American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-02-24
The OnOndaga Indians.

EIGHT miles south of the fourishing
city of Syracuse, on the borders of OnOn-
daga Creek, in beautiful hill-encircled
plain, too wide to be denOminated a val
ley, lives the last remnant of the historic
Five Nations. The Mohawks have passed
away; the Senecas and Cayugas are now
only known as their names are perpetu-
ated by two flourishing counties in Cen
| trail New York; and the Oneidas have
gained worse than oblivion by having
| their tribal designation adopted by a Com
munity which exceeds all pagan ideas of
polygamy under thin veil of regard for
Christianity. The Onondaga nation still
survives, and, in proportion to its accept
ance of Christianity, t1ourishes. Last
autumn the Onondagas held an agricul-
tural fair, at which the exhibition of do
favorably with that in any of the sur
rounding counties populated exclusively
by the white race. On this occasion the
two most distinguished speakers present,
Bishop Huntington and Ex-Governor Sey-
mOur, found it difficult to use terms
which, without being flattering, should be
just, to describe their appreciation of the
past services of the tribe to the American
race, and its present highly prosperous,
orderly, and encouraging condition. Set
tied in the midst of the white race, the
Onondagas have shown that there is pos
sibility of the Indian excelling in the pur-
suit of civilized agriculture. They have
also schools and churches.
This is the bright side of OnOndaga his
tory, but as traces of paganism may be
found in forms of civilization that claim
to be more advanced, it is not surprising
to find some portion of these exceptional
Indians clinging tenaciously to the hea-
thenism of their ancestors. The last of
an illustrious line of chiefs, Captain
George the head chief of the tribe, holds
the faith of his fathers with the same res
oluteness with which, in the war of 1912,
he not only cast his influence in favor of
the Americans, but on one occasion, with
out rest or sleep, he ran one hundred and
fifty miles in order to bring important in
formation to the American army. A firm
ly- resolved pagan is Captain George, fit
type of the red man when he was no
BILE" but while he may count himself the
last leading pagan of his race, he cannot,
like Logan, call himself solitary tree in
the forest, for he is surrounded with the
love of his people and the respect of all
his white neighbors.
In accordance with a custom which
reaches back into the dimmest of Indian
myths, the Onondagas hold a solemn sacri-
fetal service during the moon preceding
our month of February. This year the
great Sacrifice of the White Dog" took
place on the 18th of January.
According to ancient custom, the sins
of the people are supposed TO be gathered
by the managers or chiefs, iand from these,
by some vicarious mystery, they were laid
upon the head of a white dog. As tradi-
tion requires, this dog was perfectly
white, without blemish, and organically
sound. A single black hair would have
destroyed the efficacy of the victim. AT
an early hour of the forenoon the dog
was strangled by opposing forces of men
holding the ends of cord passed around
the necl. of the victim, for il was of the
utmost importance that not a drop of
blood should be shed When the eXpia-
tory offering was thus ready for prepare
ton, it was fancifully painted and car
ried into the Council house. AT two
o'clock in the afternoon the sacriticial
ceremonies commenced. Captain George,
who as head chief of the nation, acted as
high priest, entered the Council house and
proceeded to array himself i'll a white
tuuic, the sleeves of which were bound mp
with ribbons. He then girded himself
with & belt of beads, and placed upon his
head an adornment that might excite the
admiration of the most fashionable of
milliners-it was SO light and feathery.
Taking his seat in the centre of the room,