New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-07-17
, sJ7JT FOR WAMPUM BELTS.
.,,-, oSoNpAGAs TRYING TO RECOVER A
FAMOUS RECORD.
,- Urged TO TAKE JUDICIAL NOTICE OF
INDIAN HISTORY AND TRADi11oN-MAAoH
,o,,x DoYD THACHERs REPLY.


hi" N,vor John Boyd Thacher OF Albany. The
~ .oo.o, ,,isages Of the OnOndagas showed
w., - the interest they felt in this suit 1t was
49, notion TO make the University OF the state OF
.,.uyork receiver Of the four great belts or wan
Nc" ,,,,,o the final result Of the Ntigation-a
a.,ro.,oo that has the assurance OF beng carried
- Tho highest court and will undoubtedly excite
~. i,.erest Of every student OF ethnology IN the
,,,yv The briefs in that motion have just been
.ao5 - Justice McIennan. and they present not
~, az NOVEL n case dependent upon tradition and
800 &c was ever presented to the Supreme Court
4, New-York State. but tell story OF the
-,,,,,rns that could be alone brought out by an
,o-rov in search Of every scrap of history In re-
-, thereto For the Onondaga Nation and Te-
bes-ha. an Onondaga Indian on his own behalf
- on behalf Of all the Ho-de-no -sau-nee Edward
1,,,,s,ov, Paige OF New-York himself adopted into
,se Turtle tribe Of the Iroquois appears. John A.
1,.,.ha,tv. corporation counsel OF the city OF AL
b,r,. represents Mayor Thacher.
,t-,b the object Of wampum Attorney Paige be-
oi,s his brief He urges that the Court will take
Judicial notice that the history of the Six Nations
Of Indians IS a part OF the history OF the State.
Doun 20 one hundred years ago the Ho-de-no-sau-
nee living IN a stone age and having no written
,o,ciage made records Of what they did by de
,,vering" belts OF wampum. which. having been
n.slked into" at the time they were delivered
.,alEed out" again when the record OF what had
occurred at the time the particular belt was de
lyered" was needed tor Take. for instance the
washington Treaty OF 1884,. A belt was "delivered
d;~erIng In the arrangement Of the beads OF which
the wampum was composed from all other wam-
puns 1t the duty Of the "wampum
tseoer" 10 remember and 10 tell upon occasion
what had occurred when that belt was delivered.
II was the duty OF all "rOyaners' then present 10
remember ard TO tell upon occasion the same
thing The most important occasion. Of course
was when there was to be a new "wampum Keep
Or" Naturally the idea that as many human
b4,nrs as possible should hear what the belt was
delivered" Cor and should tell it TO as many
other human beings as possible. so that the event
q. which tire belt was 10 be a record should he
always known when there was any use Tor us
being known To the Onondagas was committed
the keeping Of the central council fire when meant
the Keeping OF the wampum records. Ana the
Onondagas made an officer, known as the "arh-
rrr1 keeper" for that purpose.
Not 20 records Of the Court OF Appeals nor Hun
,o- Harbour docs the attorney for the Ho-de-no-
sar-nee cite the Court. but TO such authorities as
7 evils II MORGAN author OF THE League OF the
1roquois" and Joshua V. H. Clark. The writer or
"Onondaga" According to these authorities ne
holds that upon the institution OF the League Oh
the Iroouois fifty permanent Scholarships were
orao.oa With appropriatc names. ana IN the
eaoherns who held these titles were vested the
s,,ren,e mowers Of the confederacy. The sachem-
.bins were made hereditary under limited and
,ao,,l,ar lows Of descent. The schems themselves
were equal in rank and authority and instead OF
,ol1,,g serarate territorial jurisdictions their
powers were joint and co-extensive with inc
iAay,e As safeguard against contention and
1r,nd each sachem was raised up and invested
with his title BY a council OF all the sachems
Al this point Il may be well 20 say that Thomas
Webster from whom the wampums IN controversy
were purchased. never raised up as VAN
pun keeper" and the point may prove OF vital I'M
portance TO the case before the close as 1t Is ap-
Darentlv the only break In the chain Of ownership
that IS woven for the indiana.
THE CEREMONY OF RAISING UP"
Az 70 this ceremony Of raising UP" II Is held
that no one could become ruler until Il was done
1Ie received, when raised up" thu name OF the
81 chemship itself. and also did HIS successors
from generation 70 generation The sachemshlps
were distributed uneQually among the five Ma
tons but without thereby giving to either pre-
ron6erance OF political power. Nine Of them were
assigned 10 the Mohawk Nation. nine TO the Oneida
fourteen TO the Onondaga. ten to the Cayuga and
eight 10 the Seneca. The sachems united formed
the Council OF the League. the ruling body. IN
which resided the executive. legislative and judicial
authority.
Attorney Paigs presents TO tho Court lists Of all
the sachems of the Six Nations. and quotes his
authorities 10 say that the Orondaga Nation being
situated in central position. were made the
kaeoers both OF the Council Brand and OF the
warnpum in which the structure and principles OF
their government and their laws and treaties were
recorded At stated periods usually In the autumn
Of each year the sachems OF the league assembled
IN council a, Onondaga which was in effect the
sea- OF government 10 legislate for the common
welfare. Exieencies OF a public or domestic char
sc,er often led 10 the summoning Of this council at
extraordinary seasons. but the place was not con-
fined 20 Onondaga Notwithstanding the equality
OF rights privileges and powers between the men,
bers Of this body Of sachcms. there were certain
determinations between them which rendered
some more dignihed than others. The strongest IL
hs,ratlon is found in the Onondasa sachem' To-
do-da-ho who has always been regarded as the
most noble sachem OF the league At the estab-
llshnent % the League an Onondaga by the name
OF To-do-da-ho had rendered himself potent ruler
by the force Of his military achievements Tradi-
ton says that he had conquered the Cayugas ana
the serecas II represents his head as covered WIN
tangled serpents and his look when angry as so
terrible that whoever looked upon him fell dead
II relates that when the league was formed the
snakes were cornbed out Of his hair by Mohawk
sachem who was hence named Ha-yo-went-ha,
the man who combs"
Especial stress IS placed by Attorney Paige upon
the point that Ho-no-we-na-to, an Onondaga
sachem, was made keeper Of the wampu'n 1his
special mark OF distinction was consistent WIN
Pr'4eNt eluaiNF among ille fh'HS'I'9' q"
OF one ruling body. IN the administration CT the
affairs OF the league.
The laws explained at different stages OF the
eeremonals. as Morgan says. were repeated rom
strings Of wampUm. into which they 'Nad pech
talked" al tho time Of their enactment In inc IN
dian method " expressing the idea the string
or the belt can tell by OF an Interpreter the
exact law or transaction Of which 1t was made at
the time. the solo evidence. 1t operates upon me
principle OF association and thus speaks 10 give
hdellty 10 the memory. These strings ana peits
Were the only visible records OF the lro4uois' ana
were Of no use except by the aid or those speciai
peysonages who could draw forth the secret rec
ords locked up in their remembrance. IL Is worthy
OF note that but little importance was attached 10
promise or assurance OF foreign power unless
oets or strings given TO preserve 1t IN iecoi-
lection Verbal propositions or those not conhrmed
by wampum were nCt considered worthy Of special