The evening times., 1898-07-07
LAST OF THE IROGUOIS.
Transfer of Their symbols of Au-
thOrity to New York.
From the New York Commercial Advertiser.)

From the New York Commercial Advertiser.)
A picturesque event took place at AL
bany this week which has not received the
attention il merits. II was the last gen.
eral council of the old Indian confederacy
known as the lroquois. or Five Nations
The object of the council was to transfer
TO the State University the custody of the
remaining wampum belts. or symbols of
authority. of the confederacy, and five
chiefs, some of them clad in Indian cos
tune and all OF them of Iroquois 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
of the Iroquois league.
At the time America was discovered
the Iroquois was the most aggressive
and highly organized body of aborigines
north of the Gulf of Mexico. The home
Of the confederacy-then composed of
the Mohawks the Oneidas. the Ononda-
gas. the Senecas and the Cayugas-was
substantially the northern half of what
is now New York State. but through
conquest 1t had extended its dominion
from the Great Lakes on the northern
borders almost to the Gulf Coast. and
had the discovery of America been de-
ferred century longer IL is probable the
1roquois would have dominated the en-
tire continent. The Five Nations owed
their success not so much to numbers
and daring as to the system of govern
ment they maintained. This system, as
the terms confederacy and league imply,
was really rude republic Like all the
American tribes. the Five Nations cher
ished a spirit of freedom and independ-
ence but they early perceived the advan-
tage of cooperation and upon this prin-
ciple 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 domi-
nate nearly the whole country. 1t was
with surprise that Europeans saw such
strength and intelligence of organization
among denizens of the woods, whom they
believed to be totally ignorant of all
the instincts of civilization.
Nor were 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 pail
sades or Notifications of wood for mu-
tual protection. They carried hieroglyph-
ic writing to a high state, and not only
fashioned household utensils out of stone,
but often displayed not little skill and
taste in personal attire. Warlike as their
natural qualities were also, their country
was dotted with fields of maize. beans.
squashes, pumpkins. tobacco and other
vegetables, either useful or edible, and
they took care to provie stores of such
supplies for winter and against long
campaigns. All this bespoke a measure of
intelligence and civilization. among these
children of the forest that was not sus-
pected.
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
fiercely opposed 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 English alliances with the
Iroquois that French is not the tongue
of this section of the republic today. No
doubt these alliances were often inspired
by cupidity and vindictiveness on the
part of the Five Nations, but this does
not lessen the fact hat their services were
of immense value to the future develop
ment of New York State, while as a rule
they were inflexibly loyal to the treaties
into which they entered. For these rea-
sons the State does well to perpetuate
the memorials of power of these dusky
warriors.