New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-07-17
THE ANCIENT COUNCIL FIRES.

his birth.
THE ANCIENT COUNCIL FIRES.
The ancient council fires Of the confederate ma
IONS from time inmemorial had always been kept
awe at Onondaga the central nation Of the con-
federacy. After their alliance with the English In
lSo the fires OF the united councils Of the two
powers were kndled at Albany and there, accord
ing 10 the fEuratve manner Of indian expression.
was planted the great tree TO which was fastened
the chain OF friendship With the close Of the
great council of 1775 that fire. which had long
kept burning extinguished 1t was the last
Indian council held in the ancient Dutch capital.
The great council fire of the Six Nations was still
Kept alive at Onondaga till after the c,cse of the
! Revolutionary War This council fire. is not
many suppose, an actual lire. kept constantly
burning. but the place where their national records
are kept and belts. the memorials Of treaties. de-
| posted and preserved; and such me term is
used only in hgurative sense.
Mr. Paige gives this description of the vampum
belts as j. Y. II. Clark than In the hands OF
the wampum keeper in 1915. sight rarely allowed
| a white man. They are some twenty-five or thirty
league of m FIVE Ts6s and nf n nad p INC ara
pet foundation or platform. or. rs We may better
understand it, the constitution: literally. soTrc hing
! TO stand upon. The several la.i1ns ere dstin-
gushed by particular squares. and these Joined
/ together by line OF white wampum and united to
| heart in the centre. implying the union OF hand
| and heart as one. In connection with this IS a
second belt, having the figures u several chiefs
circle which is to represent that there shall be no
! end to this league on one belt is figured the Long
House. the Great Cabin. which no nation can enter
uniil Il has erected some little cabins around II;
Worthy Of note before it can be entitled to aGm
! sion TO the great league OF confederation. Around
Five Nations before the league formed. and
| on one side is a still smaller one. wrought since the
! admitted at a subsequent period.
| Another long belt, having cross at one end and
| long house at the other, narrow white stripe
eUnianed as .nf foows rcai u manv Wears ago
| cd belt.
! that missionaries from the Roman Catholic Church
| a Church at Onondaga and that the road should be
! continually kept open and free between them The
| tubes or beads Of wampum are of red. dark blue.
! pale blue black and white colors, made OF conch
| she'll They about hve.eighths Of an inch long.
/ about as large as a small pipestem and hollow.
| strung, woven and wrought with sinews OF deer
and bark.
THE SALE OF THE BELTS.
From 1851 down to the year 1898. when Mayor
Thatcher purchased the belts Attorney Paige traces
! them by photographs and reports Of the Bureau
| OF EthnOlogy at Washington. In the mean time
| the Hiawatha belt has been somewhat torn on At
the end. there being squares for but the four ma
lions instead OF five The Washington belt IS siill
| intact The afidavs Of General Darlington or the
! Regular Army (who took the Indian census In New
! York and bought the belts from Thomas Webster,
the son of Harry Webster the then deceased wam-
| pun keeper and the Rev DR.. Oliver Crane. are
| given. Genera! Darlington sold the belts to Mrs.
| Crane who. in turn. sold them TO Mayor Thacher.
! AS for the other two belts. Darlington swears that
/ he picked them Out with the Hiawatha and the
Washington .d belt; from what he calls Thomas
/ on February % las, the University Of the state
4 OF New-York was elected wdmpum keeper OF the
/ Onondaga Nation in modern caucus fashion. and
the resolution was added that the belts werg sod
Webster secured the original 81 for the belts
| General Carrineton. ana all tn. ioney ny to TIE
$3.50 that was paid by Mayor Thatcher was pock-
eted by the white people who wcre In the barter;
| However the names of the chiefs signed TO the
document making The uniyersity OF ne sac OF
| Here are the signatures: say,ha-que. Baptst
Thomas T Engab
Jacob A Shenandoah; Ha-he- nun. Levi N,ehsirr;
Farnnr l.in snhyet Wsace ca1pen,ef
Sod I2s FnTyne1 asa Daniel La Fort
Charles Lyon These sisn9tqTes %ege
| \. G.. Richmond and Edward Winslo~ Paige.
MIR. THACHER's CLAIM.
| In his brief John A. Deehanty for Mayor Thatcher
first answers the claim for judgment for the
Hiawatha and Washington treaty belts on The
ground that Mr.. Thacher admitted in letters tina
the belts were those Of the Five Nations. fio says
somewhat sarcastically. quoting Mr. Paige's com
plant thai the action purports to have been
brought in favor OF nation or tribe ~ Indians
who long before Hendrix Hudson sailed up North
| River were called by themselves Ho-de no sau-ne".
! which means People OF the Long House Then
the defendant denies that the wampum s Tho prop
7
! any other person than the defendant Denial IS
! also made that the wampum belts were eyer
wrongfully taken from the possession Of the Onon-
/ daga Nation. or that Harriet Maxwell Converse
was ever the regularly appointed agent or attorney
Of the Onondaga Nation. 80 called, TO recover the
wampum .s..,.. .,o o,,.,ors,.o ~ . co,,,lo
| Of letters to state Librarian Mclvil Dewey on the
subject Of the wampum. but he submits ma therc
construed admission that ethc: Of ING wan .
pun belts ever belonged 10 either the Five Nations
N4fi. "a leff
| che big piece vas made 70 commemorate me
union OF the Five Nations ana IS TER
! belt 50 called but it was not by any mean ~.
! ,Saf the wanpurn referred TO had at any time
been The property OF ne riyt MaonS Sei, was re-
| ferred 10 in a simia- manner But even II II were
conceded tina; the belts were once the property OF
is no such Concession hat at the present time
snce the date Of the purchase by me aefehdsm,
/ himself Then II is urged that Librarian Dewey
! which he said: 4 did not understand AZ al, ,iad
| YOU were the agent Of the State, but That II was
! snrnlv that ms a matter Of public spirit YOU might
be glad either give the State nc belts which II
bv Rounding what you paid for hem.
Mr. ha6er alleges lha! na re-; Maxwe c aS6
ma, she never mad any authority 70 make the dc
nand FOR the wampGm as dG , nai,ed a n The
| legality OF the transactions whereby ne secure'
ut the chief point Of all is this That there IS no
institution at ho present time ar the lIo-deno-sau
| nee. that the Iroquos confedoracy known by me
| ranos Of tho Five Nations and Six Nations re-
.rcctiyeIv has long since passed out OF existence
,bat the belts OF wampurn, II ever me property o.
| -" confederacy or any branch OF IT. are now
| sinnIv relics and heirloOms. and were so al thc
i;'e thev passed into General Darlington s hands
mat they were the individual property OF mon
| Webster and were recognized by all me de-
scendants OF the Iroquois; that the aieeatiols ~
regards the wampum keeper OF the Centi, u o' ,L
Are have no foundation in fact ana %nle , me me
.rodttons Of the time before the discovery OF the
| Hudson Ieyer may be interesting they are rot
material this lawsuit 80 ,. ., ro,,ca
Wr D.lehanty humby asks the Conrt TO notice
| .ha, he doesn't depcnd on tradition lie also suS-
snsts that the Court VIII not take notice OF UAdi
| ton, pH'icui'.''S Mr. Paige had sid