid of the boy.

"Then Oo-kwa-e, the Bear, said she knew she could take
care of him, as she lived in a large stone house and had
plenty to eat. She lived on meats and fishes, and all kinds
of nuts and berries, and even wild honey, all of which the
boy would like. She had a good warm bed for him to sleep
on through the winter, and she was a loving mother to her
children. She would rather die than see them abused. Then
0-ne-ha-tah, or Porcupine (meaning 'Full of quills), said:
'You are just the one to take care of this boy. Take him
and carry him home.' So the Bear, like a loving mother,
took the boy and brought him to her home. When they
got there, Oo-kwa-e said to her two children, Oo-tutch-ha
or Young Bears, 'Don't play with him roughly, and he will
be your kind little brother.' Then she gave him berries
to eat, and they were all happy.

"The stone house was a cave in the rocks, but to the
boy it seemed to have rooms, like any other house, and
the little bears seemed like human children. They did not
tease him, but lived in the most friendly way, and the old
Oo-kwa-e was a very kind mother to the boy. It was now
quite late in the fall, and the days were short and dark.
Then Mother Oo-kwa-e said, 'It is late and dark now. We
had better go to bed.' The nights were cold, but the bed
was warm, and they slept till the spring.

"One evening it thundered ; for the bears do not wake up
till the thunder is heard. It made such a noise that they
thought the walls were coming down. Then the old Oo-
kwa-e said, 'Why! its getting light. We had better get
up.' So they lived happily together for a very long time.
She went out in the woods, going to and fro for food, and
the children amused themselves at home.

"Every now and then, through the summer, the Bear
people would come in and say, 'In such a place are many
berries.' These would be strawberries, raspberries or
others, according to the season. Later they told of chest-
nuts and other nuts of which they were fond. Then they
would say, 'Let us go and gather them.' So the Mother

£6 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

Bear and Little Bears went, taking the little boy along,
for they always expected a good time. The other bears
knew nothing about the boy. When they came near the
spot and he was seen, these would be frightened and say,
'There is a human being ! Let us run ! let us run !' So they
would scamper off as fast as bears can, leaving their heaps
of nuts or berries behind them. Then the old Oo-kwa-e
would gather these up, she and her children, and take them
home, which was a very easy way of getting plenty of
food. Thus the boy became very useful to Mother Bear.

"The boy lived with them thus for about three years,
and the same things happened every year. In the third
year Mother Bear said, 'Some one is coming to kill us.'
Then all looked out and saw a man coming through the
woods, with his bow and arrows in his hand, and his dog
running all around, looking for game. Then Mother Bear
said, 'I must see what I can do.' So she took a forked
stick, and pointed the open fork toward the man. It
seemed to come near him, and appeared to him like a line
of thick brush that he did not wish to break through. So
he turned aside and went another way, and they were safe
that time.

Another day she again said, 'Some one is coming to-
ward us again, and we shall be killed.' She put forth the
forked stick ; but the man did not mind it, and came straight
toward her stone house. The stick itself split and there
was nothing in the way. Then she took a bag of feathers
and threw these outside. They flew up and down, and
around, and seemed like a flock of partridges. The dog
ran after them, through the bushes and trees, supposing
them to be birds, and so the second man went away.

The days went by, and the third time Mother Bear saw
a man coming. This time she said, 'Now we certainly
are all going to die.' Then she said to the boy, 'Your father
is coming now, and he is too good a hunter to be fooled.
There is his dog, with his four eyes, and he, too, is one of
the best of hunters.' Now when a dog has a light spot
over each eye, the Indians say that he has four eyes. So
the man came nearer. She tried the forked stick, but it
split, and still the man and dog came on. She scattered the
feathers, and they flew around as before, but the hunter

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 57

and dog heeded them not, and still both came on. At last
the dog reached the door and barked, and the man drew his
bow and shot at anything that came out.

"When Mother Oo-kwa-e saw the man standing there, she
said, 'Now, children, we must all take our bundles and go/
So each of the Bears took a small bundle and laid it on its
back, but there was no bundle at all for the boy. When
all were ready, she said, 'I will go first, whatever may
happen.' So she opened the door, and as she went out
the man shot, and she was killed. Then the oldest of the
Oo-tutch-ha said, 'I will go next,' and as he went he also
was killed.

"Th last little Bear was afraid, and said to the boy, 'You
go first.' But the little boy was also afraid and said,
'No; you go first. I have no bundle.' For all the Bears
tried to get their bundles between them and the man. So
the little Bear and the boy at last went out together; but
though the Bear tried to keep behind, the man shot at the
first and he was killed. As the hunter was about to shoot
again, the boy called out, 'Don't shoot me! don't shoot me!
I am not a bear!' His father dropped his arrow, for he
knew his voice at once, and said, 'Why did you not call
out before ? Then I would not have killed the Oo-kwa-e and
Oo-tutch-ha. I am very sorry for what I have done, for
the Bears have been good to you.' But the boy said, 'You
did not kill them, though you thought so. You only shot
the bundles. I saw them thrown down and the spirits of
the Bears run off from behind them.' Still, the man was
sorry that he had shot at the Bears. He wished to be
kind to them as they had been to his boy.

"Then the father began to look at his boy more closely,
to see how he had grown and how he had changed. Then
he saw that long hairs were growing between his fingers,
for, living so long with them, he had already begun to
turn into a Bear. He was very glad when he took the
boy back to his home, and his friends, relatives, and the
whole town rejoiced with him. All day they had a great
feast, and all night they danced, and they were stil dancing
when I came away." In a variant of this the Bear tells
the father, in a dream, how to rid the boy of these long
hairs.

58 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

Bear stories were very popular among the Iroquois, bears
being their nearest relatives in the animal world. Three
stories were collected by Mrs. S. A. Smith, and in these
are several incidents here given, which appear separately
and in no two of the three. In this story, according to
Iroquois usage, the mother is placed before the father when
the boy is missed.

European stories are common both east and west among
our Indians, but adapted to a new environment. Some are
absolutely unchanged. "How the Bear lost his Tail" is of
this class, and very popular in New York. Another has
some modern actors, but I have met with nothing like the
following Onondaga story.

For some reason the bear and fox fell out, and were
going to fight a duel. The fox chose a cat and a lame dog
for his seconds, while the bear had the wolf and the pig,
but the wolf kept away. The bear and the pig came to
the place first, both a little afraid, and the bear said he
would climb a tree and watch for the rest. The pig hid
under the leaves by a log. The bear said, "I see the fox
coming. He has two men with him, and one is picking up
stones to throw at us !" For when the dog limped the bear
thought he was picking up stones. The cat, too, raised its
tail and waved it around. When it did this the bear said,
"Now I see the other man. He has a big club, and 0!
how he waves it around! Lie down there! Keep still!
They'll give it to us if they find us !" Then he looked again.
"Yes, they're coming! Keep still! keep still!"

"So the cat came under the tree and upon the log. The
pig wanted to see, and tried to peep out; but when the cat
saw the leaves moving she thought it was a mouse. Down
she sprang in an instant, and had the pig by the nose.
"Ke-week! ke-we-eek!" he squeaked and squealed, which
scared the cat in turn, and she ran for the tree. The bear
was so frightened when he saw her coming that he let go
his hold, fell from the tree and was killed. Then I came
away.

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 69

This is a child's story, allowing spirited action on the
part of the frightened bear, but when the narrator imitates
the pig's squeal there is intense delight among the Indian
children. It was a favorite tale.

CORN STORIES AND CUSTOMS

The origin of maize, or Indian corn has been a subject
of study with many men; the Indians disposed of it very
simply. According to Roger Williams' story in 1643,r'the
crowe brought them at first an Indian graine of corne in
one eare, and an Indian or French beane in another from
the great God Kautantowit's fields in the southweste, from
whence, they hold, come all their corne and beanes.".

Van der Donck, in 1656, wrote that "they say that their
corn and beans were received from the southern Indians,
who received their seed from a people who resided still
farther south." The native beans were of various forms
and colors. The Dutch writer goes on: "They have a
peculiar way of planting them which our people have
learned to practice; when the Turkish wheat, or, as it is
called, maize, is half a foot above the ground, they plant
the beans around it, and let them grow together. The
coarse stalk serves as a bean-prop, and the beans run upon
it." Pumpkins or squashes were planted in the same way,
and white farmers kept up the latter practice, and on the
triple arrangement is founded the .following picturesque
tale, which I received at Onondaga. It used to be told by
Joseph Lyon, or Ka-no-wah-yen-ton, see the backs of pros-
trate people.

"A fine young man lived on a small hill, and being there
alone he wished to marry. He had flowing robes, and wore
long and nodding plumes, so that he was very beautiful
to behold. Every morning and evening he came out of his
quiet house, and three times he sang, "Che hen, Che hen,
Sone ke kwah no wah ho ten ah you ke neah. Say it, say
it, some one I will marry;" and he thought he cared not at
all who it might be. For a long time he kept this up, at
morn and eye, and still he was a lonesome young man.

"At last a tall young woman came, with long hair neatly

60 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

braided behind, as is the Indian style. Her beads shone
like drops of dew, and her flowing green mantle was
adorned with large golden bells. The young man ceased
to sing, and she said, 'I am the one for whom you have
looked so long. Now I am come to marry you.' But he
looked at her and said, 'No; you are not the one. You
wander so much and run over the ground so fast that I
cannot keep by your side. Good friends we are sure to
be, but I want a bride to make a home.' So the pumpkin
maiden went away, and the young man was still alone,
singing at night and morn, hoping his bride would come.

"One day there appeared a slender young woman, of
grace of form and fair of face. Her beautiful mantle was
spotted here and there with lovely clusters of flowers, and
groups of bangles hung upon .it. She heard the song and
drew near the singer. Then she said she could love dearly
one so manly, and would marry him if he would love her
in turn. The song ceased; he looked at her and was
pleased, and said she was just the one he wished and for
whom he had waited so long. They met with a loving
embrace, and ever since the slender bean twines closely
around the stalwart corn, he supporting her and she cher-
ishing him." Perhaps it might be added that they are not
divided in death, for beans and corn form Indian bread.

All this has nothing to do with the origin of corn, July
20, 1743, John Bartram, Conrad Weiser and others were
riding northward on a trail a little south of our present
county line. Bartram said, "On our left we perceived a
hill where the Indians say Indian corn, tobacco and squashes
were found on the following occasion : An Indian (whose
wife had eloped) came hither to hunt, and with his skins
to purchase another; here he espied a young squaw alone
at the hill; going to her and enquiring where she came
from, he received for answer that she came from heaven
to provide sustenance for the poor Indians, and that if he
came to that place twelve months after he should find food
there. He came accordingly and found corn, squashes and
tobacco, which were propagated from thence and spread
through the country, and this silly story is religiously held
for truth among them."

Conrad Weiser mentioned this story in passing this hill
in 1737.

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 61

I have it also in fuller form, from a Seneca source twenty
years later. The hill is Mount Toppin in Preble.

Among the Iroquois corn, beans and pumpkins are
known as Our Life or Our Supporters, collectively, and
L. H. Morgan gives the Seneca word for this as De-o-ha-ko.
The Onondagas call them Tune-ha-kwe, those we live on.
Onondaga had large crops of Tfiesein colonial times, and
in several places here the ancient corn pits may yet be seen.

In Handsome Lake's Religion as given by Sose-ha-wa, in
1848, special mention is made collectively of these three
foods. "Continue to listen: It has pleased our Creator
to set apart, as our Life, the Three Sisters. For this special
favor let us ever be thankful. When you have gathered
in your harvest let the people assemble and hold a general
thanksgiving for so great a good. In this way you will
show your obedience to the will and pleasure of your
Creator. Thus they said." But there were Indian thanks-
giving days before Handsome Lake was born.

In August, 1894, the preaching of the New Religion was
publicly resumed at Onondaga, and this was carefully re-
ported for the Syracuse Herald. In this the above quota-
tion from Sose-ha-wa does not appear, nor is it in the
Seneca version and translation published at Albany. Hoh-
shair-honh, Stopper of a crowd, was the preacher at Onon-
daga. The ceremony occupies several days, and white wam-
pum is used.

WITCHES AND WITCHCRAFT

A belief in witches and witchcraft is deeply rooted in
the Iroquois mind, and deaths for this have occurred in
quite recent times. While at Onondaga, 1887-88, Mr. De
Cost Smith had several reminders of such things. One was
of a double execution of witches at Oneida about 1825. He
adds, "I was told last autumn that an old man had been
put to death for witchcraft on one of the Canadian Iroquois
reservations, about seven years before. He was killed by
men who lay in wait for him and shot him from an am-
bush. 'What was done by the dead man's friends?' I
asked, 'Nothing ; they thought he had been at that business
long enough.' 'And the white people?' 'They didn't know

62 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

it'." He adds "During a general council of the Six Nations,
held in August, 1888, of which the open confession of sins
was one of the striking features, a chief of the Onondagas
confessed that he had practised witchcraft, but, becoming
penitent, had reformed."

To quote my friend still farther, "An Onondaga, about
fifty years of age, pointed out to me, quite recently, an
old woman living on the reservation whom he believed to
be a witch. He is quite convinced of it, for some years ago
he was going home one night about eleven o'clock, when,
just as he was going around a wooded hill, he saw this
woman ahead of him. She was walking in the same direc-
tion, and so did not at first see him. Her hair hung down
over her eyes, and she blew from her mouth flames of
different colors to light her path. As she did this her hair
was licked by the flames and blown up from her face. He
followed her, and when near the council-house began to
run. She ran around the building and along the fence, un-
til she come to a long log house (no longer standing) in
which witches were said to congregate, and, as she reached
the door, she once more blew flames from her mouth and
disappeared within." (Witchcraft and Demonism of the
Modern Iroquois, 1888, pp. 184-194.)

Albert Cusick, who was ordained deacon by Bishop Hunt-
ington, and to whom I am greatly indebted for my knowl-
edge of Indian lore, gave me the next two stories, found
at Onondaga.

"A man, whose brother was very sick, suspected the
witches of causing his illness. He tried to find out who
they were and where they met, so he went to an old woman
and told her he wanted to be a witch. She said, 'If you
are very much in earnest you may be, but when you begin
you must go to your sister and point at her. Then she
will be taken sick, and after a time will die.' So he went
and told his sister, and they arranged a plan. She was to
pretend to be ill after he came home, and let this be known.

"When night came he started for the place of meeting
with the old woman, but, as he went he now and then broke
off a leaf or a bit of underbrush. All at once the old woman
sprang into a tree and clung to it, and as she turned around
she was a great panther, with sharp teeth, long claws and

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 63

glaring eyes. As she spat and snarled at him he was ter-
ribly frightened, but pretended not to be afraid. So she
came down as an old woman again, and said, 'Didn't I
frighten you?' 'Oh, no,' he replied, 'I was not a bit afraid.
I would like to be like that myself.' So they went on, and
as they went he broke the brush here and there.

"After a time they came to an open place in the woods,
where were gathered many old men and women, and some
young women, too. He was surprised at those he found
there. There was a little kettle over a fire in the midst
of the place. It was very small indeed, not larger than a
tea-cup. Over it hung a bunch of snakes, from which blood
dripped into the kettle, and of this all drank a little from
time to time. He pretended to drink, and after that looked
carefully about to see who were there. They did many
things and took many shapes, and often asked what he
would like to be. He said, 'A screech owl.' So they gave
him an owl's head, which he was to put on later. They
told him when he had this on he would be able to fly like
a bird. He imitated the owl's cries and movements, and
they said he would be a boss witch. When he put on the
head he seemed to lose control of himself, and it took him
over the trees to his brother's house. At the same time the
meeting broke up, and the witches went off in various
shapes, as foxes, wolves, panthers, hawks and owls.

"When he came to his brother's all in the house were
scared at the noise of an owl on the roof, for he made
sounds just like one. Then he took off the head and went
into the house. He pointed at a dog, instead of his sister,
and the dog sickened and died. His sister pretended to be
sick, as they had agreed, and the witches came to see her.
They mourned for her, just as though they had not intended
her death, and talked about her illness everywhere.

"The next day the young man got the warriors together
and told what he had seen. They consulted and armed
themselves, agreeing to follow him that night. The band
went through the bushes and trees, finding the way by the
twigs and leaves he had broken. They knew the spot, which
was on their reservation, and when they reached it the
witches' meeting had begun. They had officers and speak-
ers, and one of these was making a fine speech. They said

64 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

if they killed any persons they would go to heaven, and
the Great Spirit would reward the witches well. They
might save their victims from much evil by killing them,
for they might become bad or unfortunate. If they died
now they would go to the Good Spirit. While he was speak-
ing the young man gave a sign. The warriors rushed in
and killed all the witches."

The other story follows. "An old woman lived with her
grandson, but went away from home every night. There
was a loft in her cabin where she went every evening, but
she would not let the boy go there. He asked many times
where she went, but she would not tell him. When he
seemed asleep she was off at once, and if he woke up when
she returned, he heard curious sounds on the roof before
she came in.

"Once, while she was away during the day, he thought
he would find out what he could. So he climbed into the
loft. There was a hole in the roof, and in one corner of
the loft there was a round chest of bark. In the bottom
of this was an owl's head. 'Ah! this is very fine/ said he.
'These will make good feathers for a hat.' So he put the
owl's head on his head. At once he lost control of himself,
and the head flew off with him. He did not know what
would happen, but seemed and acted like an owl. Away
he went, through the air, to a house where a sick woman
lay, and flew all around it. A very crazy acting owl was
he, as any owl might have been in the sun. He tried to
stop himself, but could not. He caught hold of sunflowers,
but they came up by the roots. He caught hold of bushes,
and they did the same. At last he flew into the house and
fell among the ashes, where the frightened people caught
him. They found nothing but a small boy and an owl's
head, but he told his story and thus a witch was found out."

"The Cat Hole" at the Onondaga Reservation quarries
is called Oost-sta-ha-kah-hen-stah, Hole in the rock and has
the reputation of being a receptacle for the bodies of
witches. Cusick told me that the sister of an old friend of
his was killed and thrust into this as a witch. In Clark's
Onondaga (i. 46) we are told that, "As late as 1803, four
squaws were accused of witchcraft at the Castle, three of
whom were executed." The fourth promised reformation

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 65

and was spared. One of the three acknowledged her guilt.
"She was taken to the top of the hill east of the Castle,
killed with an axe and buried among the rocks."

Mr. Clark is very definite in describing all the details
of the offence and punishment, and one story of his, from
Ephraim Webster, the Indian trader and interpreter, is
worthy of notice :

"Mr. Webster, in his conversations with the old settlers,
said that an old Indian of the Onondagas used to relate
that, at an ancient period, when a portion of the Onondagas
had an extensive settlement and populous village on the
flats east of Jamesville, that he resided there, and stepping
out of his cabin one evening, he sank down deep into an
immense cavern, which was brilliantly illuminated with
flaming torches. No sooner had he reached the floor then
he found himself instantly surrounded by hundreds of
witches and wizards, who rather unceremoniously ejected
him. The circumstance lay heavy upon his heart.

"Early the next morning he proceeded to the council-
house, and laid the matter before the assembled chiefs.
They asked him if he could identify any of the persons he
had seen. He replied that he thought he could. He straight-
way proceeded through the village, and pointed to this and
that one, whom he thus signified as delinquents. They were
at once doomed for execution, and without trial or cere-
mony, upon the evidence or whim of a single individual,
numbers of both sexes were killed. According to the tra-
dition the slaughter was immense, it seemed there could
be no end to the alarming panic; many of the people dis-
persed, and for a season it was feared the whole nation
would be broken up. It is said that more than half of
those v/ho remained at home were killed, amounting in all
to hundreds."

Mr. Clark based the first part of his story of "The En-
chantress" on this, and gave the informer the name of
Ta-hou-ta-nah-ka. The village was the one destroyed at
Frontenac's invasion in 1696, rebuilt and then abandoned
about 1720. Ephrain Webster died in 1824, aged 62 years.
He came to Onondaga in 1786, at which date any influential
chief of the earlier town — even in its latest years — would
have been a good deal over a century old. I think the

«6 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

story may have come through the interpreter but not from
the leading actor in it.

On this subject I will quote David Cusick again. After
telling of a man who "drew hair and worms from the per-
sons whom the witches had blown into their bodies," he tells
of the origin of this.

"It was supposed that the Skaunratohatihawk, or Nan-
ticokes in the south first founded the witchcraft. Great
pains were taken to procure the snakes and roots which
the stuff was made of to poison the people. The witches
formed into a secret society; they met in the night and
consult on various subjects respecting their engagements;
when a person becomes a member of their society, he is
forbidden to reveal any of their proceedings. The witches
in the night could turn into foxes and wolves, and run very
swift, attending with flashes of light. The witches some-
times turned into a turkey or big owl, and can fly very
fast, and go from town to town, and blow hair and worms
into a person; if the witches are discovered by some per-
son they turn into a stone or rotten log; in this situation
they are entirely concealed; about fifty persons were in-
dicted for being witches, and were burnt to death near the
fort Onondaga, by order of the national committee." The
Nanticokes came into New York in 1753.

ATOTARHO, THE ENTANGLED

Though this chief became not only the principal chief
of the Onondagas, but the head of the Five Nations, it is
curious that Clark does not mention him. Neither is De-
kanawida named, though claiming great honor. Hiawatha
alone appears. I have already quoted David Cusick's ac-
count of the first Atotarho, whom I place 1100 years later
than he did. In ten centuries he names thirteen rulers of
this line. At this rate the present chief should be the nine-
teenth in succession. Yet within sixty years I have per-
sonally known three men who have held this office.

The name slightly varies according to the dialect, but
all translate it "Entangled," except J. N. B. Hewitt, who
makes it "He obstinately refuses to acquiesce." As regards
the League he was irreconcilable.

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION «7

Some years ago I found an account of Atotarho and
Hiawatha in William Dunlap's "History of the New Nether-
lands, Province and State of New York," published in 1839.
He had the story from Ephraim Webster in 1815, and the
book is little known.

An inferior chief of the Onondagas "conceived the bright
idea of union and of a great council of the chiefs of the
Five Nations. The principal chief opposed it. He was a
great warrior and feared to lose his influence as head man
of the Onondagas. This was a selfish man. The younger
chief, whom we will call Oweko, was silenced ; but he deter-
mined in secret to attempt the great political work. This
was a man who loved the welfare of others. To make long
journeys and be absent for several days while hunting,
would cause no suspicion, because it was common. He
left home as if to hunt ; but taking a circuitous path through
the woods, for all this great country was then a wilderness,
he made his way to the village or castle of the Mohawks.
He consulted some of the leaders of that tribe, and they
received the scheme favorably; he visited the Oneidas, and
gained the assent of their chief; he then returned home.
After a time he made another hunt, and another; thus, by
degrees, visiting the Cayugas and Senecas, and gained the
assent of all to a great council to be held at Onondaga.
With consummate art he then gained over his own chief,
by convincing him of the advantages of the confederacy,
and agreeing that he should be considered as the author
of the plan. The great council met, and the chief of the
Onondagas made use of a figurative argument, taught
him by Oweko, which was the same that we read of in the
fable, where a father teaches his sons the value of union
by taking one stick from a bundle, and showing how feeble
it was and easily broken, and that when bound together
the bundle resisted his utmost strength."

Atotarho no longer obstinately refused to agree.

Dr. Hale said : "Another legend of which I have not be-
fore heard, professed to give the origin both of the abnor-
mal ferocity and of the preternatural powers of Atotarho.
He was already noted as a chief and a warrior, when he
had Uie 'misfortune to kill a peculiar bird, resembling a sea-
gull, which is reputed to possess poisonous qualities of sin-

68 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

gular virulence. By his contact with the dead bird his
mind was affected. He became morose and cruel, and at
the same time obtained the power of destroying men and
other creatures at a distance. Three sons of Hiawatha
were among his victims. He attended the councils which
were held, and made confusion in them, and brought all
the people into disturbance and terror. His bodily appear-
ance was changed at the same time, and his aspect became
so terrible that the story spread, and was believed, that
his head was encircled by living snakes."

WITCH WATER GULL

This may be the bird described in Mrs. H. M. Converse's
story of Ji-jo-gweh, the Witch Water Gull. This night
bird had vampire wings which sucked the air, affecting
everything they touched. The bird thirsted for blood and
its breath was poison. If a feather dropped, blood fol-
lowed, hard as flint and destroying life. Every where it
left evil. It feared sunlight and moonlight, but roamed in
darkness and the 'frightened people hid. Some tried to kill
it, but the blunted arrows fell back, and misfortune befell
the hunter. Nothing harmed it and the people lived in fear.

A voice came to a young Indian girl. It she made a strong
ash bow, twined it with her long hair, and feathered the
arrow with a young eagle's down, she could kill it. She
climbed the cliff to an eagle's nest and got the down. This
she bound to her arrow. Then she made the ash bow, but
asked advice of the medicine man. They placed a small
bag of tobacco on her neck, and prayed the good spirits to
guard her. Then she went to the lake where the bird
nightly came to drink. No sound was there as yet, and
she hid in the vines. Long she waited, but the bird came
not. She took her bow to go home, when with a shriek
the demon bird circled above her. She trembled, but the
charm gave her courage and she drew her bow. The night
air had softened it, and it was as straw. She was in des-
pair, but clasped the charm, repeated the magic words,
whispered them to the arrow, which went straight to the
monster's heart. Screaming and flapping the waves with
its wings, it sank in the lake. Where it sank some birds

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 69

rose from the foam, and flew to the south. They were the
white sea crows, which had been devoured by Ji-jo-gweh
and were now released. When they are seen hurrying in
flocks before a storm, Ji-jo-gweh is driving them, as he
haunts the storm clouds.

I add, in full, the story of "Ot-to-tar-ho, the Tangled,"
as given by Mrs. Converse and mentioned by Dr. Hale.
This is from the "Myths and Legends of the New York
State Iroquois," 1908, p. 117. Though collected by her
they were edited by Arthur C. Parker, of the State Museum,
Albany, after her death.

"It was at some time during the remote period before
the organization of the Iroquois Confederacy, that there
was born among the Onondagas a most remarkable per-
sonage named Ot-to-tar-ho, and whether myth or human,
he still lives in a legend that will be remembered and re-
told as long as there are Iroquois remaining.

"The legend runs that in his youth he was gentle and
mild, fond of innocent amusements and the chase, and was
beloved by his people, who looked forward to the time when
he would be chosen their chief and become their counselor.
But one day, when hunting in the mountains, he chanced
to kill a strange bird which, though beautiful in plumage,
was virulently poisonous. Unaware of its deadly nature,
Ot-to-tar-ho, delighted with his prize, plucked its bright
feathers to decorate his head, and while handling them in-
haled their poison, which entering his brain maddened him,
and upon his return to the village in insane rage, he sought
to kill those whom he met. Amazed at the strange trans-
formation the people were in great consternation, and fled
from him in fear. No more was he the gentle Ot-to-tar-
ho; no more did he care for their games; no more did he
care for the chase, but was sullen and morose, and shunned
all companionship with his people, who also avoided him,
for he had developed a mania for killing human beings.

"The poisonous fire that burned in his brain had so
distorted his features that he became hideous to behold;
his long glossy hair fell from his head, and in its stead
there grew turpents that writhed and hised, when he
brushed them back from his face, and coiled around his
pipe in rage when he smoked.

70 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

"Many believed he had been witched, that some ferocious
animal had taken possession of him; others that he was
controlled by an evil spirit who was seeking to destroy
the nation. Various were the surmises of the people, but
the mystery baffled them, and their appeals to their medi-
cine men were received by these wise men in silence; yet
they sought by long fasting and dancing, and various in-
cantations, to appease the wrath of the evil one; but their
efforts were all in vain, for still the demon, if demon it
was, continued to dominate Ot-to-tar-ho, who only became
more furious and violent, and seemed to have been endowed
with supernatural powers.

"His mind had become so powerful that it could project
a thought many miles through the air, and kill whosoever
he desired. Developing clairvoyance of vision and prophecy,
he could divine other people's thoughts, and through this
power came to dominate the councils, assuming a control
that none dared oppose, and ruled for many years with
such insane and despotic sway that he broke their hearts,
and the once powerful, proud, and most courageous of all
the nations became abject and cowardly w^eak.

"It was at this time that Hi-ant-wat-ha, (Hiawatha),
grieving over the deplorable condition to which the demon-
ized Ot-to-tar-ho had reduced his people, and desiring to
promote their welfare and restore them to prosperity and
the proud position they had lost,' conceived the idea of
forming a league which would unite the five nations, the
Mohawks, Onondagas, Oneidas, Cayugas and Senecas, and
in a bond of union and good fellowship, which would not
only cement a tie of national brotherhood, but by their
united action they would become more formidable in war,
and better able to vanquish other nations, and extend their
domain and power. But Ot-to-tar-ho was intractable and
bitterly opposed to Hiawatha, and to defeat him put three
of his brothers to death.

"Although driven away by the relentless Ot-to-tar-ho,
Hiawatha, actuated by his love for his people and great
concern for 'their happiness, did not abandon the hope of
effecting his purpose, and later returning, aided by a pow-
erful chief, succeeded in placating the intractable Ot-to-tar-
ho, by combing the snakes from his head with the warn-

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 71

pum, and the union was formed, the nations united, and
the confederacy of the Iroquois — one of the greatest poli-
tical organizations ever accomplished by either civilized
or uncivilized peoples — was formed."

Dr. Hale said the bird resembled a sea gull, hence I have
given a story of this bird. He also said that Atotarho killed
three sons of Hiawatha, Mrs. Converse making these three
brothers. No other story mentions any male relatives of
the great chief. No son could have succeeded him in office,
descent being reckoned in the maternal line, but he has
successors in Canada at the present time.

In telling the following, in the Hiawatha tradition, Mr.
A. C. Parker gives the name of my late friend, Baptist
Thomas as Sa-ha-wi, which I had from him as So-hat-tis,
Long Feather. The first is his name as a chief; I had
some stories from Mr. Thomas, but not the following, which
he gave Mr. Parker, premising that I take now only the
part relating to Atotarho.

Hiawatha had left the Mohawks, in great grief, after
his sister, Da-si-yu, had died. He paddled up the Mohawk,
made the portage, and came to Onondaga lake by Oneida
lake and Three Rivers.

"He landed on the north side, (near the present site of
Liverpool) , and built a hut. (This spot he named Gaskwaso-
etge.) Here he made a camp fire and stayed for three
days. Then he saw the monster. He was a long way off
and he was looking at Hayentwatha. So Hayentwatha
moved his camp, but the next morning the monster came
nearer. This being was Tha-do-da-ho. So the next even-
ing Hayentwatha moved his camp again, and in the morn-
ing again he saw the monster before his camp fire. It
seems that he had snakes in his hair and covering his
shoulders, and one great one came up from his thighs and
went over his shoulders. Hayentwatha looked at Thadoda-
ho and said 'Shon-nis?' (who are you?) The monstrous
being did not reply, but his face looked very angry.

"Again Hayentwatha changed his camp and built a shel-
ter on one of the two islands in the lake. (Oneida). This
spot he named Si-ye-ge. As before, the monster camped
silently near him. He was nearer than ever before and
seemed watching "him from the corner of his eyes.

72 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

"So then again Hayentwatha moved his camping place.
He crossed the lake and camped at the point on the south
shore. As he built his lodge he looked inland and saw,
seated on a knoll, the monster Thadodaho. He then ob-
served that whatever move he made the snake-bearing
monster was ever before him. He seemed to anticipate his
movements. This fact frightened Hayentwatha 'and he
prepared to take up his journey again."

This time he went to the Onondaga village and for some
years was free from his persecutor. Then we turn to an-
other story.

The time to do something came. Atotarho's presence,
for some reason, was necessary, and he had to be sought
out and cured. Dekanawida called for volunteers. Five
nations had agreed on union. "Our next step is to seek
out Adodarhoh. It is he who has always set at naught
all plans for the establishment of the Great Peace. We
must seek his fire and look for his smoke," said Dekana-
widah.

"The chief speaker of the council then said, 'We do agree
to confirm all you have said, and we wish to appoint two
spies who shall volunteer to seek out the smoke of Adodar-
hoh/

"Two men then eagerly volunteered and Dekanawidah
asked them if they were able to transform themselves into
birds or animals, for such must be the ability of the mes-
sengers who approached Adodarhoh. The two men replied,
'We are able to transform ourselves into herons and cranes/

"Then you will not do, for you will pause at the first
creek or swamp, and look for frogs and fish."

"Two men then said, 'We have magic that will trans-
form us into humming birds. They fly very swiftly/ 'Then
you will not do, because you are always hungry and are
looking for flowers/

"Two other men then said, 'We can become the Dare,
the white crane/ 'Then you will not do, because you are
very wild and easily frightened. You would be afraid when
the clouds move. You would become hungry and fly to the
ground looking about for ground nuts/ *

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 73

"Then two men who were crows by magic volunteered,
but were told that crows talked too loudly, boasted, and
were full of mischief.

"So then, in the end, two men, who were powerful by
the magic of the deer and the bear, stepped before the
council and were chosen. . . .

"When the spies returned the speaker of the council
said, 'Ska-non-donh, (Deer), our ears are erected.' Then
the Deer and Bear spoke, and they said, 'At great danger
to ourselves we have seen Adodarhoh. We have returned
and tell you that the body of Adodarhoh has seven crooked
parts, his hair is infested with snakes, and he is a cannibal.'
The council heard the message and decided to go to Onon-
daga at midsummer.

"Then Dekanawidati taught the people the Hymn of
Peace and the other songs. He stood before the door of
the long house, and walked before it singing the new songs.
Many came and learned them, so that many were strong by
the magic of them when it was time to carry the Great
Peace to Onondaga.

"When the time had come, Dekanawidah summoned the
chiefs and people together, and chose one man to sing the
songs before Adodarhoh. Soon, then, this singer led the
company through the forest, and he preceded all, singing
the Peace songs as he walked. Many old villages and camp-
ing places were passed as they went, and the names were
lifted to give the clan name holders."

Twenty-two of these names are given, all said to be in
the Mohawk territory, but some of them were prominent in
other parts of the League.

"Now they entered the Oneida country, and the great
tfliief Odetshedeh, with his chiefs, met them. Then all of
them marclied onward to Onondaga, the singer of tne
Peace Hymn going on ahead.

"The frontier of the Onondaga country was reached, and
the expedition halted to kindle a fire, as was customary.
Then the chiefs of the Onondagas, with their head men wel-
comed them, and a great throng marched to the fireside
of Adodarhoh, the singer of the Peace Hymn leading the
multitude.

74 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

"The lodge of Adodarhoh was reached and a new singer
was appointed to sing the Peace Hymn. So he walked be-
fore the door of the house, singing to cure the mind of
Adodarhoh. He knew that if he made a single error or
hesitated, his power would be weakened, and the crooked
body of Adoharhoh remain misshapen. Then he hesitated
and made an error. So another singer was appointed and
he, too, made an error by hesitating.

"Then Dekanawidah himself sang and walked before the
doer of Adodarhoh's house. When he finished his song he
walked toward Adodarhoh, and held out his hand to rub
it on his body and to know its inherent strength and life.
Then Adodarhoh was made straight and his mind became
healthy.

"When Adodarhoh was made strong in rightful powers
and his body had been healed, Dekanawidah addressed the
three nations. He said, 'We have now overcome a great
obstacle. It has long stood in the way of peace. The mind
of Adodarhoh is now made right and his crooked parts
are made straight. Now indeed we may establish the
Great Peace."

In "The Traditional Narrative of the Origin of the Five
Nations," Atotarho twice appears. He meets Dekanahwi-
dah early in his mission, but later makes a little trouble
at Onondaga. I now record the first only.

"Dekanahwidah continued his journey and came to where
the great wizard, To-do-dah-ho, lived. This man was pos-
sessed with great power as a wizard, and no man could
come to him without endangering his life, and it is related
that even the fowls of the air, whenever they flew directly
over his place of abode, would die and fall down on his
premises, and that if he saw a man approaching him, he
was sure to destroy or kill him. This man was a cannibal,
and had left the settlement to which he belonged for a long
time, and lived by himself in an isolated place.

"Dekanahwida came and approached the abode of the
cannibal, and saw him carrying a human body into his
house, and shortly he saw him come out again and go down
to the river and draw some water. Dekanahwida went
closer, and when he had come to the house he went up onto

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 7§

the roof, and from the chimney opening he looked in and
saw the owner come back with a pail of water, put up a
kettle on the fireplace to cook his meal, and after it was
cooked he saw him take the kettle from the fire and place
it at the end of the fireplace, and say to himself, 'I suppose
it is now time for me to have my meal, and after I am
finished I will go where I am required on business.'

"Dekanahwida moved still closer over the smoke hole,
and looked straight down into the kettle. The man Tah-
do-dah-ho was then moving around the house, and when
he came back to take some of the meat from the kettle he
looked into it, and saw that a man was looking at him
from out of the kettle. This was the reflection of Dekana-
hwida. Then the man, Tah-do-dah-ho, moved back and sat
down near the corner of the house, and began to think
seriously, and he thought that it was a most wonderful
thing which had happened. He said to himself that such
a thing had never occurred before as long as he had been
living in the house, 'I did not know that I was so strange
a man,' he said. 'My mode of living must be wrong.' Then
he said, 'Let me look again and be sure that what I have
seen is true.' Then he arose, went to the kettle and looked
into it again, and he saw the same object — the face of a
great man — and it was looking at him. Then he took the
kettle and went out, and went toward the hillside and
emptied it there.

"Then Dekanahwida came down from the roof, and made
great haste toward the hillside, and when Tah-do-dah-ho
came up the hill he met Dekanahwida.

"Dekanahwidah asked Tah-do-dah-ho where he came
from, and he said, 'I had cooked my meat, and I took the
kettle from the fire and placed it on the floor. I thought
that I would take some of the meat out of the kettle, and
then I saw a man's face looking at me from the kettle.
I do not know what had happened; I only know such a
thing never occurred to me before, as long as I have been
living in this house. Now I have come to the conclusion
that I must be wrong in the way I am and the way I
have been living. That is why I carried the kettle out
of my house and emptied it over there by the stump. I
was returning when I met you.' Then he said, 'From
whence did you come?'

76 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

"Dekanahewidah answered, 'I came from the west and
am going eastward,' Then the man said, 'Who are you
that is thus speaking to me?'

"Then Dekanahwidah said, 'It is he who is called De-
kanahwidah in this world.' Dekanahwidah then asked:
'From whence have you come ?' The man then said : 'There
is a settlement to which I belong, but I left that settlement
a long time ago.'

"Then Dekanahwidah said, 'You will now return, for
peace and friendship have come to you and your settlement,
and you have now repented the course of wrong doing
which you pursued in times past. It shall also now occur
that when you return to your settlement you, yourself shall
promote peace and friendship, for it is a fact that peace
is now ruling in your settlement, and I want you to ar-
range and settle all matters'."

I make no effort here to reconcile the chronology of the
Indian story-tellers, or even their facts — if we may call
them such. The above is dated just after Dekanahwidah
came from Canada, and before he had entered an Ircquois
town. Of course he was not yet the famous Mohawk chief
whom Pyrlaeus named, first of all, among the head chiefs
of the Five Nations when the League was formed. Back of
those who did the work stands the man who devised the
plan. The League "was suggested by Thannawage, an
old Mohawk," said ^yrlaeus, writing in the Mohawk coun-
try in 1743.

HIAWATHA

As most Indians have several names, I make but a sug-
gestion of the identity of this Thannawage with Taenya-
wahkee, which the Onondagas assured me was the true
form of Ta-oun-ya-wat-ha, which was Mr. J^JV^H. Clark's
name for Hiawatha until he laid aside divine~lpower~ ancl
dwelt as a mere man at Cross lake. The fact that he be-
came the second Mohawk chief in the present list, and ac-
tually has a successor in Canada at the present time, favors
this view. Along with this we have Webster's story, record-
ed by Dunlap, that an inferior Onondaga chief really
planned the League, worked for five years in obtaining the

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 77

consents of all, and then triumphantly carried it through.
The successors of that Onondaga chief have ever since been
Mohawks. He won the aid of the powerful Dekanahwida
and was not forgotten.

I feel sure that in his story Mr. Clark received accounts
of two persons, his Indian informants confusing these in
the story of one great event.

Dekanahwidah, with a foretold and important mission,
comes across Lake Ontario in a mystic white canoe of stone,
is received by Onondaga hunters at Oswego, does great
things for the people, yet refuses to be named among the
future chiefs of that people. He stands alone.

The second personal history begins, not at Lake Ontario
out at Cross lake. This man is not great, but is very
wise and very sympathetic. In trouble they turn to him
for valued advice. He is a leader but there is something
for them to do. In his quiet life among them he is acces-
sible to all. He has known domestic joys and sorrows.
In the greatest trial of all he does not forget what he can
still do for others.

So I recognize in Mr. Clark's story the two men who
stood side by side in working out a great problem in our
own national history. When wisdom and power work to-
gether great results follow.

As Mr. Clark's story first brought the name of Hiawatha
before the public, it is proper that this should have promi-
nence in any account of Onondaga folk lore. At the same
time it is so well known locally that there is little need
of giving well known details, which a few words will call
to mind.

Of course there is no occasion to dwell on — hardly to
mention a well known tale of our western Wonder Land,
bearing Hiawatha's name. The wise Onondaga, using no
labials, would have broken down in trying to utter the
names of his supposed Algonquin friends. It was beyond
his power to do this. Yet Longfellow did a great work in
this poetic way. His own fame insured the resultant fame
of the great Iroquois chief, and gave the world itself some
idea of frequent scenes in our forest life. In picturing

71 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

his hero he grasped the idea of a thoroughly unselfish man :

"How he prayed and how he fasted,
How he lived, and toiled, and suffered,
That the tribes of men might prosper,
That he might advance his people."

I have already quoted Dunlap's account of Hiawatha,
under the name of Oweko, and his emphatic words : "This
was a man who loved the welfare of others." All stories
agree in this.

In giving Mr. Clark's later tale I may make some run-
ning comments on it, which will not interfere with the nar-
ration, and some of these may be in his own words. Less
known tales will be given in full. He had his story from
Abraham La Fort and Capt. Frost at Onondaga in 1843,
and wrought it out carefully with a view to oratorical
effect, reading it in Fayetteville the next winter, and before
the Manlius Lyceum in the village where he lived. It was
well received and took permanent form in the history of
Onondaga in 1849. To him we owe Hiawatha's name, vari-
ously rendered in other Iroquois dialects, and variously
translated.

CANASSATEGO'S TALE

An earlier reference to the origin of the Five Nations,
as such, is from Canassatego — not the great Onondaga, but
a Seneca chief who lived in Ohio. In_1755,William Henry,
a trader among the Indians there, was made captive by
the hostile Senecas, and had become quite a favorite with
them in the third year of his bondage. He said, "Old Canas-
satego, a warrior, counsellor, and the chief man of our vil-
lage, used to come frequently to smoke and talk with me."
Finding him curious on -various subjects the old chief gave
him much information. As the story is not well known,
I give "his account of the manner in which his country
was made and peopled."

"When our good Manitta raised Akanishionegy out of
the great waters he said to his brethren, 'How fine a coun-
try is this! I will make the red men the best of men to
enjoy it.' Then with five handfuls of red seeds, like the

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 79

eggs of flies, did he strew the fertile fields of Onondaga.
Little worms came out of the seeds and penetrated the earth,
where the spirits who had never yet seen the light enterd
into and united with them. Manitta watered the earth with
his rain; the sun warmed it; the worms with the spirits in
them grew, putting forth little arms and legs and moved
the light earth that covered them. After nine moons they
came forth perfect boys and girls. Manitta covered them
with his mantle of warm purple cloud and nourished them
with milk from his finger ends. Nine summers did he nurse
them, and nine summers more did he instruct them how to
live. In the meantime he had made for their use trees,
plants and animals of various kinds. Akanishionegy was
covered with woods and filled with creatures.

"Then he assembled his children together and said, 'Ye
are five nations, for ye sprang each from a different hand-
ful of the seed I sowed; but ye are all brethren, and I
am your father, for I made ye all; I have nursed and
brought you up : —

"Mohocks, I have made you bold and valiant, and see,
I give you corn for your food. Oneidas, I have made you
patient of pain and of hunger; the nuts and fruits of the
trees are yours. Sennekers, I have made you industrious
and active ; beans do I give you for nourishment. Cayugas,
I have made you strong, friendly and generous; ground
nuts and every root shall refresh you. Onondagoes, I have
made you wise, just and eloquent; squashes and grapes
have I given you to eat, and tobacco to smoke in the council.
The beasts, birds and fishes I have given to you all in com-
mon.

"As I have loved and taken care of you all, so do you
love and take care of one another. Communicate freely to
each other the good things I have given you, and learn to
imitate each others virtues. I have made you the best people
in the world, and I give you the best country. You will
defend it from the invasion of other nations, 'from the chil-
dren of other Manittas, and keep possession of it for your-
selves, while the sun and moon give light and the waters
run in the rivers. This you shall do if you observe my
words.

"Spirits I am now about to leave you. The bodies I have

80 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

given you will in time grow old and wear out, so that you
will be weary of them, or from various accidents they will
become unfit for your habitation and you will leave them.
I cannot remain here always to give you new ones.

"I have great affairs to mind in distant places, and I can-
not again attend so long to the nursing of children. I
have enabled you, therefore, among yourselves to produce
new bodies ; to supply the place of old ones, that every one
of you, when he parts with his old habitation, may in due
time find a new one, and never walk longer than he chooses
under the earth, deprived of the light of the sun. Nourish
and instruct your children, as I have nourished and instruc-
ted you. Be just to all men and kind to strangers that come
among you. So shall you be happy and beloved by all, and
I myself will sometimes visit and assist you.'

"Saying this he wrapped himself in a bright cloud and
went like a swift arrow to the sun, where his brethren
rejoiced at his return. From thence he often looked at
Akanishionegy ; and, pointing, showed with pleasure to his
brothers the country he had formed, and the nations he
had produced to inhabit it.

"Here the five nations lived long and happily, communi-
cating freely to each other, as their wants required, all the
good things that had been given them, and generations had
succeeded generations, when the great evil Manitta came
among them and put evil thoughts into their hearts. Then
the Mohocks said : 'We abound in corn, which our brothers
have not; let us oblige them to give us a great deal of
fruits, beans, roots, squashes and tobacco for a very little
corn ; so shall we live in idlenes and plenty, while they labor
and live hardly.' And in the same manner spoke the other
nations. Hence arose discord, animosity and hatred, in-
somuch that they were on the point of lifting the hatchet
against each other and miring the ground with brothers'
blood. Their Father saw this from the sun, and was angry
with his children. A thick blue and red cloud covered all
the land, and he spoke to them in thunder. 'Wretches,' said
he, 'did I not freely give to each of different kinds of good
things, and those in plenty? that each might have some-
thing in his power to contribute to his brother's happiness,
and so increase the happiness and strengthen the union of

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 81

the whole? and do you now abase those gifts to oppress
each other; and would one brother, to make himself, in im-
agination, more happy, make four brethren in reality more
miserable! Ye have become unworthy of the goodness I
have shown you, and shall no longer enjoy my favors.'
Then the sun of Akanishionegy gave forth darkness in-
stead of light, so that the day was darker than the night,
the rivers ran backwards to the mountains, and, with all
their fish, re-entered the fountains from whence they
sprang, forsaking their ancient beds and leaving dry the
banks they used to water.

"The clouds withheld their rain, and carried it away to
other regions. The surface of the earth became dust;
whirlwinds filled the air with it, and every breathing crea-
ture was almost stifled; every green thing withered; the
birds flew away; the beasts ran out of the country and,
last of all, the afflicted people, famished nearly to death,
their dry eyes not having even a tear left, departed sorrow-
ing, and were scattered among the neighboring nations,
begging everywhere for food, from those who despised them
for their late wickedness to one another.

"Nine summers passed away, and their distress con-
tinued. Then the evil spirit left them, for they no longer
listened to his counsels; they began mutually to feel and
to pity one another's misfortunes ; they began to love and to
help each other. The nations among whom they were
scattered now began to esteem them, and offered to adopt
and incorporate them among themselves. But they said:
'No; we are still a people; we choose to continue still a
people; perhaps our great Manitta will restore us to our
country, and we will then remember this your offered kind-
ness.'

"The great Manitta, seeing their hearts changed, looked
on them with compassion. He spoke, and the sun again
gave light; the rivers again came forth from the fountains,
and ran rejoicing through the delighted valleys; the clouds
again showered on the thirsty earth; the trees and plants
renewed their verdure ; the birds and beasts returned to the
forests, and the five nations, with glad and thankful hearts,
went back to repossess their ancient seats. From that time
down to the present day, it has been an inviolable rule and

62 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

custom among the nations, that every brother is welcome
to what a brother can spare of the good things which the
spirit has caused to spring for him out of the earth.

"All the Indians applauded Canassatego, and said they
had heard that good story often, but never before so well
repeated. Indeed ... it was admirably expressed and de-
livered."

Mr. Henry followed this with an eulogy on Indian elo-
quence. Golden, in his History of the Five Nations, says:

"The speakers whom I have heard had all a great fluency
of words, and much more grace in their manner than any
man could expect among a people entirely ignorant of the
liberal arts and sciences. ... I have heard an old Indian
sachem speak with much vivacy and elocution, so that the
speaker pleased and moved his audience with the manner
of delivering his discourse which, however, as it afterwards
came from the interpreter, disappointed us in our expecta-
tions. After the speaker had employed a considerable
time in haranguing, with much elocution, the interpreter
often explained the whole by one single sentence. I believe
the speaker, in that time, embellished and advanced his
figures, that they might have their full force on their ima-
gination, while the interpreter contended himself with the
sense, in as few words as it could be expressed."

Mr. Jasper Parrish, interpreter for the Senecas, once
said it was altogether impossible for him to impart to the
translations anything like the force and beauty of the
originals. He also said that on great occasions, the Indian
orators, Red Jacket and Farmer's Brother in particular,
not only studied their speeches and conned them well, but
sent to him for rehearsals, that they might be assured that
he understood them fully and could translate them accur-
ately.

The foregoing deals with the Five Nations as a body,
and some things are suggestive of Clark's Hiawatha story.
There is no reason to suppose the latter ever saw the above
tale, which may be called unique. In fact it suggests pres-
ent day problems.

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 83

HIAWATHA €a *

In his history |\lr. Clarl\ related the story twice, each
narration supplying some details not found in the other.
In one he is sent by Qa-wen-ne-yu, and appears as a grey-
haired man. Obstructions to navigation are removed at
Oswego Falls. A lodge is built to protect the white canoe,
and other minor matters appear.

I In a general way, in this story, Ta-oun-ya-wat-ha, accord-
ing to him the god of fisheries and hunting grounds, or
more correctly, laid my interpreter, Tjteluya-wah-ke, The
Holder of the heavens, landed at Oswego from his white
canoe, seemingly a sturdy old man, ascended a hill on the
west side of the river and looked back on the lake over
which he had come, exclaiming "Oshwahkee! Oshwahkee!"
which Mr. Clark interpreted, "I see everywhere and see
nothing!" From this he said, Oswego has its name, j The
name really means "flowing out," and in early Colonial
times was applied to the river from Cayuga lake down-
ward. Grand River, in Ontario, Canada, has this name and
gave it to Lake Erie. The Great Kanahwha, in Virginia,
had the same Iroquois name.

The mysterious visitor was approached by two Onon-
daga hunters, who had watched his landing and been im-
pressed by his appearance, and they became his companions
in wonderful adventures.

In the white canoe they all ascended the river to free
the country from monsters and enchantments. After re-
moving obstacles at Oswego Falls, a great serpent was des-
troyed, which stretched across the stream in the smoother
water above. Another had the same fate some miles above
this, and the fish confined between were freed. The Thun-
der gods usually do this work. They made an outlet to
Onondaga Lake, which once extended far back among the
hills. The magic paddle made a slight indentation, which
the water quickly deepened. The salt springs were laid
bare — otherwise there would have been no Salt Point. Near
Baldwinsville the enchantress who guarded the chestnut
tree? was destroyed. There have been fine trees there ever
since, often as strictly guarded as of yore.

The most marvelous adventure was above Cross Lake —

84 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

at least it began there. Two great mosquitoes, one on each
bank, "held the fort," so to speak, and destroyed all who
tried to pass. One was soon slain, and the other fled, with
incredible swiftness. The foe was close behind.

Here I must use my own notes, from original sources.

The monster fled to Oneida, — then back to Niagara river.
An indented stone, near there, shows where the pursuer sat
down to rest and have a smoke. He laid down his pipe
and it burned a brown hole in the rock, which the Tusca-
roras used to show. At Brighton, in Syracuse, the Great
Mosquito got well tired, took to the ground and left his
foot prints in the sand. Chief Abraham Hill told me he
had seen them there. They were bird-like and about twenty-
inches long. His pursuer's tracks were there, too, but I
asked for no description of them.

The monster met its death near North Syracuse, at a
place still called Kah-yah-tak-ne-t'ke-tah-ke, where the mos-
quito lies, by the Indians. Alas for the results. Its body
decayed and became myriads of insects.

Clark's account also told of the killing of two great eagles
at the Montezuma marshes. These prevented the escape
of innumerable water fowl.

The work of the great deliverer was over for the time
being. He laid aside his divine nature, assumed the name
of Hiawatha, or the very wise man, and made his home
at Cross Lake, Te-ung-to, or home of the wise man, accord-
ing to Clark. The Onondagas call it Teu-nen-to, at the
cedar place. Hiawatha's name will be discussed later.

There was a quiet time till the great Huron war came
on, involving the Algonquins of Canada. A great council
met on Onondaga Lake, close by the village of Liverpool
and a fine place for it. The peril was great. Hiawatha
was summoned, and after a time came with gloomy fore-
bodings. His beautiful daughter was with him, and as
they landed from the white canoe, a great white bird
swooped down, crushing the lovely and loved girl, and being
itself killed. There is some difference of opinion about
this bird — of more interest than importance. Mr. Clark
said this was the White Heron, quite rare here. Its plumes,
he said, were gathered up and worn by the bravest war-

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 85

riors. Mr. Alfred B. Street, the author of Front enac, had
part of the story from a Cayuga chief, who said the Senecas
called it Sah-da-ga-ah, and the Onondagas, Hah-googhs,
with the same fate. Albert Cusick, my Onondaga inter-
preter, caled it Hah-kooks, the winter gull, the bird that
never lights.

For the incident itself my friend, Dr. Horatio Hale of
Canada, was told that a strange bird was shot, just at
dusk, and there was a rush to see what it was. Hiawatha's
daughter, in delicate health, was knocked down, trampled
upon and died. The father was stupefied, but a merry
chief at last roused him, and business went on. The League
was formed. Hiawatha made the last speech to each nation
and all present, seated himself in his white canoe, and rose
to heaven amid the sweetest melody.

It is just here that a question arises. Mr. Clark used the
story first as a lecture, naturally with some embellishments.
He afterward said, in his controversy with Schoolcraft on
the authorship of the story: "The name 'Hosee-noke/ at
p. 278 of the 'Notes' is an unadulterated fiction of my o\vn,
created for the occasion. . . . Again, the speech of Hiawatha,
as it appears at p. 280 of the Notes, is a pure invention
of my own."

These fictions do not discredit the reception of the main
features of the story from his Onondaga friends, and he
cited them only to prove Schoolcraft's plagiarism, but the
speeches have often been carelessly quoted as the veritable
words of Hiawatha. The leading statements will stand as a
rule, but it is well to remember that a writer's words may
not always be, as he himself says, precisely those of his
Indian friends.

The story of the white canoe may be taken with reser-
vations, but mainly because it must be compared with that
of Dekanahwida, which may well be thought the original
tale in this respect. In that case two stories have simply
been told or received as one. If we hold fast to Hiawatha,
having never heard of his co-worker, we have the voyager
coming from the north on Lake Ontario, apparently from
the early homes of the Onondagas, in the Black River coun-
try, perhaps from Out-en-nes-son-e-ta, Where the Iroquois
League began to form — an allusion to its Onondaga origin.

86 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

In Canada and Northern New York canoes were made of
birch bark. In wars against Canada the Iroquois used
brown elm bark for the same purpose, and their canoes
were ruder in every way than those of their enemies. If
it was his, Hiawatha's white canoe is a natural and pic-
turesque picture of the local story.

The heavenward flight of Hiawatha and the celestial
music may be an embellishment or not — we cannot tell —
but may also have a more prosaic explanation. Up to the
first great council at Onondaga Lake, Hiawatha's home and
affiliation had been with the Onondagas. Because of his
cordial reception by the Mohawks and his friendship for
their chief — for a long time his closest companion — he had
now cast in his lot with them and became a Mohawk chief.
As such his name is heard in the great roll call of the
condoling song. Historically conditions were changed, and
it was natural that he should sing a parting song, one
of rejoicing because a great and glad task was triumphantly
ended. If he went down the lake in a white canoe all the
better. White is a sign of peace, well known in every land.
And if we would know the words there is no need of in-
vention. We can use some of those sung on another peace
occasion at Onondaga, in 1655:

"Good news! good news m3eed! It is all good, my bro-
ther. It is every way good that we speak of peace to-
gether; that we use such heavenly words. 0! the beauti-
ful voice that thou hast, my friend ! 0 ! the beautiful voice
that I myself have! Farewell to war; farewell to its cruel
hatchet! Long have we been insane, but henceforth we
are brothers — brothers indeed. To-day the Great Peace is
made. Farewell to war! Farewell to arms! All we have
now done is in every wray beautiful and good."

Could anything have been better for the final act of the
Great Peace of an earlier day? Would not the world re-
joice to make this Onondaga song our own?

Mr. Schoolcraft had the manuscript of the story from
Mr. Clark and claimed it as his own, saying he had re-
ceived the tale from the Onondaga chiefs named. Hence
the quotations I have made. He made his census report,
published by the State. His "Notes" are an enlargement
of this, with more and fuller vocabularies from various

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 87

sources. These are valuable, but he now ranks low on
Iroquois themes. Longfellow had Hiawatha's name from
him and used western legends collected by him. With
poetic license he added new features, ignored or improved
some of those he found, but all belong to a distinct Indian
family, of a strange language, and have nothing to do
with the Iroquois statesman.

As an actual statesman he now poses — not as a warrior.
His real personality is now proved by the fact that the
second Mohawk chief, in lineal succession, now bears his
name as a title. There are mythical stories about the first
bearer of the name. It could hardly be otherwise. Under-
lying these is a real history. The following quotation from
L. H, Morgan's League of the Iroquois (p. 101) is of a
mixed character. He said: —

"Da-ga-no-we-da, the founder of the confederacy, and
Ha-yo-went-ha, his speaker, through whom he laid his plans
of government before the council which framed the League,
were both 'raised up' among the fifty original sachems,
and in the Mohawk nation; but after their decease these
two sachemships were left vacant, and have since contin-
ued so.

"Da-ga-no-we-da was an Onondaga, but was adopted by
the Mohawks and raised up as one of their sachems. Hav-
ing an impediment in his speech he chose Ha-yo-went-ha
for his speaker. They were both unwilling to accept office,
except upon the express condition that their sachemships
should ever remain vacant after their decease. These are
the two most illustrious names among the Iroquois."

In his list of Mahowk chiefs, however, Ha-yo-went-ha
comes second, and Da-ga-no-we-da third. Dr. Hale says
of this, (Iroquois Book of Rites, p. 31), "During my last
visit to my lamented friend (in September, 1880), when we
examined together my copy of the then newly discovered
Book of Rites, in which he was greatly interested, this
point was considered. The original notes which he made
for his work were examined. It appeared that in the list
as it was first written by him, from the dictation of a well-
informed Seneca chief, the name of Dekanawidah was not
comprised. A later, but erroneous suggestion from another
source, led him to believe that his first informant was mis-

89 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

taken, or that he had misunderstood him, and to substitute
the name of Dekanawidah for the somewhat similar name
of Shatekariwate (in Seneca Sadekeiwadeh), which stands
third on the roll, immediately following that of Hiawatha.**

This restores the usual statement. Dekanawidah alone
had no successor. Hiawatha heads a long line. In 1897
a published list of Canadian chiefs showed David Thomas
as his successor.

Before leaving the historical features of the case, I may
again quote Dr. Hale who treated the subject from this
point of view in his "Lawgiver of the Stone Age," written
after interviewing Iroquois chiefs at Onondaga, N. Y. and
elsewhere. To them the supernatural features were only
picturesque additions to a real narrative. He may have
made Hiawatha too wise and good, but has united Iroquois
support in this. His own opinion was "that the justly
venerated author of this confederation, the far famed Hia-
watha, was not, as some have thought, a mythological or
a poetical creation, but really an aboriginal statesman and
law maker, a personage as authentic and admirable as
Solon or Washington. The important bearing of these con-
clusions on our estimate of the mental and moral endow-
ment of primitive or uncultivated man is too clear to re-
quire explanation."

Dr. Hale, who studied the subject carefully and on both
sides, said: "The Five Nations, while yielding abundant
honor to the memory of Dekanawida, have never regarded
him with the same affectionate reverence which has al-
ways clung to the name of Hiawatha. His tender and
lofty wisdom, his wide reaching benevolence, and his pres-
ent appeals to their better sentiments, enforced by the elo-
quence of which he was master, touched chords in the popu-
lar heart which have continued to respond until this day.
Fragments of the speeches in which he addressed the coun-
cil and the people of the League are still remembered and
repeated."

Turning now to mere tradition we find one great differ-
ence between the Hiawatha story given to Mr. Clark and
recorded by him, and the many now known. In the one
case he comes and at once removes some great evils. Then
for several years he leads a quiet life, from whbh he is

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 89

called to a great council which is swayed by his advice.
In the other case he leaves home, where his advice is not
wanted, travels for years to secure the welfare of others,
and then takes second place, not above the sky, but as a
Mohawk chief. It will suffice to tell the story in its simple
and yet picturesque form. He is but a man, but one who
has an object before him. He has adventures — like those
of others, a little exaggerated. He plans, travels and per-
suades, perseveres, and it is no wonder he succeeds.

I give, first of all, a summary of Dr. Hale's account of
Hiawatha, as he received it in 1875, from Philip Jones,
(Ha-ne-se-hen), second Onondaga chief, at Onondaga, N.
Y. He was the narrator, but two other chiefs probably
made suggestions. He died September 24, 1877, aged 43
years. Daniel La Fort was interpreter.

The narrator said that Hiawatha was a chief of high
rank and much esteemed, though many of his friends and
relatives had perished through the machinations of Atotar-
ho. Many evils were felt by the Onondagas, and when
Hiawatha called a general council of that people there was
a hearty response. They came from every part.

It availed nothing. "There appeared among them a well
known figure, grim, silent and forbidding, whose terrible
aspect overawed the assemblage. The unspoken displeasure
of Atotarho was sufficient to stifle all debate, and the meet-
ing dispersed. This result ... is sufficiently explained by
the fact that Atotarho had organized, among the more
reckless warriors of his tribe, a band of unscrupulous par-
tisans, who did his bidding without question, and took
off by secret murder all persons against whom he bore a
grudge. The knowledge that his followers were scattered
through the assembly, prepared to mark for destruction
those who should offend him, might make the boldest orator
chary of speech. Hiawatha alone was undaunted."

He called a second and a third council. To the last one
no one came, and Hiawatha left the town, outside of which
he passed his foe, seated by a well-known spring. It was
enough. "Hiawatha plunged into the forest; he climbed
mountains; he crossed a lake, he floated down the Mohawk
river in a canoe. Many incidents of his journey are told,
and in this part of the narrative alone some occurrences

90 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

of a marvelous cast are related, even by the official histori-
ans."

"Leaving aside these marvels, however, we need only
refer here to a single incident, which may well have been
of actual occurrence. A lake which Hiawatha crossed,
had shores abounding in small white shells. These he
gathered and strung upon strings, which he disposed upon
his breast, as token to all whom he should meet that he
came as a messenger of peace. And this, according to one
authority, was the origin of wampum."

Early one morning he came to the Mohawk town where
Dekanawidah lived. One account made him an Onondaga,
adopted by the Mohawks, while another makes him of
Mohawk birth. For Hiawatha's purposes it was enough
that he was influential and might aid him. He was one of
seven brothers, inmates of one long house. So the traveler
sat by the village spring; waiting his opportunity.

"Presently the wife of one of the brothers came out
with a vessel of elm bark, and approached the spring. Hia-
watha sat silent and motionless. Something in his aspect
awed the woman, who feared to address him. She returned
to the house, and said to Dekanawidah, 'A man, or a
figure like a man, is seated by the spring, having his breast
covered with strings of white shells/ 'It is a guest,' said
the chief to one of his brothers ; 'go and bring him in. We
will make him welcome.' Thus Hiawatha and Dekana-
widah first met. They found in each other kindred spirits."
The work went prosperously on.

Of course there are variants. One story has the shells
from Oneida lake; others from Tully; the meetings .of
the chiefs vary greatly, and their birthplaces even more.
I add the variants I have received at Onondaga, as briefly
as possible.

In one of these Hiawatha, unable to do anything at home,
begins his journey and lies down by a small lake to rest.
An immense flock of ducks alights on the surface, hiding
it from his sight. It was wonderful and a greater wonder
followed. He stirred and the birds were frightened. Every
wing was spread, and in their hasty and swift flight they
bore every drop of water away. This opened another scene.

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION H

The bottom of the pond was white with shells, suggesting
a new use, and for this he gathered many, stringing them
at his leisure and need. This, says this story, was the
first Iroquois wampum, which Hiawatha caused to be used
in all important business affairs. So, when the Dutch
came to Manhattan the market was open for the real wam-
pum or Ote-ko-a, which the Iroquois use even at the present
day — when they can get it.

But my Onondaga stories tell of a change of materials.
Hiawatha at last was far down the Mohawk valley, and it
was near night when he approached a Mohawk town. It
was not in good form for a person of note to enter an
Iroquois town uninvited; so he made a shelter and kindled
a fire. The light was seen and messengers came to inquire
his business. He made no reply but went on stringing
quills of the wampum bird. This wonderful bird soars
above the clouds, but he had power to bring it down.
The messengers were puzzled by his queer ways but asked
the question again. Still no answer came, and they returned
to the town.

"What have you seen?" asked the chief. "We have seen
an old man," they said, "who looks tired and sits by a
fire, but he does not rest. He has curious quills, such as
we have not seen before. One by one he puts these on
strings and hangs them by the fire, but not a word will he
say."

"Go back," said the chief, "and tell him we offer him
warmth and food, safety and shelter here." They went
forth and gave their message, and Hiawatha said, "Tell
your chief he must send me a string like the one I now
have and then I will gladly enter your town. I come with
plans for lasting peace."

Dekanawida had no quills from the wampum bird, but
wisely used those of the partridge instead. These were ac-
cepted, and then came the first lecture on the use of wam-
pum, always indispensable since then. I had my first lec-
ture from an Oneida chief, whose ample supply covered
almost every need. From Hiawatha's traditional use of
these strings may have come Dr. Hale's idea that his name
referred to the making of the wampum. Belt of Wampum

92 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

was the name of a later Onondaga chief, not resembling
this.

The two chiefs were now friends and the Onondaga un-
folded his plans. The Mohawk agreed to these at once.
They went westward on their mission and soon came to a
large band of Oneidas, resting beneath and around a great
tree. From this Hiawatha called them Ne-ah-te-en-tah-
go-na, Big Tree People, and this is still their council name.
All the Oneidas at that time lived high on the hills, far
from the lake.

In the grand council it is the custom to address them
by this and not by the more common national name. Each
nation has both these, and in a council with but one nation
the national name may be used. Leaving the first party
the two chiefs soon came to another large band, grouped
around a large boulder of peculiar form. Hiawatha called
them Oneota-aug, People of the Upright Stone. From this
comes the Oneida national name. In picture writing a
stone in the crotch of a tree combines the names.

The Onondaga counfcil name is Seuh-no-keh-te, Bearing
the Names, and this might be applied to Hiawatha, for he
gave names on every trip. There were several of these, for
each nation wanted plenty of time. In the way of names
I group them as one. Thus, when they passed through
Oneida lake they were thirty miles north of the great
trail to Onondaga. As they glided by the islands in the
lake, then unnamed and without a history, Hiawatha had
a name ready. "This is Se-u-kah, Where the waters divide
and meet again. The Onondagas still know the lake by this
name.

At the Montezuma marshes they found Indians spearing
eels, of which the voyagers partook. Hiawatha said, "These
are Tyu-ha-kah, People of the rushes. They shall be the
Eel clan." At various places he named all the clans. The
voyagers were glad to reach firm land beyond, and called
it Cayuga, Where they draw the boats out.

The following story about Hiawatha I take from "The
Dekanawida Legend," retaining the form of name used in
that. Two attempts for a council with Atotarho had failed
and a third was made, and seriously affected by a counter
movement.

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 93

"Another council was held in the lodge of a certain great
dreamer. He said, 'I have dreamed that another shall
prevail. He shall come from the north and pass to the
east. Hayonwhatha shall meet him there in the Mohawk
country, and the two together shall prevail. Hayonwhatha
must not remain with us, but must go from us to the Flint
land people.' So when the journey across the lake was at-
tempted there was a division, and the dreamer's council
prevailed. Then the dreamer held two councils, and those
who believed in him conspired to employ Osinoh, a famous
shaman.

"Hayonwhatha had seven daughters, whom he loved and
in whom he took great pride. While they lived the con-
spirators knew he would not depart. With the daughters
dead they knew the crushing sorrow would sever every tie
that bound him to Onondaga. Then he would be free to
leave and in thinking of the people forget his own sorrow.
Hayonwhatha could not call the people together, for they
refused further to listen to his voice. The dreamer's council
had prevailed.

"At night Osinoh climbed a tree overlooking his lodge.
Filling 'his mouth with clay he imitated the sound of a
screech owl. Calling the name of the youngest daughter
he sang:

'Unless you marry Osinoh you will surely die, — whoo-hoo/

"In three days the maiden strangely died. Hayonwhatha
was disconsolate, and sat sitting with his head bowed in his
hands. He mourned, but none came to comfort him. In
like manner five other daughters passed away and the grief
of Hayonwhatha was extreme.

"Clansmen of the daughters then went to the lodge of
Hayonwhatha to watch for they knew nothing of Osinoh's
sorcery. They gathered close against the large trees and
in the shadows of the bushes. The clansmen suspected
some evil treachery and were to discover it.

"There was no moon in the sky when Osinoh came. Cau-
tiously he came from habit, but he was not afraid. He
drove his staff in the ground, he breathed loud like a magic
totem animal snorting, and then he climbed the tree. He
spat the clay about the tree to imitate the screech owl,

94 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

and as he did he said: 'Si-twit, si-twit, si-twit.' Then he
sang:

'Unless you marry Osinoh you shall surely die, whoo-hoo !'

"The morning came and Osinoh descended. As he touched
the ground a clansman shot an arrow and transfixed him.
Prostrate fell Osinoh and the clansman rushed at him with
a club. Osinoh looked up. 'You are unable to club me,'
he said. 'Your arm has no power at all. It weakens. To-
day I shall recover from the wound. It is of no purpose to
injure one.' It was true indeed; the clansmen could not
lift the club to kill Osinoh. Then Osinoh arose and went
home, and in three days the daughter died. So perished
all by the evil magic arts of Osinoh.

"The grief of Hayonwhatha was terrible. He threw
himself about as if tortured and yielding to the pain. No
one came near him, so awful was his sorrow." He said he
Would go away and be a woodland wanderer.

"Toward the south he went and at night he camped on
the mountain. This was the first day of his journey. On
the second day he descended and camped at the base of the
hill. On the third day he journeyed onward and when even-
ing came he camped in a hickory grove. This he named
0-nea-no-ka-res-geh, and it was on the morning he came
to a place where round jointed rushes grew. He paused
as he saw them, and made three strings of them, and when
he had built a fire, he said : 'This would I do if I found any
one burdened with grief, even as I am. I would console
them, for they would be covered with night and wrapped
in darkness. This would I lift with words of condolence,
and these strands of beads would become words with which
I would address them.'

"So at this place he stayed that night and he called the
spot O-hon-do-gon-wa, meaning Rush-land.

"When daylight came he wandered on again, and alter-
ing the course of his journey turned to the east. At night
he came to a group of small lakes, and upon one he saw
a flock of ducks. So many were there and so closely to-
gether did they swim that they seemed like a raft. 'If I am
to be truly royaneh (noble),' he said aloud to himself, 'I
shall here discover my power.' So then he spoke aloud

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 95

and said: 'Oh you who are 'floats' lift up the water and
permit one to pass over the bottom of the lake dry shod/
In a compact body the ducks flew upward suddenly and
swiftly, lifting the water with them. Thus did he walk
down the shore and upon the bottom of the lake. There
he noticed, lying in layers, the empty shells of the water
snail, some shells white, and others purple. Stooping down
he filled a pouch of deer skin with them, and then passed
on to the other shore. Then did the ducks descend and re-
place the water. It was here that Hayonwhatha desired
to eat, for the first time. He then killed three ducks and
roasted them. This was the evening of the fifth day.

"In the morning he ate the cold meat of the roasted
ducks and resumed his journey. This was the sixth day,
and on that day he hunted for small game and slept. On
the morning of the seventh day he ate again and turned his
way to the south. Late in the evening he came to a clearing
and found a bark field hut. There he found shelter."

Thence he was called to a village where a council was
held, but, as his advice was not asked he quietly went away
on the tenth day. That evening this happened again. He
sat in the council for seven days, but was not consulted.
The eighteenth day a runner came from a seashore town.
Hayonwhatha was to go to the Mohawk towns and meet
Dekanawidah. Five men escorted him.

"On the fifth day the party stopped on the outskirts of
the town where Dekanawidah was staying and there they
built a fire. This was the custom, to make a smoke so that
the town might know that visitors were approaching, and
send word that they might enter without endangering their
lives. The smoke was the signal of friendship."

So on the twenty-third day the two great leaders met.
With eight strings of shells Dakanawidah consoled the
visitor, whose mind was thus made clear, so that he was
satisfied and once more saw things aright. He was ready
for the work of making the Great Peace.

My old friend, Baptist Thomas, brings out this feature
of one ceremonial condolence in the Hiawatha story which
Mr. Parker had from him. Thus he said : "When a man's
heart is heavy with sorrow, because of death, he wanders

96 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

aimlessly (wa-he-des-yas-sha-da-na) . That is why Ha-yent-
wa-tha went away from the Mohawks. His only sister —
he had only one sister — died. She was Da-si-yu, and she
died. She was not a comely woman, but her brother loved
her, and so Ha-yent-wat-ha mourned and no one came to
comfort him.. Not one person came to him in his grief, to
comfort him, therefore his mind was clouded in darkness.
His throat was dry, heavy and bitter. So he went away,
for he did not wish to stay among a people who had no
hearts of sympathy for sorrow.

"The Mohawks had grown callous, and so accustomed
to troubled times that they did not care for the sorrow
of others, and even despised the tears of mourners. They
were always fighting. They even sent out war parties
among their own relatives in other towns. Hayentwathah
often said this was wrong, but no one listened to him. So
when his great sorrow came he went away. He took a
canoe and went up stream. He paddled up the Mohawk
river, and when he landed to camp he talked to himself
about his sorrow. 'I would comfort others in sorrow,' he
said, 'but no one comforts me'."

After various adventures, "he prepared to take up his
journey again. His sorrow was not diminished but hung
like a black cloud over him. His heart was very heavy
and there was no clear sky for him. ... So Hayentwatha
journeyed in his canoe up Onondaga creek. So, in this man-
ner, he came to the Onondaga village. How long he stayed
at the Onondaga town, my grandfather, Tom Commissary,
did not say. Some say he stayed there and married. Some
say he enjoined the Onondaga towns to be at peace and stop
their quarreling. After a time, when another great sorrow
came, — some say it was because his daughters died — he
again continued his journey. ... So Hayentwatha went
south up Onondaga creek, and he came to a certain spot
where a brook enters the creek, and he saw there a pond
and a grassy place. There, it is said, he saw a very large
turtle and some women playing ball. Some say that boys
were playing ball, but I say that women were playing ball,
because my grandfather said so. So Hayentwatha called
this place Dwen-the-gas, and said from this spot comes the
Ball Clan (Dwen-the-gas Ha-di-nya-ten) of the Great
Turtle.

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

97

"Hayentwatha continued his journey and went over Bear
Mountain. First he camped, at night, at the foot of the
high hill. Here he built a shelter. That night he heard
a song, and its words were what he believed and had spoken
many times to the Onondaga chiefs and to the Mohawks.

"In the morning he ascended the mountain, and there he
found five stalks of corn springing from four roots, and
there was only one large stalk at the root from which the
five stalks grew. On each stalk were three large ears of
ripe corn. Near the corn he saw a large turtle with a
red and yellow belly, and it was the turtle that danced.
He danced the Ostowagona, the great feather dance. So
then Hayentwatha said, 'Did you sing last night? I heard
singing.' Then the turtle replied, 'I sang. Now this is
the great corn, and you will make the nations like it. Three
ears represent the three nations, (first to agree) and the
five stalks from a single stalk represent the five nations,
and the four roots go to the north and west, the south and
east.'

"Hayentwatha proceeded on his journey and after a
time he came to a group of lakes. He called it Tga-ni-ya-da-
ha-nion (the lake group on hill."

These were the Tully lakes, and the duck episode is des-
cribed. Leaving Hiawatha I turn to his co-worker.

THE DEKANAWIDA LEGEND

The story of Dekanawida has been little known to the
people of New York, until quite recently, as compared with
those of Atotarho and Hiawatha. David Cusick wrote the
first at so early a day, and under such circumstances as to
attract wide attention. Mr. Clark's history of Onondaga
was one of the pioneer efforts in that class of literature.
With the Indian reservation close by and with the full
confidence of its chiefs, he easily brought together much
interesting early material. For quite a time every new
county history told the tale of Hiawatha. Not one men-
tioned even the name of Dekanawida. Yet a Moravian mis-
sionary in the Mohawk valley placed his name at the head
of those who founded the great Iroquois League.

98 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

Canada has been more fortunate in this respect, and in
varying forms we have practically a homogeneous story,
part of which follows.

"North of the beautiful lake (Ontario) in the land of
the Crooked Tongues, (Wyandots), was a long winding
bay, and at a certain spot was the Huron town, Ka-ha-nah-
yenh. Near by was the great hill, Ti-ro-nat-ha-ra-da-donh.
In the village lived a good woman who had a maiden daugh-
ter. Now strangely this virgin conceived and her mother
knew that she was about to bear a child. The daughter,
about this time, went into a long sleep and dreamed that
her child should be a son whom she should name Dekana-
wida. The messenger, in the dream, told her that he should
become a great man, and that he should go among the Flint
people to live, and that he should also go to the Many Hill
Nation, and there raise up the Great Tree of Peace."

The grandmother greatly disliked the infant boy, fearing
disaster to her nation, and told her daughter she must drown
the child.

"So the mother took the child to the bay, and chopped
a hole in the ice where she customarily drew water, and
thrust him in, but when night came the child was found
at its mother's bosom." She tried it the second time, and
the third time the grandmother did the same, with the
same results. After that they cared for the child, which
grew fast and became a strong and handsome man. The
Hurons used him badly, though he was honest and truth-
ful. They had a different reputation, and besides all this,
hated a man who- preferred peace to war. So he was not
sorry to leave home.

"He said: 'The time has come when I should begin to
do my duty in this world. I will, therefore, begin to build
my canoe, and by to-morrow I must have it completed, be-
cause there is work for me to do to-morrow, when I go
away to the eastward. Then he began to build his canoe
out of a white rock, and when he had completed it Dekana-
wida said: 'I am ready now to go away from home, and
I will tell you that there is a tree on top of the hill, and
you shall have that for a sign whenever you wish to find
out whether I am living or dead. You will take an axe
and chop the tree, and if the tree flows blood from the cut,

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 99

you will thereby know that I am beheaded and killed, but
if you find no blood running from this tree after you have
chopped a chip from it, then you may know that my mis-
sion was successful." This reminds one of European tales.

"Then Dekanawida also said : 'Come to the shore of the
lake and see me start away'." They came, and his grand-
mother said, "How are you going to travel, since your canoe
is made out of stone. It will not float."

"Then Dekanawida said, 'This will be the first sign of
wonder that men will behold; a canoe made out of stone
will float.' Then he bade them farewell, put his canoe
in the lake and got in. Then he paddled away to the east-
ward. ... In a few moments he disappeared out of their
sight."

Observe how the following resembles Hiawatha's coming
to Oswego.

"It happened at that time a party of hunters had a
camp on the south side of the lake now known as Ontario,
and one. of the party went toward the lake and stood on the
bank of the lake, and beheld the object coming toward
him at a distance, and the man could not understand what
it was that was approaching him; shortly afterward he
understood that it was a canoe, and saw a man in it, and
the moving object was coming directly toward where he
stood, and when the man (it was Dekanawida) reached the
shore he came out of his canoe and climbed the bank. Then
Dekanawida asked the man what had caused them to be
where they were, and the man answered and said : 'We are
here for a double object. We are here hunting game for
our living, and also because there is a great strife in our
settlement.' Then Dekanawida said, 'You will now return
to the place from whence you came. The reason that this
occurs is because the Good Tidings of Peace and Friendship
have come to the people, and you will find all strife re-
moved from your settlement when you go back to your
home." Thus it was.

There are different accounts of Dekanawida's going to the
Mohawks and his reception there; his meetings with Hia-
watha varying quite as much.

In one of the former immediately "after a journey across

100 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

the lake he came into the hunting territory of the Flint
Nation. He journeyed on to the lower fall (Cohoes) of the
river of the Flint Nation, and made a camp a short way
from the fall on the flat land above it. He sat beneath
a tall tree and smoked his pipe in quiet meditation."

There came the usual visit and questions, and when he
announced that he was sent to establish the Great Peace,
he was asked for some proof of this* He said he was ready
to give this. He would climb to the top of a tall tree over-
hanging the fall, and they should chop this down, throwing
him into the depths below. It was done and a multitude
saw him disappear. They thought him surely drowned.
The next morning smoke rose from a deserted cabin, and
there sat Dekanawida, cooking his morning meal. No fur-
ther proof was asked.

In the other case he visits all the towns, meeting Hia-
watha on his way. The final Peace council was held near
Liverpool on Onondaga lake. There was a preliminary
conference of four nations on the opposite shore. These
two chiefs bring some across in the white stone canoe,
which Hiawatha guides. A great storm twice arises
through Atotarho's magic power, and twice Dekanawida
commands peace and a great calm follows. Hiawatha goes
back for some late comers, including the Peace Queen or
Mother of Nations. He tells them that if they cross in a
great calm, it will mean that the Great Peace will be estab-
lished, and so it was. The lake was still.

NAMES OF FOUNDERS OF LEAGUE

Something may be said on the names of these three chiefs
which are varied in sound by dialects, and sometimes modi-
fied by the hardening of some letter. This is the case with
that of Atotarho, as given by David Cusick. It is usually
translated entangled, but Mr. J. N. B. Hewitt gives another
spelling and meaning, Wathatotarho, he obstinately refused
to acquiesce.

Dekanawida he defines as two river currents flowing to-
gether. He thought him a pine tree chief, anticipating too
much. Mr. A. C. Parker accepts the definition but in "The
Constitution of the Fve Nations," page 15, is this: "I am

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 101

Dekahawidah, so named because my virgin mother dreamed
that it should be so and no one else shall ever be named
by this name." He wished to stand alone as the great foun-
der of the League, and in every other possible way he would
stand alone. The opening clause of the Great Peace reads :
"I am Dekanawidah, and with the Five Nations' Confeder-
ate Lords I plant the tree of the Great Peace. I plant it in
your territory, Adodarhoh, and the Onondaga Nation, in
the territory of you who are Fire Keepers."

Hiawatha's name is variously defined. Daniel La Fort
could give me no meaning, though Mr. Clark said he had
that of very wise man, from La Fort's father. He probably
misunderstood him, as the Onondagas often applied such
words as we do — descriptively and not as names. Dr. Hale
translated the name, he who makes or seeks the wampum
belt, alluding to the stories of this. There were no wam-
pum belts in Hiawatha's day, as they are usually defined.
LeM'is H. Morgan's Seneca interpreter gave it 'as he who
combs, alluding to his combing of Atotarho's head. Pere
Cuoq suggested the river maker, with which Hewitt agrees.
My able interpreter, Albert Cusick — who also aided Dr.
Hale and A. C. Parker, and was highly esteemed by all —
told me, after much study, that it essentially meant one who
has lost his mind and seeks it, knowing where to find it;
i. e. he might seem crazy to some, but would come out all
right. He knew what he was about. This certainly fits the
case, and Mr. Parker accepts it in a briefer form. As with
us, some names are easily defined, some have lost their
meanings, and others, after much study, will remain un-
certain.

Dr. Hale records the somewhat boastful words of Dekana-
\

wida in refusing to have a successor. "Let the others have
successors," he said proudly, "for others can advise you
like them. But I am the founder of your league, and no one
else can do what I have done." Dr. Hale added: "The
boast was not unwarranted. Though planned by another,
the structure had been reared mainly by his labors." It
may be the opinion of some people that a really generous
man would not have claimed all the credit.

The facts remain: in 1743 the list of head chiefs of the
several nations began with the name of Dekanawida. There

102 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

has been no chief of that name recorded since, save as he
appears in a separate class of founders in the great condol-
ence song. These are the words : —

"Now then, thou wert the principal of this Confederacy,
Dekanawidah, with the joint principal, his son, Odah-
sheghte; and then again his uncle, Dadodaho; and also
again, his son, Akahenyon ; and again his uncle, Kandariyu ;
and then again his cousin, Shadekaronyes." The first name
is that of the Mohawk head chief, and the others of the
other nations. Not so in the roll call of the fifty chiefs
who were to have successors. The Mohawk list begins
thus : —

"Now then, hearken ye who were rulers and founders:

"Tehkarihhoken ! Continue to listen, Thou who wert
ruler.

"Hayenwatha ! Continue to listen, Thou who wert ruler.

"Shadekariwade ! That was the roll of you.

"You who were joined in the work,

"You who completed the work, The Great League."

WAMPUM BELTS

The Thacher case brought out a good deal about certain
belts. Two of these mentioned in the testimony, and the
most valuable, were not in controversy, but were fully ex-
plained by the chiefs. I bought them for the State Museum,
without difficulty, and they are the widest belts on record,
one being 50 and the other 45 rows wide. Both are shorter
than when I first saw them. The so-called tree belt is
the widest. I simplify the description in the testimony.

A belt of wampum like these two is a carpet for Toda-
daho to sit on. Nothing evil can fall upon it, and two promi-
nent women had brooms to keep it clean. The Five Nations
furnished him with a stick, which lay close by where he
sat, an emblem of a limited power given him by them. If
this was not strong enough he would ask them to come and
help him. He would first ask of the invader, "What is
your business in coming here?"

Hiawatha and Tododaho were at the formation of the

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 103

League 300 years ago. The widest belt (50 rows) repre-
sents an everlasting tree, always growing and reaching
up to heaven that all nations may see it, and under it they
set a common fire to burn forever — the council fire of the
Five Nations. It was to be kept at Onondaga, the Onon-
dagas being the expounders of the law. The second belt,
of 45 rows, is an alliance belt with many successive dia-
monds, suggesting that, beside the original nations, there
was room in the league for more.

After they had ratified the League, so it is said, they
looked far away and saw a darkness, and in the darkness
an unknown and strange face, but they could not under-
stand what it was. It came to be interpreted that the
League would be forced to adopt an unknown law, which
might come before that generation passed away. Their
heads would roll and roll away, but after a time they would
recover their bodies, and then they would embrace the law
they had lost, and the council tree would grow forever.
When the original law was restored the League would be
more permanent than the first one, and the original law
would forever remain*

This was the last belt made at that ratification. When
the belt was read, it was said by one of the speakers in
that council: "This is the last belt which we make con-
firming the laws we have just adopted." Then he en-
couraged the people of the Five Nations to learn the mean-
ing of the wampum, so that they might observe the laws.
At the conclusion of his speech he said, "As long as you
follow the laws of the Five Nations you will be prosperous
and happy; but whenever the people heed not the instruc-
tions we are giving you, there will be dissensions among
our people. Our last remark is — if you disregard and
disobey the laws we have made, that generation will suffer."
Hiawatha made that speech.

When the council ended he went up Onondaga creek,
making the clans and distributing belts among them. I
have a curious account of this. It is claimed he did not die
but went up in his canoe, saying, "When you fall into a
state of confusion, I will come back."

He also saw the strange face appearing in the dark-
ness, and said it was the unknown law coming to prevail

104 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

over the new law; i. e., the law just adopted and the tree
of peace just planted. The root of this tree would spread
from north to south and from east to west. While this
was spreading all the Five Nations would lay their heads
upon it. This root was the constitution of the League.
If any foe should try to harm this, by destroying their
people or laws, the man who struck the root would burn,
with blood flowing from his mouth. That is, the blow
would be avenged. The roots of this great tree would
spread forever. Forever the fire would burn and its smoke
rise to heaven, so that all nations should see it. Forever
would the laws be annually read.

The first meetings of this great council were at Onon-
daga lake, near or at Liverpool. The last was in East
Genesee street, Syracuse, near the Bastable block, the Onon-
dagas now say. The belts were made at this council and
were completed at the last meeting, when everything was
ratified. That is what the Indians say. Really they are
of recent make and less than 150 years old.

Hiawatha, they said, was the proclaimer of councils and
the only proper person to call a council. He will come
again, but when he did not say. He did not die, and when
he comes again he will renew the old and make it stronger
than at first. That is the hope of the Onondagas. I will
speak of these belts again.

THE RETURN OF THE SUN

The usual story of the fall of the woman from the upper
world makes her the mother of two sons, the Good and
the Bad Mind, but this is not invariable. She has a daugh-
ter and thus lives long as the grandmother of the two boys.
This, among others, is the Onondaga story of the orderly
evolution of the world, as given by Mr. J. N. B. Hewitt,
(21st annual report of Bureau of Ethnology). From this
I have selected many incidents which allow of separate
treatment. The one here given I have called "The Return
of the Sun." The grandmother believed that the older
brother caused the death of his mother, and he innocently
incurred her dislike. There were occasional family scenes.
I leave out many details and tell the tale in my own words.

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 195

Odendonnia (Sapling) came to his grandmother's lodge,
and she was angry, as usual. She left the house and took
away the head of his mother, of which she had made the
sun. Her body became the moon, and she took both, when
night came, and went easterly with her younger grandson.
This was quite inconvenient. At the end of three days
Odendonnia said, "I will go and bring back the sun. It is
not good that the men who are to dwell on the earth should
live in darkness. Who will go with me?" A man-being,
called the Fisher, said: "I will go." Another man-being,
called the Raccoon, said "I will also go." Another, named
the Fox, said, "I will go too." Others offered aid.

Odendonnia said, "Who will make the canoe?" The
Beaver said, "I will make it." A man-being called the Yel-
low Hammer (woodpecker) said, "I will make the hollow
part." Others also helped.

Odendonnia said, "Hurry up the work!" and in a short
time the canoe was finished and launched. Then he said^
"Who will steer?" The Beaver said, "I will do it," and
the Otter said, "L will help." So they embarked and went
on their way. Then he said, "You must steer the canoe
eastward," and they paddled it swiftly. It was dark, very
dark, but they went on. Then it grew lighter, and it was
daylight when they landed. It was on an island with tall
trees, some of which bent far over the water, and when
they touched these the canoe stopped.

Then said Odendonnia, "Who will go to yonder treetop and
unfasten the sun ?" Then the Fisher said, "I will try ;" and
the Fox said, "I will go too." So the Fisher climbed the
trees, passing along the branches toward the place where
the sun was tied. The Fox ran along below. The Fisher
soon arrived at the sun and bit off its bonds. Then he re-
moved it and threw it down to the Fox. Both now ran
toward the canoe, and were fully half way back before the
grandmother saw what had happened.

Then she was angry again, and wept and reproached her
grandson. Tears availed not, so she pursued the fugitives.
Fox ran on the ground and Fisher in the trees, and when
the old woman was about to seize Fox, he threw the sun up
to Fisher and he caught it. The old woman then pursued
him, and when he was almost caught he dropped it to the

106 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

Fox, and thus it went on till they reached the canoe. Fisher
got in first, and next came the Fox with the sun in his
mouth. It was a very pretty race, and then the canoe left
the shore.

It was far away when the old woman reached the water's
edge, but her voice had not failed her, and she called loudly
to Odendonnia, "Why hast thou done this thing? Thou
should'st pity me and allow the sun to go back and forth."
Of course he knew that she wanted to keep it in one place,
if she could, so he said not a word though she called thrice.

Then she called to the Fox and said, "By thy magic thou
canst make the sun go to and fro." Though she thrice said
this he answered nothing. Thrice she said the same thing
to the Fisher, but he answered not, nor did any one else
speak. Then she thrice appealed to the Beaver, with the
same words, but there was no reply. But her magic power
was greater than that of the Otter, and when she called to
him he said, "So be it." She answered at once, "I am thank-
ful." But the Beaver said to the Otter, "Thou hast done a
wrong and dreadful thing;" and he struck the Otter in the
face with his paddle. His face was flattened by the stroke
and all otters have now flat faces.

. "^»When they reached home Odendonnia said, "I am glad

that we have returned well and successful. Now will I
fasten the sun on high, where it shall remain fixed forever,
but it shall continually pass over the visible sky." He did
the same with the moon, but it does not appear how that
was brought home.

->In David Cusick's version the Good Mind "took the par-
ent's head, (the deceased) of which he created an orb, and
- established it in the center of the firmament, and it became
of a very superior nature to bestow light to the new world,
(now the sun) and again he took the remnant of the body
and formed another orb, which was inferior to the light,
(now the moon.) In the orb a cloud of legs appeared to
prove it was the body of the good mind, (parent.) The
former was to give light to the day, and the latter to the
night; and he also created numerous spots of light, (now
stars;) these were to regulate the days, nights, seasons,
years, etc."

In a Mohawk version (Hewitt) the body becomes the

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 167

sun, and the head the moon. This also has the carrying off
and return of the sun, which I have found nowhere else.

THE SUN

Mr. A. C. Parker said: '"The sun, according to a myth
in the writer's collection, is the chief messenger of the
Creator. It is his duty to observe all the activities of men
and nature, and report them to his superior. 'He is the eye
of the Creator,' said Sosondowa, who related the tale. The
sun is especially the patron spirit of war, and lingers as he
watches the conflict. Thus days of battle are longer. Each
morning he emerges from under the sky dome (horizon)
where its rim touches the far east sea. The east wind blows
as he mounts the sky path, though 'may be it is the wind
of the bowl when it is lifted.' When Endeka Dakwa de-
scends on the west water, the bowl lifts again for the frac-
tion of a moment, and he shoots under and leaves the world
to Night. The raising of the sky dome twice each day,
makes the tides of the ocean, 'but they don't come even now
days/ remarks the myth teller." The sun does his work
through helpers, whom evil spirits oppos^/

Morgan says: "There is a popular belief among the Iro-
quois that the early part of the day is dedicated to the Great
Spirit, and the after part to the spirits of the dead." '(At
Onondaga I was told that Hawenneyu liked to rest in the
afternoon, but I heard nothing of spirits of the dead.

OOT-KWA-TAH, OR THE PLEIADES

The above Onondaga word means "There they dwell in
peace," and I had the story from Albert Cusick, in his home
on the Onondaga reservation. There are several stories of
this kind, more or less variable. This one begins thus: —

"A long time ago a party of Indians went through the
woods toward a good hunting ground, which they long had
known. They traveled several days through a very wild
country, going on leisurely and camping by the way. At
last they reached Kan-ya-ti-yo, 'the beautiful lake,' where
the gray rocks were crowned with great forest trees. Fish
swarmed in the waters, and at every jutting point the deer

108 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

came down to bathe or drink of the lake. On the hills and
in the valleys were huge beech and chestnut trees, where
squirrels chattered, and bears came to take their morning1
and evening meals.

"The chief of the band was Hah-yah-no, Tracks in the
Water, and he halted his party on the lake shore that he
might return thanks to Hawennevu for their safe arrival at
this good hunting ground, 'Here will we build our lodges
for the winter, and may the Great Spirit, who has pros-
pered us on our way, send us plenty of game, jindjicalth
and peace.' The Indian^is" always thankful

The pleasant autumn days passed on. The lodges had
been built and hunting had prospered, when the children
took a fancy to dance for their own amusement. They were
getting lonesome, having little to do while the others were
busy, and so they met daily in a quiet spot by the lake to
have what they called their jolly dance, and very jolly they
made it.

"They had done this for quite a time, when one day a
very old man came to them. They had seen no one like
him before. He was dressed in white feathers, and his
white hair shone like silver. If his appearance was strange,
his words were unpleasant as well. He told them they must
stop their dancing or evil would happen to them. Little did
the children heed and nothing did they say. They were
intent on their sports, and again and again did the old man
appear and repeat his warning. They danced on.

"The mere dances did not afford all the enjoyment the
children wished, and a little boy, who liked a good d'nner,
suggested a feast the next time they met. The food must
come from their parents, of course, and all these were asked
for this when they returned home. 'You will waste and spoil
good victuals,' said one. 'You can eat at home as you
should,' said another. 'I have no time for such nonsense/
said a third, and so they got nothing at all. Sorry as they
were for this, they met and danced as before. A little to
eat after each dance would have made them happy indeed.
Empty stomachs bring no joy.

"One day, as they danced, they found themselves rising
little by little into the air, their heads being light through

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 109

hunger. How this came about they did not know, but one
said, 'Do not look back for something strange is taking
place.' A woman, too, saw them rise and called them back,
but with no effect. They still rose slowly from the earth.
She ran to the camp, and all rushed out with food of every
kind, calling piteously after them. The children would not —
indeed could not return. One did merely look back and he
became a falling star. The others reached the sky, and are
now what we call the Pleiades, and the Onondagas Oot-
kwa-tah. Every falling or shooting star recalls the story to
them, but the seven stars shine on continuously, a merry
band of dancing children."

One story is much like this. Another tells of a band "of
eleven young men and boys, the oldest of whom was chosen
the chief. They were training for battles which the future
would bring, and requested the parents to furnish them food
to eat during their period of training. The request was re-
fused several times. The chief kept up their spirits by sing-
ing and beating the water drum, whose ringing rhythm
charmed their feet to the war dance. Their spirits were
high when they finished their dance, and they again im-
plored their several parents for food. The chief was angry
when it was refused, and grasping the wet drum again said :
'We will dance ourselves away from earth, and leave it for-
ever.' He sang the Ji-ha-ya (the witch) song, and roused
the dancers to high enthusiasm, bade them dance and look
upward, and listen to no plea that might be wailed up
through the trees. Thus they danced up to the sky, all un-
heeding of the cries of terror and distress from below, save
one who looked down and fell."

Another ends better. Another band was enticed by the
sky witches from the earth, and went dancing through the
sky. The Sun saw them but could give no help. "The pity-
ing Moon, hoping to quiet the restless dancers, led them to
her procession of stars, marching across the sky. Their
dancing set the stars whirling and alarmed the Moon, which
transformed them into a group of fixed stars, giving them
the charge of the red man's New Year. Forever must they
dance over the council house during the New Year's feast."
Hai-no-nis, their leader, promised the sky witches that his
brothers, if unmolested, would forever dance in their honor
also.

110 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

Serpent stories are common, some being connected with
the Thunder gods, but some are of a more individual char-
acter. I have related one which is purely Onondaga, and
those of the Hiawatha tradition appear nowhere else. The
most famous of all belongs to Canandaigua lake and is told
in many ways. The story belonging to Buffalo Creek and
Niagara Falls ranks next, but Heno, the Thunderer, is prom-
inent in this. Some, once famous, are now only known by
name, and there are mere superstitions as well. I may
premise that nature stories are reserved for winter use,
except those relating to winter. Historic relations are
usually kept for summer, but may be told at any time.
Birds, beasts and fishes are very much alive in summer, and
might hear something they would not like. It is best to be
careful. 0-si-is-ta is the Onondaga word for snake.

On the east side of Canandaigua lake rises the fine form of
Bare Hill, so called because in pioneer days it was bare of
trees, and showed traces of rude defences. In early accounts
it is usually mentioned as the first home of the Senecas at
the head of the lake. It may be added that the Senecas were
two large bands, each with its own head chief, but consid-
ered one nation. David Cusick's story follows in his quaint
style. He supposes it happened about 800 years before
Columbus came and in the reign of King Atotarho IV.

"There was a woman and son who resided near the fort,
which was situated near a nole, which was named Jennea-
towaka, the original seat of the Te-hoo-nea-nyo-hent (Sene-
cas,) the boy one day, while amusing in the bush he caught a
small serpent called Kaistowanea, with two heads, and brings
it to his apartment; the serpent was first placed in a small
dark box to keep tame, which was fed with birds, flesh, etc.
After ten winters the serpent became considerable large and
rested on the beams within the hut, and the warrior was
obliged to hunt deers and bears to feed the monster ; but after
awhile the serpent was able to maintain itself on various
game ; it left the hut and resided on the top of a nole ; the ser-
pent frequently visited the lake, and after thirty years it

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION HI

was prodigious size, which in a short time inspired with an
evil mind against the people, and in the night the warrior
experienced the serpent was brooding some mischief, and
was about to destroy the people of the fort ; when the war-
rior was acquainted of the danger he was dismayed and
soon moved to other fort ; at daylight the serpent descended
from the heights with the most tremendous noise of the
trees, which were trampled down in such a force that the
trees were uprooted, and the serpent immediately sur-
rounded the gate; the people were taken improvidentially
and brought to confusion ; finding themselves circled by the
monstrous serpent, some of them endeavored to pass out at
the gate, and others attempted to climb over the serpent,
but were unable; the people remained in this situation for
several days; the warriors had made oppositions to dispel
the monster, but were fruitless, and the people were dis-
tressed of their confinement, and found no other method
than to rush out at the gate, but the people were devoured,
except a young warrior and sister, which detained, and
were only left exposed to the monster, and were restrained
without hope of getting released; at length the warrior
received advice from a dream, and he adorned his arms
with the hairs of his sister, which he succeeded by shooting
at the heart, and the serpent was mortally wounded, which
hastened to retire from the fort and retreated to the lake
in order to gain relief; the serpent dashed on the face of
the water furiously in the time of agony ; at last it vomited
the substance which it had eaten and then sunk to the deep
and expired. The people of the fort did not receive any
assistance from their neighboring forts as the serpent was
too powerful to be resisted. After the fort was demolished
the Council fire was removed to other fort called Than-gwe-
took, which was situated west of now Geneva Lake."

At Onondaga IJhad Captain George's story of this.

f ' ^ ,_- """" "~^s. A. V-*- X.

In salary Jemison's La:fe>(6th e^- P- 135) is another form,
as followT5-r= —

"The tradition of the Seneca Indians, in regard to their
origin, is that they broke out of the earth from a large
mountain at the head of Canandaigua Lake; and that
mountain they still venerate as the place of their birth.
Thence they derive their name 'Ge-nun-de-wah,' or 'Great

112 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

Hill/ and are called 'The Great Hill People/ which is the
true definition of the word Seneca.

"The great hill at the head of Canandaigua Lake, from
whence they sprung, is called Genundewah, and has for a
long time past been the place where the Indians of that
nation have met in council, to hold great talks, and to offer
up prayers to the Great Spirit, on account of its having
been their birthplace; and, also, in consequence of the de-
struction of a serpent at that place in ancient times, in a
most miraculous manner, which threatened the destruction
of the whole of the Senecas, and barely spared enough to
commence replenishing the earth.

"The Indians say that the fort on the big hill, or Genunde-
wah, near the head of Canandaigua Lake, was surrounded
by a monstrous serpent, whose head and tail came together
at the gate. A long time it lay there, confounding the peo-
ple with its breath. At length they attempted to make their
escape, some with their hominy blocks, and others with
different implements of household furniture ; and in march-
ing out of the fort walked down the throat of the serpent.
Two orphan children, who had escaped this general de-
struction by being left on this side of the fort, were in-
formed, by an oracle, of the means by which they would be
rid of their formidable enemy — which was to take a small
bow and a poisoned arrow, made of a kind of willow, and
with that shoot the serpent under its scales. This they did
and the arrow proved effectual ; for on its penetrating the
skin, the serpent became sick, and, extending itself, rolled
down the hill, destroying all the timber that was in its way.
... At every motion a human head was discharged, and
rolled down the hill into the lake, where they lie at this day
in a petrified state, having the hardness and appearance of
stones; and the Pagan Indians of the Senecas still believe
that all the little snakes were made of the blood of the great
serpent, after it rolled into the lake."

The Senecas are the Great Hill People, but this is not the
meaning of the word Seneca, their Algonquin name.

Capt. Samuel George used to tell this story in the later
form, at the Onondaga reservation. It varied but little.
Mrs. Converse says that the boy became a great warrior,
named Ha-ja-noh. In her version, as in the earliest, the
serpent is double-headed. There are many variants.

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 113

OTHER SERPENTS

Mrs. Lucy Pierce, a Cayuga, living on the Onondaga
reservation, gave me this story in 1897.

Mary Jemison, the White Woman, sat with her children
by her cabin near the Genesee river. There were several
of these present, for she had a large family. From a hill
nearby there came a curious sound, "turn turn, turn turn."
It was quite loud and they knew not what it meant. It
grew louder, and through an opening in the hillside there
appeared the head of a great snake. On its head was a
large horn. After a while it disappeared, but came again
next day and gradually became quite tame.

One day she pierced the horn with an awl and caught the
blood in a cup, giving it to her children to drink. For this
reason they became bad — some very bad — and none were
bright. At last the Thunder came rapidly up the valley,
finding the snake away from home. It found no refuge
from its foe and was killed. Then the hill where it had
lived fell in, leaving a great hollow where its top had been.
The Indians called it Jah-nund-hak, Where the Top Has
Fallen In.

Mr. A. C. Parker published some general notes on ser-
pents. He said : "The serpent is one of the 0-sais-to-wa-ne
of the Senecas, or 0-nia-hai-ka-ko-wa of the Mohawks.
[0-si-is-ta in Onondaga, in which Wa-ne and Ko-wa both
mean great or big. — W. M. B.] These creatures are di-
vided into two tribes, the On-gwi-ias and the Jo-di-kwa-do.
Both are 'underwater' people, but the On-gwi-ias are evil,
men devouring creatures, while the Jo-di-kwa-do are not
necessarily malicious, for they sometimes help the dis-
tressed who may be lost on lone islands, or those cast
treacherously into the water to drown. Both tribes, how-
ever, are great sorcerers, and therefore hated by He-no,
who pursues them whenever they appear in daylight above
the water. There are several tales, telling how the under-
water people coaxed boys and girls away from the land,
and cast upon them the spell by which they were adopted.
They are human in form, but assume the form of horned
serpents by dressing in snake-skin garments. They have
houses beneath the waters, and there appear as ordinary
men. Their daughters are especially beautiful, and cap-

114 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

tured landsmen at once become enamored with them, and
are quite willing to don the shining suits (snake skins) and
big* feathers (horns) which make them forever Jo-di-
kwa-do."

These notes follow a story by Mrs. Converse, in which
Heno, a boy and a serpent are the actors. The latter is one
of the under water people. Her story may be reminiscent
of the great Lake Serpent which troubled the people about
1300 years before Columbus, according to David Cusick,
and 200 years later was compelled to go "into the deep.
After the banishment of the monster of the deep" a human-
headed snake made trouble for them on the land. "The
lake serpent was often seen by the people, but the thunder
bolt destroyed the serpents or compelled them to retire into
the deep." It is of this quieter time that Mrs. Converse's
story tells, but in fuller form than this.

GUN-NO-DO-YAH, THE THUNDER BOY, AND THE
LAKE SERPENT

He-no sent a rain which flooded the land and deepened
the lakes. This caused trouble and he sent Ha-de-ne-no-
da-on, his helper, to relieve the earth. As he passed over a
Seneca town — what was left of it — he heard a cry of dis-
tress from a small child, floating in the flood which had
drowned its parents. It was Gun-no-do-yah, the son of a
chief whom he knew. He bore it to his home, laid it on a
strong black cloud, and returned to his mission. He-no had
been drilling his Thunderers, and finding the child in his
house, adopted him as a Thunder Hunter. Because he was
human he could help much in that way.

In a lake dwelt a monster, as yet invulnerable. He de-
fied the Thunderers — who were not of the earth — destroyed
fish and drove off fishers. The child could follow the earthly
trails. He-no would give him power, a strong bow and
arrow. He should follow the storms, and find and destroy
this monster.

The child was grateful and followed the black clouds to
the lakes. He searched all till he came to Lake Ontario.
There he hoped for success, and when the clouds came again
he watched and saw the monster. He raised his bow but

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 115

missed his mark. Again and again he saw it, with the same
luck.

At last, in a terrible storm, he went into the lake, met the
snake and drew his bow. The serpent spoke and told him
to come near. He feared neither him nor He-no, he said,
but if he would come to his home, dress his long mane, etc.,
he would teach him all the secrets of the water world. The
youth drew his bow, and it snapped; the arrow fell, the
snake opened his mouth and the boy was swallowed. He-no
was sleeping at the time, but in a dream Gun-no-do-yah told
his misfortunes. He-no sent aid at once. The snake was
found in a water cave, caught, and borne to He-no, who slew
it and drew forth the boy alive. He became a Thunderer
also. It is added: "Lake Ontario is noted for its violent
winds, and when they drive the canoe high on the waves,
the Indians know that the spirit of the snake is there 'twist-
ing the water' in 'its revenge, and when the lightning darts
across the sky, they whisper in awe, 'Gun-no-do-yah is
chasing it.' "

HE-NO AND THE SERPENT

I summarize Morgan's account from the League of the
Iroquois. To He-no was committed the thunder-bolt, and
also the bringing of clouds and rain. He was the terror of
witches and all other evil things. He had the appearance
of a warrior, and a magic feather on his head made him
invulnerable. A basket on his back was filled with flint
stones, which were hurled at demons, witches and monsters
as he rode in the clouds. In the spring he was asked to
water the seeds ; in the harvest festival he was thanked for
the gift of rain. He has three assistants, one being of both
celestial and human origin. He bears the title of Grand-
father and in the following legend has a home under Niag-
ara Falls. I may add that in most stories he has more as-
sistants, and that, when summer is past, he seeks some
favorite winter resort. The Niagara legend briefly follows :

"A maiden lived at Ga-u-gwa, a village at the mouth of
Cayuga creek, a few miles above the falls. She was to
marry an ugly old man whom she much disliked. There
being no escape she sought death. Her canoe swiftly bore
her to the falls and over the edge. He-no and his helpers

116 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

saw her plight, snatched her from death and bore her to his
home. She became the bride of one of his assistants, but
He-no sent her home to help her people.

An annual pestilence was caused by a great serpent,
dwelling near their village, who ate the bodies of the dead.
To obtain more he poisoned the water and caused sickness.
They must move further south to Buffalo creek. This they
did, but the serpent noted their action and started in pur-
suit. He-no also had His eyes open, sent a flash of lightning
after him and he was slain before he could reach the deep
waters of the lake. His body at last floated down the river,
lodged at the falls, and formed the Horse-shoe fall.

The girl had a son who had the power of darting light-
ning. He-no directed that he should not mingle in the
strifes of men, but one day he killed a playmate with a
thunder-bolt. He-no took him to the clouds, and made him
an assistant. All went west.

So says Morgan, but he died before He-no's return to the
Falls, in our own day, and before he gained new strength to
send electric power and light to wonderful distances and
without bringing clouds into the sky.

Many years ago I met Odjidjotekha (Brant-Sero) in Can-
ada, and afterward at Onondaga, N. Y. Among his contri-
butions to Mohawk folk lore I find one headed Thunder and
Lightning. He said, "The Mohawks believe that thunder is
caused by seven men, who are up in the sky. Formerly
there were only six of them ; but once upon a time an Indian
got up there, and since then has prevented them from harm-
ing Indians. Thus it is that no Indian is ever struck by
lightning. When it thunders and lightens very much, the
Indians exclaim, "Say, old man, enough of that.' '

There is another Mohawk story which I partially give
from Hewitt.

THE MOHAWK STORY OF THE ORIGIN OF THUNDER

When Oterontonnia was traveling to inspect the things he
had made, he met a man and asked him what he was doing.
The other replied that it seemed needful for him to come
and see him. He thought so, too, and the man asked to be

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 117

allowed to live on. With his consent he would aid him and
watch over men. He would give them strength and defend
them when they were made. So Oterontonnia said, ''Show
me thy power." Then Hi-non, or the Thunder, went ofT on
a run, and up into the clouds. Then great rumblings were
heard in the clouds, and lightning repeatedly shot forth.
The sounds and flashes were continuous. Then Hinon came
down and said, "Now you see what I can do."

He replied, "Indeed thou are able to do all thou hast said,
but can you continually water the earth in the hot summer
days?" He said, "I can." Oterontonnia replied, "Be it so."
Then Hinon went out again into the clouds. It thundered
again ; the lightning flashed and the clouds became thick and
black. They then came from the sea, over the dry land,
raining as they came. It was wonderful. Then the rain
passed away.

Hinon came to Oterontonnia as he moved about. The
latter said, "What thou doest is good, and thus it shall be."
Then he told what he must do, concluding thus : "This is
the duty with which thou art charged. Men will continue to
call thee : He is my grandfather, whose voice goes sounding
about." Then they parted.

At Onondaga, thunder, merely as such, is Ka-wen-non-
tone-te, or Voices we hear. As divinities, the Thunders are
A-ke-so-tah, They are our Grandfathers. Also Hah-te-wen-
non-to-teys, Our Grandfathers of the roaring or continuous
voices. In times of drought native tobacco is burned for
them, and especially when the thunder heads rise, that they
may be induced to come that way. Lightning is of minor
importance. It has no voice and is but the weapon of the
one who speaks. The ordinary word for grandfather is not
used for the Thunders.

HINUN DESTROYING THE GIANT ANIMALS.

The name of the great Thunderer varies with the col-
lectors of Seneca stories, and I use it here for Mrs. E. A.
Smith's tales, one of which follows in a condensed form. In
a thunder storm a hunter once heard a voice calling him to
follow. This he did till he was in the clouds, far above the
trees, and was surrounded by what seemed men. Their

118 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

chief told him to look on a pond below and say if he saw a
huge water serpent. When he could not the chief anointed
his eyes, and then he saw it in the depths below. One of the
band was told to kill this foe of man, but failed. The hunter
was told to do it. He drew his bow and killed the foe. The
storm ceased and he was taken back to the spot from whence
he came. Then men first learned that the Thunderers were
their friends and protectors.

THE THUNDERER

Mrs. Smith had this story from Dr. Horatio Hale, in 1881,
to whom it was given by an Indian chief. As given by her
it is an almost literal transcript of most of his tale published
in the journals of American Folk-Lore, 1891. I shorten the
story.

Three warriors went on the southern war path and one
broke his leg when far from home. They made a litter and
carried him awhile, but were very tired when they came to
a mountain ridge. Resting him on the ground the two went
aside and formed an evil plan. A little way off was a deep
hole in the rocks, into which they cast their helpless friend
and made off, reporting that he had died of his wounds,
when they reached home. Great was his mother's grief, but
they said they had carefully tended him and that he had
decent burial.

For a while the deserted man lay insensible at the bottom
of the pit. Then he saw a gray-haired man crouching by his
side. "My son," said he, what have your friends done to
you?" "Thrown me here to die, I suppose," he replied.
"You shall not die," said the old man, "if you will do what I
wish." It was only that he should hunt for him and bring
in the game as soon as he was able. By wise care he was
soon restored. This was in autumn, and all through the
winter he brought in game, the old man offering to help
when it was too heavy.

Spring came with thaws and frequent showers, and hunt-
ing was harder. One day the hunter killed a great bear, and
while he stooped to judge of its weight and fatness he heard
voices behind him. He turned and saw three meen in cloud-
like garments, standing near. They told him they were the

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 119

Thunderers, whose work it was to keep the earth in good
order for mankind. They brought rain and destroyed
noxious creatures. They must destroy the old man, who was
not what he seemed to be, and they needed his aid. He
would do good in helping them, and they would restore him
to his mother and friends. To this he agreed.

He went to the old man and said he needed help to bring
the bear home. The old man was uneasy, and told the
hunter to look carefully at the sky and say if the smallest
cloud was visible. He reported a perfectly clear sky and the
old man went with him. They hurried to the bear and
quickly cut it up. The old man took it all on his shoulders,
surprising the young man by his strength. Just as he
started back a cloud appeared and distant thunder was
heard. The old man threw down his load and ran, and the
thunder was louder and nearer. Then he became a great
porcupine, flying through the bushes, discharging its quills
backward as it ran. The Thunders followed, peal on peal,
and at last a bolt struck the huge animal, which fell lifeless
into its den.

Then the Thunderers said, "Now that our work is done
we will take you to your home and mourning mother."
They gave him a dress like their own, with wings on its
shoulders, which they showed him how to use. He rose with
them in the air and was soon at his mother's door. It was
night, and when he stood in the door, flooded with moon-
light, she thought him a ghose. He told her not to fear.
He was alive and would care for her. He stayed with her
till the next spring.

When the Thunderers left him they gave him his cloud
dress, and said that every spring he might go with them and
see their good deeds. So, when they returned in the spring,
he put on the robe and floated with them in the clouds. As
they went over a mountain he was thirsty and went down
to a pool to drink. When he returned the. others saw that
his lips shone like oil, and asked where he had been drink-
ing. "In yonder pool," he said, and pointed to it. They
said, "There is something in it which we have long sought
and must destroy. We are glad you have found it." They
cast a great thunderbolt into it and it became dry. At the
bottom a great grub lay dead, and this had long destroyed

120 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

the crops. After going farther and seeing more, the youth
returned and told his people how great and good the Thun-
derers were.

THE BOY AND SKELETON

In the nature of things intercourse with others brings
European features into Indian stories. This is the case
with many of those which Mrs. Smith collected and I have
had the same luck. This one combines early and recent fea-
tures and is a good sample of this class.

An old man and his nephew lived in the dark woods.
When the man went hunting he told the boy not to go east-
ward, but he tired of playing alone in one place and one
day went that way and came to a large lake. While playing
there a man came along and asked whence he came. He
told him and the man said, "Let us shoot arrows in the
air." They shot and the boy's arrow went highest. Then
the man said, "Let us see which can swim farthest without
breathing." The boy beat the man. Then he said, "Let us
go to the island and see the pretty birds." They went in a
canoe drawn by three swans on each side. As soon as they
were seated the man began singing, and they soon reached
the island. They walked there awhile. Then the man took
the boy's clothes, jumped into the boat and said to the
swans, "Let us go home." He began to sing and went off.
The deserted boy sat down and cried, for he was naked and
cold.

It grew dark very fast, and he was frightened when he
heard a voice say, "Hush ! Keep still !" Looking around he
saw a skeleton on the ground, beckoning to him and saying :
"Poor boy ! it was the same with me ; but I will help you if
you will help me." Of course he would. He was told to
dig on the west side of a tree near by, find a well filled to-
bacco pouch, pipe and flint, and bring them to him. He did
so, and was told to fill and light the pipe and put it in the
skeleton's mouth. As he smoked the mice in his body went
away, and the skeleton felt better. He said that a man with
three dogs would come to the island that night to kill the
boy. To escape he must run all over the island many times,
jumping into the water often, so that the man would lose

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 121

the trail. Then he must stay all night in a hollow tree. He
did so.

Before daylight the man came with three dogs and told
them to catch the boy. They ran every way without finding
him, and the angry man killed one dog and ate him. With
the others he went away. The boy came out of the tree
and went to the skeleton, who said, "Are you still alive?
The man who brought you here will come tonight to drink
your blood. Go to the shore where he lands ; dig a pit and
lie down in it, covering yourself with sand. When he lands
and is off, get into the canoe and say, 'Come, swans, let's go
home.' If the man calls, do not turn or look at him."

The boy promised and the man came. The boy jumped,
into the canoe and spoke to the swans. As they went he
sang. The man saw them and called them back, but all
went on. They came to a great rock in which was a hole,
and the swans went in, till they reached a door which the
boy opened. There were his clothes and those of others, a
fire and food, but no one in sight. He dressed and went to
sleep, and in the morning there were fire and food as before.
The swans were waiting and he got in the canoe. He gave
the word and they were soon at the island. The man was-
there, almost devoured. Then the skeleton said : "You are
very smart ; now you must find your sister, whom this man
carried off long ago. Start to-night and go east. You will
soon come to very high rocks where she goes for water.
You will find her there and she will tell you what to do."

In three days he reached the rocks and found her. He
asked her to go home with him, but she said she could not ;
a bad man kept her there, and he would be killed if found
by him. He could not go without her and she hid him. The
bad man had gone to a swamp, where women and children
were picking cranberries. She went to the house, took up
boards under her bed, dug a large pit for her brother and
led him there. He trod in her footsteps and touched nothing
on the way. When he was fixed she made her bed over the
place, and then cooked a little boy for the man, placed wood
and water by his bed and lay down on her own.

The man and dogs returned, and the dogs tore around as
if mad. The man said, "Surely you have visitors;" but she
said. "None but you." He said, "I know better." Then he

122 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

took a stick and threatened to kill her unless she told the
truth. She said, "Kill me if you like, but no one is here/'
He sat down on his bed to eat his supper, saying to himself,
"She has hid some one. I will kill him in the morning." He
told her to build a fire, but she replied, "You have wood;
build your own fire." He said, "Take off my moccasins."
She answered, "I am tired ; take them off yourself." Then
he thought, "I know she has seen some one. She was never
so saucy before."

Next morning he started for the swamp to get some chil-
dren for dinner, but instead hid himself, to watch the girl.
She called her brother and said, "Come, let us take his canoe
at once." They sailed off, but the man ran and threw a
hook after them. It caught the canoe, but as he drew it
shoreward the boy took a stone lying in the canoe, and broke
the hook. They went off very fast. Then the man lay down
and drank the water, and this drew the boat back. The
man grew very large with this water. The boy threw an-
other stone. It hit him and the water ran back into the
lake. When they saw he was dead they went back, and the
boy said to the two dogs: "You bad dogs; no one wants
you. Go into the woods and become wolves." This they did,
and the boy and his sister went to the island to find the
skeleton.

It said to the boy, "You have done well ; bring your sister
to me." He did so. The skeleton said, "Gather up all the
bones you see and put them in a pile ; then push the largest
tree you find, and cry, 'All dead folks arise!' and all will
arise." He did so, and all arose, some with one arm or leg,
but all with bows and arrows.

The boy said to his sister, "Let's go home." There they
found their uncle, looking very old. For ten years he had
cried and put ashes on his head for his little nephew, but
his return made him happy. He told him all he had done,
and the uncle said, "Let us build a long house with six fire-
places." They did so, and the boy went to the island for
the people and brought them to this peaceful home.

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 123

BOY AND CHESTNUTS

This and "The Boy and Corn," in Mrs. Smith's collection,
have other European features, but I condense the first.

A man and his younger brother lived alone in the wilder-
ness, where game was plentiful. The elder brother hunted ;
the younger kept house, gathered wood and made a fire
against his brother's return. When he brought a deer the
boy said he would cook it. The other said he would smoke
before eating. Then he lay down. The younger said, "I
should think you would want to eat now." But he slept on,
and when he woke he told his brother to go to bed. He was
surprised, but this happened daily. At morn the hunter left
without eating ; at night he was left alone.

The younger determined to watch and see what it meant.
He must eat or he would surely die, and at night must be
the time. So he watched. His brother rose, opened a trap-
door, made strange motions below this, drew out a kettle and
scraped its bottom. Then he poured water on it, striking it
with a whip, saying, as he placed it over the fire, "Now my
kettle will grow larger." At every stroke it did so, and at
last was very large. Then he took it off to cool and ate
greedily. His brother went to sleep. Next day he would
know all about it.

The hunter went off at dawn. The boy raised the door
and saw the kettle. In it lay half a chestnut — nothing more.
He now knew what his brother liked and would have it
ready when he returned. Toward night he took out the
kettle, and did just as his brother had done. It grew larger,
but he had not learned how to stop its growth. It filled the
room and he had to get on the roof and stir from outside.

The elder brother came back and said, "What are you
doing?" The boy replied, "I found the kettle and was get-
ting your supper." "Alas!" said the other, "I must now
die." At each blow he gave the kettle was smaller and at
last went into the hole. Next day the hunter would not get
up or eat, but asked for his pipe and smoked. Every day
he grew weaker, and after each smoke he sang, "Hahgeh-he
geh Nonta ge je o dah. Bring me my pipe and let me die!'

His anxious brother asked where he got the chestnuts.
He wished to seek them. His brother replied that far away

124 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

there was a great and impassable river. Far beyond it was
a great house, near which was a chestnut tree, where his
ancestors gathered nuts long ago. No one could now reach
it, for a white heron guarded it night and day. Six women
placed him there and cared for him, and he watched for
them. If he heard a sound he made his Thr-hr-hr, and
the women came out with clubs. They were always on
guard, for many chestnuts fell to the ground. Even a
mouse was suspected of being a man. There was no chance
of success. The boy said he must try. He could not see his
brother die.

He made a little canoe, three inches long, and started.
After many days he reached the great river. He took his
little canoe and stretched it till it was large. Thus he
crossed the stream. Then he made it small and put it in his
pouch, walking long before he saw the house and the chest-
nut tree. He called a mole out of the ground, and it sniffed
round a plant whose seeds the heron dearly loved. It is like
a bean. Some of these the boy took and crept thro' the
mole's hole till near the heron. Then he threw them to the
bird. While he ate them, off guard, the boy filled his bag
with nuts and started back. The heron gave the alarm, but
the boy was near the river and quickly in his canoe. The
women rushed after him. They threw a fish line and caught
the boat, but he cut it. They threw another and each one
was cut.

At last he reached home, finding his brother barely alive,
and called out, "Now I have brought your chestnuts, will you
have your pipe?" He cooked them to his taste, and told his
story. His brother said, "You have done me a great favor;
now I shall be well, and we will be happy."

I wonder if the boy had any of the chestnuts.

GREAT HEAD

One of Mrs. E. A. Smith's stories has the above title, and
it is of rather unusual character. I would call it a story of
the Flying Heads, of whom so little has been written. It
commences with a statement that the Indians believed in a
strange human-like creature, having only a head, with large

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 123

eyes and long hair. In this case his home was on a huge
projecting rock, over which his shaggy hair streamed down.
Seen or unseen, if he saw anything living he growled "I see
thee ! I see thee ; thou shalt die !"

Far away lived a man, his wife and ten sons. The par-
ents died, and the boys lived with their uncle. The older
brothers hunted but two of them did not return. The next
oldest went to find them but came not back. At last only the,
youngest remained and his uncle kept him close by his side.
One day the two were in the woods and the boy heard a
groan, as though coming out of the ground. Hearing it
again they dug in the earth and found a man covered with
mould. He seemed alive, and the uncle sent the boy for
bear's oil. They rubbed him with this and he soon revived.
For a time they fed him on oil till he could see and talk.

He could not tell them how long he had been there, but
the last time he went out was to hunt. They persuaded him
to stay with them, and he told them the story of the nine
missing brothers. Then they saw he was something super-
natural, for he told them strange things. One night he said
he could not sleep, because of a great noise. He knew what
it was. It was his brother, Great Head, howling. He was
an awful being, destroying all who came near. He was his
own brother, too, and he might entice him to come there, but
to do this they must cut great maple blocks, for he fed on
these.

The stranger asked how far it was to his home, and the
uncle said he could get there by noon ; so early next morning
they started. He pulled up a hickory tree to make arrows,
and then ran on to the place. He had been told to look out
for the great eyes, as sure to see him. So he said to a mole,
"I am going this way. Creep down under the grass where
you will not be seen." He went into the mole and soon saw
the Great Head through the grass. It cried out, "I see you."
The man in the mole saw it was watching an owl. He drew
his bow and shot an arrow at the Great Head, crying, "I
came after you." As it went to the mark the arrow became
very large, but as it came back was small again. The man
seized it and ran swiftly home.

He had not gone far when he heard a noise like the com-
ing of a storm. It was the Great Head riding on a tempest.

126 IEOQUOIS FOLK LORE

He ran on till the Head came near, when he shot again. The
arrow grew large and returned small, and this happened
several times, but each time the Great Head was stopped,
then came nearer and at last burst through the door. The
uncle had made mallets, and he and the man pounded the
Great Head with them. He laughed, so pleased was he to
see his brother. It became quiet and he was asked to re-
main and eat the maple blocks. They told him about the lost
brothers, and he said a witch had got hold of them. She
sang all the time.

Then the Great Head said, "I have been here long enough ;
I must go home. This boy is bright. I will show him the
witch and the bones of his brothers." Next day they started
and went till they heard her song. The Great Head said, "I
will ask, How long have you been here? The hair will fall
from my head and you must replace it. It will grow fast,
and then I will bite her flesh and pull it from her. You must
take it from my mouth and throw it off, saying, 'Be a fox, a
bird, or anything else,' and it will run off never to return."

So it was. When the witch begged for mercy the Great
Head said, "You had none ; you must die." So she died and
her flesh became creatures of many kinds. What was left
they burned.

The Great Head said : "Let us find the year old bones and
place them in rows." They did so. Then Great Head said,
"I am going home to the great mountain. When I fly over
here on a tempest, say to these bones, 'All arise,' and they
will arise, and you can go home with them. The storm
came, the Great Head called to the nine brothers, and they
all arose, shouting for joy.

LOCAL STORIES

Onondaga lake has its traditions of the formative council
and the departure of Hiawatha. The Eat-all feast at the
departure of the French colony was one of the old features
of Iroquois life, and the crossing of the lake in spite of
Atotarho's magic has been mentioned. The Peace Queen
came there then and there are stories about her. At Cross
lake Mr. Clark placed Hiawatha's home, and just above came
the encounter with the Great Mosquitoes. Below the lake,

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 127

near Jack's Reefs, an Onondaga chief led two Moravians,
June 15, 1753, "to a place near the river where there were
two stones which, he said, had once been an Indian who had
been petrified, and these were his head and body. They
offered sacrifices to him so that they might catch much fish,
and we found tobacco there that they had sacrificed."

An incident of this kind was mentioned in 1656, when
Father Chaumonot was on the trail between Onondaga and
the Seneca country. "He had on the road a fine occasion to
mock at the superstition of the infidels, his guide having
presented to him a bit of wood to throw upon two round
stones, which were encountered in the road, surrounded by
marks of the superstition of these poor people, who throw,
in passing, a little rod on these stones in the way of homage,
and adding these words : Koue askennon ekatongot ; that is
to say, Hold ; behold this is to pay my passage, in order that
I may go on safely. Stones were thus frequently thrown on
notable graves or other important monuments. The two
round stones probably marked a boundary line.

GREEN POND

Mr. Clark, in his history, gives briefly a story of Green
Pond, west of Jamesville, first vividly describing the pond,
(ii.237) and adding that "With this singular locality is con-
nected an Indian tradition which gave rise to its aboriginal
name, which is still preserved among the Onondagas. The
Indian path, leading from Oneida to Onondaga, passed in
former times along the bank of this pond. Here an Indian
woman lost her child in a marvelous manner, and in order
to have it restored to her again, made application to the
'Prophet' for advice. He told her the wicked spirit had
taken her child from her, but if she would obey his injunc-
tions, the Great Spirit would take charge of her child, and
it would be safe although it could not be restored. In the
autumn of every year the woman and her husband, and
after them their children, were required to cast a quantity
of tobacco into the pond, as an oblation for the spirit's guar-
dian care. This office was religiously performed till after
the first settlement of the white people at Onondaga, since
which it has been discontinued. The name given, on account

128 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

of this circumstance, was Kai-yah-kooh, signifying, satisfied
with tobacco."

Mr. Clark enlarged this story afterward, and, as he said,
the child was lost "in a marvelous manner," according to
this, yet I got a hint of such a story from Baptist Thomas.
That the name has no direct reference to tobacco is certain.
I mentioned the matter to Albert Cusick, and he knew the
name and meaning as applied to one of the Kirkville Green
Lakes, also between Onondaga and Oneida.

Mr. Cusick gave the name of the Jamesville pond as Tue-
yah-das-so, Hemlock knots in the water, the name, from
this, of an Indian village farther south. The Kirkville lake
is called Kai-yahn-koo because those going to or from Onon-
daga and Oneida stopped there to rest and smoke. On the
reservation men will sometimes stop at the end of a row,
when hoeing corn, and say, "How ! How ! Kai-yen-ko-hah !
Come! Come! Let us take a rest." From their smoking
at this lake, or resting place, probably came the idea that
the word meant satisfied with tobacco, as I suppose they
were.

THE DROWNING MAN AND OTISCO LAKE

In the League of the Iroquois Mr. Morgan gave the name
of Ga^ah-na to Otisco lake : "Rising to the surface and again
sinking. Legend of a drowning man." I had the story from
Baptist Thomas, April 25, 1911, and he from his grand-
mother. He thought she knew all the circumstances.

An envious woman bewitched a man with a love potion,
so that he wanted to see her all the time, while she kept
away from him. In consequence he became thinner and
weaker every day, and a friend took him to Otisco lake for
diversion, where the Indians used to trap muskrats along
the shores. A party was camping on the east shore, and
they used to visit their traps in dug-out canoes.

Still the sick man would roam about trying to find the
woman whom he loved, but he found her not and became
still thinner. One day he crossed the lake with his friend,
to look at their traps. The canoe was old and had a large
crack in the bottom, into which they pounded strips of slip-

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 129

pery elm bark. This swelled and kept the water out nicely
for a time. They went safely across, looked at their traps
and began their return. Before they reached the middle of
the lake the bark came out and the water came in. The sick
man threw the water out as fast as he could, with a gourd
dipper. He could not paddle, for he was too weak ; neither
could he bail very fast, and the water gained on them.

The other paddled with all his might, but could not reach
the shore, though he made some progress. They had passed
the middle of the lake before the bark came out entirely, but
were still far from shore when the canoe went down. Per-
haps it might have borne them up, but they tried to swim
ashore, as the stronger man might easily have done. His
friend sank and he would not leave him. Every time he
went home he dove under him, bore him to the surface and
gained a, few yards. This he did repeatedly till they were
quite near the shore. Their friends heard their cries, but
till then could do nothing, for not a boat was near. For the
last time the swimmer pushed his friend into shallow water.
The others rushed in and drew both to the shore. The sick
man was dead and nothing could be done.

Then they sent his friend to bear the sad tidings to the
town. When he came over the hog's back, west of the vil-
lage and on the Otisco trail, he gave the death whoop once
only, — not three times as for a chief. It was plainly heard
and the people came to the council house. The story was
told and the witch gave a loud cry and ran to the lake to see
.the body. All followed. She told what she had done and
was at once punished as a witch.

A. Cusick defined Gaahna as the last seen of anything, but
had not heard this story. Spafford said "Otisco is from
Ostichney, signifying waters much dried away." Raising
the lake's surface for a reservoir again overflowed the ex-
tensive and low flats at the head.

SACRED WATERS

The following I find in Onondaga's Centennial, vol. i, p.
903, and give it for what it may be worth :

"Tully Lake Park is situated on what was formerly

130 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

known as Big Lake, which was called by the Indians 'Sacred
Waters,' and held in great veneration by them. Tradition
says that the Indians would never allow a fish to be taken
from its crystal depths nor a canoe to float upon its glassy
surface, yet they considered an accidental drowning therein
to be a special desire of the Great Spirit.'

I still think this was invented to help the park, but my
old friend, Mr. W. W. Newman, in "The Septuagenary of
the South Onondaga M. E. Society," 1904, gives a story
somewhat like the above. He said :

"According to tradition South Onondaga was formerly by
the Lake of the Undefiled Waters, reverently worshipped by
the aborigines, who dared not pollute its sacred water with
their birchen canoes, or even bathe in its crystal depths. A
hostile tribe coming to attack them noticed their ignorance
of the art of navigation and planned an attack by water.
Launching their fleet upon its hitherto unruffled waters
they drew upon themselves the anger of the God of the
Lake, who lashed the waters into such a furious storm that
they burst their barriers, and hurled the invading hosts to
destruction in their mad rush to the valley below, there to
rest as Lake Onondaga."

Considering our mutual interest in and many talks about
the Onondagas, I am surprised that my old friend never told
me this tale. I will add a less thrilling one of a mixed party
at the Big Lake in Tully, in 1745. It was a fine June even-
ing and all were on horseback. Four wore the peculiar
Moravian garb of that day ; three were in Indian attire. It
was growing dark and they encamped there. Next morning
the horses were missing. They were not stampeded, but
remembered a better pasture they had passed through.
Some .went after them. So it wTas near noon when they
started again. Now Bishop Spangenberg was of German
descent, but knew American ways, so he took out his knife
and cut his name on a tree while waiting. He did not men-
tion that, however, because all did the same. That is, all
the white men. It was a fine morning again, in 1753, and
two Moravians came out of the woods afoot and with packs
on their backs. One of them wrote, "We came to a large
lake which Bro. David remembered to have seen nine
[eight] years ago, and by this we knew that we were on

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION HI

the right road. He knew the place where Bro. Joseph had
spent the night with his company, and was much pleased to
find the names they had cut into the trees."

Now Brother David Zeisberger was a famous man and
was at the Tully lake several times. His story is not a
myth. It is really something better, and Tully people should
make it part of their history.

Eighty-five years and more ago I used to play on a hillside
overlooking Skaneateles lake at the village, and in this field
were some longitudinal elevations and depressions. One of
these I was told was the grave of a great Indian chief.
Which one I did not learn exactly because of something
which happened about that time.

Col. Wm. L. Stone, author of the life of Brant, wrote this
story for his "Tales and Sketches," published in 1834. My
father's old copy I prize highly and from it I briefly sketch
the tale of "The Grave of the Indian King."

First of all he tells of the country "beyond the Onondaga
hills," and especially of the home of my youth, saying : "Of
all the lesser lakes with which this charming country has
been rendered thus picturesque and delightful, Skaneateles
unites the suffrage of the travelled world as the most beau-
tiful. Its very name, in the language of the proud race who
once ranged its forests and bounded along its shores with
the lofty tread of nature's nobility, or darted across its
bright surface in the light canoe with the swiftness of an
arrow, signifies the Lake of Beauty." He was mistaken. I
am sorry, but it means Long Lake.

He poetically describes the grave and then tells of its oc-
cupant and of his character and death. Count Frontenac's
army had landed at Onondaga lake in 1696, and the question
was what should the Onondagas do. They meant to make a
stand, but the French strength was so great that the issue
was more than doubtful. The council met and there was a
call for Thurensera, Dawn of Day. The wise chief was
brought in on a litter. He had been brave on the warpath
and wise in the council, but now his form was feeble and his

132 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

head whitened by the snows of more than a hundred win-
ters. He asked why he was called to the council, and was
told. There was silence, and then he spoke. They must
leave their homes, but Thurensera would stay to show Yon-
nondio how an Onondaga chief could die. Afterward they
were to gather up his bones and bury them in a spot he had
loved, "by the lake that is beautiful." He went on, "Put
into my grave my pipe, my hatchet and my bow. . . . Put
in my canoe that is on the beautiful lake," and much more
he said.

The old man was left as he wished and eye-witnesses have
told of his torture; Col. Stone wrote of this also in "The
Grave of the Indian King." A traveller of note came along
and heard of and wanted all the relics for the British Mu-
seum. The grave was secretly opened one moonlight night.
"Alas for the veracity of traditional history ! A bed of com-
pact limestone rock . . . soon taught the Gothic invader of
the grave that no grave had ever been there !" Surely this
was a myth.

SKANEATELES: A TALE

Though my old Quaker friend, John Barrow, father of
several friends of mine, wrote the above named story, pub-
lished in my father's paper in 1840, I had thought it purely
a personal production till recently. He said he "gathered
the narration from a shrivelled, toothless Onondaga squaw,
that I met in one of my summer rambles in the neighbor-
hood of the Otisco. The channel through which it came was
certainly not prepossessing, nevertheless the story has in-
terest."

So it had. "In the words of the old crone there lived, a
century and a half ago, upon the shores of the Blue Water,
a chief by the name of Skaneateles," from whom, he said,
the name of *the lake came. Of course the well-told story is
fiction, and I had supposed the old crone on the Otisco hills
was the same till I found others telling a similar tale. First,
then, about the story of Skaneateles, the great chief. Again
I must condense, for the pleasant, humorous story occupied
a full page of my father's paper and less must suffice now.
Mr. Barrow said he was given to rambling, but it was a very
pleasant ramble after all.

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 133

The great chief lived at Mandana, or rather a little south,
on the site of the pleasant farm-house of some early friends
of mine. He had half a dozen wives, as many sons and a
lovely daughter. "In the Onondaga tongue," said Mr. B.,
"she was called Ek>ky Poky, which, being translated, sig-
nifies the White Pigeon." I begin to have doubts again. An
Onondaga had but one wife, even though he were a chief.
No Onondaga could pronounce Hoky Poky. It was not an
Onondaga word, nor did it mean White Pigeon. Beside all
this there were no Six Nations in 1690, there being then no
Tuscaroras in the colony of New York. It is best to have
even fiction conform to well known facts, but of course it
has a broad scope.

It was early summer when the braves went on the war-
path. The glory of autumn was on the hills when they re-
turned. Many a scalp was borne in triumph and a captive
Algonquin warrior was closely guarded. He had fought
bravely, they said, and was worthy of the honor of being
tortured at the stake. To that he was doomed by general
consent. Yet one liked it not. It was the loved and lovely
daughter of Skaneateles.

She was interested. It really was too bad to have such a
splendid form mangled and destroyed. She would know
more of him and relieved for a while the old woman who
guarded the captive. An interview deepened her interest.
How they conversed I cannot say, knowing only each their
own language, but all difficulties vanish in folk lore tales,
and often in novels. They had a pretty good understanding
before the old woman awoke.

Next morning the daughter sought her father. "Wyan-
tonimo is brave," she said. Now she did not say that; she
could not. I am perfectly willing to allow that that was his
name> but it was beyond the powers of speech to pronounce
it. There is no more frequent error in American Indian
folk lore stories than this confusion of dialects.

However, the old chief had one stock argument. "Bad
people the Algonquins ; they eat frogs and wild garlic."

I have >a faint recollection that the English had some such
ground for their old time dislike for the French. At an
interview the next night the maiden mentioned this heinous

134 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

sin of the Algonquins, and the captive replied that they cer-
tainly did these horrible things. If she would go with him,
for her sake he would not. Just as though, — he being an
American youth — he had said to some fair girl now, "If you
will marry me I won't smoke." With such a promise made
the daughter of Skaneateles yielded. She cut his bonds and
in a moment they were in the bright moonlight outside the
lodge.

Here comes in prophetic foresight on the part of a chroni-
cler of the past. He wrote in 1840 — actually 1839. Our so-
ciety was organized in 1862. Mr. Barrow had a view to its
work, and wrote, "As a minute and veracious chronicler,
and to save doubts and difficulties in case the Onondaga His-
torical Society should wish to erect a monument to perpetu-
ate the memory of the White Pigeon, I would point out the
spot where her foot rested, when she paused to take a last
look at her native village, sleeping in quiet at the foot of
the giant elms. Measure off three hundred and seventy
feet, six inches, east-southeast from the centre of John
Milton Arnold's parlor fireplace, and you can hit it to a
tittle."

A fine project if we had the means. As a business propo-
sition we leave it to the Finger Lakes Association and the
manager of the Mandana Inn.

They stopped but a moment and sped to the little cove
where the canoes lay, sprang into one, and the Algonquin
seized a paddle and used it with all his power. The alarm
was given, the pursuit began. The chief's arms were numb
from his bonds and the canoe overladen. Why White Pigeon
did not take a paddle, too, as might have been expected, I
cannot say, but, for the catastrophe it was necessary Skane-
ateles must gain, and gain he did. He was within arrow's
shot as he sped along and drew his bow, when a marvelous
thing occurred. Skaneateles had long been a great fisher-
man and could tell some big stories. Whether the fish spirits
resented this, or whether the king of the fishes did so, I can-
not say. The teller of the story thought it was a trout, a big
trout, — perhaps the one that always got off the hook — that
intervened for the lovers. He made an upward rush under
the stern and toppled the old chief into the water. For
some reason he rose no more. The lovers escaped to the

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 131

eastern shore, and thence through the forest to the Algon-
quin town.

By a natural transition the lake was called Skaneateles.
I know of two other lakes of the same name. As aforesaid
it means simply Long lake.

There is quite a temptation to give the whole of this
quaint tale. Copies are extremely rare. I secured the first
imprint and afterwards had it reprinted in the Skaneateles
Democrat, but that is rare also.

I had a little volume of poems, from the author, published
in Auburn, 1905, for the late Mrs. Nettie Parrish Martin of
Auburn but formerly of Mandana, and entitled "Indian
Legends of Early Days." She was a grand-daughter of
Jasper Parrish, the Seneca interpreter, and said: "These
Indian Legends were given to the writer by her grand-
mother, who lived near one of the Indian villages of the Six
Nations, and spoke their language. Jasper Parrish (a
grandsire) was a missionary and trader among the six
tribes, and during his sojourn among them he so endeared
himself to all that they named him Sen-ne-oe-ta-wa, mean-
ing 'Good Man,' and ever after his descendants had only to
say that name, and every care and kindness was cheerfully
given them that the Indians were able to bestow."

SKANEATELES

I think this story a partial reminiscence of Mr. Barrow's
tale, yet I doubt whether she had ever seen it, though her
grandmother probably had. Skaneateles was a beautiful
Indian girl, living on the lake of that name, who loved and
was beloved by an Oneida brave. The father was cruel and
she could only meet her lover by stealth. Going in her canoe
by night to do this, she encountered a storm, was struck by
lightning, and slept in the waters. The warrior learned of
this and soon slept in the same quiet bed. Now their spirits
are seen hand in hand, in storms on the lake. It is told, also,
that her body was found next morning and was buried near
the shore. The lake, of course, was called after her. Per-
sonally, in all storms I have been in on the lake I have not
seen their spirits.

136 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

THE LOST ARROW

Mrs. Martin's stories are in verse, and one has this prefa-
tory note : "Ossahinta was a young Indian chief who died
broken hearted. He was the son of a brave chief, one of the
Six Nations. His home was on the shores of the Skaneateles
lake, where a steamboat (the Ossahinta) plies between the
foot and head for the accommodation of tourists." It has
now disappeared. I may add that the boat was called after
Capt. Frost or Ossahinta, who died in 1846 on the Onondaga
reservation at the reputed age of 86 years. His name means
the falling frost, and his picture is the frontispiece of
Clark's Onondaga.

Mrs. Martin's story is rather fanciful and includes two
Algonquin names. Os-sa-hin-ta was a good warrior and
hunter who met and loved On-nei-wee-da, and she loved him
but proposed a trial : "For he who weds Pow-ha-tan's heir
must shoot this eaglet from her hair," He went home,
rather disturbed, but sought Quin-ni-pac, an old medicine
woman, who prepared her charms. A roaring flame burst
forth, an eaglet appeared and then a maiden fair. He would
succeed, and she gave him an arrow of red flint, streaked
with white, a talisman of future good luck.

He shot the eaglet, won his bride, and long they pros-
pered, till one day the arrow was lost and misfortunes came.
His wife faded away. He sought the old woman and she
was dead. His wife died and he fell in battle, but now they
are happy; "Ossahinta, star o€ night, Onneiweeda, child of
light."

A footnote says the lost arrow bided its time. "Bacon
Northrup of Mandana, Onondaga Co., found the arrow near
a spring called Deer Lick."

THE ALGONQUIN AND WAN-NUT-HA

This is different but quite suggestive of Mr. Barrow's
story of Skaneateles, and is one of Mrs. Converse's tales.

An Algonquin chief, named Hon-do-sa, was the captive of
a Seneca sachem whose son he had killed, and he must die
at the stake. For fifty years the Algonquins had waged a
terrible offensive war against the Iroquois, and to have a

; ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 137

notable prisoner was a great joy to the latter. The Jesuits
have told with what courtesy such captives were treated by
the Hurons before the torture came. Such was the treat-
ment of Hondosa by the Senecas. He had the best house
they could find, the softest furs, the choicest food. The
fairest maiden was to see to his comfort, and Wan-nut-ha,
the Seneca chiefs daughter, was assigned this pleasant task.
Many days were to pass before the torture, and she saw him
often. He was brave, she well knew. That he was hand-
some she could see. That he feared not a cruel death every
hour showed. She admired and pitied him, and "pity is
akin to love."

The hour came and with it the girl. The guard slept, the
bonds were cut, and hand in hand they sought the shore.
The canoe was ready, the paddles were plied, and across
Canandaigua lake the Ga-nun-do-wa mountain soared high
before them. There came the sound of pursuit. "Haste,
Hon-do-sa," she cried as they reached the shore. "Flee at
once to your people. Wa-nut-ha will remain." "You have
brought the sun to my door too often for Hondosa to leave
you," he said. "Go with me and I will go. Stay and I stay
also." She climbed the hill with him. They stood on a high
crag as the pursuers drew near; they leaped and found
safety in death on the sharp rocks below. I am sorry they
did not escape, when it was so easy to have them do so.

THE PEACEMAKER QUEEN

In 1902 Mr. Wm. W. Canfield published "The Legends of
the Iinoquoifi," in a nice volume of 211 pages. These are
mostly ascribed to Cornplanter, th£ Seneca chief, but a large
portion is made up of variants of well known tales. Not all,
however. I think Mr. Canfield was the first to bring to light
the one whose title appears above. This and the Healing
Waters have quite recently been published in a slightly Af-
ferent form, and I suppose both had their origin in Mr.
Canfield's book. In a general way I follow his version,
which is an expansion of an eatfy tale, that given by Etevid
Cusick.

Kreimika, the peace home, was deserted. The ancient fire
no longer burned there. All was cold and desolate. No

138 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

friendly voice welcomed the fugitive; no persuasive words-
kept peace between hostile warriors who met there and laid
aside their anger and their arms. The broad paths from
every direction were untrod By human feet. They were left
to the woodland animals, and serpents hissed and wolves
howled where men sought wise counsels in hours of doubt
and danger. The house of the peace queen was in a ruinous
state, within and without, for she had abandoned her office
and there was no one to take her place. Men had come there
with angry thoughts and no one was found to judge between
them. Blood had been shed in Kienuka, and the Great Spirit
no longer smiled upon it.

When the wise Hiawatha spoke his last words to his
friends, he told them to choose from their maidens one
gifted with wisdom, who should be their peacemaker. For
her they should build a house and in it she should dwell.
Doors were to be made at each side and end. Broad paths
were to be made to these, so that all might find a welcome,
no matter whence they came. More than a welcome, for she
was to judge equitably between them, turn danger into
safety, and hatred into love. This was to be her great and
honorable office.

Then all the maidens were brought together at the great
council place, and to them were submitted the questions in
dispute among their brothers.- Whoever decided the most
of these justly should be the Peacemaker Queen, and dwell
in the strong house provided. The house was built, the
queen enthroned. When the Great Spirit called her to
Eskanane, she was mourned by all, and none entered Kie-
nuka till her successor had been chosen.

In this way there came to the peace home Genetaska, the
Seneca maiden, whose wisdom and kindness were known to
all, and whose beauty was like those of the summer days.
She was the most famous of all the Peacemaker Queens, and
the red men said that Hiawatha's daughter came often from
the sky, borne by the great white bird, and gave her advice
and guidance. Whoever went to Kienuka disputing, de-
parted from thence, when they had rested and eat&n, with
no anger in their hearts, for Genetaska soothed them by her
gentle voice. To the sick and wounded she ministered with
the best medicinal herbs ; to those inflamed with anger she

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 139

told of the Great Spirit which taught them moderation.
Disputes were so adjusted that the hunters and warriors
who came there with anger and war in their hearts, left her
doors as brothers.

One day there came to Kienuka two young chiefs, one
from the Onondagas, one an Oneida. Each claimed that his
arrow had slain a mighty buck they had been following in
the forest. When they had tried their skill with weapons,
agreeing that the victor should have the slain animal,
neither had any advantage. Then said the Onondaga:
"I will fight thee, O, Oneida chief, and he who survives
may bear to his village the great buck and the scalp lock of
his enemy."

But the Oneida said : "0, Onondaga, thou must remem-
ber the words that thou hast heard from the old men who
heard the teachings of Hiawatha, that when two hunters of
the Five Nations dispute in the forest, they shall not fight,
but tell their disputes to the Peacemaker. I will go with
thee to Kienuka."

When they had eaten and rested there, the hunters were
told that each of them should take half of the buck to his
village. "For," said the Peacemaker, "it is large, and with
half of it each one hath enough for his wife and little ones."
"The Oneida is alone in his home," said the chief. "I carry
the meat to the old men and the women who have no sons.
The Oneida has seen no maiden he would take to his lodge
till he beheld Genetaska, the Peace Queen."

Then said the Onondaga : "The home of the Onondaga is
desolate since the plague entered its walls. He is a great
and powerful chief, for he was never overcome in the chase
or in war. The Peacemaker has made his heart weak. He
will never be strong again unless she will come to his lodge."

But Genetaska replied: "Go ye my brothers, and think
no more of the Peace Queen, who is chosen by all and may
be the wife of no one. Seek ye other maidens who will
gladly be your wives." But when they were gone she had
no more peace, for the Oneida's form was ever before her
eyes.

When the autumn came, when its glories tinged the for-
ests, the Oneida came at sunset, and stood boldly before the

140 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

Peace Queen saying, "The Oneida has built a lodge in the
summer land, where the Five Nations care not to go. He
has filled it with robes and supplied it with food, and it
awaits the Seneca maiden who loves the Oneida. The tribes
will choose another Peace Queen when thou art gone. Thy
life -will no longer be heavy with the burdens of all who
come to thee. Wilt thou go ?"

She looked in his face and said, "Genetaska will go."

They left Kienuka, embarked in his canoe on the river,
glided swiftly down the stream and were lost to their people
forever.

The peace home was left desolate. To its doors two men
came running in the darkness, full of hatred and rage. No
one restrained them and they died.

Had I followed this fine story literally some modern fea-
tures would have appeared. A later writer has repeated
these, with some enlargements, under the title of "The Last
Peacemaker Queen."

KIENUKA

Though the Peace Queen appears in the Dekanawida tale
she was first mentioned by David Cusick as living during
the reign of "King Atotarho IX, perhaps 350 years before
the Columbus discovered the America." At this time the
Eries had become a great nation, being an offshoot of the
Senecas. "A Queen, named Yagowanea, resided at the fort
Kauhanauka, (said Tuscarora.) She had an influence
among the people, and extended her authority over twelve
forts of the country. A treaty of peace was concluded be-
tween her and the Uwakanhah, (Messissaugers) . After a
time dissensions broke out between the Five Nations and
the Messissaugers, and soon commenced hostilities ; but the
war was regulated under her control. The Queen lived out-
side the fort in a log house, which was called a Peace House.
She entertained the two parties who were at war with each
other; indeed she was called the mother of the Nations.
Each nation sent her a belt of wampum as a mark of re-
spect, but when the Five Nations were engaged in the war-
fare she admitted two Canancteigua warriors into her

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 141

house; and just as they began to smoke the pipe of peace a
small party of the Messissaugers too came into the house.
She betrayed her visitors — she advised the Messissaugers to
kill the warriors, which was soon executed; the Messissau-
gers soon retired. The Queen was informed that the two
warriors of Canandaigua had been over the river and killed
a young prince of the Messissaugers; this offence was too
great to pass without condemning the murderers ; the reason
she gave them up. She immediately went and consulted the
chieftain of that band."

War followed. "The Queen sued for peace — the army im-
mediately ceased from hostilities, and left the Erians entire
possession of the country."

JOHNSON'S LEGEND OF KIENUKA

In 1881, Elias Johnson, a Tuscarora chief, published the
"Legends, Traditions, and Laws of the Six Nations," an in-
teresting work. His account of Kienuka and the Peace
Queen naturally resembles that of David Cusick, also a Tus-
carora, but he adds much to that.

Regarding places mentioned in his account, he says:
"The term Kienuka means the stronghold or fort, but the
original name of the fort is Gau-strau-yea, which means
bark laid down; this has a metaphorical meaning, in the
similitude of a freshly peeled slippery elm bark, the size of
the fort and laid at the bottom as a flooring, so that if any
person or persons go in they must be circumspect and act
according to the laws of the fort, or else they will slip and
fall down to their own destruction. The citadel of Kienuka
is situated about four miles eastward of Niagara gorge at
Lewiston, on a natural escarpment of the ridge of the Tus-
carora reservation, known at present by the name of the
Old Saw Mill."

At the formation of the League the Senecas proposed a
novel feature. A fort was to be built as a place of refuge
and placed under charge of a virgin chosen from the Squaw-
kihows, "a remote branch of the Seneca nation," and or-
dained as Queen or Peacemaker. She was to live and exe-
cute her office in the fort, and be called Ga-keah-saw-sa.

142 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

The Senecas and Squawkihows built the fort on a hill,
bounded on the north by a precipice, 8 or 10 feet high.
East, west and south they dug a ditch, 4 or 5 feet deep,
with close set palisades in it. These were 10 or 12 feet
above ground, enclosing a space of 20 by 50 rods, with the
Queen's house in the center. Other houses were in two
rows, with a path leading to her house. The fort reached
east and west, with gates at each end. The best Squawki-
how warriors lived there to do all needful things, the Iro-
quois furnishing arms and supplies.

No Iroquois nation was to war against another, nor
against a foreign nation without the Queen's consent. No
blood was to be shed there, all executions ordered by the
Queen taking place at some distance outside. None but the
keepers could enter faster than a walk. There the Queen
must have meals always ready for fugitives or pursuers.
These were always safe there. They were brought into her
house, which had doors at the east and west ends, and a
curtain in the middle, to separate pursuers and pursued.
She fed both and then removed the curtain. When well fed
they could go their own ways in peace, for without her con-
sent no fugitive could be slain. If killed, the Iroquois would
demand the slayer from his nation. Refusal brought war.

The Kahkwahs and Eries were included with the Squaw-
kihows, being of one language and offshoots of the Senecas.
"They lived from Lake Ontario along Niagara river, and as
far west as the present Erie, east to the Genesee river."
Those a little south of Buffalo were called Kah-kwah-ka,
those further west, Eries or Cats. The Kah-kwahs chal-
lenged the Senecas to a ball game and were beaten, with a
like result in a foot race. In wrestling those defeated were
to be knocked on the head by the opposite umpire. Defeat
came again, the vanquished died, their friends were enraged,
and the Queen's sympathy aroused. Some Seneca spies were
pursued by their Massasauka foes, both lodging in the peace
house. The Queen allowed their foes to slay the sleeping
Senecas. "They were buried southwest from the Queen's
house, the mound of which was perceptible until a few years
ago, when it was cultivated." The Squawkihow kept the
secret awhile, and then asked permission to exterminate the
Senecas. The Queen consented.

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 141

The Senecas learned this and every following movement.
They met in 'battle and the Eries and Kah-kwahs were
known no more.

The Senecas think this queen and her successors held this
fort for several hundred years, and that these incidents
may be dated about A. D. 1280. No attempt was made to
revive this place of refuge, but about 1853 the Tonawanda
Senecas chose a successor to the fabled Queen from their
own number. This was Caroline Parker, sister of Gen. Ely
S. Parker, and wife of the Tuscarora chief, John Mount-
pleasant, "who was ordained to the high office of Queen or
Ge-keah-sau-sa."

This legend has a slight foundation in the historic Neutral
Nation of the Huron war, at one time living on both sides
of Niagara river, and destroyed about 1652; the Eries in
1654. The Seneca story of the overthrow is persistent, but
does not agree with recorded history.

The games, as above, with their sanguinary results, were
described by the old Seneca chief, Gov. Blacksnake, as well
as the attempted surprise and decisive battle. Both parties
were sure of success. The Kah-kwah women, marching in
the rear, had packs of moccasins for the expected Seneca
captive women and children. The Seneca braves carried
rolls of peeled bark to bind their captives, but said, "Let us
not fight too near our villages for fear of the stench from
our dead foes." The terminal incident was ingenious. The
vanquished Eries fled down the river and encamped on an
island. Their Seneca pursuers followed in canoes but were
outnumbered. On they came, however, rounding a point
and landing, regaining the stream above by a short portage,
coming around and landing again. An old stratagem but
effective. Next morning their foes were gone and have
never since appeared.

MISS TRIPPE'S TALES

I have an interesting series of Seneca tales from Miss
Myra E. Trippe of Salamanca, N. Y., which I procured for
the State Library. Unfortunately they were destroyed,
along with the Moravian Journals I sent there at the same
time. Her stories were Da-ne-da-doh, the man whose house

IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

was made of hemlock boughs; Ha-ton-das, the listener; A
Beautiful Head, The Man-Eater; The Toadstool Eater; The
Bear Trail; Gan-nos-quah, the human flesh eater; Ges-gar-
doh, the man who bragged ; Ho-dar-da Se-do-gas, young man
who greased his feet; Do-nyo-do-sa-we-oh, young man with
sore legs; The Young Man's Revenge; Two Senecas; Story
of Jack Hudson; A Little Story of Elmira; Indian Land
Pirates; Whispering Oak, and Do-wa-stu-ta, Thrown in
bear's den.

Of these Miss Trippe said : "I send you these legends as
I copied them for myself. I have read similar stories in
three or four cases, but mine have been told me more in
detail. They are as they were told. I have added or sub-
tracted nothing. Da-ne-da-do is written by Rev. Dr. San-
born, but only about half is in his book.., I feel that this
should be saved in its more complete form. There are other
stories like 'The Man-eater,' but I find none enough like this
to call it the same. In the Iroquois Trail is a version of
Ges-gar-doh. Ho-dar-da Se-do-gas is a more complete stoiy
of one given in the Iroquois Trail. But for study I would
have believed these stories had never been heard by any one
but Indians."

Miss Trippe hoped to publish some or all of the above.
She afterward married and I have not her address. Her
stories admirably reproduce the present Indian style of nar-
ration. Her mention of the Rev. J. W. Sanborn recalls
another friend who collected many Seneca tales. One of
these has appeared as "The Mischief Maker and Peace
Maker" in the Algonquin Legends of New England, by
Charles G. Leland, Boston, 1898. I do not recall why it has
a place there. The first part tells of the pranks of an Indian
scamp; the second of his experience and the good he did
after his reformation.

THE PEACEMAKER

The Mischief Maker was pursued by some on whom he
had played his pranks and took refuge in a tall and thick
tree. They could not find him but built a fire and camped
under this tree. The smoke crept through the branches and
went straight to the sky. "The fugitive sailed away on the

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

smoke, going up and up — past beautiful lakes and hunting
grounds stocked with deer, large fields of corn and beans,
tobacco and squashes; past great companies of handsome
Indians, whose wigwams were hung full of dried venison
and bear's meat. And so he went on and up to the wigwam
of the Great Chief."

For a hundred moons he stayed there, learning a new lan-
guage and habits of life. So well did he like these that he
had no wish to go back when told he must do so. The Great
Chief told him that he had been allowed to come that he
might return and tell what he had seen. Then, if he lived
aright, he might return and hunt and fish there forever.

"A cloud of smoke, in the form of a great eagle, came to
him, and, seated on its back, he was borne down to the top
of the tree from which he had risen. He opened his eyes.
The sun was shining. His pursuers had gone away. He
descended and traveled on. His mind was filled with what
he had seen. He said, 'I will no longer play tricks, but tell
people what I learned in the happy hunting grounds.' After
a long time he drew near to a village. He gave the common
signal. Runners came to meet him. The head chief and
all the people came to hear. He was asked, 'What news do
you bring us ?' He said, 'I, that was the Mischief Maker, am
the Peace Maker now/ " and he told his errand.

There was great rejoicing, as he told of Ha-wen-ne-yu and
his assistants. All the people might live and be happy if
they would. Their Great Ruler would care for them, but
they were to avoid his wicked brother, the Evil Mind.
He-no was sent to do them good and had a pouch full of
thunderbolts for the wicked. The Indians were to pray to
him at seed time and thank him in the harvest. He was to
be called Grandfather. Ga-oh was the Wind Spirit. He
moved the winds, though he was chained to a rock. When
he struggles the winds are forced away from him. When he
is quiet they also rest. Beans, corn and squashes have each
loving spirits. In fact all things have these assistant spirits,
and they were to be thankful for the good work of all.

"So Peace Maker taught the people. They threw tobacco
on the fire, according to his instructions, and on the column
of its smoke he was borne away to the happy hunting

146 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

grounds. And the people danced and sang around the dying
embers of the council fire."

GES-GAR-DOH

As an example of her material and work I give one of
Miss Trippe's Seneca stories just as it was written by her.

There was a man whose name was Ges-gar-doh. He
bragged that he could kill Gau-nos-guah. He was very
brave. He was afraid of nothing. He was sure that he
could kill the human flesh eater, Gau-nos-guah. Gau-nos-
guah lived in the woods. She could understand people's
thoughts without hearing them talk. Ges-gar-doh one day
went on the flats along the river bank. He had his ax, made
of stone flint, on his shoulder. As he walked along, all at
once Gau-nos-guah stood right in front of him. He was sur-
prised. She spoke first. She said, "I have often heard that
you have said, 'I can kill Gau-nos-guah.' I am not afraid of
you. I would just like to see you kill me."

This brave man was frightened. He ran. She followed
him but she could not catch up with him. Her stone coat
made her clumsy. They came to a river. Ges-gar-doh
thought he would throw her off his track, so he forded the
river. When he reached the other side he looked around and
saw that she was wading across to him. So he went back
under the water to the other side. When Gau-nos-guah had
reached the bank, and saw him back on the opposite bank
which she had left, she said, "I am going to get you, any
how."

She started through the water again. He doubled his
path through the woods. He went around and around in a
circle, until he came to a tree. This tree leaned against an-
other tree. He climbed the tree and hid himslf among the
branches. He did not puzzle her. She did not follow him in
his circles, but came straight toward the tree where he was.
But she did not know exactly where he was. She put her
hand inside of her stone cloak and pulled out a human hand.
She put this hand on a fallen tree. This tree was lying at
her feet. She said to the hand, "Show me the direction in
which Ges-gar-doh is."

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 147

The hand pointed straight up. Now Gau-nos-guah could
not bend her neck to see where he was. Ges-gar-doh jumped
down from the tree. He took the human hand. He stood a
little way from Gau-nos-guah with it. He knew she could
not hurt him. Gau-nos-guah moaned and begged for the
hand. She knew she could do nothing against Ges-gar-doh
without it. All at once she saw the ax where Ges-gar-doh
had left it. She ran her hand against the edge of the ax.
This made the ax very sharp. With it she cut a stone in
two pieces as easily as if the stone had been a pumpkin.
Gau-nos-guah said" to herself, "Ges-gar-doh can easily chop
me to pieces with that ax."

Ges-gar-doh stood near, listening and watching. Gau-
nos-guah went to him. She said, "I want that hand of mine.
Give it to me, or I will die." He answered, "You always said
that you are brave. Why are you moaning?"

He walked around in a circle until he came to the ax. He
picked it up and looked at it. She cried and begged him to
give her the hand. He said, "I won't give it to you. I made
up my mind when I came across a being like you, I would
kill it."

She answered, "I might as well give you instructions.
You must be careful how you treat my hand. I realize I am
going to die in a moment. You must keep the hand your-
self and take good care of it. It will make you successful in
hunting and in everything else. Use 'red sticks' in the
swamp to bathe and freshen the hand. Scrape the bark off
the 'red sticks/ and squeeze the juice out of it. Preserve the
hand by washing it in this juice. If the hand gets dry it
will be of no use to you. I know there is no hope for me. I
can't escape. I might as well give myself up."

Ges-gar-doh laughed, for he knew what he was going to
do with her. He said, "Is that all you wish to say?" Gau-
nos-guah had nothing more to say. Ges-gar-doh took his ax
and cut off the head of Gau-nos-guah. Then he cut her in
pieces and threw the pieces in all directions. Ges-gar-doh
was very prosperous ever after, because he took good care
of the hand, and didn't let it get dry.

This is a fine variant of the Stone Giant and the pointer.
Miss Trippe has another story of Gau-nos-guah, in which

148 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

she is placed in a milder light. She stays with a hunter's
family through the winter and helps in their work. The
same feature appears in Mrs. Smith's story of the Stone
Giant's wife.

STONE GIANT'S WIFE

In old times wives went with their husbands to the hunt,
for there was much they could do. Thus a hunter and his
wife were alone in a forest camp where game was abundant.
One day he went one way to hunt, and his wife another to
care for the game which had been killed and hung on the
trees. When she returned she was surprised to hear a
woman's voice, and afraid when she found a giant woman
nursing her child. The giantess told her not to fear and
explained her presence. Her own husband was cruel and
sought her life. She had fled and was tired, but would help
all she could. They must not give her raw meat or there
might be bad results. If well cooked there was no danger.
She would also bring in the game, as she knew where it was.
She soon returned, with as much in one hand as four men
could carry. The hostess cooked part of this and they ate
together. When the hunter came in he was glad his wife
had such good help.

After he had gone the next morning the giantess told the
wife that the Stone Giant would be there in three days.
There would be a dreadful fight and they must help her kill
him. Two days afterward she said, "Your husband must
remain at home to-day, for mine is coming. Do not fear;
we shall kill him ; only you must catch and hold him. I will
show you where to strike, so that it may reach his heart."
Both feared at this, but she reassured them and they awaited
the event. She stood in the door and was ready when he
came. She seized and threw him. Then she told them what
to do, and afterward buried him. She stayed with them,
fetching game, etc., till they were ready to leave. Then she
said she could now go home without fear, and bade them
good-by.

Mrs. Converse had Ga-nus-guah as a name for the Stone
Giant who escaped when the Holder of the Heavens de-
stroyed his kindred. She called him Ga-nus-guah, the

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 149

Depredator, which is the same as Gau-nus-guah in Miss
Trippe's tale. Mrs. Converse's giant lived in a cave in the
Alleghany mountains and was vulnerable only on the bottom
of his foot. To see him was instant death. In the forests
uprooted trees showed his trail. His feet impressed the
rocks as he leaped from them. In storms his voices warned
the Thunderers away from his cave.

A young hunter, seeking shelter in a great rock from a
storm, met him but saw him not. A voice was heard — now
gentle, now terrifying. He must close his eyes if he would
live, for he had meant no harm. He should go forth, free to
be with beasts, fishes and birds. Such as these were his an-
cestors. He must dedicate his life to honoring them. When
he met one of these he must fell a tree and carve its image
in the wood. If he heard a voice at the first blow, it would
be his, and the work must go on. All trees had voices and
he must learn them. He would watch and guide him. The
hunter opened his eyes when told, and stood beside a bass-
wood tree, since then used for wooden masks. Mr. Parker
secured a mask carved on a small tree as it stood.

TYAH-GOH-WENS, OR SPLITTING MOON

A few years since a young man was to receive the above
name at the Onondaga reservation. I copy a letter written
in explanation of the name, but omitting the names of those
most concerned. Part of the letter is omitted, of course, but
otherwise it is verbatim, except as needful words are sup-
plied in brackets. The clan and name had been agreed on,
but some things were yet desired.

"Auntie said she will name him after the wise man, one of
her uncle of old times, he was one at ancient times. I will
give you a little short History about him. he was the man
that came here from one of the tribe that lives in the sky,
that fly like angels do. them days his name was Tahergo-
wens [Tyagohwens] , otherwise splitting moon. When he
was in [this] land [he] has done lot of good things for the
People, and safe them from starvation and eveiy thing ruin
from plantation, he is the one went to the moon and slashed
[it] in two with his hand, and said, I am the one that can
safe from dying and [being] starved, and everything [then]

150 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

was dry and burning in woods, and all the forest games,
all died from [being] starved and dry ; and all the lakes and
rivers became dry, and [there was] no water to drink, when
he appear from skye. and all the trees and vines, and all
the field what was remained and Partly diyed. and they all
spoke to him that they can no longer stay in this land, be-
cause we are suffering from lack of moisture, and we are
dying in good faith, as no more rain or dampness, even mill
due is entirely left us, and we can no longer stand, even
where cornfield was all yellow and burnt and scorched, but
the spear of [grass] half dryed ; and said, can we go back
with you when you go home, as we can no longer [live] in
this world, we cannot get no more moisture for us to grow
and bare them.

"Tahargowens [made] answer to all questions, and he
said, be patiently. I will soon relieve you from suffering of
lack of water, he said to them, I am here to safe you all, my
people, and all the vegetation, and the forest, and all living
thing, and all plantation. Then he look all over and said, I
will split the moon, then you shall have all the rain, and all
the water in lakes and rivers will return in good orders.
Then the rain and thunder men came back also, at that time
there was no more thunder nor rain untill Tahargowens
came and safe all the suffering, now this was real history
about him. this was ages ago. it was after darah dar came,
she brought corn and grain where there was none, now aint
this [a] Wonderful man that came and safe us from lack of
air or moisture, or rain or water. I know you will enjoy it
when you see this of our nephew here, Split Moon. ... is
it wonderful what people can do them days. This was one
of the Iroquois ancient true history. These men, thunder
makers, each has names, one real old man, the one [that]
makes the heaveast, the deep rooling like heavy log ; then the
rest are savage; they make sharp, tearing lightning bolts,
and burn trees and houses, when them youngsters and full
of life, of lictricity, I suppose like mischief young scouts, but
they was calm that time, when everything was dying from
plantation. I think this was sad them days."

There was some preparation for full adoption. He was
to come into the Snipe clan. "Auntie said that she would
cook the old fashion ways; cook corn soup, flavored with

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 161

fresh young pork and beans. She said she would do it her-
self, of course we can have some man to do the fire and
[have] water carried for her, while she will do the cooking.
And the rest you know what to get; some tobacco and few
pipes for old people, and the speaker and interpreter for the
adoption and naming the gentleman; everybody invited to
come see him when he received ancient name. Then we will
have war dance afterward ; then few songs of dance is called
green corn dance ; then for everybody else dances of several
different ways; just like what they had when you was
adopted by Iroquois tribe.

"Auntie says she and I can go down town to get the corn
and meats, tobacco 4 or 5 pounds, Smoking and chewing
tobacco and Pipes, and some bread, cookies, mixed candies
for the children and every body else."

In this case I am told the candidate was first divested of
clothing and immersed in the creek, reclothed and returned
to the house for further ceremonies. These rite's vary
greatly.

-NORTHERN GIANTS

About 2500 years before Columbus came, said David
Cusick, the Ronnongwetowanea, or Northern Giants,
troubled the Iroquois. They attacked the people only when
sure of success and made quick retreats. A young woman
of noble family was carried off and 'became wife of her cap-
tor. The oldest brother went to find her. She was gather-
ing fuel and retired when she saw him. After dark he en-
tered the house and was welcomed. The giant offered him
his pipe and they smoked in peace. He was given a bed and
fell asleep, for he was weary. The giant "killed him on the
bed, and the body was deposited in a cave near the house,
where he had stored the carcass. The giant was much
pleased of his conquest over the prince ; he advised his wife
to watch daily in order to impose on another enemy."

As the oldest brother did not return, Donhtonha, the
youngest, took up the search: He was stout, fierce looking
and well armed. His sister again entered the house and
told her husband. Donhonta came in and asked for his

152 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

brother. He was told he was visiting some others, but
might be back any moment. They ate quietly but the
brother did not come. The guest was impatient but was
offered a bed. First he went out and got some phosphoric
wood. Then he lay down and slept. Having placed the
wood over his eyelids it looked as though he were awake.
Light shone from his eyes and he was unharmed.

He quickly got up when daylight came, and began to
search for his brother. The giant opposed this and a long
fight followed. The giant was killed and burned in his
house. His spirit became one of the eastern stars. His
mourning wife died in the wilderness and now shines as a
northern star. The elder brother's body was found and
burned.

The Ronnongwetowanea also attacked a small town on
the Kanawage, (St. Lawrence). No one was at home ex-
cept an old chief and an attendant named Yatatonwatea.
The old man was killed; the young man escaped, but was
pursued. At some places he tried to resist but 'had to flee.
Once he drove pigeons in the way to gain time. It was of
no use. He tried the mountain rocks, but could not hide.
He tried the hunting grounds and met two friendly war-
riors. They checked the foe. A council followed and a
band was chosen for the fight. They gained the victory, and
"the Ronnongwetowanea tribe has ever since ceased to
exist."

THE FIVE NATIONS

I have not as yet given Cusick's "Origin of the Kingdom
of the Five Nations, which was called a Long House." It is
odd and interesting, but facts are against it. "By some in-
ducement a body of people was concealed in the mountain at
the falls named Kuskehsawkich, (now Oswego) . "When the
people were released from the mountain they were visited
by Tarenyawagon, i. e. the Holder of the Heavens, who had
power to change himself into various shapes; he ordered
the people to proceed towards the sunrise as he guided
them, and come to a river named Yenonanatche, i. e. going
round a mountain (now Mohawk) , and went down the bank
of the river and come to where it discharges into a great

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 158

river running toward the midday sun; and Shaw-nay-
taw-ty, i. e. beyond the Pineries, (now Hudson), and went
down the bank of the river and touched bank of a great
water. Tiie company made encampment at the place and
remained there a few days. The people were yet in one lan-
guage; some of the people went to the banks of the great
water towards the midday sun; but the main company re-
turned as they came, on the bank of the river, under the
direction of the Holder of the Heavens. Of this company
there was a particular body which called themselves one
household ; of these were six families, and they entered into
a resolution to preserve the chain of allianca v,rhich should
not be extinguished in any manner.

The company advanced some distance up the river of
Shaw-na-taw-ty, (Hudson) the Holder of the Heavens di-
rects the first family to make their residence near the bank
of the river, and the family was named Te-haw-re-ho-geh,
i. e. a speech divided, (now Mohawk) and their language
was soon altered; the company then turned and went to-
wards the sun setting and travelled about two days and a
half, and come to a creek, which was named Kaw-na-taw-te-
ruh, i. e. Pineries. The second family was directed to make
their residence near the creek, and the family was named
Ne-haw-re-tah-go, i. e. Big Tree, now Oneidas, and likewise
their language was altered. The company continued to pro-
ceed towards the sun setting, under the direction of the
Holder of the Heavens. The third family was directed to
make their residence on a-mountain named Onondaga, (now
Onondaga) and the family was named Seuh-now-kah-tah,
i. e. carrying1 the name, and their language was altered. The
company continued their journey towards the sun setting.
The fourth family was directed to make their residence near
a long lake, named Go-yo-goh, i. e. a mountain rising from
water, (now Cayuga) and the family was named Sho-nea-
na-we-to-wah, i. e. a great pipe ; their language was altered.
The company continued to proceed toward the sun setting.
The fifth family was directed to make their residence near a
high mountain, or rather nole, situated south of the Canan-
daigua lake, which was named Jenneatowake, and the fam-
ily was named Te-how-nea-nyo-hent, i. e. Possessing a Door,
now Seneca, and their language was altered."

The rest went on to Lake Erie, then called Kau-ha-gwa~

IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

rah-ka, i. e. A Cap. Some went as far as Onau-we-yo-ka,
i. e. a principal stream, now the Mississippi. The family
which reached the ocean made its home near Cau-ta-noh, i. e.
Pine in water, near the mouth of the Neuse river, N. C.
These were the Tuscaroras, and were called Kau-ta-noh. To
sum up:

"The Holder of the Heavens returns to the five families
and forms the mode of confederacy, which was named Goo-
nea-seah-neh, i. e. A Long House, to which are 1st — Tea-
kaw-reh-ho-geh ; 2d — New-hah-teh-tah-go ; 3d — Seuh-nau-
ka-ta ; 4th — Sho-nea-na-we-to-wan ; 5th — Te-hoo-nea-nyo-
hent."

These are the names used in councils. The Iroquois ac-
tually settled in New York from west to east, the Mohawks
coming last.

In his memoirs Mons. Pouchot says: "The River Au
Sables, in Indian Etcataragarenre, is remarkable in this,
that at the head of the south branch, called Tecanonouar-
onesi is the place where the traditions of the Iroquois fix
the spot where they issued from the ground, or rather, ac-
cording to their ideas, where they were born." Albert
Cusick defined this as A long time ago this swamp was di-
vided. On Pouchot's map Out-en-nes-son-e-ta is a stream
north of Sandy Creek, which Cusick defined as where the
Jroquois League began to form.

ORIGIN OF THE ONEIDAS

Schoolcraft has this note on the origin of the Oneidas:
"Abraham Schuyler, an Oneida, says that the Oneidas orig-
inated in two men, who separated from the Onondagas.
They first dwelt at the outlet of Oneida lake, and next re-
moved to the outlet of Oneida creek, on the lake, where they
fortified. Williams says he was born there and is well ac-
quainted with the old fort. Then they went to the head of
the valley, at the Oneida Stone, from which they were
named. Their fourth remove was to the present site of
Oneida Castle, called a skull on a pole, where they lived at
the time of the discovery and settlement of the colony by the
Dutch, i. e. 1609-14."

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 155

This is erroneous throughout. The early Oneida forts
were on the southern hills of Madison and Oneida counties,
where they seem to have come about 1600, as an organized
body. The fort on Oneida lake was destroyed late in the
old French war; Oneida Castle was occupied before and
after the Revolution. There are other recent village sites.
The Oneidas are nearest of kin to the Mohawks, as position
and dialect plainly prove.

In an account of a visit to Oneida in 1796, (Mass. Hist.
Society, vol. 5) on a religious mission, Messrs. Belknap and
Morse obtained this statement through Judge Dean, from an
Oneida chief who was the head of the Pagan party and 80
years old. He said : —

"Some of them addressed their devotions to the wind,
others to the clouds and thunder, he to the rocks and moun-
tains, which he believed to have an invisible as well as visi-
ble existence, and an agency over human actions. To this
kind of supervising power he had always trusted for suc-
cess in hunting and in war, and had generally obtained his
desire. He had either killed or taken captive his enemy, and
had been fortunate in the chase.

"He regarded the Oneida Stone as a proper emblem or
representative of the divinity whom he worshipped. This
stone we saw. It is of a rude un wrought shape, rather in-
clining to cylindrical, and of more than a hundred pounds in
weight. It bears no resemblance to any of the stones which
are found in that country. From whence it was originally
brought no one can tell. The tradition is that it follows the
nation in their removals. From it the nation is derived, for
Oneida signifies the upright stone. When it was set up in
the crotch of a tree the people were supposed invincible. It
is now placed in an upright position on the earth, at the
door of the old man's house. A stout man can carry this
stone about 40 or 50 rods without resting."

In a letter to Dr. Arthur Lee, Feb. 28, 1771, Sir Wm.
Johnson had something to say about this emblem. (Doc.
Hist, of N. Y., 4:432). The Oneidas, he says, "have in use

156 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

as symbols, a Tree, by which they Express Stability. But
their true Symbol is a Stone called Onoya, and they call
themselves Onoyuts, a particular instance of which I can
give from an Expedition I went on to Lake St. Sacrament in
1746, when to show the Enemy the strength of our Indian
Alliances I desired Each Nation to affix their Symbol to a
Tree [to alarm] the French; the Oneydas put up a stone
which they painted Red."

He added that the Mohawk symbol was a steel used with
a flint in striking fire. That, of course, was recent. A large
pipe represented the Cayugas. There are eight pages of in-
teresting information.

In the next account the Oneida Stone was probably at the
old Indian village of Oneida, occupied in 1752 in the south-
west corner of the town of Vernon, set off from Westmore-
land in 1802.

In the Life of Rev. Samuel Kirkland, p. 203, is this ac-
count: "Oneida signifies the upright stone. There is still
standing in the township of Westmoreland, a few miles from
the old Oneida castle, an upright stone or rock, of consid-
erable size, rising a few feet above the ground, which tradi-
tion, and without doubt correctly, points out as their na-
tional altar. Here, in the days of their paganism, from time
to time immemorial, they were accustomed to worship the
Great Spirit, and held a solemn religious festival. . . .
Hence their name, the Oneidas, 'the tribe of the upright
stone, the tribe returning to worship around the upright
stone."

Professor Timothy Dwight, in his travels in 1815, (Trav-
els, vol. 4), mentioned one, probably not the same stone.
"There is a stone not too large to be carried by a man of
ordinary strength, at some distance Eastward from the
Oneida village, which some of the people regard with relig-
ious reverence, and speak of as their god. They say that it
has slowly followed their nation in its various removals, and
allege as decisive evidence of the declaration that a few
years ago it was much farther to the East than it now is.
The truth is, a stout young man of the Oneidas, being a wag,
resolved to amuse himself with the credulty of his tribe ; and
therefore, whenever he passed that way, took up the stone

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 157

and carried it some distance Westward. In this manner the
stone, advancing little by little, made, in a few years, a con-
siderable progress, and was verily believed by some of the
Oneidas to have moved this distance spontaneously. The
young fellow told the story to an American gentleman, and
laughed heartily at the credulity of his countrymen."

I do not understand that Mr. Dwight saw either this stone
or man. He had quite a full account of Iroquois customs
from others at Oneida. There have certainly been several
of these stones in various places. The first of these and the
most remarkable was the one south of Perryville, described
below. Another large boulder is at Nichols Pond, (1615),
second in the series, one in Utica from Stockbridge, and
those here described. I might mention more.

My friend, Mr. A. W. Palmer, whose youth was spent in
Clockville, and who did much valuable work at the historic
Nichols Pond, made the following statement in 1900 :

"In my early youth the Indians used to pass here fre-
quently, and nearly always toward the south. I feared them
greatly. To my anxious inquiries as to where they were
going and what for, my grandfather told me that they went
up to Fenner, to visit the place where they used to live, and
to camp near a rock, which he called their 'council stone.'
Later I learned that the rock in question was on the farm
now owned by Patrick Dougherty, and on the site of a well
known historical Indian village. From the family of Paul
Maine, who lived about one-fourth mile from the stone, I
learned that the Oneida Indians visited the stone twice a
year, sometimes camping for days in the vicinity ; but never
at the stone — visiting it only at night. Miss Phebe Maine,
in whose company I first visited the stone, told me some-
thing of the legend of the stone rolling there from the far
northwest, and pointing out to the tribe the place on which
to build their village. I do not remember that she told me
how she learned of this. She also told me that, as a child,
in company with some older persons, she once saw a part of
some strange ceremony performed by the Indians about the
stone. The stone in question was a large granite boulder,
somewhat oval in shape and as tall as a man. It was drilled
and blasted by M. A. Blakeslee, of De Ruyter, who did the
work for James Gebbery, of Perryville, who then owned the
farm.

158 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

"Among the multiplicity of 'sacred stones,' each one has
some claim to be the original and only one, and I do not care
to push the claims of the one here mentioned, but the fore-
going are facts, and antiquarians may take their choice of
'sacred stones' and worship accordingly."

This site is not included in my Aboriginal Occupation of
New York, (1900) the notes having come too late. With
added knowledge there seems no doubt this was the original
Oneida Stone.

THE LAND OF SOULS

The following account was sent to Dr. Jedidiah Morse by
the Rev. Mr. Kirkland. "The region of pure spirits the Five
Nations call>Eskananex/ The only characters which, accord-
ing to their tradition, cannot be admitted to participate of
the pleasures and delights of this happy country, are re-
duced to three, viz : suicides, the disobedient to the councils
of the chiefs, and such as put away their wives on account of
pregnancy. According to their tradition there is a gloomy,
fathomless gulf, near the borders of the delightful mansions
of Eskanane, over which all good and brave spirits pass with
safety, under the conduct of a faithful and skillful guide ap-
pointed for that purpose; but when a suicide approaches
this gulf, the conductor, who possesses a most penetrating
eye, instantly discovers their spiritual features and charac-
ter, and denies them his aid, assigning his reasons. They
will, however, attempt to cross on a small pole, which, be-
fore they reach the middle, trembles and shapes, till pres-
ently down they fall with horrid shrieks. In this dark and
dreary gulf they suppose resides a great dog, same say a
dragon, infected with the itch, which makes him perpetually
restless and spiteful. The guilty inhabitants of this misera-
ble region all catch this disease of this great dog, and grope
from side to side of their gloomy mansion in perpetual tor-
ment. Sometimes they approach so near the happy fields of
Eskanane they can hear the songs and dances of their
former companions. This only serves to increase their tor-
ments, as they can discern no light, nor discover any pas-
sage by which they can gain access to them. They suppose
idiots and dogs go into the same gulf, but have a more com-

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 159

fortable apartment, where they enjoy some little life." The
name given here is from Sljeji]io^JBexfeet-f>eace. See also
the Onondaga story of the Two Dogs.

At this particular time the N. Y. Iroquois were much
given to suicide. He added that other nations had nearly
the same tradition, all agreeing that the soul was ten days
on its way to this happy land.

Conrad Weiser, the Moravian interpreter, who went a
little earlier and was often at Onondaga, gives a different
account :

I They believe that when the soul of a person leaves the
body it takes a long journey to a happy land, where there
are quantities of fat game, and everything grows luxuri-
antly. That the huckleberries are as large as a man's fist,
and the strawberries equally as large, and the taste is much
better than ours. There a man can lie in the shade the whole
day, and the most beautiful maidens wait upon him. There
no one grows old. Those who have been the best and most
heroic warriors here, there have the pre-eminence, and rule
over the good women. No bad people came to this place, but
if a common man got there he must be the servant of the
others for many a year."/

The Canadian Hurons are nearly akin to the N. Y. Iro-
quois, and the Jesuits wrote much of their belief and cus-
toms. In the Relation of 1636 they said that the Hurons
thought that the soul did not at once leave the body on death.
As they carry the body to the tomb, the soul walks before,
remaining in the cemetery till the great feast of the dead,
but going through the towns at night and entering the
cabins. There it shares in feasts and eats what is left in
the kettles. So some will not eat of this next day. Some
will not come to the feast made for souls, thinking death
would follow from tasting this food. Others ate freely.

At the great Huron dead feast, when all bodies were
placed in one great pit, the souls left the cemeteries. Some
thought they became turtle doves, which were shot, broiled
and eaten. Commonly it was thought they went off in one
great band after the feast, to a great village in the west.
Old men and children, having weak legs, remain in the
Huron country, having separate villages. They sow grain
in abandoned fields.

160 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

The strongest souls go farthest west, each nation having
separate villages. Hurons would not welcome an Algonquin
soul. Those dying in war form a band apart, feared by the
others, who will not allow them and suicides to enter their
village. The souls of thieves are welcome, otherwise the
spirit village would be empty, Huron and thief being prac-
tically the same. There are many interesting Huron fea-
tures recorded.

SENECA STORY

In the Relation for 1670 is a touching incident occurring
among the Senecas. The missionary said : "I baptized last
week a young woman of the most considerable Tsonnon-
touan, who died the day after her baptism. Her mother
was unable to console herself for this loss, for our barbarians
love their children wonderfully, and as I tried to calm her
grief in representing to her the infinite happiness which her
daughter enjoyed in heaven, she cried to me, naively
enough: Thou didst not know her; she was mistress here,
and commanded more than twenty slaves who are still with
me ; she knew not what it was to go to the forest to bring in
wood, or to the river, there to draw up water. She gave
herself no care about housekeeping. Now I doubt not but
that, being now the only one of our family in Paradise, she
may have much trouble in getting used to it ; for she will be
obliged to do her own cooking, to go for food and water,
and to prepare all things for eating and drinking with her
own hands. In truth does she not deserve compassion,
having no one able to serve her there ? Thou seest here one
of my slaves who is sick. I pray thee instruct her well, and
put her in the path of Heaven, so that she may not go out
of the way, and that she may go and dwell with my daugh-
ter, to aid her in all her household affairs. I availed myself
of this occasion, and of the simplicity of this woman, to in-
struct this sick slave." She was baptized and her mistress
later. Besides ideas of a future life this reveals the luxuri-
ous life of a wealthy Seneca Indian family. Some were rich
and others poor.

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 161

DEAD FEAST

There were various Dead Feasts. John Buck of Canada,
Onondaga wampum keeper of Canada, wrote -a curious ac-
count of one to Hon. George S. Conover of Geneva, N. Y.,
which the recipient sent to me. The letter was his messen-
ger, and a string of wampum gave it official sanction. It
began thus : —

"I am John Buck's messenger. Therefore listen.

"John Buck says in olden times of my forefathers was
able to recall their departed relatives to see them again,
the living ones will make one accord whatever the number
they may be will get a feast at a certain house for the dead
ones, and when the living ones will assemble at the ap-
pointed place each of them will take a sliver off their bark
door where it turns, this at their different one's houses,
and enter noiselessly in the house where the feast is spread
out for the dead, and they will now all set down next to the
wall of the house on the ground all round the house, and the
feast is spread out in the centre of the house, and one is
appointed to address the Great Creator; at intervals he
would throw an Indian Tobacco on the fire, he will ask the
Creator to send their dead relatives, for they are desirous
to see them again, and when he ends it, his speaking, he will
sit down again, and they will let the fire go down till the
light ceases, so that in the house becomes dark, and no one
is allowed to speak or to make any noise, and in a little while
they will hear people coming outside, and they will enter
the house and will set themselves around the spread feast,
and the assembled living ones will wait till the dead ones
are about done eating, then the living ones will kindle the
slivers of bark which they have brought with them, and the
dead are now seen through this light." Here is the string of
wampum.

"So, dear friend, according what I have learned by of your
letter which you sent and I have received, therefore I have
wrote to you now of the above. I am your friend,

"Chief JOHN BUCK,
"Firekeeper of Six Nations of Indians, Canada."

162 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

It was a common belief that the dead liked the good food
of this world, and this was often placed on graves for a
time. If it disappeared — as it usually did — it was supposed
to be eaten by the dead. Among the Onondagas our two
local species of Dicentra (squirrel corn) are kno\vn as Plah-
ska-nah-ho-ne-hah, Ghost corn, or food for ghosts.

Yet they feared the presence of unfriendly ghosts in their
villages. At Onondaga, Dec. 27, 1656, a captive Erie girl*
was killed by command of her mistress. "Towards evening
the murderer, or some one else, had it cried aloud through
the streets and by the cabins, that such a person had been
put to death. Then each one began to make a noise with
his feet and hands ; some, with sticks, struck upon the barks
of the cabins to frighten the soul of the deceased and drive
it very far away."

Greenhalgh had a similar experience in a Seneca village
in 1677. "This day," said he, "was burnt two women and
a man, and a child killed with a stone. At night we heard
a great noise as if ye houses had all fallen, butt itt was
onely yq Innhabitants driving away ye ghosts of ye mur-
thered."

GHOST DANCE

Albert Cusick gave me an account of the Ghost Dance at
Onondaga in June, 1893. It was briefly described by Mor-
gan. It is managed by women and comes in May or June.
A society of women, called O-kee-weh, makes the appoint-
ment and arrangements. The members are termed 0-nah-
kee-wah. The feast is of a general nature, and the spirits
of dead relatives are supposed to be present throughout.
The guests assemble at from 9 to 10 p. m. and dance till sun-
rise, but have a feast at midnight. This custom still con-
tinues.

First of all there is a speech, and then men have a chant
in %, time, accompanied by a large drum and a gourd rattle.
The drum is like a short churn, with a head stretched across.
The name is Ka-na-ju-we, or covered kettle. One tune fol-
lows another, with words slightly varied. The women
stand in a circle before the singers, keeping time. Then
the women sing and the men are silent. Then the women

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 163

march round in a circle to the beat of the drum. The word
Wa-ha-yen, in the chant, means women.

The Great Feather Dance follows (0-sto-wa-go-nah) and
the men take part in this and some others till midnight,
when tobacco is burned and the spirits of the dead are im-
plored to give the living good and healthy lives. Dances
follow till nearly morning, and among these are the Bear,
Fish, Raccoon and Snake dances. Toward morning the
women again form a circle before the singers, and nearly the
same words and times follow as at first. Some of the words
differ and mean "The morning is come; we will all now go
home." Then all the women again march in the council
house, and slowly out and around it. At this time two men
carry the drum, while another beats upon it. The women
have something in their hands, and, as one or another holds
up her arms, the men rush around, trying to get what she
holds. All then return to the council house, where a speech
is made and soup is distributed from the big kettle. Their
portions received all go home.

Commissioner Henry A. S. Dearborn, of Massachuseetts,
while attending the Buffalo Creek council of 1838-39, took
notes of a green corn feast, Sept. 8, 1838. About 300 In-
dians were present, a third of them women and girls. Big
Kettle presided, and there was a dance at 11 a. m. in the
council house. On a bench in the center two men faced each
other, with turtle shell rattles, well described. They sang
and beat time, striking the rattles on the edge of the bench,
around which was a circle of 20 women, encircled by 30 men.
The women moved sideways, without taking their feet from
the floor or raising their arms. The men sang, gesticulated
and yelled more than an hour.

The Big Kettle made a long speech, followed by another
dance. In this a horn rattle and drum were used, but the
musicians sang continuously, often changing tunes and
time. Men and women danced as before. Then Big Kettle
spoke for half an hour, and "sang a song while walking
around the bench alone, and the others joined in the chorus,
besides keeping time by a loud utterance of hip, hip, hip [he,

164 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

he, he.] After Big Kettle concluded all the other principal
men, in succession, made a short speech and sang a song,
walking once or twice round the bench. These songs are
such as they expect to sing in heaven."

A short dance followed; a speech from Big Kettle and
from a Tonawanda chief concluding the ceremonies. A
dance, as before, by men and women, made a sort of reces-
sional. Corn cooked in various ways and with various veg-
etables was abundantly provided, and also "three large brass
kettles, containing soup made from three deer." All were
placed in the middle of the council house, where five women
distributed all to other women, provided with baskets and
tin pails. These were carried to their families, seated on
the ground outside, in groups expectant.

WOMEN'S DRESSES

Commissioner Dearborn, 1838, thus describes women's
dresses at Buffalo Creek: "A blue broadcloth petticoat,
with a border of white beads worked round the bottom, from
an inch to five inches wide, or a strip of bead work up the
front, two or three inches in width. This is one piece of
cloth, united in front and without a pleat. To confine it
there is a strong deer skin string, tied around the waist,
Just above the hips. They step into the petticoat and draw
it up, so as to be just above the ankles at the bottom, the
belt is slipped up, and a fold being made in the top of the
petticoat, on each hip behind, it is held tight above the waist
and the belt then slipped down over it, and the portion above
the belt rolled over it, which keeps this neat and rich gar-
ment in place. The leggings are of blue, green or red broad-
cloth. They are about nine inches in diameter, made in the
form of a cylinder, and confined by a garter below the knee.
The bottoms' of these touch the instep, and are ornamented
with beads, like the petticoat.

"The gown, or upper garment, is usually of calico, made
like a hunting shirt, dropping down to the hips, ornamented
in front with brooches, and frequently round the neck and
down the sleeves; over the whole is worn either a white
blanket, like a mantle, or a piece of blue, black or brown
broadcloth, which is put over the head and held by the

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 163

hands, so drawn over the chest as to cover the body and
leave only the face exposed. The most able and tasty wear
broadcloth mantles, when at a dance or on a visit to the
city. They are two yards square and never trimmed or orna-
mented— or is the list taken off.

"The hair is invariably parted in the middle, and carried
back and united in a knot, to which broad and long black
ribbons are suspended in a knot, falling down as low as the
hips; or the hair is simply tied near the head and hangs
down low. Earrings, and all of silver, are universal. . . .
The brooches are all of silver, and their rings, save in a few
instances, of gold. The moccasins are deer skin, orna-
mented with beads and porcupine quills. . . . The little
girls, of three and six years old, are many of them beauti-
fully clad like their mothers, and their dresses are covered
with brooches."

I have given this in full, so that any one may reproduce
it as a fancy dress of that period. There have been iater
styles.

INTONING

When the Moravians were at Onondaga in 1750 one day
they were surprised to hear messages intoned in the Grand
Council. This was to indicate quotations. The chief was
not using his own words but those of the Nanticokes :

"To our astonishment an old Oneida began to sing the
message, which he had for the council in a high tenor voice.
He continued for more than half an hour."

Having as yet little knowledge of the Iroquois tongue, the
two Moravians explained their belt and string to Canassa-
tego, the great Onondaga chief, and he spoke for them in
the council. Returning to the council, "He at once showed
them the Fathom of wampum and belt, and intoned in the
usual Indian fashion the significance of each."

There are occasional references to this in notices of coun-
cils. The most interesting I find on a less formal occasion.
I have given Canassatego's account of the creation and early
experience of the Five Nations. His principal auditor, Mr.

166 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

Wm. Henry, also told of the chief's manner in narration
following a long sentence to begin with from Mr. Henry.

This was the Seneca chief, living in Ohio.

"Then raising his voice and entering into the council style
and manner of speaking and with that modulation, which I
may call the quoting tone, being what they use in repeating
messages, treaties, or anything that has been said by others
in former times, distant places, or preceding councils; a
tone so particular, that if you come into a council in the
middle of a speech, you can tell whether the person speak-
ing is delivering his own sentiments or reciting those of
another, this tone having the same effect in their speeches
and answering nearly the same end, with our marginal in-
verted commas in writing, to distinguish borrowed pas-
sages, quoted as authorities; only that the Indians have
three differences in the quoting tone, none of which we have
in writing, viz., the approving accent, the disapproving ac-
cent, and the uncertain or doubting, and that there is meas-
ured or musical sound in all these tones. I say, Canassa-
tego, in the quoting or historical tone, with the approving
accent and with an air of great authority, went on with his
account."

The chief's prelude included measureless time as he spoke
to Coseagon, the name which Mr. Henry bore, and which
the Senecas formally gave him. He had younger auditors
and he said :

"Hearken to me; I will tell you and him all the true story
of the beginning of this country and the making of all
things in it, such as I long since learnt it from my mother,
who had it from her mother, and so on backwards for a
hundred generations."

ORIGIN OF MAN

Mr. Timothy Dwight (1804) had the following story from
the Rev. Mr. Kirkland. This eminent missionary said it was
formally delivered to him at a solemn assembly of Oneida
chiefs and other principal people :

"Before men existed there were three great and good

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 167

spirits, one of whom was superior to the other two, and is
emphatically the great Spirit and the good Spirit. At a
certain time this exalted Being said to one of the others,
'make a man.' He obeyed, and taking chalk formed a paste
of it, and moulding it into the human shape, infused into it
the animal principle, and brought it to the great Spirit. He,
after surveying it, said, 'This is too white.' He then desired
the other to make a trial of his skill. Accordingly, taking
charcoal, he pursued the same process, and brought the re-
sult to the great Spirit, who after surveying it, said, 'It is
too black.' Then said the great Spirit, 'I will now try my-
self ; and taking red earth he formed a human being in the
same manner, surveyed it, and said, 'This is a proper (or
perfect) man.' These three, as you will naturally antici-
pate, were the original ancestors of all the white, black and
red men of our race."

Lafitau said, in regard to national origin : "The Mohawk
Iroquois, it is said, assert that they wandered a long time
under the conduct of a woman named Gaihonariosk ; this
woman led them about through all the north of America,
and made them pass to a place where the town of Quebec is
now situated. . . . This is what the Agniers tell of their
origin."

The Onondagas say they were made of red clay by Sone-
yah-tis^sfl-yqj The One that made us. This is their usua^l
name for the Creator, and often used by Christian Indians.
He also made the white man out of ocean foam, and thus he
is white. Ta-en-ya-wah-kee, the Holder of the Heavens, is
used in religious ceremonies only at the White Dog feast.
Haj-wgE^ie-yu-iy: God, One that rules in all things, origin-
ated _wjih-the French missionaries, and is used by Christian
Iroquois. The Evil Mind was called Enigonhahetgea by D.
Cusick. Mr. Morgan varied but slightly from this, render-
ing it as Ha-ne-go-ate-geh. There were inferior good and
evil spirits. To the former they gave special thanks and in
various ways.

I 'can hardly assent to Mr. Morgan's statement that "In
the existence of the Great Spirit an invisible but ever pres-
ent Deity, the universal red race believed. . . . The Iroquois
believed in the constant superintending care of the Great
Spirit. He ruled and administered the world, and the af-

168 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

fairs of the red race." So little conception had they of the
nature of such a Being when the Jesuits first came, that
they had to form a name to express this new thought.

Among the Hurons, in 1642, they said that people made,
"during the Avinter, a public solemnity where the dreams
are all honored on the same day. They call this celebration
Ononhouaroia, or the turning of the head, because all the
youth, and even the women and children, run about like
madmen, claiming that they should obey their demons, by
making a present to them of a thing which they put as a
riddle, and which has been dictated to them in a dream."

In 1656 Father Dablon said, in Onondaga, "they make a
special feast to the demon of dreams. This feast may be
called the feast of madmen, or the carnival of bad Chris-
tians. . . . They name this feast Honnonouaroria. The An-
cients go to proclaim it through the streets of the town.
We came to this ceremony the twenty-second of February
of this year, 1656."

V. Among the Cayugas, the next year, it is said "It i« not,
properly speaking, the dream which they adore as the Mas-
ter of their life, but a certain one of the Genies that they
call Agatkonchoria, who, as they think, speak to them some-
times in sleep, and command them to observe their dream
exactly. The principal of these genii is Tharonhiawagon,
whom they recognize as a divinity, and whom they obey as
the great Master of their life; and when they speak of a
dream as of God, they wish to say no other thing than it is
by this that they know the will of God. . . . They also
sometimes give this same name of Master of their life to
the object of their dream; for example, to a bear skin or
a deer

At Onondaga, in 1671^ it was said that this feast was
kept at least once a year, toward the end of February, '"in
favor of their dreams, by which they claim to know all the
wishes of a certain Taronhiawagon, over their good or evil
fortune; this gen iu s7~th"iyr sayptsthe most powerful of all
the genii, and the Master of our life." The feast (or fast)

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 169

often lasted four or five days. All was in disorder and
nothing eaten but by stealth.

Thus far only did the Iroquois believe in a Great
Spirit in early days. The dream often brought ludicrous
and sometimes fatal consequences, in endeavors to fulfil it.
It is still a feature of the White Dog feast at Onondaga,
which succeeded it, there being no record of a dog sacrifice
there in colonial days. At present a white and decorated
basket is burned in the council house stove. Fuller notes
will be given.

LOCAL DEITIES

Local deities or demons are often mentioned. In 1636,
"On the road of the Hurons to Quebec there are some rocks
which they specially venerate, and to which they never fail
to offer some tobacco when they go down to trade. They
call one Hihiouray, that is to say the rock where the Cha-
huan makes its nest ; but the most noted is that which they
call Tsanhohi Arasta, the dwelling of Tsanhohi, which is a
bird of prey. They tell marvels of this rock; according to
them it was formerly a man, who had been, I know not
how, changed into stone so that they yet distinguished there
the head, the arms and body ; but he must have been mar-
velously powerful, for this mass is so vast and so high that
their arrows cannot touch it. Moreover they claim that in
the hollow of this rock there is a demon, who is able to make
their journey succeed; this is why they stop there in pass-
ing, and offer him some tobacco, which they simply place j
in one of the clefts, addressing to him this prayer : "Demon

sprit, to tbpfi, hplp us, giarvTilS fr<g?TshfowT-fif'1cJ defend US
against our enemies, and cause that after we have made a
good trade we may return in safety to our village."

Golden (Hist, of Five Nations) said that after the drown-
ing of Corlear, Lake Champlain was called after him.
"There is a Rock in this Lake on which the Waves dash
and fly up to a great Height, when the Wind blows hard;
the Indians believe that an old Indian lives under the Rock,
who has the Power of the Winds; and therefore, as they
pass it in their voyages over, they always throw a pipe, or

178 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

some other small Present to this old Indian, and pray a
favorable Wind."

Of this rock Peter Winnie said, in 1750, "That Rogeo is
on the eastern shore of Lake Champlain, opposite Corlear's
island, and that the Indians in passing call out Rogeo, and
make offerings to the rock, by throwing pipes, tobacco, etc.,
into the lake."

John Lydius testified (1750, N. Y. Col. Doc. 6, 569) that
for 25 years the Indians had told him "that the Northward
of Saraghtoga, as far as the Rock Rogeo, did and does be-
long to the Mohawks, which Rock is situated on the Lake
Champlain about ten leagues north from Crown Point,
neither hath he ever heard of any other Rock called by the
Indians Rogeo — Rogeo being a Mohawk word and the name
of a Mohawk Indian who was drown'd, as the Indians say,
in the Lake Champlain near that Rock, long before the
Christians came amongst them, from whence the Mohawks
call both the Rock and the Lake Rogeo."

Others give Rott-si-ich-ni, The coward spirit, as a name
of Lake Champla!n7~afi--e3zi]_spirit having lived and died on
an island there.

In the Jesuit Relation of 1668, ^French and Indian party
was, one day, two miles north of Ticonderoga. "We all
stopped at this place, without knowing the cause of it, till we
saw our savages gathering on the water's edge, gun flints,
nearly all shaped. We gave -this little thought at the time,
but afterward learned the mystery, for our Iroquois told us
that they never fail to stop in this place, to render homage
to a nation of invisible men, who dwell there in the depths
of the~water, and afeoccupied in preparing gun-flints,
nearly finished, for the passers-by, provided that they do
their devoirs in presenting them tobacco ; if they give them
much of this they make them a great largess of these stones.
These marine men go in a canoe, like the Iroquois, and when
their great captain comes to throw himself into the water
to enter his palace, he makes so great a noise that it fills with
terror those who have no knowledge of this great genie and
these little men.

"At the recital of this fable, which our Iroquois made very
seriously, we asked them if they did not also give tobacco to

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 171

the great genie of heaven, and to those who dwell with him.
They replied that they had no need, like those of the earth.
The occasion for this so ridiculous story is, that in truth the
lake is often agitated by very dreadful storms, which cause
furious waves ; above all in the bay where Sieur Corlart, of
whom we have just spoken, perished; and when the wind
comes across the lake, it casts upon this shore a quantity of
stones, hard and fit to strike fire."

Such tales are frequent. I will quote one of another
kind from Megapolensis, an early Dutch missionary to the
Mohawks :

"They have a Tharonhijouaagon (whom they otherwise
call AthyasekkuatoriaJiQ) ^that is, a Genius whom they
esteem in the place of God; but do not serve or present
offerings to him. They worship and present offerings to
the Devil, whom they call Otskon or Aireskoui ; if they have
any bad luck in war they catch a bear, which they cut in
pieces and roast, and then they offer up to their Aireskoui,
saying the following words: *O great and mighty Aire-
skoui, we know that we have offended against thee, inas-
much as we have not killed and eaten our captive enemies;
forgive us this. We promise that we will kill and eat all
the captives we shall hereafter take, as certainly as we have
killed and eaten this bear."

Father Jogues, from- whom Jie had this, and who saw this
promise fulfilled, May 24, 164§\ varied from the above.
Three naked femalex<aptives were'1 led into the Mohawk vil-
lage and had their thunrbs-eatToff. "One of them (a thing
not hitherto done) was burned all over the body, and after-
ward thrown into a huge pyre. Worthy of note is a strange
rite I then beheld. When this woman was tortured, at
every burn which they caused by applying lighted torches
to her body, an old man, in a loud voice, exclaimed, 'Demon
Aireskoi ! we offer thee this victim, whom we burn for thee,
that thou mayest be filled with her flesh, and render us ever
anew victorious over our enemies.' Her body was cut up,
sent to the numerous villages and devoured ; — for
about midwinter, grieving, as it were, that they had re-
frained from eating the flesh of some prisoners, they had,
in a solemn sacrifice of the two bears, which they offered
to their demon, uttered these words : 'Justly dost thou pun-

\72 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

ish us, oh demon Aireskoi! — lo, this long time we have
taken no captives; during the summer and fall we have
taken none of the Algonquins.' (These they consider prop-
erly their enemies.) 'We have sinned against thee in that
we ate not of the last captives thrown into our hands ; but
if we ever again capture any, we promise thee to devour
them, even as we now do these two bears,' — and they kept
their word." Thus the Mohawks were reputed cannibals.

LANGUAGE

As has been intimated, the great distinction between the
Iroquois dialects and the Algonquin and our own, is that
the former have no labials ; in the others they abound. As
one of my Onondaga friends said, "An Onondaga opens his
mouth when he speaks; a white man shuts his." Paleface
story tellers, who are ignorant of this, very often misplace
names. But then we have a warlike Mohawk people. True,
but 250 years ago they could not pronounce this name,
given them by the New England Indians. They were the
Agniers of the French, or People of the Flint. The An-
dastes, near kindred of the N. Y. Iroquois, were the Min-
quas or Mingoes of the shore Indians of Pennsylvania and
New Jersey. Seneca is another Algonquin term for the
greatest member of the Iroquois tribe. My earliest history
of the United States taught me that the Five Nations could
not pronounce their favorite Peter Schuylers name, and
had to call him Quider. Oneida treaties fairly bristle with
Queders and Quedels.

There have been many partial lexicons compiled at
various times which need not be specified. I myself have
collected about 3,000 Onondaga words. In Iroquois com-
pound words adjectives usually follow the noun; in Algon-
quin they are prefixed. The letters R and L are now very
obscure or lacking in Onondaga words. In Mohawk and
Oneida they abound.

RELATIONSHIP

All members of a clan are as one family, and thus no one
can marry into his own clan. Thus in every household there

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 173

are two clans, with no increase on the father's side, all the
children being of the mother's clan and nation. A chiefs
son does not succeed him. That is well. On the other hand
the line of descent presents some difficulties. The Onondaga
reservation was not given to that people, but reserved by
them and for them alone. The Oneidas, Cayugas and Sen-
ecas living there have an ownership of the houses they oc-
cupy, but not of the land on which they stand, and if a land
sale or apportionment were now possible this would at once
be seen. Every Onondaga, young or old, would have his or
her share of the land or its proceeds, and no one else. It is
a very simple case of legal rights, as now determined by the
Onondagas themselves.

Of course no one else has any voice in public affairs. The
Oneidas have chiefs in the old way, and the Onondagas
cheerfully install them in the council house, but this gives
them no rights in local matters. Practically the old time
national lines are maintained. They are good neighbors,
sympathetic and helpful, having ties of kindred and other
social virtues, but, after all, an Oneida or Cayuga is not an
Onondaga.

When the old women have chosen a chief and gained ap-
proval, he is usually publicly installed. This is called a con-
dolence, but is not of a religious character. The time and
place are fixed and the call issued with wampum strings.
There are two brotherhoods. The elder brothers are the
Mohawks, Onondagas and Senecas. We have no Mohawks
here. The younger brothers are the Oneidas and Cayugas,
and the Tuscaroras in an irregular way. The latter do not
appear in the condoling songs. The call is made up of three
strings of purple wampum, attached to a small tally stick,
on which are cut notches for the intervening days. Each
day a notch' is removed by the messenger or recipient. For
a war chief a looped string of purple beads is attached to a
stick, and for a religious council white wampum is used
throughout. The mourners are passive in all this, incapable
of action. The elder brothers act for the younger or the
reverse.

174 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

On the appointed day a "woodside fire" is kindled at a
convenient distance from the council house now, but for-
merly at the woodside of the town, or even farther. The
officiating visitors and mourners are ranged on either side,
the wampum is returned and addresses made. Then a pro-
cession is formed for the march to the council house, headed
by a singer who chants the great roll of the first fifty chiefs.

At the first condolence I attended at Onondaga, a large
number of Onondagas and Senecas congregated at noon
farther away than now. An Oneida runner came to find
their names and number. On one side of a stick he cut
notches for the Onondagas — on the other for the Senecas.
We soon moved forward, two singers leading the way to the
woodside fire, and thence to the council house, where the
mourners occupied one end and the condolers the other.
The singers continued the long roll call to its end.

Then a curtain was stretched from side to side, behind
which a fine song was heard from several voices. The cur-
tain was removed, and a rod appeared between two benches,
on which were seven bunches of purple wampum. Each
bunch was carried to the opposite side, a song being intoned
for each one. There it was placed on another stick at the
end, and the singer said, "Now show me the man." The
answer was "Wait." The curtain was rehung, the great
song was heard again, the curtain removed, the wampum
returned with its appropriate songs, the new chief presented
and installed with good advice, and the condolence concluded
with an evening feast. The songs had no accompaniment.

All such observances at Onondaga now attract but little
attention. I was at a condolence there for raising the pres-
ent Tadodaho, Sept. 8, 1917. Hardly a move was made be-
fore the middle of the afternoon. Six persons sat on each of
the two benches at the woodside fire, where a spectacled
chief read his part, and the new chief had a new suit of store
clothes. Three white people and a few Indians were at the
council house.

My contributions to these records have been several ac-
counts from my own notes, all the music used, a revision of
the intoned wampum deliveries at the curtain removals by
arranging mere syllables into words, and more exact work
on Onondaga names of the fifty chiefs.

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 175

MUSIC

Supplementary to this I have many tunes with words, ar-
ranged as dances, usually with accompaniment of one kind
or another. Most of these I had through the Rev. Albert
Cusick, a skilled musician, as sung by native Onondagas,
some of whose names are appended to the several pieces
sung by them. Eighty-seven tunes, mostly without words,
come from Ontario Archaeological reports, Toronto, Can-
ada. Mrs. Harriet M. Converse has collected many among
the N. Y. Senecas, her verses giving the suggested theme
rather than the exact words. Mr. Arthur C. Parker has
collected a few from the Senecas, published in N. Y. reports.
At the memorial services held at L. H. Morgan's tomb in
Mount Hope Cemetery, Rochester, Nov. 14, 1920, an Indian
dirge "was chanted with dramatic effect by an Oneida maid,
Miss Elsie Elms," of Manlius, N. Y. I had returned home
from the Indian Welfare conference, but a friend who was
present wrote me that "The singing of the invocation to the
Great Spirit by Miss Elms, and the prayer in the Mohawk
dialect, were two of the most impressive events I have ever
witnessed. Tears rolled down my cheeks and there were
other wet eyes in the audience." It was arranged to have
this made an Edison record. In November, 1921, I heard
Miss, Elm sing this beautiful dirge in Buffalo.

As far as I know, Prof. Lyman, teacher of music in the
Syracuse public schools, was the first to interest himself in
this line of work here. Before 1894 he had made a fine col-
lection of Onondaga music, giving lectures on these of a high
character. Naturally I failed to get copies of this collection
or descriptions of his Indian musical instruments after his
death, though I tried. The Delaware School, however, se-
cured two pieces, with words, and I have copies of these.
The others probably perished.

In Onondaga songs I have preserved most of the Indian
names, as the Ah-don-wah, or Thanksgiving songs ; Se-tah-
ka-ne-a, or Women's songs; Hah-do-je-ho-en-nah, or False
Face dances; 0-chon-ta O-en-nah, Fish dances; Ta-ya-no-
hah-quad-hah, Scalp dances; Ka-ta-cha-tah, Trotting
dances; and 0-sto-wah-go-nah, the Great Father dance, the
most noted of all. The Senecas have many named after
birds. In Canada there is the Lonesome Woman's song;

176 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

Old and Young Chief's favorite songs ; Discovery and Medi-
cine dances; those for Green Corn and Beans. In all there
may be a score or more of tunes for each theme, mostly
unrecorded.

GAMES

Games are of many kinds and have always entered largely
into the life of the Iroquois. Some of them are very old and
were described by the earliest explorers, as that of the bowl
or dish, frequently mentioned in the earlier Jesuit Relations.
It is now usually called the peachstone game. In early days
the stones of the wild plum were used, but now six peach
stones are ground down to an elliptic flattened form, the op-
posite sides being black or white. I have sets of these but
lack the fine wooden bowl used when I was taught the game.
This was handsomely carved out of a hard knot, and was
three inches deep by eleven across the top. The six stones
are placed in Kah-oon-wah, the bowl, and thence the Onon-
dagas term the game Ta-yune-oo-wah-es, throwing the bowl
to each other as they take it in turn. In public or real play-
ing, two players are on their knees at a time, holding the
bowl between them. In merely learning the game we sat in
chairs, the bowl in another chair between us. Beans are
usually used as counters, but we had plum stones. Some
rules are settled by agreement. Five of one color count as
O-yu-ah, or the Bird. All white or all black gain 0-hen-tak,
or a Field. These two are now the only winning points, but
all white or all black counted in early days.

This ancient game is yet, or was recently, used among
the Onondagas at the White Dog feast. Clan plays against
clan, the Long House against the Short House, and, to fore-
tell the harvest, the women play against the men. If the
men win, the ears of corn will be long, like them ; reversing
this if the women win. This game was much used in divin-
ation ; perhaps in a different way, each piece having its own
familiar spirit, but it is now generally a social game. Gam-
bling at a feast is called Ken-yent-hah.

Father Brebeuf vividly described this as he saw it among
the Hurons in 1636. He said: "The game of the dish is
also in great repute in matters of medicine, especially if

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 177

the sick man has dreamed it. The game is purely chance;
they have for use six plum stones, white on one side, black
on the other, within a dish, which they throw violently
against the ground, so that the stones jump and turn them-
selves, sometimes on the one side, sometimes on the other.
The match consists in having all white ones or all black.
They usually play village against village. The whole com-
pany crowds into one cabin, and arranges itself on the one
side and the other, upon poles raised even to the top. They
bring in the sick man in a blanket, and that one from the
village who is to shake the dish (for there is but one ap-
pointed for this purpose) walks after, his face and head
enveloped in his robe. Both sides bet loud and firmly.
When the one on the opposite holds the dish they scream
loudly, 'Achinc, Achinc, Achinc, Three, three, three;' or
else, 'lo-io, Io-io,' wishing that he may throw only three
white or three black." It strongly suggests one popular
page in our city dailies now.

He adds the methods of some players who were in high
repute for their skill. As they often anointed their pieces
for good luck, this may have served a further purpose ; but
he was astonished to see how, in a covered vessel, they
could have all white or all black at pleasure ; but they were
notorious cheats. Father Bruyas, in the Mohawk Valley,
defined Twatennaweron, to play with the dish, deriving it
from the Mohawk word At-nen-ha, a fruit stone. He gave
many words relating to this game and to casting lots, an-
other common thing. Loskiel, the Moravian, fell intos.an
error, saying: "The chief game of the Iroquois and Dela-
wares is dice, which indeed originated with them. The
dice are made of oval and flattish plum stones, painted
black on one and yellow on the other side."

There is another form of this game of chance, differing
in the number of pieces and their material. Bruyas, lexicon
of Mohawk words, mentions this as the game in which the
women scatter fruit stones with the hand. The mode re-
mains but bone or horn disks are now used. L. H. Morgan
described this as the game of deer buttons, called Gus-ga-e-
sa-ta by the Senecas. They used eight circular buttons of
deer horn, about an inch in diameter and blackened on one
side. These are an eighth of an inch in thickness and bev-
eled to the edge. He said, "This was strictly a fireside

178 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

game, although it was sometimes introduced as an amuse-
ment at the season of religious councils, the people dividing
into tribes, as usual, and betting upon the result."

My set of buttons differs in being smaller, and in having
a circle of eight black dots on one side, arranged around a
central one. This is neatly and accurately done. The On-
ondagas term the game Ta-you-nyun-wat-hah, or Finger
Shaker. One to three hundred beans form the pool, as may
be agreed, and it is a household game.

In playing this the pieces are raised in the hand and
scattered, the desired result being indifferently white or
black, really not differing from Morgan. Two white or
two black will have six of one color, and these count two
beans, called O-yu-ah, or the Bird. The player proceeds till
he loses, when his opponent takes his turn. Seven white or
black gain four beans, called O-nyo-sah, or Pumpkin. All
white or all black gain twenty or a Field. These three are
all that draw anything. The game is played singly or by
partners, without limit to number.

In counting results there is a kind of ascending reduc-
tion; for as two birds make one pumpkin, only one kind
can appear in the count. First come the twenties, then the
fours, then the twos, which can appear but once. Thus we
may say for twenty, Jo-han-to-tah, you have one field or
more, as the case may be. In the fours we can only say,
Ki-ya-ne-you-sah-ka, you have four pumpkins, for five
would make a field. For two beans there is the simple an-
nouncement of O-yu-ah, or bird.

LA CROSSE

La Crosse seems the oldest ball game remaining and the
most widely spread. Three centuries ago, at least, the
Hurons and others played it, village against village, and it
was also played for the sick. When the prophet, Handsome
Lake, reached Onondaga reservation, August 10, 1913, he
was very sick and in great distress. . . . Now it happened
that they all wished to comfort him. So for his pleasure
they started a game of la crosse and played the game well.
It was a bright and beautiful day and they brought him

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 179

out so that he might see the play. Soon he desired to be
taken back into the house," where he died.

The game is too well known to require minute descrip-
tion, but the leading features are the two rival bands who
try to carry or throw the ball between two guarded poles
at either end of the ground. The ball must not be touched
with the hand, but may be caught up, carried or thrown
with the broad bat. This bat is bent into a broad hook at
one end, this part having a network of sinews. It is one of
the most picturesque and exciting of games, the players
racing, dodging, throwing, struggling and digging up the
ball in the liveliest manner possible. With all its seeming
rudeness it is less dangerous than foot or base ball, but the
Onondagas know its boisterous character and call it Ka-
che-kwa-ah, Hitting with their hips. Morgan said the Sen-
eca name is Ota-da-jish-qua-age.

The snow snake game is a simple test of strength and
skill, but is nowhere mentioned by early writers. The long
and slender wooden rod is called Ka-when-tah by the Onon-
dagas and Ga-wa-sa by the Senecas, and is thrown upon the
snow or ice, to see who can send it farthest. It is from five
to seven feet long, flattened and beautifully polished, and
with an upturned pointed head, usually pointed with lead
and blackened. As the long shaft bends in its swift career
it suggests a gliding snake, and hence its name. It is rarely
seen outside of reservations.

There are other games which I need not now describe,
and some have been adapted from us. I have thought the
game of the bell and shoe might have been one of these. A
bell is hidden in one of these shoes by the Onondagas, and
they guess in which it is. In Tanner's Narrative, published
in 1830, he described a similar game played by the Ottawas
and Crees, with four moccasins, in one of which was hid-
den some small object. The guesser and his party touched
these with varying results. In this case, therefore, the On-
ondagas have preserved an old game, substituting modern
articles for primitive forms.

180 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

MID-WINTER FEASTS

Feasts take on many forms, and vary from those which
are periodical and general, to those which are of a more
personal character. At the head of all is or was the mid-
winter feast, which has undergone many changes in the
last three hundred years. I have mentioned this among
the Hurons and give some incidents occurring at Onondaga
in 1656.

"They believe not only in their dreams, but they make a
special feast to the demon of dreams. This feast may be
called the feast of madmen, or the carnival of bad Chris-
tians, for the devil causes almost the same things to be
done there and at the same time. They name this feast
Honnonouaroria. The Ancients go forth to proclaim it
through the streets of the town. We came to the ceremony
the twenty-second of February of this year, 1656. As soon
as this feast was made known by these public cries, one
saw only men, women and children run through the streets
and cabins like madmen, not unlike the masquerade in
Europe. The larger part are almost naked, and seem to be
insensible to cold, which is almost insupportable to those
better clad. It is true that some give no other sign of their
folly than to run half naked through all the cabins, but
others are malicious. Some carry water, or something
worse, and cast it on those they meet. Others take fire-
brands, coals and cinders from the hearth, scattering them
here and there, without considering on what these might
fall. Others break the kettles and dishes, and all the small
household things that come in their way. There are those
who go armed with swords, bayonets, knives, axes, clubs,
and make semblance of wishing to discharge these on the
first comers; and all this is done till some one has found
out and executed this dream, in which there are two things
very remarkable.

"The first is that it sometimes happens that no one is
found who is good enough diviner to guess their thoughts;
for they do not propose them very clearly, but by enigmas,
by concealed words, in singing, and sometimes by gestures
alone. . . . Yet they go not from the place till some one
has guessed their thoughts, and if one is very slow, or
wishes not to interpret it, or is not able, they threaten to

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION jgl

reduce all to fire and ashes. This happens only too often,
as we have found almost to our cost.

"One of these senseless fellows having slipped into our
cabin, wished, with all his might, that some one should
guess his dream and another satisfy it.. Though we had
declared, at the outset, that we were not there to obey these
dreams, he yet persisted for a long time to cry, to storm
and to make himself furious, but in our absence; for we
had retired into a field cabin to escape these disorders. One
of our hosts, wearying of these cries, presented himself to
him, to know what he claimed. This furious man replied :
I kill a Frenchman ; behold my dream, which must be exe-
cuted, whatever it costs. Our host threw to him a French
dress, as though the spoils of a dead man, and at the same
time, putting himself in a fury, said that he would avenge
the death of the Frenchman ; and that his loss will be that
of the whole town, which he would reduce to ashes, com-
mencing with his own cabin. Then he drove from it rela-
tives and friends, servants, and all the great crowd which
had gathered to see issue of this hubbub. Being left alone
he fastens the doors, putting fire everywhere.

At this moment, while every one waited to see this cabin
in flames, Father Chaumonot arrives, coming to do an act
of charity. He sees a horrible smoke issue from his bark
house ; one tells him what it is. He forces a door ; he throws
himself into the midst of the fire and smoke, draws back
the firebrands, extinguishes the fire and gently made our
host come forth, contrary to the expectation of all the popu-
lace, who never resist the fury of the demon of dreams.
This man continues in his fury. He runs through the
streets and cabins, cries as much as he can that he goes to
set all on fire, to avenge the death of the Frenchman. One
presents him a dog to be the victim of his anger, and of the
demon of his passion. It is not enough, said he, to efface
the shame and the affront that one has made me, to wish
to kill a Frenchman lodged in my house. One presents him
a second. He is at once appeased, and returns to his own
house as coolly as if nothing had occurred. . . .

"The brother of our host wished to play his part as well
as the others. He dressed himself as a Satyr, covering
himself from head to foot with husks of Indian corn. He

182 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

arrayed two women as veritable Furies : they had the hair
parted, the face black as coal, the body clothed with two
wolf skins; they were each armed with a lever or a great
stake. The Satyr, seeing them well equipped, promenades
by our cabin, singing and howling with all his might. In
the sequel he mounts upon the roof, he makes a thousand
turns there, crying as if all had been lost. This done he
descends, going gravely through all the town; the two
Furies precede him and break all that they encounter with
their staves. If it is true to say that all men have some
grain of madness, inasmuch as 'the number of fools is in-
definite,' it must be confessed that these people have each
more than half an ounce. Yet this is not all.

"Hardly had our Satyr and our Furies disappeared from
our sight than behold a woman who threw herself into our
cabin. She was armed with an arquebus, which she had
obtained by her dream. She cried, howled, sang, saying
she was going to war against the Nation of the Cat, that
she would fight them and bring back prisoners, giving a
thousand imprecations and a thousand maledictions, if this
thing did not happen as she had dreamed.

"A warrior followed this Amazon. He came in, bow and
arrows in his hand, with a bayonet. He dances, he sings,
he cries, he threatens ; then all at once throws himself upon
a woman who had come in to see this comedy ; he points the
bayonet at her throat; takes her by the hair, contenting
himself by cutting off some, and then he retires to give
place to a diviner, who had dreamed that he could divine
all that any one had hidden."

I need not quote further examples, but content myself
with the good Father's conclusion. "Finally," he said,
"this story would never be finished, if one wished to report
all that they do during the three days and three nights that
this folly lasts, with such a hubbub that one could scarcely
find a moment to be in peace."

The sacrifice of the white dog does not appear at this
winter feast, but this is a graphic picture of Indian life at
Onondaga less than three centuries ago.

By way of contrast I give Mr. Clark's account of the
same feast, mostly as an eye-witness and probably about
1844.

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 183

WHITE DOG FEAST

He observes that it "is celebrated late in the month of
January or early in the month of February, according to
the phasis of the moon. The Indian year is reckoned by
moons, and this great national festival is held in the old
moon nearest to the first of our own month February."

Two sets of managers are appointed for this, with from
ten to twenty young men in each, and these superintend
everything. On the first day four or five managers from
each set leave the council house and run, as fast as possible
to every cabin, knocking on the doors and sides, and calling
on the inmates to come to the council house and share in
the festivities. These managers wear only a waist cloth,
reaching to the knee, but have moccasins on their feet and
plumes on their heads, their faces and bodies being painted.
Fires are now extinguished in all cabins, the managers en-
tering and scattering the ashes with a small wooden shovel.
When the hearth is cleansed a new fire is kindled with flint
.and steel. The other managers are at the council house,
firing guns and shouting to let the people know the feast
has commenced. They welcome all comers and lead them
to the council house.

The second day the managers meet early at the council
house for instructions. They are fantastically dressed and
carry baskets to hold the gifts of the people. Their de-
parture is announced by firing guns and shouts. Each
manager carries a large turtle shell rattle which he uses in
each cabin. Festivities continue at the council house while
this preparation goes on.

On the first of the last three days the managers wear
masks, old blankets, and daub themselves with soot and
grease. At every house they are more importunate than
before, but are supposed to collect the sins of the people.
"On the evening of this day they hold a most ludicrous
dance, called by the white people 'the devil's dance/ in
which they 'dance off the witches.' Nothing can appear
more loathsome and abhorrent than do the participators in
this dance. Covered with grease, coal dust and soot, dressed
in old worn out rags of blankets, tattered buffalo robes, hair
side out, with masks of paper, bark, and husks of corn ; add

184 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

to this the yells and rude music of the savage, and indeed it
may well be styled 'a dance of devils.' '

The next day is one of preparation and of general re-
joicing. Then comes the great sacrificial day. In great
numbers the people flock to the council house. Large fires
are built early in the morning, guns are fired and shouts
are heard. The sacrificial wood is arranged near the coun-
cil house, nearly half a cord in alternate layers crosswise.
A near-by house is used for preparations for the day. A
leader from each side is clothed in a long loose white shirt,
and the other managers are arrayed according to office.
The grand master of ceremonies or high priest's station is
at the council house, where he remains, receiving reports
and giving new directions. On this occasion grey headed
Oh-he-nu, or Capt. Honnos held this post. One messenger,
a woman, attracted special attention. Her new dress was
of fine blue woolen cloth, and her leggings were adorned
with silver brooches and small white beads. The lower
part of the skirt was adorned in the same way. Over the
whole was a mantle of blue cloth which swept the ground.
Her two attendant maidens were likewise dressed. She su-
perintended the feast.

About nine oclock the managers rushed out, followed by
two white dogs, painted with red figures and adorned with
small belts of wampum, with feathers and ribbons, tied
around their necks, legs and tails. A long rope, with a
single slip knot in the center, was passed over the head of
one. It was quickly suffocated when the managers pulled
lustily on each end of the rope, after which it was hung up
on a ladder against the house. The other had the same
fate. Guns were fired, thirty or forty persons rushed out
of the council house, gave three great yells and retired.
Half an hour later the dogs were taken down and carried
into the house of preparation, where spectators were not
admitted.

From the managers the collective sins of the people were
now transferred to the two white clad leaders, and thence
to the dogs. These were placed on the shoulders of chosen
bearers, and a procession was formed in double file. This
moved slowly and silently around the house of preparation,
through the two opposite doors of the council house and

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 18S

around it. There, meanwhile, the offerings had been hung
on pegs around the room, presented to the head chief for
his blessing and returned to their place, all this in a rever-
ential way.

When the dogs were brought in, the procession moved in
single file three times around the platform before they
were laid down. At each round the old chief gravely rose,
placed his hands on the shoulders of the first bearer, and
whispered something in his ear. Other chiefs did the same.
The procession moved on and at the end of the third round
the dogs were laid on the platform, around which the pro-
cession still moved.

Outside the pile had been fired and half consumed, and
Capt. Honnos directed the bearers to take up the dogs, he
himself leading as it moved in single file. The white robed
leaders followed him, the canine bearers, the managers,
and others as they could, all singing, as they marched
around the council house to the burning pile. Thrice they
moved around this, and then Capt. Honnos stopped on the
west side, facing the cast and toward the fire, the leaders
and bearers on his left hand. A prayer and chant, and the
dogs were laid at his feet. Another prayer and chant, and
one dog was cast on the burning pile. With like ceremonies
the other followed, and gifts were thrown on the fire at
intervals. When all were nearly consumed the procession
returned to the council house, and thence the managers
went to the house of preparation.

Time brings changes, as we see in the two accounts
already given. Jan. 18, 1894, I attended the concluding
ceremonies of the White Dog feast at Onondaga, under the
escort of Daniel La Fort, then acting as head chief. This
day is called Koon-wah-tun-was, They are burning the dog.
Late in the morning we went to the council house, where
about thirty men and boys, and a dozen females were as-
sembled. All the men wore their hats, and in the council
house all had on their ordinary attire. At the smaller
house, usually called the short house to distinguish it from
the long house, the sedate John Green was gaudily feathered
and dressed, and Thomas Webster, then keeper of the
wampum, wore a feather head-dress. Both had some red
paint; La Fort had none of either. The clans were divided

186 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

as usual: the Wolf, Turtle, Beaver and Snipe in the long
house ; the Bear, Deer, Hawk and Eel in the short house.

A little before noon La Fort arose and began an address,
to which there were frequent responses of "Ne-a!" a note
of approval. He alone of the Indians uncovered his head,
though most of them bowed. Perhaps half responded. A
gun was heard, and a messenger from the short house en-
tered, asking guesses on a dream. He stood facing the
men, and they questioned him amid much merriment. A
curious chant with responses followed this. A man arose
to give another dream, and there was some more quiet fun.
He sat down, and a woman came and whispered another
dream in his ear. He rose and stated this, with a little
more fun, and a messenger took it to the other house, to be
solved there. A chant followed, with responses. Several
boys were present with guns and pistols, and some of these
now went out and fired them.

There were cries outside and another messenger came.
There was another chant, some keeping up an accompani-
ment of "He! He!" He!" beating time with the feet, and
ending with a long drawn out "Wo-o-o-o-a-a-ah," with a
falling cadance. A short speech and guesses at the dream
followed, with more laughter, and the same prolonged cry
and falling cadence. This messenger retired with the boys,
and there were again cries and firing without. Another
messenger came, and this was several times repeated, while
we heard similar chants from the other house.

The council house stands nearly east and west, with op-
posite doors in the center, differing in this from most
others. The south door was opened as a procession started
from the short house on the north side, chanting as it came.
It consisted of John Green and two men, the last of whom
bore the white basket which now represents the dog. Fifty
years earlier two white dogs were consumed on a pile of
wood outside; then but one; then this was dropped into a
stove, and now a white basket takes its place. La Fort told
me that this is because the sacred breed of dogs is extinct,
but others simply say the present way is better.

In the council house two benches were placed across the
house, in front of the two stoves. On one of these, at the
east or men's end, sat La Fort and four others. Two women

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 187

took the opposite one. These are called "Ho-no-wi-yah Sa-
na Ta-en-ya-wah-ke, "Those begging Ta-en-ya-wah-ke for
the people." John Green, the leader of the procession, had
a similar name, the prayers going to the Holder of the
heavens through him.

When the three men came in they placed the offerings of
tobacco, etc., on the floor between the two benches, as well
as the basket representing the dog, and marched around
these, chanting. As the leader came along the man at the
south end of the bench stopped him, rising and placing his
hand on his shoulder, while saying a few words. This
might be, as of old, "Well, my cousin, what would think if
I gave a dog to the Great Spirit?" or "If I should give some
tobacco?" and as through all the offerings. Green re-
sponded, "Ne-ah-we-hah, Thank you," and the procession
moved around again. The second man stopped him as did
the other men and women in turn, at each successive cir-
cuit. They spoke for the people to him, and he to the Great
Spirit for them.

After this John Green made quite a long address or
prayer, intoned and with responses. Part of the time all
joined in the responses and chants. Thomas Webster also
made a similar address. The old "He! He!" accompani-
ment came in at times. The march being resumed, the pro-
cession stopped before the north door for another chant and
response, and then passed out, bearing all the offerings.

While they were gone La Fort made another address,
keeping his hat on. In fact I was the only one there with
uncovered head, my hat being convenient for making notes
in a quiet way. A chant was again heard from the other
house, and the procession returned thence, followed by all
who were there, marching through the north door, across
the room and out of the south door. The men in the council
house followed next and then the women, turning to the
east as they pressed outside, past the east end, back to the
east end of the short house, along its north side and west
end, and back through the north door of the council house,
around the eastern stove. Three baskets were now carried,
with a smaller basket or bundle, and all were adorned with
ribbons. The march was slow and solemn, and at the end
all stood.

158 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

Thomas Webster was on the southeast of the stove, fac-
ing it, with William Buck at his right. Green faced them
on the northwest of the stove. Buck cried "Kwe!" three
times, very loudly and sharply, but with intervals. This is
the ancient cry of joy or sorrow, according to intonation.
Then came a chant by all. The stove door was opened and
two of the baskets were thrust in. Webster made an in-
toned address, followed by a chant, the stove was again
opened and the tobacco and other offerings went into the
fire. All stood around, chanting with bowed heads. Green
followed this with a prolonged "0-hone-o-o-o-o-nu-eh !"
Still standing on the nothwest he chanted again, and there
was the usual response. All but the three leaders then sat
down, and there came the ancient "He ! He !" with the meas-
ured tramp of feet by those on the benches. Green marched
around the stove once, keeping time with this. William
Buck then made an address, standing on the east side with
a chant and response, and marching around once chanting.

A chant with the accompanying "He!" followed from one
of those sitting down, who came forward and marched a
little way. Another did the same, marching slowly, both
having the same response. Webster again made an intoned
address, standing on the southeast, after which John
Green led the short house procession back to it again.
Soon the remaining women went out and then the men, and
the great ceremony of the day was over. My friend and I
were the only white persons present.

I add some other notes resulting from questions I asked.
The Onondaga name of this feast closely corresponds tp
that of the old Dream Feast of the 17th century. It is Ko-
no-why-yah-ha in the feminine; for men, Hoo-no-why-yah-
ha, and is, properly, the asking or begging feast. This old
feature is still prominent, as I have shown. A woman asks
for something and a man speaks for her, as is the Iroquois
custom. "You hear! She pleads (with a rumble like a
bull). Guess what it is!" She has already told him her
dream or desire. Some one says, perhaps in jest: "May
be she'll like this!" One house guesses for the other, and
they have some fun out of it. At last the right guess is
made, and the response is: "Neah-wen-ha ; Thank you."
All take part in this from the two houses.

Challenges are also made for other and future feasts, to

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 189

enliven them. One says: "I can beat any one running."
Another replies: "I am the man you are looking for;" and
the race is arranged later, the house of the challenger fur-
nishing bread.

I have summarized these three accounts for direct con-
trast, but have heard nothing of the famous White Dog
feast in many years.

OTHER FEASTS

The annual dead feast is 0-kee-we. At this the female
keepers of the Faith are appointed, who are called 0-nah-
ta-hone-tah. They are many and men hold a like office.
The dead feast, ten days after death, is called Ah-tya-hak-
koon-sa, and that coming from dreams is the same. I was
in a house one day, with an Indian friend, when an old
woman asked him to attend a dead feast there. "But," I
said, "she is not dead; why does she want a dead feast?"
The dead had told her, in a dream, to hold this feast. It
would help her.

The other annual Onondaga feasts are that of the Maple,
Planting, Strawberry, Green Bean, Green Corn and Har-
vest feasts. I omit the long Onondaga names of these.
Among the Senecas Morgan omits the Bean feast, and
others are now obsolete.

Among personal feasts the most famous has been the
eat all feast, where great preparations were made and the
guests were expected to eat all that was set before them.
The most famous of those here was the one at Onondaga
lake, March 20, 1658. Radisson gave a graphic account of
this, being present, but I will not follow his antique spell-
ing. They began with a dozen great kettles of beaten In-
dian corn, dressed with mince meat, and are thankful for
generous hosts. "They eat as so many wolves, having eyes
bigger than bellies ; they are rare at it without any noise."
Two kettles of wild geese, two of wild ducks, two of wild
pigeons, then salmon and eels in profusion. "Were they to
burst, here they will show their courage." Bears' meat and
venison follow, and at last "The wild men can hold out no
longer; they must sleep. They cry out, Skennon, enough;

190 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

we can bear no more." And so the French get away, for
the Onondagas succumbed at the eat all feast. They came
hungry and were gorged.

Mr. Arthur C. Parker said of this, that "Ga-i-wi-u, mean-
ing Glad Tidings, is the religion spread among the Iroquois
by Ganeodaiu, called the Prophet. He began his preaching
in 1800, and was ultimately successful in utterly extin-
guishing the ancient Iroquois religion. His teachings are
a curious blending of ancient ideas and beliefs with the
ideas and beliefs of modern times. His teachings are still
preached by six preachers among the Iroquois of New
York and Canada. Each preacher has memorized the en-
tire teachings." He adds first a translation to the Seneca
text, which I have followed. His second is slightly differ-
ent and has 130 sections.

On Handsome Lake's monument at Onondaga is this in-
scription :

"Ga-nya-di-yoh
Author of the Present
Indian Religion

Born at

Ga-noh-wau-gus
Genesee Co. N. Y. 1735

Died Aug. 10, 1815
At Onondaga Reservation
Handsome Lake."

This is on the site of the old council house, beneath which
he was buried.

Gaiwiu begins with the prophet's trance and revelation.
The account is followed by over ninety sections of direct
teaching, concluding with his death. Three angels reveal
nearly all rules, many of them very good, but the fourth
defers his coming to the last. The account of this meeting
is curious. "He held up his hands, and they were pierced,
and in his breast was a spear wound. His hands and feet
were torn with nails. It was true as could be seen. And
the blood was fresh. Then said the man : They murdered

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION Ifl

me because of unbelief. So I have come home, and I will
shut the doors of heaven, that all may see me when the
earth passes away. Then will people cry unto me and they
will crave my mercy. Then in this way will I come; my
face will be very sober, and I will turn it toward my people."

The sections on drinking are good, causing a speedy
reformation, and the one on short marriages might well be
followed by our own people. "Now God ordained that
when people marry it is for a lifetime, forever, as long as
the people live, and are married till parted by death."

Section 49 treats of a dispute in heaven between two
parties. "One is the Great Ruler, the Creator, and the
other is the evil-minded, the devil. You who live on earth
do not know the things of heaven.

"Now the devil said: 'I am the ruler of earth, because
when I command, I speak but once and man obeys.' Then
said the Great Ruler : 'The earth is mine. I have created
it, and you helped in no part.'

"Now the devil answered : 'I acknowledge that you have
created the earth, and that I helped in no part, but when I
say to men, Obey me! they obey, but they do not hear you.'
And the Great Ruler said: 'The children are mine, for
they have never done evil.' The devil answering, said:
'Nay, the children are mine, for when I say to one, Pick up
that stick and strike your fellow, they obey me. All the
children are mine.'

"Then was the Great ruler sad, and he said : 'Once more
I will send my messenger, and say how I feel. In this way
I will claim my own.' And the devil said : 'It will not be
long before they transgress the words of the prophecy. I
will destroy it with one word, for they will do what I say.
It is very true that I delight in the name Ha-nis-se-o-no. It
is true that whosoever loves my name, though he be on the
other side of the earth, will find me at his back instantly.'

"Now the Great Ruler spoke to the four angels and said,
'Tell men that at present they must not call me Haweniu,
the Great Ruler, for the devil thinks himself the ruler. So,
whosoever is converted to my way must say, when he calls
upon me or speaks my name, Hodianokda Hediohe, our
Creator. And whoever speaks of the devil must say Segoyi-

192 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

natha (the punisher). Then will the devil know that you
know who he is.' "

In Section 92 "he saw a house suspended midway be-
tween the sky and clouds. Around the house was a porch
with a fence about it. A man was walking on the porch,
and a kwenissia (penny dog) was following him. The
man was rejoicing, and he was a white man." He was told
that he was "the first and oldest President, and he is now
happy." He is the only white man who ever came so near
heaven. It is said there was once a condition in which the
thirteen fires and the king were in trouble. The thirteen
fires were victorious, and this man won the victory from
the king. And when he said : 'You have overpowered me,
and now I release all that was in my control. It is your
privilege to do with these Indians, who are my helpers, as
you please. Let them be meat for your sacrifice.' Then
said the President, 'They may live, and return to their
places; and their lands are theirs and they are independ-
ent!' It is said that he has done a great thing. He has
done this that a people might enjoy freedom."

In this I miss much that was said in the preaching at
Onondaga in August, 1894, and it differs also from Mor-
gan's report at an earlier day. The summons to a religious
council is by white wampum instead of purple, and ten long
strings of white wampum are held by an attendant, while
the preacher recites part of Gaiwiu from ten o'clock to
noon Morgan said: "There is a popular belief among the
Iroquois that the early part of the day is dedicated to the
Great Spirit, and the after part to the spirits of the dead ;
consequently their religious services should properly be
concluded at meridian. They still retain the theory, and to
this day religious discourses are seldom continued after
noon."

Mr. Parker says, in his introduction to "The Code of
Handsome Lake": "The time consumed in reciting the
Gaiwiio is always three days. At noon, each day, the ex-
positor stops, for the sun is in midheaven and ready to de-
scend. All sacred things must be sedetcia, early in the
morning. Before sunrise each morning of the preaching,
the preacher stands at the fireplace in the long house and
sings a song known as the Sun Song. This is in obedience

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 19J

to a command of the prophet, who promised that it should
insure good weather for the day." "The wind always dies
down when I sing that song," affirms Chief Cornplanter.

During the recital of the Gaiwiio the preacher stands at
the fireplace, which serves as the altar. Sitting beside him
is an assistant, or some officer of the rites, who holds a
white wampum strand. A select congregation sits on
benches, placed across the long house, but the majority use
the double row of seats around the walls."

The stated preaching is in September and midwinter.
Since Mr. Parker edited the Code two of the six preachers
have died.

Commissioner Dearborn, at the Buffalo Creek reserva-
tion, 1838, speaks of Handsome Lake as then residing on
the Tonawanda reservation, mistaking his representative
for him. He mentions another at Buffalo, called Ne-an-wis-
tan-on. "The illustrious prophet of this reservation, dreams
like the patriarchs of old and sees visions. Since the ques-
tion of emigrating to the west has been agitated in the
tribe, and very recently, this learned pagan reports that he
went to hell, in one of his spiritual nocturnal excursions.
He passed over an immense prairie, and at the distant end
beheld an enormous stone edifice, without doors or win-
dows, but the guide who accompanied him — being a special
messenger from the Great Spirit — knocked against the
wall and instantly an opening was made, from which issued
a blaze that ascended hundreds of feet above the roofs, and
he beheld within huge potash kettles, filled with boiling oil
and molten lead, and there were the wicked, rising and
falling and tumbling over in the bubbling fluids; and ever
and anon, as the heads of some were thrown above the top
of the kettles, they gave a horrid yell and down they
plunged again. There, he was told, would be punished all
the chiefs who advised emigration."

CONSTITUTION OF THE FIVE NATIONS

This curious document, also edited by Mr. Parker, was
issued in 1916. He said, "The two principal manuscripts
that form the basis of this work were found in the Six

194 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

Nations Reservation, Ontario, Canada, in 1910. The first
manuscript was a lengthy account of the Dekanawida
legend and an account of the Confederate Iroquois laws.
This material has been brought together by Seth Newhouse,
a Mohawk, who has expended a large amount of time and
given the subject a lengthy study. His account, written in
Indian English, was submitted to Albert Cusick, a New
York Onondaga. . . . Mr. Cusick was employed for more
than a month in correcting the Newhouse manuscript, until
he believed the form in which it is now presented fairly
correct, and at least as accurate as a free translation could
be made. The second manuscript was compiled by the
chiefs of the Six Nations council, and in the form here pub-
lished has been reviewed and corrected by several of their
own number."

WAMPUM BELTS

Mr. Newhouse came to me with these documents, but I
had completed my ten years work for the State and re-
ferred him to others. Their greatest value, it seems to me,
is in the preservation of some curious legends — often con-
tradictory— and in the references to figures of speech and
some odd customs whose date is easily shown. As to wam-
pum, I have handled too much to have faith in the remote
age of any of Iroquois origin, save that found on their de-
serted sites. It came to them with the white man. From
the belts illustrating the Constitution I will give two in-
stances. First, the two large covenant belts which I bought
at Onondaga for the State Museum in 1898. These are the
widest belts known. The one of 50 rows is entitled the
"Great Belt of the Confederacy, symbolizing the Gayanes-
shagowa as an ever growing tree." This was not the On-
ondaga name. The interpretation of 1886 was "The second
belt used by the principal chief of the Six Nations, very old."
Mr. T. Donaldson's note is similar: "The wing mat used
by the head man to shield him from the dust while presid-
ing at the council." The companion belt is of 45 rows, and
in this case is entitled "Belt of the covenant. Displayed by
the speaker of the confederate council."

There are good figures of both these belts in Mr. Parker's

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 19*

Iroquois Myths and Legends. In that of the widest his
footnote reads : "Wing or Dust Fan of the president of the
council. This is an Onondaga national belt and the largest
known. The design is said to represent an endlessly grow-
ing tree, which symbolizes the perpetuity of the league."

On the other he has two footnotes: the first, below the
page of print, reads, "Ot-to-tar-ho or To-ta-da-ho became
the first presiding sachem of the confederacy. The wam-
pum belt commemorating him is second only in size to the
Wing or Carpet belt of the league. Both belts are in the
State Museum." The second note is beneath the figure of
the belt: "To-ta-da-ho belt — sometimes called the Prese-
dentia. It is the second largest belt known. The series of
diamonds in the center is said to represent a covenant chain
always to be kept bright." While it is not the original
great colonial covenant chain belt, often described, the de-
sign is appropriate for a league of some kind.

Neither of these great belts show marks of age, though
both have been neatly shortened. Both are nicely made on
small buckskin thongs, with a hard red thread, and ap-
parently by one person. Their modern origin is at once
evident to any careful observer, if there were no further
proof. In February, 1756, nearly 600 of the Iroquois were
at Fort Johnson, Red Head, of Onondaga, being speaker.
He said : "Look upon this Belt. [This Belt was the largest
ever given, upon it was wrought the sun by way of the
emblem of Light and some figures representing the Six
Nations: it was intended to signify that they now saw ob-
jects in their proper Light and that they were fully con-
vinced of the truth of every thing proposed] as a pledge of
our inviolable attachment to you. . . . We shall send this
belt to the Senecas that from thence it may be conveyed
to the remotest nations.

At the same place, June 19, 1757, "The Senecas spread
a prodigious large Belt upon the floor, of 30 rows broad
of wampum, with a figure of of the sun in the middle and
the Six Nations at one end. They told Sir William this
belt they had made use of to invite some nations of Indians
to remove nearer to them and join their confederacy. That
they had sent to all the scattered Indians of the Six Nations
to return and live in their own country," etc. It is evident

196 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

that if this was the largest belt then known to the Onon-
dagas, the two I bought of them did not then exist.

The other belt, now sometimes called that of Hiawatha,
and with a new interpretation to make it appear old, is a
well known Onondaga belt with a heart in the center, and
originally having at least three nations on each side, shown
by the connecting links. The mythical plan of having all
nations in the confederacy utterly failed. A seventh nation
did propose to enter the League in 1723, but thought better
of it.

That a constitution of 117 sections was, at the very out-
set, adopted by five bodies of hitherto hostile people, hardly
seems reasonable to me. The present provisions for voting
in Canada, certainly are not those that appear in the early
history of New York.

How they should sit in council is a matter of etiquette,
and might require long and grave deliberation, but I hardly
think they would have made a law about placing a stick
across the door to show that no one was at home. The
Iroquois were given to sudden hostile outbreaks, and we
hear nothing of three successive warnings till 1753. Yet
the Constitution says this was the law 150 years earlier.
In the same way we can point out the date, very nearly,
of the present arrangement of the Elder and Younger Bro-
thers. In 1746, at a council, the official interpreter was ill,
and it was thought best to have a chief give the address
to the Indians.

Golden said, "At first a Mohawk Sachem was pitched
upon ; but the Sachems themselves told us, That for some
time past a kind of Party Division among the Six Nations
had subsisted : That the Mohawks, Onondages and Senekas
form'd one Party; and the Oneydoes, Tuscaroras, and
Cayugas, the other: That, as the Mohawks might be sus-
pected to be more partial to the English, it would be of
more Use to employ one of the other Party ; and an Oneydo
Sachem was proposed for that Purpose."

The Iroquois were not exempt from the common rule,
that laws are made as needs arise. At some time, near
or remote, these 117 rules have been in use here or in
Canada, but not all in the beginning, and that beginning

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 197

was not earlier than 1590. Like the Onondagas I prefer
ten years later.

GOVERNMENT AND LANDS

The government of the Iroquois is a pure oligarchy. In
his chapter on governments, in his League of the Iroquois,
Mr. L. H. Morgan concedes this, specifying his reasons "for
regarding the government of the Iroquois as an oligarchy
rather than an aristocracy." All early writers, however,
recognize the latter as well. He concludes that "The oligar-
chical form of government is not without its advantages,
although indicative of a low state of civilization." In his
able argument he overlooks one feature resulting from his
classification of principal chiefs. The Onondagas have eight
clans and fourteen chiefs and three of these clans are un-
represented in the grand council. Two of the Cayuga and
two of the Seneca clans have the same luck. There are
other ways in which a large portion of three of the Five
Nations are completely disfranchised. Their only remedy
seems to be in demanding their rights in some orderly
way but they must do it themselves. Then they can call
on the United States to see that they have them.

There are now three classes of chiefs. Principal chiefs,
who are chosen by the women of certain families in the
clans to which they belong. After being installed these
may be deposed in an orderly way by those who have
chosen them, the other clans having nothing to say. War
chiefs are also appointed as personal assistants to these
when there is no war to engage their attention. When
we have war they are always the foremost to volunteer in
our hour of need. There are Pine Tree chiefs, some of
whom I have known. With wonderful foresight they were
provided for in the 35th section of the Constitution, as
follows : —

"Should any man of the Nation assist with special ability
or show great interest in the affairs of the Nation, if he
proves himself wise, honest and worthy of confidence, the
Confederate Lords may elect him to a seat with them, and
he may sit in the Confederate Council. He shall be pro-
claimed a Pine Tree sprung up for the Nation, and be in-

198 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

stalled as such at the next assembly for the installation
of Lords. Should he ever do any thing contrary to the
rules of the Great Peace, he may not be deposed from office
— no one shall cut him down — but thereafter every one
shall be deaf to his voice and his advice. Should he resign
his seat and title no one shall prevent him. A Pine Tree
chief has no authority to name a successor, nor is his
office hereditary."

At Onondaga a principal chief is called Ho-yah-nah Ha-
son-no-wah-ne, Good man with big name, and is now com-
monly called chief and formerly captain. In Canada he is
a Confederate Lord. At Onondaga a pine tree chief is
said to have his roots in heaven.

MODERN QUESTIONS

Government is connected with the tenure of land in many
ways, and the Iroquois women have always claimed that,
as they till the land, they are the owners. This title might
not hold good now; but in pioneer days two women, in
every nation, were guardians of their rights. Close by, the
Onondaga reservation has special features. It was not re-
served for them but by them. They hold it by the recog-
nized right of conquest. No matter how long one of an-
other nationality has lived there, he owns not a foot of land.
The house, the fence, the farming tools may be his, but
nothing more. If it were sold or apportioned, only the
Onondagas there would have a share.

Some years ago the question of apportionment came up.
In one case, and probably many, it was linked with another
— that of nationality. A progressive friend of mine had
a good farm, house and barns, a capable wife and indus-
trious children. His wife was an Oneida, and therefore,
as children are of the mother's clan and nation, all his
children were Oneidas. This was the way he reasoned:
"I will get my share, but it will be less than I have now.
My wife will get nothing. My children will have not an
acre. No apportionment for me." Was he not right?

There is the question of citizenship. It ought not to be
forced on the Indian. He himself is preparing for it un-

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 199

consciously or the reverse, but one thing influences him
greatly. He shrinks from taxation and we are not fond
of it ourselves. A good friend of mine, anxious for Indian
welfare, said one day to one of my Indian friends: "Why
doesn't Dr. Beauchamp, when he comes here, talk to the
Indians about being citizens, instead of collecting stories,
songs, pictures, words and curios?"

Well, I had never thought it my duty, and don't think
it was, yet. My friend did not excuse me but answered
for himself in this way: "We don't want to be citizens.
I would have to pay taxes. I have a little place where I
raise what I want, but I am not very well. Some time
I'll be sick and have no money for taxes. Next year it
may be the same, and the next, and then I'll lose my little
place in which I have taken such comfort." He was not
the only one who takes this view.

I wish to say a little more on the land question. A great
deal has been said on this and on the unfairness with which
the Indians have been treated in the purchase of land,
and such instances there have been, beyond all question.
The Onondagas draw some annuities from the State, but
these are not gifts, as some people think. They are the
interest on what we still owe for those lands, just as the
United States is statedly paying interest on Liberty bonds.

Now there was a certain land or water purchase close by
Syracuse made by Sir William Johnson in 1752, of which
he was not specially proud. The French were then schem-
ing for a fort at Onondaga lake and he interfered for the
public good. He had a conference with the Onondagas and
they granted him the lake and the land for two miles around
it. They signed a deed and he paid them 350 pounds before
witnesses. That was $1750 with money worth more than
now. No wonder the Assembly refused to buy a big swamp
far away in the wilderness at that price. They granted
him the tract, but it was a dead loss. Not to the Onondagas,
though, for they had been paid for it. It became a part of
the salt reservation in later days, and they had a second
payment. Those acres will be worth something some day,
yet, but for the white man they would have been as value-
less as they were centuries ago. In fact it is but recently
that any one would have thought these swamps a good in-
vestment.

200 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

John Goldie, the botanist, was at Salina in August, 1819,
and was thoroughly disgusted with the place. He went
thence to Sackett's Harbor, crossing Oneida river by ferry
at Brewerton. This is his comment on the road beyond:
"The land here does not seem to be worth much. I have
seen farms to-day that I would not take as a present, they
are so barren." This was sometimes the case on the Mili-
tary Tract. Men looked at their grants and turned on
their heels. How high a rate of interest has Cicero Swamp
paid? The Cowaselon Swamp in Madison Co. is becom-
ing a fertile garden, but it was a dreary place when I
first saw it. It is not fair to the white man to measure
wilderness prices by present day values. In November, 1921,
the Post-Standard said, of a section north of Syracuse:
"Turkeys are generally raised there, for the land is too
poor for much of any thing else."

You will remember the cost of surveying and mapping
the wilderness, the clearing of land and laying out of roads,
and you may find out that the white man really paid a
pretty good price for unimproved land. He was the one
who gave it real value. The question 'is not what is it
worth now, but what was it worth then.

Johnson had another experience in land buying in 1768,
when he settled the line of property" or boundary line be-
tween the whites and Indians to the south of Fort Stanwix,
by which all the land east of the line became Government
property. The presents cost over 10,460 pounds, beside
other expenses. From near Fort Stanwix the line ran gen-
erally south nearly to the Pennsylvania line. Some thought
it cost too much.

ORNAMENTS

The white man's beads at once attracted all Indians, and
their bead work has ever since been famous. Some of this
is wonderful. Before the white man came the Iroquois
were restricted to rude stone beads, disk shell beads made
flat and thin and easily perforated, occasional native pearl
beads, perforated by a copper awl. These they obtained
but did -not make. They also made larger rude shell beads
of the columella of a sea shell having a natural perfora-

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 201

tion. Occasionally fresh water shells were perforated and
strung, as in the legend of Hiawatha. These were rare.
In their earlier embroidery they used colored porcupine
quills or elk's or moose hair. Some large, beautiful and
quite rare glass beads are found on their recent sites. No
wonder they were prized.

The teeth of the elk, bear and wolf were used for collars
and necklaces. A small and perforated bone of the deer
furnished bangles for the skirts of women, but these gave
place to cones of sheet copper or perforated thimbles. At
first brass brooches were made for the adornment of both
men and women. At the close of the 17th century these
gave place to finer forms made of silver, which were lavishly
used up to the middle of the nineteenth century. Silver
head bands of great beauty, bracelets, ear-rings, large and
small crosses, and beads were among these, but all are now
very rare. The best were made by white men, but Indians
were soon skilled in the simpler forms,

I need not now describe the more useful articles, as the
mortar and pestle, cradle board, wooden spoons and minor
articles, but most of these have disappeared before later
things. The Onondaga reservation is quite a modern place
now. I recently attended an Oneida picnic there and the
young men and maidens were quite up to date in dress,
and the table in all things good.

RELATIONSHIP

Relationship is on the mother's side, as said before, chil-
dren being of her clan, family and nation. Thus the cele-
brated Logan was the son of an Oneida chief, but his mother
was a Cayuga, and so Logan's monument has an appropriate
place in Fort Hill cemetery, Auburn, N. Y. Sagoyewatha,
(He keeps them awake) or Red Jacket, has a Cayuga name
and was born at Canoga, a Cayuga town, probably having
a Cayuga father, but his mother was a Seneca and that
determined his nationality. He was known to many as the
Cow Killer.

On the father's side Onondagas are simply Ah-kaa-kah-
to-ne-ha-no, i. e. On my father's side, the paternal relation-

202 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

ship being recognized. Albert Cusick's father was a Tus-
carora Turtle, his mother an Onondaga Eel. The Turtles
on the Onondaga reservation gave him a double, portion
of cakes at New Year's, as being his fathers. "Hello ! here
is our child. Give him more." They, have the custom or
did have of going around at New Year's for cakes, etc.,
saying "New Yah," or "Ne-ah," for New Year. They prob-
ably speak better English now, as they have progressed
since I wrote this note. At that time a whole family might
go together.

On relationship my sister had a curious experience. She
volunteered to take our church school there for a few weeks
in order that the teacher might have a needed vacation.
The catechism was taught and the children would say,
"Thou shalt honor thy mother and thy father." Probably
the mother did deserve first place.

There was another custom but recently passed away —
that of clan burial. The wife would be buried with her
family, not with her husband. I should have also said that
a man must not marry into his own clan, the relationship
being considered too close.

ODDS AND ENDS

I add, in a general way, some notes from Albert Cusick.
He said the old Tuscaroras had a custom which they thought
would keep their teeth white and strong through life, a
thing much to be desired. A man caught a snake and held
it by the head and tail. Then he bit it through, all the way
from the head to the tail. This kept the teeth from decay.
If you try it please follow directions.

George Fish used medicine in trapping, and would not
have the head of a muskrat broken lest it should bring
bad luck.

John Obadiah, before hunting deer, used to boil green
osier bark, and, for a few days, drink enough to make him
vomit. The deer would then be so tame that he could almost
catch them. Even his gun at times must not be touched
by a woman. For a long time his name was O-skon-tah,
Bark, but at a Green Corn dance he had it changed to

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

Nyah-sa-kwa-ta, Crane or Heron. Names were often
changed and Cusick's first name he gave to me.

He said, "I do not think the Indians have any idea of un-
lucky days; only when they see a large circle around the
sun or moon, they say it is going to snow if in winter; if
in summer, rain."

He added, "The only thing I ever heard the Indian say
about Candlemas day is, that when we have February thun-
der it wakes the bears and woodchucks, but not on a cer-
tain day; as we may not have thunder till most of March
has passed."

The evil eye : "I have heard some of the old Indians say,
'Just watch that person's eye.' If it be smoky he is a
witch." The Indians call it Ho-ka-ah-ta-ken, or burned
eye.

In 1893, he wrote, "I do not think there is much difference
in the customs at death from those among the whites. The
difference might be that the Indians sit up all night to
watch the dead : if it be a Christian death the Indians watch
by singing with note-books and having a late supper. But
if a pagan dies, the pagan Indians gamble .while watching
the dead, and sometimes they have a dance."

THE WOMEN'S NIGHT DANCE

He told me two stories of the Night Dance, as a pleasant
reminiscence. It resembles the O-kee-weh, but comes often
and at pleasure, and is managed by women alone. One or
more chickens are boiled or roasted, and are known as the
"head" of the feast. At a certain time the boys try to
steal this head, which is their lawful privilege if they can
do it, and he was always ready to take part in the fun.
I presume those good old times are gone.

Usually a kettle is placed in the middle of the circle
of women and the chicken is in the soup. If it is roasted
another receptacle is found. One night, at a private house,
there was no kettle in this circle and the women gathered
around the pantry door. The boys took in the situation.
There was no getting through the pantry door, but an ac-

204 IROQUOIS FOLK LOEE

tive lad tried the window, found two roast chickens in a
pan, secured some corn, bread and other good things, and
got off unobserved. They carried their booty to the green
by the council house and there ate it all.

"Then, according to custom, they began to caw like crows.
The women said, 'You are all frauds. You haven't found
the head. We have that all safe.' The boys slipped the pan
of bones back into the pantry and the dances went on. A
speech was made. One head was to go to the speaker and
the other to the singers. They opened the door and noth-
ing appeared." When they got ^her e the pantry was bare,
and so the poor women had ncne.

"There was a dance at Mary Green's one night, and the
boys ran about, imitating hungry crows. A circle of women
surrounded the stove in the center of the room, and the
head was in a big kettle on the stove. It seemed inaccessible
and the soup was hot. Several boys tried to creep on their
hands and knees through the circle and failed. At last
one got through in the dark interval, and made off with
the chicken in a pail. The crows were soon heard again."
This dance is also for the sick and has similar tunes. When
they hear of one the boys get together and plan how they
may steal the head. At intervals the lights are put out
and then is their chance. The older people say, "Get it if
you can."

HIDDEN IN THE HUSKS

Among the Onondagas, it is said, were formerly persons
called Ta-na-se-weh-too, Hidden in the husks. These were
said to "be 7Tcovered in the husk" if kept out of the sight
of all persons, and thus they were preserved absolutely
pure from birth, being hidden at once by the mother. If
a boy and girl had been thus hidden they were married,
if possible, when of suitable age. Cusick knew of no such
cases, but it was a tradition that it was an old custom.
Hewitt uses a different Onondaga word and for a differing
traditional usage. Dehanoadon is defined by him as, He is
defended by down, and Deienoadon, She is defended by
down. This general term is down fended, cat-tail down
being scattered about their abode as a means of detection.
I consider this as unfounded in fact, though appearing in
t*\vo varying Onondaga forms.

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 205

THE STARS

I give, from Hewitt's Seneca creation myth, the story
of the origin of the stars:

"After the woman found a place on the turtle, and grass
and shrubs appeared, she stood up and said, 'Now will come
the sun, which shall be called En-dek-ha (pertaining to the
day) .' It appeared, and when it set it was dark again.
Then she said, 'Now will come the stars like spots in the
sky.' They came. Then she told what some should be called.
Toward the north were several, and she said, 'These shall
be called Ni-a-gwai had-i-she, (They are pursuing the
bear).' Then she looked to the east and said, 'A large star
will be there, rising usually before daylight, and it shall be
called Tgen-den-wit-ha (It brings the day).' She pointed
to another group, saying, 'That shall be called Gat-gwa-da
(The group visible). That will be a sign of the coming
spring.' Then she said of the Pleiades, 'That group shall
be called De-hon-nont-g wen. (They are dancing).' Another
she named I-en-i-u-ci-ot. (She is sitting).' Of another
group she said, 'These shall go with them and be called
Nan-ga-ni-a-gon Ga-sa-do. (Beaver that spreads its skin).
When men travel by night they will watch this group'."
To others she gave names. The Onondagas call the stars
O-jis-ta-noo-kwa, or Spotted in the sky.

Mrs. E. A. Smith gives the story of the Pleiades and some
others. That of the Great Bear follows: "A party of
hunters were once in pursuit of a bear, when they were at-
tacked by a monster stone giant, and all but three destroyed.
The three, together with the bear, were carried by invisible
spirits up into the sky, where the bear can still be seen,
pursued by the first hunter with his bow, the second with
the kettle, and the third, who, farther behind, is gathering
sticks. Only in fall do the arrows of the hunter pierce the
bear, when his dripping blood tinges the autumn foliage.
Then for a time he is invisible, but afterward reappears."
The main part of this tale appeared centuries ago. Two
more from Mrs. Smith follow.

"An old man, despised and rejected by his people, took
his bundle and staff and went up into a high mountain,
where he began singing the death chant. Those below who
were watching him, saw him slowly rise into the air, his

2«6 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

chant ever growing fainter and fainter, until it finally
ceased as he took his place in the heavens, where his stoop-
ing figure, staff and bundle have ever since been visible,
and are pointed out as Na-ge-tci, (the old man) .

"An old woman, gifted with the powers of divination, was
unhappy because she could not also foretell when the world
would come to an end. For this she was transported to the
moon, where to this day she is clearly to be seen weaving
a forehead strap. Once a month she stirs the boiling kettle
of hominy before her, during which occupation the cat, ever
by her side, unravels her net, and so she must continue until
the end of time, for never until then will her work be
finished."

Mrs. Smith has also a brief story about the north star,
Ti-yn-sou-da-go-er, the star that never moves.

The old Onondagas would not hang up their wet moc-
casins to dry, for they said the deer would mistake these
for plenty of meat and would not allow themselves to be
shot. If a deer sees a person, and stops and snorts or barks
at him, it is a sign of some relative's death. If a horse
runs away snorting it is the same. If a muskrat upsets
the trap without getting into it, and covers it with earth,
there will be death in the family.

Sometimes an Onondaga family may cover the looking
glass or turn it to the wall when there is a death in the
house, not from superstition but to show that they feel
so bad that they do not care how they look. When Capt.
Samuel George died, the clock was stopped and an apron
thrown over it.

ONONDAGA MIGRATIONS

In Clark's Onondaga are some notes of interest on
early migrations. He said : "Among the earliest traditions
of the Onondagas, it is noted that they at first came from
the North many hundred years ago, and once inhabited a
region along the northern banks of St. Lawrence ( and that
straggling parties of hunters isolated themselves in the
country since occupied by the Six Nations. That in process
of time the remaining part of their nation followed and

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 207

set themselves down in the valley and on the hills of Onon-
daga."

By placing them on the southern side of the river this
is a good sketch of their movements. He adds:

"The Onondagas have also a tradition that the Bear and
Wolf tribes originated or sprang from the ground near the
Oswego Falls; that the Eel and Tortcjise tribes sprang
from the same source on ^the banks 01 the Seneca river;
that the Deer and Eagle tribes first had existence on the
hills of Onondaga; and that the Beaver and Heron tribes
sprang from the earth on the shores of Lake Ontario."
Three of these names are incorrect, though the clans are
recognizable. Thus the Heron should be the Snipe.

When herbs are dug for medicine the first one is left,
but a little tobacco is scattered over it for good luck. Those
who dug ginseng in 1888 did this and got a large quantity.
The Onondagas call this Da-kien-too-keh, forked plant. The
Oneida name is Ka-lan-dag-gough. It is curious that David
Zeisberger, who both dug and sold this at Onondaga in
time of need, found no name for it in his Onondaga lexicon.
In his journals he simply termed it "the root." In the
Delaware tongue he called it Woapeck.

Mary Green had a good knowledge of plants and their
uses and wished to impart this to her daughter. She went
to the woods with her, found a plant, pointed out its es-
sential features, what it was good for and how it should
be used. A week or so later they went again, but the girl
had to find the plant and tell its uses.

PRINCIPAL CHIEFS

The Onondagas have fourteen principal chiefs, often in-
correctly called sachems from the Algonquin word. I give
their official names here according to the Onondaga form,
and omit the clans because the Bear chan is locally extinct
and the Eel clan has succeeded to its privileges. The official
'names are practically titles, and chiefs may be known by
these or by their personal names, and often by both.

208 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

1. Tah-too-ta-hoo, Entangled, is also head chief of the

Iroquois League.

2. Ho-ne-sa-ha, Best soil uppermost.

3. Te-hat-kah-tous, Looking all over.

4. O-ya-ta-je-wak, Bitter in the throat.

5. Ah-we-ke-yat, End of the water.

6. Te-hah-yut-kwa-ye, Red on the wing.

7. Ho-no-we-a-to, He has disappeared.

8. Ga-wen-ne-sen-ton, Her voice scattered.

9. Ha-he-ho, Spilling now and then.

10. Ho-nyo-nya-ne, Something was laid down before

him.

11. Sha-de-gwa-se, He is bruised.

12. Sah-ko-ke-he, He may see them.

13. Hoo-sah-ha-hon, Wearing a weapon in his belt.

14. Ska-nah-wah-ti, Over the water.

As the Tuscarora chiefs are not named in the Condol-
ence, nor in the usual lists, as having a subordinate position,
somewhat like our territories or island possessions, I add
their names as far as I can. Daniel La Fort's simile is
the best I have received. He said, "I build a house. That's
the Five Nations. I add a wood house, That's the Tuscar-
oras." "Chadwick, in his "People of the Long House,"
in Canada, gives a list of thirteen principal chiefs as origin-
ally holding office. But four of these remain in Canada.
Albert Cusick, whose father was a Tuscarora, reckoned
nine in New York, and could give but seven of these at
first, but added the others later.

1. Ta-ha-en-te-yah-wak-on, Encircling and holding up a
tree, which is also the council name, alluding to their home
with the Oneidas, addressed in council as Great Tree people.
Their own name means Shirt wearing people. The official
name here given may be Chadwick's Tyogwawaken.

2. Sa-kwi-sa, usually Sequarisera or Sword bearer, a
very variable name. Chadwick has it Sagwarithra.

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 20f

3. Tah-ka-yen-den-ah of Cusick, may be Chadwick's Na-
kayendenh.

4. Ta-wah-a-kate agrees with none of Chadwick's.

5. Kah-en-yah-che-go-nah may be Chadwick's Nehehan-
enagon.

6. Ta-ka-hen-was-hen may be Chadwick's Karihdawa-
gon.

7. Ho-tach-ha-ta has no likeness to Chadwick.

8. No-wah-tah-toke, Two moccasins standing together.

9. Sah-go-hone-date-hah, One that spares another.

Chadwick gives the following as extinct titles in Canada,
and some of these are in the preceding list.

10. Nehawenaha. 14. Karinyentya.

11. Dehgwadehha. 15. Nehnokaweh.

12. Nayouchakden. 16. Nehkahehwathea.

13. Thanadakgwa.

The Constitution has ample rules for choosing, installing
and deposing principal chiefs. They must expect fault find-
ing and therefore their skins were seven fold thicker than
those of common men. Besides they had big mosquitoes
then and plenty of them. They smoked the pipe of peace
— occasionally — and but a few whiffs at a time. They were
an honorable body and entertained a good deal — usually
at the public expense. The common people looked upon
them with reverential owe for their power was certainly
great. Their oratory elicited the highest praise, and
throughout their history, even to the present day, they
have been the shrewdist of politicians. It is no wonder that
Tammany Hall perpetuates the name of an Indian chief.

CHANGES

Out of a vast amount of material in my hands I have
selected a few stories, legends, historic incidents, adding
to these some facts illustrating the way in which the Onon-
dagas look on affairs now. A rapid change of opinion is

210 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

going on, due to various causes. Naturally a change is
coming about in business matters. The advantages of edu-
cation are perceived, and that even by those who have op-
posed schools. Books are read and newspapers taken, and
of the younger Indians there are very few who cannot speak
English well. When I first preached at Onondaga I had
an interpreter. From what I have already said it will
be seen how little interest is now felt in the great feasts
and even the picturesque condolence. With the recent deaths
of Edward Cornplanter, the Seneca, and Frank Logan, the
Onondaga, two of the ablest of the six preachers of Hand-
some Lake's religion have passed away.

The Indian has shown ability as a skilled workman and
for managing business. Some get good wages or have good
salaries. I know of Seneca girls who are paying income
taxes, and men who have handsome motor cars. One of my
Indian friends has been in every South American seaport
and in Japan, China, Honolulu and Manilla, and many more
places. The lure of the city, the lure of travel, has tempted
many away from their primitive homes. At home they tell
what they have seen and the result is inevitable. Even
those who cannot read can listen and plan.

There were three things that helped the Iroquois by
bringing them into fraternal relations with their neighbors
— and by their neighbors I mean those who wished to help
them. The Church was one. The first efforts were crude
— a beginning of good things — but these gradually ex-
panded into some better. They originated personal friend-
ships, and by degrees a sharing in a great and higher com-
mon work. The Good Templers helped greatly in the social
part of this. There was a home lodge, and this did good
home work, as I well know, but this was part of a great
organization and all met on a level. Sometimes there was
a general meeting on the reservation — sometimes there
were delegates to other gatherings of the same kind. Their
acquaintance with good people grew — they were well en-
tertained and learned much of outside life, and told of
everything they liked or admired when they reached home.

Whether I should consider the Indian brass band as an
early helper in their evolution may be a question. They
loved to play and never tired. At home they were brought

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 211

together in a good and pleasant way. They went abroad
as a body and received much attention. They saw there
was a world around them of which they knew little before,
and they made friends worth having. They were no longer
an unknown people, but, in their way helpers of the white
man.

In later days came the Indian Welfare society, designed
to do any good it could to the Onondaga Indians. It was
composed of a few persons who had a hearty interest in
them, and who, without being intrusive, wished to aid them
in any time of need. This was founded by Erl A. Bates and
did much good work. Out of this came a real Indian Wel-
fare society, composed of N. Y. Iroquois, but with an ad-
visory committee of white men to help them in any way
required. This society is intended to bring out the wishes
and views of the Indians themselves, so that with a better
understanding of various questions they may better agree
on what is for their real welfare. This will be a gradual
progress, but it seems well planned. The Indian should
think for himself if he wishes an upward advance in life.

SOME MORE STORIES

After such a serious talk I may revert to the stories —
a few of them — in which the Iroquois take such delight.
I was greatly pleased when folk lore became a science, and
I could read fairy tales with the conviction that I was be-
coming a profound student. In fact it was in this way that
I learned to detect European features in our Indian tales.
Sometimes it requires no effort to do this.

Mrs. E. A. Smith has classified her stories, usually telling
from whom she had them. I select some more from her
varied store.

One of these I had several times at Onondaga, and it
concerns the origin of the Turtle clan.

"There were in early times many tortoises of the kind
familiarly known as mud turtles, inhabiting a small lake or
pool. During a very hot summer this pool became dry.
The turtles thereupon set out on their travels over the
country, to look for a new habitation. One of them, who

212 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

was particularly fat, suffered a good deal from this unac-
customed exercise. After a time his shoulders became blis-
tered under his shell, from the effect of his exertions in
walking, and he, finally, by an extraordinary effort, threw
off his shell altogether. The process of transformation
and development, thus commenced, went on, and in a short
time this fat and lazy turtle became a man, who was the
progenitor of the Turtle clan."

ORIGIN OF MEDICINE

"Chief Mount Pleasant, one of the Bear clan, relates
that once upon a time a sickly old man, covered with sores,
entered an Indian village, where, over each wigwam, was
placed the sign of the clan of its possessor; for instance,
the beaver skin denoting the Beaver clan, the deer skin the
Deer clan. At each of these wigwams the old man ap-
plied for food and a night's lodging, but his repulsive ap-
pearance rendered him an object of scorn, and the Wolf,
the Tortoise and the Heron had bidden the abject old man
to pass on. At length, tired and weary, he arrived at a
wigwam where a bear skin detokened the clanship of its
owner. This he found inhabited by a kind-hearted woman,
who immediately refreshed him with food and spread out
skins for his bed. Then she was instructed by the old
man to go in search of certain herbs, which she prepared
according to his directions, and through their efficacy he
was soon healed. Then he commanded that she should
treasure up this secret. A few days after he sickened with
a fever, and again commanded a search for other herbs, and
was again healed. This being many times repeated, he at
last told his benefactress that his mission was accomplished,
and that she was now endowed with all the secrets for
curing disease in all its forms, and that before her wig-
wam should grow a hemlock tree whose branches should
reach high into the air above all others, to signify that the
Bear should take precedence of all other clans, and that
she and her clan should increase and multiply."

It was the custom to paint or carve a figure of the clan
totem on the front of a cabin, to indicate the position of its
owner, and a visitor could claim hospitality of the clan to

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 213

which he belonged. David Cusick also told this story in a
different way, and the Tuscarora chief may have had this
in mind.

"The sixth family, Esaurora or Tuscarora, was visited
by a person and went to see their amusements, but he was
abused by some of the ball-players. He punished the offen-
der by throwing him into a tree; he suddenly disappeared,
but the person came again and released the fellow from
the tree. The visitor appeared very old man ; he appeared
among the people for a while ; he taught them many things ;
how to respect their deceased friends, and to love their
relations, etc., he informed the people that the whites be-
yond the great water had killed their Maker, but he rose
again; and he warns them that the whites would in some
future day take possession of the Big Island, and it was
impossible to prevent it; the red children would melt away
like snow before the heat. The aged man became very sick,
and he told them to get different kinds of roots, to cure
the diseases, and also showed them the manner of mourn-
ing, etc. The aged man died among them, and they buried
him; but soon after some person went to the grave and
found he had risen and never heard of since."

This was but 400 years before Columbus came. Mrs.
Smith added other stories on the origin of various things,
one of which follows.

ORIGIN OF WAMPUM

"A man, while walking in a forest, saw an unusually
large bird, covered with a heavily clustered coating of wam-
pum. He immediately informed his people and chiefs,
whereupon the head chief offered, as a prize, his beautiful
daughter to [any] one who would capture the bird, dead
cr alive, which apparently had come from another world.
Whereupon the warriors, with bows and arrows, went to
the 'tree of promise,' and as each lucky one barely hit the
bird, it would throw off a large quantity of the coveted
coating, which, like the Lernaean hydra's head, multiplied
by being cropped. At last, when the warriors were des-
pairing of success, a little boy from a neighboring tribe
came to satisfy his curiosity, by seeing the wonderful bird

214 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

of which he had heard, but, as his people were at war with
this tribe, he was not permitted by the warriors to try
his skill at archery, and was even threatened with death.
But the head chief said, 'He is a mere boy; let him shoot
on equal terms with you, who are brave and fearless war-
riors.' His decision being final, the boy, with unequaled
skill, brought the coveted bird to the ground.

"Having received the daughter of the head chief in mar-
riage, he divided the oh-ko-ah between his own tribe arid
that into which he had married, and peace was declared
between them. Then the boy husband decreed that wam-
pum should be the price of peace and blood, which was
adopted by all nations. Hence arose the custom of giving
belts of wampum to satisfy violated honor, hospitality, or
national privileges."

The Hurons had a specified rate for atoning for murder
by wampum. If a woman was killed the rate was doubled.
The above story suggests the days "when knighthood was
in flower," and the warriors had not heard of "the goose
that laid the golden egg," else the bird might not have
fallen. Ote-ko-a is the Onondaga word for wampum.

ORIGIN OF TOBACCO

Mrs. Smith's story of the Indian weed differs much from
all others. The plant used is not found outside of reser-
vations but its presence is indispensable in religious rites.
"A boat filled with medicine men passed near a river bank,
where a loud voice had proclaimed to all the inhabitants
to remain indoors; but some disobeying, died immediately.
The next day the boat was sought for and found, contain-
ing a strange being at each end, both fast asleep. A loud
voice was then heard, saying that the destroying of these
creatures would result in a great blessing to the Indian.
So they were decoyed into a neighboring council house,
where they were put to death and burned, and from their
ashes rose the tobacco plant."

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 215

A HUNTER'S ADVENTURE

A Seneca hunter had no arrows left when he came to a
lake where he saw many wild geese. He got some second
growth basswood bark, whch he tore into strips and tied
to his belt. Going into the water he dove under the flock
and tied some geese with the bark, but they and the rest
flew up into the air with him. While unfastening some
all broke away, and he fell into a tall and hollow stump.
Out of this he could not get. After two days some women
came to chop this down, but his cries frightened them and
they went off for aid. At last he was free.

He remained with his rescuers till he had a large stock
of arrows, and then went off for another hunt. He had
fine luck and put up much oil in leather bottles. Then he
prepared to go home. He remembered how he had been
high in the air, and made some wings of thinly dressed
deer skin, which worked well. With oil bottles for ballast
he flew over the friendly women's lodges and dropped some
for them. Then he flew home and told the story of the
first successful Iroquois aviation.

HOW EARLY ANIMALS WERE CHANGED

The improvement of animals for special purposes has
long been a great study — perhaps from the beginning of
pastoral life. The Iroquois gave it an early date. Some-
thing of this appears in Mr. Hewitt's Seneca version of
the creation of animals. The grandmother tells the elder
brother that Ga-ha, the Wind, is his father, and he goes
to see him. Ga-ha gave him a great bag, in which were
many game animals. The son carried it on his back by
means of the forehead strap, but was soon tired. He sat
down and peeped in, for he thought, "They belong to me,
any way, so its all right." They made a rush and all got
away, for he was taken by surprise.

He reached home and told his brother and grandmother.
They heard the animals and saw them go by. The old
woman said one should be called an elk, another a deer,
another a bear, and a fourth a buffalo. The boy wished
for a hollow place, full of oil. At once there it was. He

216 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

ordered the buffalo to plunge in. On the farther side it
emerged from the oil pool, "having become as fat as it is
possible for it to be." The bear followed in the same way,
but "he loaded it by inserting meat into its legs. And now,
verily, its legs are very large." The deer followed, with
the same results, but said it would bite the hunters, and
therefore its upper teeth were removed. All horned ani-
mals suffered the same change. The raccoon, woodchuck,
porcupine and skunk passed through the pool and were
made fat. These formed a class.

When the mink plunged into the pool, the youth seized
him, held him up, and "stripped his body through his hands,
and that is the reason that his body became somewhat
longer." This happened to the fisher, otter and weasel.
The wolf, panther and fox did not enter the pool.

GA-DO-JIH AND SA-GO-DA-OH, THE GOLDEN EAGLE
AND THE HUNTER VULTURE.

ORIGIN OF THE BIRD DANCE

I add this from Mrs. Converse, with Mr. Parker's pre-
fatory note.

"The Bird dance, seen in the Long House ceremonies
at the Indian New Year's ceremony, is the public exhibi-
tion of the Eagle Society, one of the (once) secret fraterni-
ties of the Senecas. The dance is called the ga-ne-gwa-e.
This society is one of the most influential, next to the Ga-
no-da, Ho-noh-tci-noh-gah (Little Water Society). The
sign of membership in the Eagle Society is a round spot
of red paint on either cheek. Jo-wiis means chipping spar-
row, and as a name was regarded as one of the preferred."

"The Ga-do-jih, the Golden Eagle of the far away heav-
ens, is the Head Chief of all the birds. The Ga-do-jih never
visits the earth, but employs many assistants, upon whom
he imposes various duties. To his subchief, Don-yon-do,
the Bald Eagle, he has assigned the mountain tops of the
earth land. Don-yon-do won this distinction by his strength,
acute sight and extraordinary powers of flight. The strong
rays of the sun cannot blind him. He is proud, and his
heart throbs to the skies ; and although he swoops down

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 217

to the lowlands for his prey, he flies to the highest moun-
tain top to devour it.

"From his retinue of servitors, Ga-do-jih has chosen
many of the vulture family whose obnoxious duties lead
them to plunder in offensive places. But they are faithful
in his service for it is the law of Ga-do-jih that the earth
must be kept clean. Yet these proud, ravenous birds have
tender hearts, and although their scavenger life leads them
into base paths, Ga-do-jih does not deny them the pure air
of the sky, nor the clear waters of the earth.

"Among these birds of prey is Sa-go-da-oh, the Hunting
Vulture, who ceaselessly searches for spoil. All refuse of
the earth, beneath and above, is his. Occasionally he passes
Don-yon-do on his sky way, but the lofty spirit of Don-yon-
do knows not Sa-go-da-oh. In quest of his mountain crest
Don-yon-do sweeps through the blue of the heavens like
the flying wind, while Sa-go-da-oh slowly soars within the
cloud nets, and watches to swoop down on his prey.

"One day in tlie long time ago, Jo-wiis, a young Indian
lad, was lost in the woods, and had wept till nearly blinded.
For many days and nights the rain had flooded the forest,
and Jo-wiis could not find his home path. In the black
sky there was no sun or moon to guide him, and hungering
and faint, he had fallen on the river bank to die, when
Don-yon-do, who chanced to be flying across the earth, dis-
covered him, and lifting him on his wings, flew in search
of an Indian village. Looking down in the far below, he
discovered smoke ascending from some lodges, and alighting
left Jo-wiis near them, and slowly winged away. The rain
continued to fall, and no one had come for the fast dying
boy, when Sa-go-da-oh, winging past in search of night
prey, espied him, and closing in his wings, dropped to the
wet earth where the boy was lying. Though Sa-go-da-oh's
talons were long and strong, his heart was tender, and
gently lifting Jo-wiis, bore him to the village, but failing
to find his home, took him to Ga-do-jih in the sky, who
nourished him and grew to love him.

"Ga-do-jih took Jo-wiis to the sky council house when
the birds were celebrating the New Year, and taught him
their dances; also to all the feasts throughout the year,.

218 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

teaching him the bird songs and all the laws of the birds,
especially the sacred law protecting their nests in the spring
and sheltering them in the winter. And he was shown
the corn and the grains, which Ga-do-jih told him must
be shared with the feathered folk below. All these laws he
was enjoined to impart to his people when he should re-
turn to the earth."

In due time all this was done, and thus the Iroquois
know the origin of Je-gi-yah-goh-o-a-noh, the Bird dance,
a prominent dance used at the New Year. "During its
performance the dancers imitate the motions of a bird,
squatting low and moving their bodies and heads, as if
picking the grains of corn which have been scattered on the
floor."

Mr. F. B. Converse obtained the music on the Cattarau-
gus reservation. It is used by the Eagle society, and at
Onondaga is called the Eagle and sometimes the Strike
Stick dance. Two dance side by side and in just the same
way, each holding a long stick with feathers spread out
on each side. They bend down, doubling one knee under
the dancer and stretching the other out on one side. A
cent is placed on the floor and picked up with the mouth.
Some one strikes the floor with a stick, and this gives it the
name of Ga-na-gah-a, or Strike Stick dance. A dancer
makes a speech and gives tobacco. The Senecas also use
the feathered sticks representing wings.

CAPTAIN GEORGE'S STORY

Capt. Samuel George, the famous runner, told the story
of the great serpent of Canandaigua lake, but he had some
of a humorous kind, and told the following to Albert Cusick.

While part of the Onondagas still lived near Jamesville,
and others near the Onondaga quarries, they used to go
to a grove near Onondaga lake in the spring, to make sugar,
and in the fall to the salt springs to boil salt. One autumn
two brothers went there, and while their wives made salt
they went off to hunt, but in different directions. A storm
came up, and one thought of a shanty at the sugar camp
and went there for shelter. It was dark when he reached
it, and he had been there but a short time when he heard

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

something coming. It was his brother, but he thought it
was a bear. So he was afraid, keeping close to the wall
and as low as he could. As his brother breathed hard while
feeling around, he thought a bear was smelling for him,
and when his cold hands came across his face he thought
they were the bear's paws. The other was just as fright-
ened, thinking his hands had touched a dead man's face.
So they clinched and wrestled, without saying a word, but
neither could throw the other. They wrestled till out of
breath, and then one said, "Are you a man?" But he could
only speak in | a frightened whisper. Then the other said,
"Are you a man?" They were more frightened, than ever,
for each thought the other a ghost. So they wrestled again.
Then one whispered, "Are you a live man?" The other
whispered the same. Then they let go and got back to the
wall. Then one got his breath and said: "Who are you?
Are you a human being?" But when he spoke so loud his
brother knew his voice, and both were very glad.

The La Forts were adopted, or rather came from the
Oneidas, but this must have been long ago. Dehatkatous,
or Abram La Fort, who died October 5, 1848, aged 54 years,
on the coffin plate was said to be head chief of the Onon-
dagas, which would be Atotarho of the Bear clan at that
time. Dehatkatous was the third chief and of the same
clan, while Clark makes this La Fort of the Beaver clan,
which had no principal chiefs. His father was Hoh-a-hoa-
qua, who fell in the battle of Chippewa, July 6, 1814. Clark
adds that "The father of Dehatkatous was a civil chief of
great distinction forty years ago, (1809), and then second
only to Oundiaga. On account of his uncommon martial
abilities he was chosen war captain of the Onondagas, and
subsequently first war chief of the Six Nations, in which
capacity he acted on the frontier, in the early part of the
campaign of 1814, until his death." On the other hand
Col. Win. L. Stone says Capt. Pollard was chosen and com-
manded. Clark also says that "Dehatkatous succeeded in
part to the title of the sachemship held by his father,
through the voice and consent of the nation" — an improb-
able thing.

220 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

This story is or was told of the family origin by Moses
Charles and Chief Abram Hill, both Oneidas. In early days
the Oneidas went on a northern hunt, camping on a river
above a high waterfall. One day they saw a canoe floating
down, containing a little French boy and girl. They were
rescued before reaching the fall and taken to Oneida. Noth-
ing more is said of the boy, but the girl became a beautiful
woman, and the head chief's son wished to marry her.
The chief and his people were indignant, thinking this a
disgrace to the family and nation, though certainly a fre-
quent thing. The young man and woman went away, but
many years later came back and were reconciled, the chil-
dren being adopted as Oneidas. From them sprang the
La Forts.

ALBERT CUSICK'S STORY OF A HUNTER

A hunter used to go into the forest every day in search
of game but brought none home. There was a reason for
this. He had met a handsome but bad woman in the forest,
and instead of bringing meat to his wife and children he
had given it all to her, and tried to deceive them. There
is a woody fungus growing on decaying trees, which is
called 0-nah-sah, from its resemblance to a cock's comb.
This he brought home and fed to his children. It had no
blood in it, but he said it had all run out, an showed some
on his arrow points. Sometimes he called it deer's meat
and sometimes bear's. His children knew little of such
things, but his wife was wiser. She watched and followed
him and he was found out.

ANIMALS

As men are supposed to have descended from the lower
animals, it is not surprising, said an early Dutch writer,
that they should partake of the nature of one of those first
created animals; for they are either timorous and inno-
cent, like the deer; revengeful, cruel, and in combat erect,
nimble and strong fisted, like the bear; or blood thirsty,
subtle and deceitful, like the wolf."

In 1743 Pyrlaeus took down the following story about

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 221

the first men from the mouth of Sganarady, an old Mohawk
chief: "They had dwelt in the earth where no sun shone.
Though they followed hunting, they ate mice, which they
caught with their hands. Ganawagahha, (one of them),
having accidentally found a hole to get out of the earth,
he went out, and walking about he found a deer, which
he took back; and in consequence of the meat tasting very
good, and the favorable description he gave of the country
above, their mother concluded it best for them all to go out ;
accordingly they did so, except the ground hog, who would
remain."

There are frequent references to these early homes of
men and the lower animals. Often they have no difficulty
in conversing. My Mohawk friend, Odjidjatekha, of Can-
ada, often called Brant-sero, furnishes two interesting dog
stories. Dogs are supposed to detect the approach of ghosts.

"One day a dog said to a man that at a certain time the
ghosts would come for him, and that he must pack up and
be off if he did not want them to get him. If he disre-
garded the dog's warning he would be lost. He started,
and the dogs, one on each side of him, trotted along, and
when he was tired carried him on. Behind them they could
hear something flying along, and making a great noise like
thunder^ <as it came nearer and nearer.

"It was the spirit, and when it got too near one of the
dogs would go back and fight it, while the other would
go along for awhile, and then take his turn at fighting back
the ghost. By and by one of the dogs got tired; and said
to his master that he could not hold out any longer ; and he
went back, and the master saw him no more. The other
dog, however, kept on, and the man reached home, and on
arriving fell down on the threshold. A light was seen, and
when the crowd gathered round and questioned him, he
said, 'I've seen a ghost.' The Indians are much afraid of
strange lights, believing them to be ghosts."

He also told another dog story "when asked if the Indians
ever believed that dogs spoke."

He "said that at Caughnawaga (an Indian settlement
in the Province of Quebec), some time ago, a man put his
dog out of doors in cold weather. After a while he heard

222 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

something outside saying how cruel and bad it was to keep
him out in such very cold weather. He thought it was a
man and opened the door, and saw his dog wagging his
tail."

"Among the Mohawks the hog is regarded as a sort of
weather prophet. When cold is about to come on, he car-
ries straw in his mouth to make a nest. When a hog is
killed, the people examine something in the inside to see
what the weather will be. Every year at the Reservation
prophecies are made regarding the weather for the follow-
ing year, and Odjidjatekha claims that these are often
quite successful. The Indians note a good deal about the
weather from trees, and from the actions of various animals
and birds, such as the muskrat, the woodpecker, etc." These
notes were collected by another friend, Mr. A. F. Chamber-
lain.

THE FIRE DRAGON

In the Hand Book of the American Indian is an inter-
esting article by J. N. B. Hewitt on the Fire Dragon. He

S

said, "Among the Algonquian and the Iroquoian tVoes the
myths regarding the so-called fire-dragon are at once strik-
ing and important. Now the fire-dragon is in fact the per-
sonification of the meteor. Flying through the air among
the stars, the large meteors appear against some midnight
sky like fiery reptiles, sheathed in lambent flames. It is
believed of them that they fly from one lake or deep river
to another, in the bottom of which they are bound by en-
chantment to dwell, for should they be permitted to re-
main on the land they would set the world on fire. The
Iroquois applied their names for the fire-dragon, 'light
thrower/ to the lion when first seen, thus indicating their
conception of the fierceness of the fire-dragon. . . . Among
the Iroquois it was the deeds of the fire-dragon that has-
tened the occasion for the metamorphoses of the primal
beings."

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 22S

FRENCH COLONIES IN ONONDAGA COUNTY

DeWitt Clinton, in writing on our local antiquities, gave
an account of a French colony, supposedly located on But-
ternut creek, south of Jamesville, in 1666. "The little col-
ony remained for three years in a very peaceable and flour-
ishing situation, during which time addition was made to
the establishment, and among others a small chapel, in
which the Jesuit used to collect the barbarians and per-
form all the rites and ceremonies of his church. About
this time (1669), a party of Spaniards, consisting of
twenty-three persons, arrived at the village, having for
guides some of the Iroquois who had been taken captives
by some of the southern tribes. . . . They had been in-
formed that there was a lake to the north whose bottom
was covered with a substance shining and white, which

they took from the Indians' description to be silver.
i

"Having arrived at Onondaga Lake and the French vil-
lage, and finding no silver, they seemed bent on a quarrel
with the French, whom they charged with having bribed
the Indians, so that they would not tell them where the
silver might be found. A compromise was finally effected;
they agreed that an equal number of Spaniards and French
should be sent on an exploring expedition. The Indians,
seeing these strangers prowling the woods with various
instruments, suspected some design to be in operation to
deprive them of their country. This jealousy was much
increased by the accusation of the Europeans themselves.
The Spaniards told the Indians that the only object of the
French was to tyranize over them. The French, on the
other hand, asserted that the Spaniards were laying a plot
to rob them of their lands.

"The Indians by this time becoming jealous of both, de-
termined in private council to rid themselves of these in-
truders. Having privately obtained the assistance of the
Oneidas and Cayugas, they agreed upon the time and man-
ner of attack. A little before daybreak on All Saints' Day,
1669, the little colony, together with the Spaniards, were
aroused from their slumbers by the discharge of fire-arms
and the war-whoop of the savages. Every house was im-
mediately fired or broken open, and such as attempted to
escape from the flames were killed by the tomahawk; and

224 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

not one of the colonists or Spaniards was left alive to relate
the sad disaster."

I have given some myths already, but this is the cham-
pion. There was never a French colony at that time or
place ; no Spaniards came and there was no massacre. The
Jesuit missionaries, from their several stations, held a con-
ference in August, 1669, on Indian Hill in Pompey. Father
Fremin wrote that he had a crowded attendance in his
Seneca chapel, November 3rd, the Sunday after All Saints.
Father Milet did not mention that day at Onondaga, but
told of those which followed. He went through the streets
calling the people to worship, and continued this through
Advent. Neither he nor his chapel had been burned.

Another myth comes in, in the Thacher wampum case.
That is quite full of them, but this is about the French.
The veracious interpreter of a wampum belt said that the
French priest told the Onondagas that a building close by
his mission was filled with goods for them, but he could
not open them till the king came. He told a captive white
boy, however, that it was full of arms, and when the king
came they would annihilate the Onondagas. The boy told
the chief and a council was called which ordered the doors
opened. The priest vainly tried to stop them, and arms in
profusion were discovered. Then they heated an ax red
hot, hung it on the priest's breast and it burned his heart
out. Do not grieve. It never happened, though we are
told that it did, between Jamesville and Pompey, and north
of Pompey Hill. The Onondagas at once renounced the
French religion, and the French came against them, but
were defeated in a great battle at Camden, N. Y.

One more myth if you wish. This is from Clark's Onon-
daga, vol. i, page 48. "There is a tradition among the
Onondagas, that some twenty years before the revolution-
ary war about thirty families came from Canada and set-
tled among them. Some of these people settled along the
hill west of the Castle, and others in the present town
of La Fayette. After a while the Indians became dissatis-
fied with them and drove them away. Pretending to fill
their sacks with pounded corn, they only put in them ashes,
covering the mouth of the sacks with meal. The company
all miserably perished on the shores of lake Ontario. The

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 225

company had brought a blacksmith with them, who refused
to return with his country men to Canada. His stay among
the Indians was in no way agreeable to them. They took
him and bound him to a tree, heated a large chain, with an
axe attached to it, hung it around his neck and roasted
him to death." The Onondagas were partial to this form
of torture.

THE GREAT SPIRIT DESCENDS

On the same page as the last will be found the following
local item, but I do not know the exact spot, if the ledge
still exists : "On the authority of some of the older inhabi-
tants of Onondaga, it is stated that on a ledge of rocks,
about a mile south of Jamesville, is a place which used to
be pointed out by the Indians as the spot where the Great
Spirit once came down and sat and gave good advice to
the chiefs of the Onondagas. That there are the prints of
his hands and his feet, left in the rocks, still to be seen.
In former years the Onondagas used annually to offer, at
this place, tobacco and pipes, and to burn tobacco and herbs
as a sacrifice to the Great Spirit, to conciliate his favor,
and which was a means of preventing diseases."

BIG NECK, THE GIANT

David Cusick gave a curious account of this giant, born
in the reign of Atotarho 3d, about 900 years before Col-
umbus. "About this time the Oneidas had extended their
forts down the river Kaunsehwatauyea, or Susquehanna,
a fort situated on the river." At this place was born "a
male child of uncommon size; when he was twelve years of
age he was nearly as large as a grown person, and he would
beat his playmates, which would create disputes." His
mother corrected him and he promised never to injure his
people. "When grown up he became a giant and was a
great hunter; the parent was stored with venison continu-
ally ; he was so strong that when [he] returned from hunting
he would have five or six deers or bears strung around on
his belt. The giant was named Soh-nou-re-wah, i. e. Big
Neck." He had trouble with the Sah-wau-noo or Shawnees,
who then lived on that river. He brought in several suits

226 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

of dresses and the scalps of some he had killed. The Shaw-
nees complained of his conduct at the fort Kau-na-seh-wa-
tau-yea, and his relatives kept him quiet for two years, and
then he went down the river, plundering1 and abusing the
people of every town. The Shawn ees complained and
threatened war.

The Oneida chief, Ne-nau-re-tah-go sent a belt of wam-
pum and secured peace. This did not please the giant, and
he went farther down and began to build a fort, which
Cusick said he examined in 1800. His relatives came to
see him, but after he had finished the fort he renewed the
war. He lay in ambush, and shot the people as they came
along. He used a plump arrow which would break a man's
body in two. He was so troublesome that his relatives
plotted against him. It was not an easy task for his
strength equaled that of ten men. From Fort Kou-na-seh-
wa-ta-yea three warriors brought him his favorite diet of
huckle berries, which pleased him greatly. While he was
eating, as he sat on a bench, one of the warriors stepped
on this and -struck him on the head with a club. He ran
out of the fort but sank in the soft mire of the river bank
and was killed. The warriors carried off a great quantity
of skins.

In describing the fort at Oxford, N. Y., the Historical
Collections of New York, vary from this account, saying:
"The Oneidas leave us this tradition: that about a century
or more since, a gigantic chief occupied it, who destroyed
all their hunters who came into this quarter. They called
this chief Thick Neck. The Oneidas made several attempts
to decoy him from his stronghold, but without success. They
at length managed to go between him and the fort, when
he ran down the river about six miles, and secreted himself
in the marsh around the pond called Warn's Pond. Here
he was discovered and killed by the Oneidas, who buried him
and scratched the leaves over his grave, that no vestige of
him should remain."

INTERCALARY MONTH

To accommodate their months to the solar year the Onon-
dagas have an intercalary month which sometimes comes in

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 227

June, and a story is connected with this. Even now it is
sometimes disputed where it should be in any given year.
Usually they follow our calendar, but the story is of a
heated dispute. When this month is used, 0-yah-ye-hah
comes before 0-yah-ye-hah-go-nah. One Onondaga said,
"This is O-yah-ye-hah ;" but the other replied: "0 no!
this is 0-yah-ye-hah-go-nah." The dispute grew hot. One
of the two grasped a poker, striking the other over the
head and crying as he fell: "Down goes that month." So
it is sometimes called the dead month; but then this name
may have come from its frequent or general disuse.

RATTLES

Originally there were but two kinds of rattles, the turtle
and the gourd. In the old symbolic picture writing the
latter was carried by a prisoner in a kind of triumphal pro-
cession. I have seen them, as they were once used in special
dances. They are often replaced by a section of cow's horn
with wooden ends, through which passes the handle. In
the squash or gourd rattle the ends are perforated to pass
the handle through. Additional side perforations affect
the sound. The Onondagas call this A-e-tot-ha Ka-sta-wen-
sa, the first word indicating the medicine dance at which it
is used. There are several medicine societies. It is said
that the horn rattle may be used at almost any dance.

The big turtle rattle is used in the Great Feather dance,
and in the medicine dance of the False Faces. It is carried
by the chief False Face, and is so large that its use is labor-
ious. It is called, by the Onondagas, Ka-nya-ten-go-nah,
Big mud turtle, adding Ka-sta-wen-sa, Rattle. All of these
rattles that I have seen are of the snapping turtle. Corn
or gravel is placed in the shell, and the head and neck are
drawn out to full length, stiffened by polished splints, and
form a neat handle. They may be of any size. For over
thirty years past a nice and effective rattle has been made
of hickory bark from a sapling. A piece of double the
length required is taken off, folded, and one end is wrapped
around the other, corn or gravel is placed within, and a
cork or piece of corn cob at the handle end completes the
rattle. Whether the use or disuse of drums and rattles at

228 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

any dance has religious or poetic significance I am not in-
formed.

Though the False Faces throw ashes on the sick, there
is another medicine society whose members sprinkle water
on them with corn husks. They are called Wat-na-ko-ah-
gue, Throwing water at each other, and are mostly women.
Members of another take water in the mouth and spirt it
over the sick, as in early days. Susannah Frost did this.
She was the mother of Mary Green, and had the same mode
of teaching the use of herbs.

CORN AND OTHER FOODS

I make some extracts from Mr. Parker's Iroquois Uses
of Maize, etc. Elias Johnson, the old Seneca chief whom
I have quoted before, told Mrs. Wright in 1879, that purple
or blue corn was "brought from the south, also various
kinds of corn, black, red and squaw corn. . . . All these
things they found on their war expeditions, and brought
them here and planted them, and thus they abound." Old
Indians said that the object of these raids was to get slaves
and new vegetables. Most captives were slaves for a time,
but often replaced the dead.

Like other things corn had a spirit. In the Code of
Handsome Lake is this incident: "It was a bright day
when I went into the planted field, and alone. I wandered
in the planted field, and it was the time of the second
hoeing. Suddenly a damsel appeared and threw her arms
about my neck, and as she clasped me she spoke, saying,
'When you leave this world for the new world above it, it is
our wish to follow you.' I looked for the damsel, but saw
only the long leaves of corn twining round my shoulders.
And then I understood that it was the spirit of the corn
who had spoken, she, the sustainer of life."

In early days the Iroquois had but one regular meal, and
that a little before noon, but the kettle was over the fire all
day. The housewife announced that it was ready, and the
guest, at the end, heartily said, "Niawen, Thanks are
given.' This was supposed to be addressed to the Creator.
As a response the host or hostess, the housewife or some
member of the family would say, 'Niu,' meaning 'It is well.'

•\

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 229

Neglect to use these words was supposed to indicate that.
. . . the eater was indifferent." There is a similar Onon-
daga custom, but all these quotations from Parker are
Seneca.

Wedding bread, or Gon-ni-ta-o-a-kwa, had a special use.
Bread was prepared as usual, but made up in two balls
with a short connecting neck, and wrapped in corn husk
tied in the middle. It was then boiled for an hour. Twenty-
four of these were then taken by the girl's maternal grand-
mother to the door of the maternal grandmother of an
eligible man. There was a previous understanding, and if
the recipient favored the match she tasted the bread, and
notifies her own daughter that her son is desired in mar-
riage. His mother must submit if there is no valid objec-
tion. The boy's grandmother then makes 24 wedding cakes
and takes them to the girl's grandmother. She tells the
girl she must marry the man. If she rejects him he goes
home, and the cakes are left untouched.

Van der Donck, in his Description of New Netherlands,
says, "When they intend to go a great distance on a hunt-
ing expedition . . . where they expect no food, they pro-
vide themselves severally with a small bag of parched corn
meal, which is so nutritious that they can subsist upon
the same many days. A quarter of a pound of the meal
is sufficient for a day's subsistence; for as it shrinks much
in drying, it also swells out again with moisture. When
they are hungry they take a handful of meal, after which
they take a drink of water, and then they are so well fed
that they can travel a day." One Algonquin name for this
was Cittamun.

Bear's pudding was made of boiled and unseasoned yel-
low meal, mixed with bits of fried meat, and was cere-
monially eaten by members of the Bear society. Buffalo
dance pudding was made of squaw corn meal, sweetened
with maple sugar and boiled to the consistency of thick
mud. It is used only by the Buffalo medicine society. Ball
players pudding is a charm and made like the next. A
woman with rheumatic troubles gives this to a ball player,
who, by eating it, charms away the disease.

False face pudding is eaten at private ceremonies for the
sick. It is made of boiled parched corn mixed with maple

280 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

sugar. . Not a disrespectful word is to be uttered while eat-
ing it.

Corn husks are used for water sprinkling by the Otter
company at their winter ceremonies. The cob becomes a
handle. Corn husk meshs were also ceremonially used
more in Canada than here — and corn husk dolls are now
well known.

Dried blackberries, soaked in honey and water, were a
ceremonial food in the rites of the Bear society. Dried,
and in later times preserved strawberries, mixed with
water and maple sugar, were a refreshment for the guard-
ians of the Little Water Medicine society during their night
song, and berries had medicinal uses in some cases. For
strawberries there was a special thanksgiving.

MAPLE FEAST

Last year it was announced in a daily paper, that "the
dance of the trees and the maple sugar" would be held the
night of the new moon, March 20th, at the Onondaga reser-
vation, and also at others. The colonists learned the use
of the maple tree from the Indians and followed their crude
methods for a long time. The Moravians speak of these
the only time they stayed here through the winter, and
the sugar camp came into some of their stories. The re-
porter said that this feast would be held in the council house
instead of outdoors.

The secret of the maple's sap was, in theory at least,
guarded by the grandmothers of three clans. They chose
a young man of a certain age to go into the woods on his
errand, provided, in old times, with a clay bowl and a sharp
stone, called a "sap sucker" and used to pierce the bark. For
picturesque effect he went to an oak tree first, and returned
saying there was no sap there. Another young man, a little
older, was then sent out and went to a hickory tree with
the same result. Other tests might follow if time permitted,
but at last the clan grandmothers told the messenger what
tree to seek, and he came back with his bowl full of sap.
I fancy these ceremonies must have been in daylight, as the
sap seldom runs at night. The boiling might take place
then. The white people made quite a frolic of "sugaring

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 231

off" at night, and the Onondagas may have liked it just as
well.

The Indians danced around the fire and partook of the
thickening syrup, and then came a round corn meal cake,
conical at the top and covered with honey in later days,
for the honey bee came with the colonists, and the only
sweetening the Indians had at first came from the maple.
This ended the refreshment, and after dancing for some
hours they needed it.

That they gave thanks for blessings received and asked
blessings desired, appeared in every feast of this kind. To
be thankful was a striking feature of Indian character, and
he celebrated many a thanksgiving before the colonists of
New England observed one there.

Mr. Morgan said of this feast, "This was a return of
thanks to the maple itself, for yielding its sweet waters,"
for trees had their personality. He gave a full account
of this spring festival, and was in doubt whether making
sugar came from us or them, but inclining to the former.

Mr. Parker has an interesting note on the Seneca Maple
Thanksgiving. "Every spring, at the foot of the largest
maple tree in each village, a ceremonial fire was built and
a prayer chanted by the Keeper of the Maple Thanksgiving
ceremony, as he threw upon the embers pinches of the
sacred incense tobacco. The maple tree started the year.
Its returning and rising sap, to the Indian, was the sign
of the Creator's renewed covenant." Reasons for feasts
are many.

Mr. Parner connects the maple with a Mohawk tradition
which I do not recall, though familiar with the Mohawk
exodus from Canada, probably shared by their nearest kin-
dred, the Oneidas. He said: "The Iroquois will ever re-
member the maple tree, but few now even remember the
tradition of how it was, during the maple sap season, that
the Laurentian Iroquois struck their blow for freedom
from Adirondack domination, and fled into northern and
central New York." His foot note adds that "One Mohawk
tradition relates that the women flung hot maple sap into
the faces of the Algonquin chiefs, and thus helped their
people in the fight for independence."

232 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

These Mohawk dames set a fine example for our Moll
'Pitcher of the Revolution, or the Maid of Saragossa in
Napoleonic times.

LOCAL NAMES

These sometimes refer to stories connected with them,
perhaps only "in the way of suggestion. Date-ke-a-shote,
Two baby frames, is still the Indian name for Little Sodus
Bay, and Dats-ka-he, Hard talking, for North Sterling
Creek, surely had its Indian story. Chautauqua is more
definite. A Seneca tradition is that a hunting party was
once encamped on the shore. A young woman dug up and
ate a root which caused thirst. She went to the lake to
drink and forever disappeared. Thence it was inferred that
this root produced an easy death, a relief from the afflic-
tions of life, the present name referring to this. In a
speech by Cornplanter he spoke of this: "Another, who
will not think of dying by the hand of his father or bro-
ther, says he will return to Jadaqueh, eat of the fatal root,
and sleep with his fathers in peace."

Dearborn, (1838) mentioned Cornplanter's words to a
Tonawanda Indian friend. He asked "what root was al-
luded to, and he informed me it was of a plant that grew
on moist land, resembling the Skunk Cabbage, which was
sweet to the taste, and that a small handful produced death.
It tasted and smelt like a parsnip. He knew it well and
had tasted of it. It was pleasant to eat. The effect was
violent spasms;, the head and body were drawn back with
strong convulsions, as in the lockjaw. He said he had known
of several suicides from eating it. Doctor Wilcox informed
me two women at Cattaraugus had eaten the 'fatal root'
within two years, and died — one from disappointed love.
Cone states that love unrequited was a common cause of
suicide. . . . Col. Jones brought me in, this evening, the
'fatal root,' which the Indians eat, and the whole plant
attached ; it is called the wild parsnip."

Though thus connected locally with Chautauqua, that is
not the name of the root, which the Onondagas call O-nah-
san-a.

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 23*

Pursh, the botanist, when he was at Onondaga in 1807,
said Cicuta maculata grew there in great abundance, add-
ing that "the Indians use it to poison themselves, when
they have an inclination in going out of this world ; it is a
most powerful poison, as Capt. Webster tells me who has
seen the case on some Indians which had eaten the root,
and was lost without being able to get anything as a remedy
against it; it occasions lockjaw, and the patient is soon
done. Elder bark or a Muskrat skin chopped fine, with
the hair on, is reckoned a remedy if soon applied."

Ca-ha-qua-ra-gha, a Cap, was the name of the upper part
of Niagara river and of Lake Erie in 1726 and earlier.
O. H. Marshall applied it to Fort Erie, translating it in
Place of hats. He said: "Seneca tradition relates, as its
origin, that in olden time, soon after the first visit of the
white man, a battle occurred on the lake between a party
of French in bateaux and Indians in canoes. The latter
were victorious, and the French boats were sunk and the
crews drowned. Their hats floated ashore where the fort
was subsequently built, and attracting the attention of the
Indians from their novelty, they called the locality the place
of hats."

Ga-hah-dae-ont-hwah, The hemlock was poured out, either
the fine leaves of the tree or a medicinal drink made from
it. This is one name of Squakie Hill. The people there
may have been a remnant of the Kah-kwahs. David Cusick
said they were "a powerful tribe past the banks of the
Genesee river." After they were subdued "a remnant of
the Squaw-keihows were allowed to remain in this country
and became vassals to the Five Nations after the conquest."

Canaseraga creek and village in Madison county, are
Ka-na-so-wa-ga, several strings of beads with a string lying
across, according to Morgan and Seaver. I had the same
meaning at Onondaga. It probably refers to some special
ceremonial use of wampum at this Tuscarora village, per-
haps when their formal reception by the Oneidas took
place.

Sca-ni-a-do-ris, Long lake, was the name of Madison lake
in the land sale of 1811. This line began 'at the west end
of the Scaniadoris or the Long lake, which is at the head of

234 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

one of the branches of Ovirka creek." David Cusick told
a story of this spot, the name of which must not be con-
fused with the same name elsewhere. A party from Ohio-
kea "encamped near the lake Skonyatales; one morning
while they were in the camp a noise broke out in the lake ;
a man was sent immediately to see the tumult; he saw a
great bear on the bank rolling down stones and logs; the
monster appeared to be in a great rage; a lion came out of
the lake and suddenly fell upon the bear, a severe contest
ensued ; in the meantime the bear was beaten and was com-
peled to leave the bank; the next day the men went in
search of the bear; they found the bear; One of the fore
legs was so heavy that two men could not lift but a hands
high."

Ga-no-a-lo-hale, Head on a pole, was a favorite name for
Iroquois fortified villages. It might be understood literally,
but was probably like other instances, where the scalp
represented the head. A Dutch party came to the Oneida
castle, December 30, 1634, for the first time. They said,
"we marched boldly to the castle, where the savages opened
to let us pass, and so we marched through them by the gate,
which was three and a half feet wide, and at the top were
standing three big wooden images of cut wood, like men ;
and with them I saw three scalps fluttering in the wind
that they had taken from their foes as a token of the truth
of their victory. This castle has two gates, one on the
east and one on the west side. On the west side a lock
of hair [scalp] was also hanging."

In speaking of Pompey Mr. Clark said: "Another name
given to this locality, not often repeated, and about which
there is much superstitious reserve, is Ote-queh-sah-he-eh,
the field of blood or bloody ground — a place where many
have been slain. It has been said that no Indian ever visits
this neighborhood. They certainly dislike to converse about
it." Albert Cusick did not know Pompey by this name,
but defined it as Blood spilled. There is no evidence of early
battles and the allusion is to the numerous cemeteries. In
Iroquois speech even a peaceful death might be thought
the shedding of blood. Thus, in one of the condoling songs,
the people are reminded that their great men, warriors,
women, and even little children were daily borne into the
earth, "so that in the midst of blood you are sitting. Now,

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

therefore, we say, we will wash the blood marks from your
seat." Thus to call a place a field of blood, might be merely
to say many were buried there.

Honeoye, Finger lying, has slight variations in form.
Marshall defined it, Where the finger lies, and says an In-
dian, picking strawberries near Honeoye lake, had his finger
bitten by a rattlesnake. With his tomahawk he cut it off
and left it lying there. Major Fogg, in his military jour-
ney of 1779, called it Annaquayen, and said "this took its
name from a misfortune which befell an Indian, viz: The
loss of a finger, which the word signifies."

Cas-son-ta-che-go-na, River of great bark, in 1757 was
placed a little east of Oswego. Abert Cusick defined this as
Large pieces of bark lying down, ready for building. Mor-
gan called it Gasuntaskona, Large bark, and applied it to
Salmon creek. On Charlevoix's map this is R. da la Grosse
Ecorce. Ga-sun-ta, Bark in the water, is the name of James-
ville and of Butternut creek at that place. Clark said of
the creek: "Indian name Ka-soongh-ta, formerly called
by the whites, 'Kashunkta,' literally, barks in the water or
a place where barks are placed after being peeled in spring,
that they may not curl in summer, and thereby become un-
fit for covering their cabins for winter, or that they may
always be in readiness for use." I had the same account
from the Indians.

BURIALS

Te-car-nase-te-o-ah, At the board sign. Painted Post,
at the confluence of the Conhocton and Tioga rivers. The
post marked the grave of a great warrior who was buried
there and whose identity is rather doubtful. On it were
many rude devices. Such memorials were frequent, and
an early account said: "When it is a man they painted
red calumets, calumets of peace on the tomb; sometimes
they plant a stake on which they paint how often he has
been in battle ; how many prisoners he has taken ; the post
ordinarily is only 4 or 5 feet high and is much embellished."
(For details see Doe, Hist, of N. Y., vol. 1.). Living war-
riors often painted their own deeds, and sometimes there
was quite a display at places where they frequently en-

236 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

camped. Some tombs, also, were elaborately decorated and
of curious construction. When the Dutch party drew near
Oneida, December 30, 1634, the journalist said, "Before we
reached the castle we saw three graves, just like our graves
in length and height ; usually their graves are round. These
graves were surrounded with palisades that they had split
from trees, and they were closed up so nicely that it was
a wonder to see. They were painted with red and white
and black paint ; but the chief's grave had an entrance, and
at the top of that was a big wooden bird, and all around
were painted dogs and deer, and snakes and other beasts."

In Sullivan's campaign, August 24, 1779, at Tioga, Lieut.
Beatty told of a cemetery of about 100 graves, partially
examined. "They bury their dead very curious, after this
manner. They dig a hole the length of the person they
are to bury and about 2 feet Deep. They lay him on his
back in the grave, with an old Blanket or blanket Coat
round him, and lay Bark over the Grave, even with the
Surface of the Earth, so as to prevent the earth from touch-
ing the body, then they heap up the dirt on the top of
the Grave in a round heap which is from 4 to 6 feet high."
One early burial made was in a sitting posture, face to the
east, but extended burial was quite as early and common.
The Hurons had scaffold burial, ending in a great dead feast
for several villages, at which all remains were placed in
one great pit. Ossuaries are also occasional in western
New York, but rarer farther east. Of a great dead feast
in the Huron country the Jesuits gave a graphic account.
For a long time it was customary to place articles in the
grave, to be used in the spirit world after death. The
Hurons prudently knocked the bottoms out of kettles to
prevent robbery of graves. Spirit kettles were good enough
in spirit lands, but the Onondagas preferred the real thing.
Even then brass kettles and iron knives were subject to
decay. At death they shared in our desire to have the dead
look as well as possible.

Heckewelder's account of the burial of a Delaware wo-
man, near the end of the 18th century, would differ little
from that of an Iroquois woman of the same period. She
was placed in a coffin. "Her garments, all new, were set
off with rows of silver brooches, one row joining the other.
Over her wrists were bands forming a kind of mittens,

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 237

worked together of wampum, in the same manner as the
belts which they use when they deliver speeches. Her long
plaited hair was confined by broad bands of silver, one
band joining the other yet not of the same size, but taper-
ing from the head downwards, and running at the lower
end to a point. On the neck were hanging five broad belts
of wampum tied together at the ends, each of a size smaller
than the other, the largest of which reached below her
breast, the next larger to a few inches of it, and so on, the
uppermost being the smallest. Her scarlet leggings were
decorated with different colored ribbons sewed on, the outer
edges being finished off with small beads, also of various
colors. Her mocksens were ornamented with the most strik-
ing figures, wrought on the leather with colored porcupine
quills, on the borders of which, round the ankles, were fas-
tened a number of small round silver bells, of about the
size of a musket ball. All these things, together with the
vermilion paint judiciously laid on, so as to set her off in
the highest style, decorated her person in such a manner
that nothing of the kind can exceed it."

It was Indian etiquette that the wife sjiould be hand-
somely dressed, no matter how the husband was clothed.

There was something yet to be done. "A number of ar-
ticles were brought out of the house and placed in the coffin,
"wherever there was room to put them in, among which was
a new shirt, a dressed deerskin for shoes, a pair of scissors,
needles, a knife, pewter basin and spoon, pint cup and
other similar things, with a number of trinkets and other
small articles which she was fond of while living. The lid
was then fastened on the coffin."

Three handsome poles were passed through straps across
the coffin for the bearers, and "a small bag of vermilion
paint, with some flannel to lay it on, was then thrust into
the coffin, through the hole cut at the head of it. This hole,
the Indians say, is for the spirit of the deceased to go in
and out at pleasure, until it has found the place of its
future residence."

Further details I omit.

Hiokatoo, Seneca chief and husband of Mary Jemison,
died in November, 1811, at the reputed age of 103 years.

238 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

He "was buried decently, and had all the insignia of a
veteran warrior buried with him; consisting of a war club,
tomahawk, and scalping knife, a powder flask, flint, a piece
of punk, a small cake and a cup ; and in his best clothing.
Generally two or three candles are put into the coffin, and
in a few instances, at the burial of a great man, all his
implements of war are buried besides the body. The coffin
is then closed and carried to the grave. On its being let
down, the person who takes the lead of the solemn trans-
action, or a chief, addresses the dead in1 a short speech,
in which he charges him not to be troubled about himself
in his new situation, nor on his journey, and not to trouble
his friends, wife or children, whom he has left; tells him
that, if he meets with strangers on his way, he must in-
form them what tribe he belongs to, who his relatives are,
the situation in which he left them; and that, having done
this, he must keep on till he arrives at the good fields in
the country of Hawaneu; that, when he arrives there he
will see all his ancestors and personal friends that have
gone before him, who, together with all the chiefs of cele-
brity, will receive him joyfully."

In the evening his nearest relatives build a fire at the
head of the grave and sit near it till the morning. For
nine successive nights this is done, the deceased ending his
long journey at the end of ten days. The relatives must
not dance during this time.

FOUR ONONDAGA TALES

These I did not collect from the Indians, nor did I record
their source. The first accounts for the cuckoo's nests.
There was a lazy man who had a lazy son — an unfortunate
combination. Neither of them worked or cared how things
were done. The easiest way or no way at all was always
the best. Their hut was poor and filthy, and bones were
scattered around. Sometimes they quarreled, and one day
the father struck his son senseless. For a time he seemed
dead, but revived and flew away as a cuckoo. Because of
his inherited lazy ways, the Indians say, the cuckoo (Tite-ti)
builds no nest at all. It is but a layer of loose twigs and
grass, neither beautiful nor safe.

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 2S9

THE THRUSH'S SONG

This Onondaga story is better. The birds wanted to get
the sweetest song from the home of the Great Spirit, but
this was a long way off, in the very highest sky. One after
another tried to reach it, but every one failed. It was too
far away. At last the great eagle (Skah-je-a-nah) said
he would try. He was not much of a singer, but he was
great and strong ; his wings were broad and his sight keen.
•No doubt he could reach the highest skies. As he spread
his wings a little brown bird hopped on his back and was
borne unobserved through the air. The eagle flew high and
the earth spread out beneath him. He flew higher and he
was far above the clouds. He flew higher still, but the
home of the Great Spirit was yet far away. He grew tired
and had to return.

As he did so the little bird spread its wings and flew
on by itself. (It had lost no strength, and at last saw the
bright light where the sweetest songs were heard on all
sides. It alighted and sang the sweetest one of all, over
and over again, till it was fixed in its mind. Then it flew
back to the earth, a far easier task. But as he came near
he feared the eagle would be angry and kill him. Then
he feared the other birds would be envious and plague him.
This he would not like. So he turned aside and found a
thick grove, with bushes around, and from such places the
song of the hermit thrush may often be heard. ,^

THE MAPLE AND THE > ASH

On' the Onondaga hills the Sugar Maple claimed to be
the best of all trees. It said, "I give the sweet water in
which the red man delights. I give him 0-wha-ta, the
sugar which he loves. No one else can do this." But the
Ash tree said "I am Ka-neh, and give him the tough wood,
out of which he makes his bow. Without this he would
get little game." Then was heard the voice of the Mother
Life, saying, "Dispute no more. Draw your heads together
and hear what I shall say." So their boughs interlaced and
caressed each other, giving out a faint sound. And the
voice said, "Your gifts are very good, but they all come from
me. Sing this song when the winds arise." So when the

240 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

wind blows the branches of these trees come together, and
a sound is heard, but not that of anger.

I think, however, that Hickory, Anonoka, is intended,
from habits and use.

TA-HEECH-E-HAH, OR TWO DOGS

Men should be good to their dogs, for kindness is due
to those that aid us, and if they are unkind there may be
a penalty. There is an abyss between us and the land of
souls, and over this two dogs hold a log by their teeth.
Over this log, if fortunate, the soul passes to the happy
hunting grounds. If voices are heard saying, "He fed us,
he sheltered us, he loved us;" then the dogs at each end
grips hard with his teeth, holding the log with all his might,
and the soul passes safely over. But if the voices say,
"He starved us, he beat us, he drove us away;" then, when
he is half way over, the dogs let go, and he falls into the
depths of wo. The Onondaga, who told this, thought with
Coleridge, "He prayeth best who loveth best all things, both
great and small."

THE THREE BROTHERS AND THE SUN

Mr. A. C. Parker discovered traces of an Iroquois adora-
tion of the sun in Canada. The Senecas have some cere-
monies of this kind, and among the Onondagas there the
leader carries an effigy of the sun. "This is a disk of wood
ten inches in diameter, fastened to a handle perhaps a
foot long. The disk is painted red in the center, and has
a border of yellow. Around the edge are stuck yellow-
tipped down feathers of some large bird. The New York
Iroquois have no such effigies," and Mr. Parker doubted
whether the preachers of Handsome Lake's religion would
permit this here. My doubts go a little farther — whether
this ever existed in New York — whether, instead of being
a survival it is not a late invention. The Jesuit Relations
say nothing of it, but do record appeals to the sun as a
witness to important words solemnly spoken.

Mr. Parker published a sun myth related by Edward

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 241

Cornplanter, Sosondowa, (Great Night) who recently died.
The story is so evidently in his own words that I might
make large quotations, with some summaries.

"This happened in old times, when there were not many
people. There were three brothers and they were not mar-
ried. They were hunters and had spent their lives hunt-
ing. When the brothers were young they enjoyed the ex-
citement of hunting, but as they grew older it did not give
them so much pleasure. The youngest brother suggested
that, for new experiences, they walk to the edge of the
earth, where the sun comes down and touches the big sea
of salt water. There is salt water west, and this world is
an island. The older brothers thought the plan a good
one, and when they had prepared everything they started
on the journey. They traveled a good many years and a
good many things happened to them. They always went
straight westward."

They came to a place where the sun goes under the sky's
edge, into the water and camped there to see what would
happen. They saw the sun get under the sky's rim and
disappeared. Men tried to do the same and were crushed.
"There is a road there. Now they noticed that when the
sky came up, the water sank lower; and that when the sky
went in the water, the water rose higher."

The younger brothers wished to pass under the rim with
the sun, but the elder brother was afraid. The others ran
under quickly. The rim was thick and the road good, with
water on each side. They feared the sun would come down
and crush them, as it did the elder brother when he ran
after them. On the other side of the sky all was different.
They went up a large hill and then saw a large and distant
village. Their brother came to meet them. He greeted
them and passed by. A venerable old man soon met them.
He was the father of Hawenio and the Above Sky Place
people. When they met Hawenio he said, they must call
quickly "Niawenskano." If he spoke first they would be-
come spirits like their brother. They went on to a high
white bark house, and when a tall man appeared they spoke
first. They thought they had fine bodies, but he took them
all apart, cleansed the muscles and scraped the bones,
washed them and put them together again. Then he tested

242 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

them in a fine grove, where his deer were. His swiftest-
buck ran by. "Try and catch him," said Howenio. They
quickly caught him.

As they went to the white lodge a swift messenger came
from it. On his wide breast was a brilliant ball of light.
He shouted something and passed on. It was the sun. He
brought news of war between their nation and another.
Hawenio took them where they could see the strife. "Men
will always do this," he said, as many people still believe.
They staid in the upper world a long time and learned more
than they could ever tell. After a time a messenger took
them to the path by which the sun reached the earth in the
morning. They waited till the sun reached the west, passed
under the rim in the east and came out in their country
again.

"It w,as night, and they slept on the ground. In the
morning they saw their own village, and it was overgrown
with trees. They followed a path through the woods and
came upon another village. Their own people were there,
and they went into a council house and talked." No one
remembered them but their sister, now very old. It was
fifty years since the war.

"The brothers did not care for the earth now, but wished
themselves back in the upper world. They were not like
other men, for they never grew tired. They were very
strong and could chase animals and kill them with their
hands. Nothing could kill them, neither arrows nor
disease." After a while both were struck by lightning and
killed.

DATE OF THE IROQUOIS LEAGUE

I have fully treated of this elsewhere. Traditions vary
greatly but all refer to a recent period. Yet some persons
antedate this for differencing of dialects or development of
usages, but each nation formed a group, well apart, long
before the League was formed. History helps us in this.
Cartier found the Mohawks on the lower St. Lawrence, in
his second and third voyages in 1535 and '40. Not one
remained when Champlain came there in 1603. When and
where had they gone?

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 243

From some records it seems probable their exodus was a
little before 1570, and then they had to learn war before
attempting conquests. In 1609 Champlain entered the lake
that bears his name. He asked his Indians if the Green
Mountains were inhabited, and was told they were and by
the Iroquois — a name which he almost exclusively gave to
the Mohawks. There they lived securely and in plenty.
Yet to attack their principal towns Champlain must go
through Lake George. Part still held Vermont, however,
as appears from the route of those they met, which was
from the head of Lake Champlain, where the party may
have been reinforced from its eastern shore. Many
Mohawks yet remained there, probably waiting to see if the
League would last, if already formed. As late as 1655 the
Mohawks expected war with the Senecas and were not on
good terms with the Onondagas. The League was not yet
helpful, though a means of peace. Thus, when Champlain
passed through Onondaga in 1615, to attack the Oneidas,
neither he nor they thought of interference or aid. A very
weak League it was for many years.

Archeology comes in here. Early Iroquois towns in the
Mohawk valley are very few, and they connect closely with
those having European articles. One site may have been
occupied before 1590 — none earlier than this one — so that
the Onondagas made a shrewd guess when they testified
that the League was formed about A. D. 1600. There I
leave the question in its simplest form. Very plainly no
date as early as 1540 is possible, and 1600 is quite as early
as should be claimed.

244 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

REVOLUTIONARY SOLDIERS OF ONONDAGA

I add a few names to Revolutionary soldiers already given
as having lived here at some time and make some correc-
tions. Several I had from files of Mr. L. H. Redfield's
Onondaga Register, and these I give first.

Joseph Chapman, early pioneer and soldier, died in Mar-
cellus, February 9, 1829, aged 82. I have not looked up his
record.

Stephen Hager, pensioner, already mentioned, died in
same town, November 22, 1822, in 65th year. He left 14
descendants there. Town divided in 1830.

Timothy Hannum, died in Otisco, June 27, 1825, aged 74.

Mr. Hardenburgh, Revolutionary soldier, died in

Manlius, October 27, 1829, in his 78 year. The name sug-
gests N. Y. service.

Uriah Keeler, pensioner, died in Onondaga Valley, Sep-
tember 14, 1828, aged 69. According to pension list
aged 74.

Ebenezer Moore's interview with La Fayette, his old com-
mander, was described vividly by Mr. Redfield, but no al-
lusion was made to the pensioner's nickname. Mr. R.
added that "Moore is now 65 years of age, enjoys good
health, and although destitute of property, he lives very
comfortably with the aid of his pension. He is a man up-
wards of 6 feet high, and in youth was robust and athletic,
and during two wars (for he was in the last) with England,
he sustained the character of a valiant soldier." I have no
record of his death.

Charles Richardson, Revolutionary soldier, died at the
Onondaga Poor House, February 16, 1828, aged 70 years,
"unwept, unhonored and unsung."

William Sutherland, Revolutionary soldier, died in Onon-
daga, March 25, 1830, aged 69.

Capt. Tousley, father of Judge Tousley of Manlius, was
drowned in Skaneateles lake, December 20, 1815. Nothing
was added to this, and none of these men have monuments.

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 245

Ariel Lawrence I have mentioned before and also cor-
rected an error made in mistaking his son's will for his.
The error was perpetuated by a stone for the father, and
I again certified to this. The Onondaga Register has a
notice of a different kind, which I quote under date of
Camillus, February 19, 1823: "Married, Ariel Lawrence,
Esq., of Verona, aged 80, and Mrs. Asenath Lawrence of
Camillus, aged 79, widow of late Col. Bigelow Lawrence.
(In 1759 Esq. Lawrence courted her, but went to the French
war and his oldest brother married her..." Ariel Lawrence,
Jr., died in 1807.

Henry Morrison 1 1759-1842) Sally Morrison |His Wife]
1772-1863.

This stone is in the Collamer cemetery, and I am told,
by descendants, that he served in Vermont, but have not
found his name in rolls, that State having very imperfect
records.

Timothy Teall (Died June 14, 1820 1 Aged 66 years] and

24 days]

Phebe Hull] wife of | Timothy Teall [died May 3, 1 1793 aged
34 years.

This stone is in the Fayetteville cemetery. The record
I have already given. Military Lodge F. & A. M., attended
the funeral at the house, June 15th.

John Nichols, a Rhode Island officer in the Revolution,
was buried in Manlius cemetery, in the part originally
belonging to Christ Church. Mrs. Charles R. Folsom, Re-
gent of Fayetteville Chapter, D. A. R., tells me she verified
this through the cemetery records, there being no stone.
He was made Ensign of the First Company of Exeter,
R. I., June, 1778, in place of John Congdon, Jr., who de-
clined to serve. In published Rhode Island rolls only com-
missioned officers appear, and Mr. Nichols was probably a
private before his appointment. This is the sole mention
of his name. He may have been John, the son of Andrew
Nichols of South Kingston, who married Phebe, daughter
of John Reynolds of Exeter, R. I., July 23, 1775.

Ninian Chamberlain, | Died | Dec. 20, 1833, |Ae. 82 Yrs, 2
Mo. 20 Da's. I

246 IROQUOIS FOLK LORE

Elizabeth, | His Wife,) Died [Mar. 10, 1855, Ae. 87 Y'rs. 4

Mo's.|

Owasco Rural Cemetery, town of Skaneateles. While not
enrolled in the regular troops, I have recently learned that
Mr. Chamberlain enlisted as a teamster.

Wm. H. Church | Died | Aug. 20th, 1829, j aged 78 years.
Respected while living | Lamented though dead|
His sanctified spirit [To Jesus has fled.|

Molly, wife of|Wm. H. Church,] Died [Feb. 15th, 1827, |
aged 74 years.]

Here rests my lovely mother,] She's bid us all farewell,]

She's left this world of sorrow,] With her Saviour gone to
dwell.]

Though I copied this long ago, present mention is due
to Mr. Redfield, who published the death of Molly, wife of
Capt. Wm. Harrison Church, a Revolutionary soldier, at
Onondaga South Hill, February, 1828, in her 75th year.
I made it 1827. The stones are in the Navarino, Pine Ridge
Cemetery.

David Nichols, born in 1763 and brought up in Provi-
dence, R. I., enlisted in R. I. State troops June 14, 1778, and
was discharged in February, 1779, but quickly enlisted
again. About 1787 he married Nancy (Anna) King, born
December 2, 1767. In 1801 they went to Pompey Hill,
where she died November 22, 1820. The author of the
Greene Genealogy said she had seen the scarcely legible
stone, finely cut by her brother Joel, but then overturned
and broken. It escaped my attention and has probably
disappeared. David married again, went to Ohio, and died
there November 5, 1839, aged 76 years. His second wife
was Mrs. Abigail Brown. Probably in ruined Nichols ceme-
tery, near South Onondaga.

Samuel Howe, Revolutionary War] Died 1829 | Aged 84

Y'rs. |

New stone in old Marcellus cemetery. A veteran not
mentioned before.

Charles Morgan jRevol'ry Spy (One of the Captors] of

247

Major Andre|Capt. Wm. Gifford's Co. | Col. Dayton's N. J.
Reg. 1 1745-1803.

Rachel | Late Wife of [Charles Morgan] Died | March 14th,
1846, | Ae. 80 Y'rs 11 M's.j and 11 Days.

John Paulding, David Williams and Isaac Van Wart were
the three captors of Andre. Editor Carroll E. Smith al-
ways claimed that Charles Morgan was the original of
Cooper's "Spy." Syracuse Post Office list, and interred in
Morgan Church cemetery, town of Clay.

Peleg Slocum. — Among other inquiries about this pioneer,
a short time since, I was asked if he served in the Revolu-
tion. He may have done so but I am not sure. He was
born in Jamestown, R. I., January 28, 1749, and is said to
have married Priscilla in 1782. I find no record of this
marriage, but in 1790 he lived there with his wife and two
children. His son Peleg R., of Skaneateles, was born in
Lysander in 1796, and died in Skaneateles in 1859. One
Peleg Slocum was a captain in Col. Stanton's R. I. Regi-
ment in 1776-7, and may have been the one in question, but
his residence is not given. The pioneer bought a farm at
Plainville, Lot 73, Lysander, in 1818, and he and his wife,
Ruth, re-conveyed it to the grantor the same year. Mrs.
Slocum died in Skaneateles December 24, 1854, aged 94. 3.
24, having been born in 1759. I know of no tombstones
for any of these.

INDEX

Alqonquin and Wannutha 136

Animals 220

Atotarho, the Entangled 66

Big Neck, the Giant 225

Boy and Skeleton, The 120

Boy and Chestnuts 1£3

Burial 235

Canassatego's Tale 78

Captain George's Story 218

Changes 209

Condolence, The 173

Constitution of the Five Nations 193

Corn Stories and Customs 59

Corn and Other Foods 228

Creation, The - _ 7

Councils 228

Date of the Iroquois League 242

David Cusick on the Creation 8

Dead Feast 161

Dekanawida Legend, The 97

Drowning Man at Otisco Lake 128

Duel of the Bear and Fox 58

False Faces 36

False Faces and Creation 12

Fire Dragon 222

Five Nations 152

Founders of the League, Names of 100

Four Onondaga Tales 238

French Colonies in Onondaga 223

Games - 176

Ga-do-jih and Sa-go-da-oh . 216

Ga-hon-ga or Stone Throwers 46

Ges-gar-doh 146

Ghost Dance 162

Good Hunter and Great Medicine 30

Government and Lands 197

Grave of the Indian King 131

Great Head 124

Great Spirit Descends, The 225-

Green Pond _ 127

Green Corn Dance „ 163

Gun-no-do-yah, The Thunder Boy and Serpent 114

Handsome Lake and New Religion 190

Heno and the Serpent 115

Hiawatha 83

Hidden in the Husks 204

Hinun Destroying Giant Animals 117

How Early Animals Were Changed 215

Hunter's Adventure, A 215

Indian Fairies 41

Intercalary Month _ 226

Intoning 165

Iroquois Folk Lore 3

Iroquois Trail and David Cusiek 3

Johnson's Legend of Kienuka ..: 141

Kienuka 140

La Crosse _ 178

Language 172

Land of Souls 158

Local Deities 169

Local Names _ 232

Local Stories 126

Lost Arrow 136

Lost Boy, The 51

Maple Feast 230

Maple and the Ash 239

Mid-Winter Feasts 180

Modern Questions 198

Music 175

New Year's Feast 168

Neh Jogaoh or Mythic Dwarf People 46

Neh Ohdowas, the Underneath Myths 47

Neh Gandayah of Fruits and Grains 49

Northern Giants 151

Odds and Ends 202

Okwencha or Red Paint 19

Onondaga Migrations 206

Oneida Origin 154

Oneida Stone 155

Origin of Thunder, Mohawk Story of 116

Origin of Man 166

Origin of Medicine 212

Origin of Wampum 213

Origin of Tobacco 214

Ornaments 200

Other Feasts 189

Other Serpents 113

Peacemaker, The * 144

Peacemaker, Queen 137

Pleiades, The, or Ootkwatah 107

Principal Chiefs 207

Rattles 227

Relationship 172,201

Return of the Sun, The 104

Revolutionary Soldiers 244

Sacred Waters 129

Serpent and Thunderers, The 15

Serpent Stories 110

Serpent at Bare Hill, Great 110

Serpents, Other 113

Seneca Story 160

Skaneateles 132-135

Splitting Moon or Tyah-goh-wens 149

Some More Stories 211

Stars, The 205

Stone Giants 40

Stone Giant's Wife 148

Stone Throwers or Gahonga 46

Story of the La Forts 219

Story by Albert Cusick 220

Sun, The 107

Ta-heech-e-ha, or Two Dogs 240

Terrible Skeleton, The 13

The Medicine 33

Three Brothers and the Sun 240

Thrush's Song, The 239

Thunderer, The 118

Trippe's Tales, Miss 143

Wampum Belts , 102, 194

White Dog Feast 183

Witches and Witchcraft 61

Witch Water Gull 68

Women's Dresses 164 .

Women's Night Dance 203

Writers in General .. 7

Too

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