The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-07-10
THE LAST of THE aRoaUoIs.
A Final Indian Council I'm the state
of New York.

New York Commercial Advertiser.
A picturesque event took place at Albany
this week which has not received the at,
tention it merits. 1t was the last general
council of the old Indian confederacy known
as the lroquois or Five Nations. The OBJ
Ject Of the council was to transfer TO the
State University the custody OF the remain
ing wampum belts, or symbols of authority,
of the confederacy, and fifty chiefs, some
them Of Iriquois lineage, took part In the
ceremonies. Originally there were about
thirty of these belts, but at present only
about one-third of them can be found. The
surrender of these tokens of power, relics
which the descendants OF the former tribes
have sacredly guarded, practically marks
the formal termination OF the existence or
the Iroquois League.
At the time America was discovered the
Iroquois was the most aggressive and high
ly organized body of aborigineS north of the
Gulf of Mexico. The home or the con1ed-
eracy-then composed of the MohawkS, the
Oneidas the Onondagas, the Senecas and
the CayugaS-was substantially the north
ern half of what Is now i New YORK state iss
dominion from the great lakes on the north
ern borders almost to the gulf coast ana
had the discovery of America been deferred
a century longer it is probable the lroquolS
would have dominated the entire continent
The Five Nations owed their success not so
much to numbers and daring as to the sys-
tenn of government they maintained rms
system, as the terms confederacy ana
league imply was really a crude republic.
Like all the American tribes, the Five Ma
tionS cherished a spirit of freedom ana IN
dependence, but they early perceived the
advantage of cooperation, and upon this
principle their military and civil institutions,
If institutions they can be called, were built.
This rendered them a terror to hostile
tribes and enabled them to dominate
nearly the whole country. 1t was with
pride that Europeans saw such strength
and intelligence of organization among
denizens of the woods, whom they beneVed
to be totally ignorant of all the instincts OF
Nor We're the Iroquois deficient in the
arts of peace. They built no such temples
as the Aztecs, but they reared structures
of beams and bark, divided into various
COMPARTMENTS. and they constructed pali-
sades or Notifications of wood for mutual
protection. They carried hieroglyphic writ
ing to high state, ana nor only Lashl Neas,
household utensils out of stone, but often
displayed not a little skill and taste in
personal attire. Warlike as their natural
qualities were also, their country was dotted
with fields OF maize beans squashes, pump
kins, tobacco and other vegetables, either
useful or edible. and they took care to pro-
vide stores of such supplies for the winter
and against long campaigns. All this be-
spoke q measure of intelligence and civiliza-
tion among these children of the forest that
was not suspected.
In American history, however, the Iro-
quois will be chiefly remembered for the
aid they furnished English and Dutch set
tiers of New York State in resisting French
aggression from Canada. They ferceiy OPP
posed white settlement of their country at
the outset, but eventually they yielded to
the inevitable and assisted in preserving 1t
from Latin invasion. 1t Is no exaggeration
to say that it is owing materially to Eng
lish alliances with the. !roquois that French
is not the tongue of this section of the Re-
public to-day. No doubt these alliances
were often inspired by cupidity and vindic-
but this does not lessen the fact that their
services were of immense value to the flu
ture development of New York State, while
as a rule they were infexibly loyal to the
treaties into which they entered For these
reasons the State does we'll to perpetuate
the memorials of power of these dusky war;