Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1904-12-15


ing a-ily about tnem In these Kettles
auN "a- made and corn was noilcd. soon
after doyhaaE the Iuiiu5 summoned by
Z women began to arrive. HEY came
in .. 1yts 'i W3.-. Some Of chem came
IN from wagons and those who were more
prosperous in buggies.
"Many came Struggling in on foot af-
ter walks in some instances Of ten or fiji
teen miles. They were dressed in all
sorts Of farm costumes, but only the
older women wore any of the old Indian
garments and ornaments. \ number of
these had on the historical red and blue
lcggings reaching from the feet up above
the bottoms of their short skirts There
is bead work border around the bot
toms of the leggngs and in many cases
it is very artistically and neatly done.
ut was 2 O'Clock in the afternoon when
the feast began. There We're then as
sembed in the Long House, | should
think, between 200 and 300 people-men,
women and children. The members of
the Snipe clan, the chief mouners and
the hosts of the occasion, occupied the
central benches. The rest were disposed
about the room haphazard fashion, save
that the women were in one end and the
men in the other
George Chief, the English name he has
adopted, is the chief or head man of the
Snipe clan. He is tall, straight as an ar
row and bears the burden of nearly 20
years wonderfully well. He ia a veter-
an of the civil war and a man of decided
force 1t was he. as chief mOurner, who
gave the signal for the opening of the
ceremonies. He did this by simply bow
ing gravely to Chester Lay. Chester Lay
is a head man of the Wolf clan He is a
Government interpreter and census taker
Ills Indian name is 'Ho- Do-Au-Tchia," f"
meaning Bearer of the Earth"
at this time all the food had been
brought in and was arranged on benches
| by the fireplace at the women's end of
/ the room Inc kettles filled with soup,
the Indian bread and cakes and the pres
cnts to be distributed by the Snipe clan
among the other mourners-al these
were there in waiting. There was a deep
and very impressive silence in the room
when Ho- o-Do-Au-Tchia' rose in response
/ TO the signal that all was ready. He
spoke in the Seneca language, which is a
/ very ,onorous and musical tongue, by the
! way.
"'Now we have all met together he
said, and We the elder brothers, condole
with the younger brothers the great loss
they have met in the death of Ya-i-e-noh.
She was like a great tree in the forest,
1 Her strength supported us Like spread
ING branches she sheltered us and pro-
tected us. Her kindness and tenderness
were like blossoms. And now the tree is
cut down. The branches shelter us no
more. The leaves and the blossoms are
all withered and dead
by this time nearly all the women
and even many Of the men were in tears
IIo-Do-Au-Tchia talked for nearly half
an hour recounting the good deeds Mrs
Converse had done for the Indians. Then
Chief William Grow spoke He is head
man and the preacher, as he is called
1t was he who performed the Indian
burial ritual at Mrs Conyerses funeral
in New York.
He eXpounds to the Indians the doc
trines of -Nia-Deio," or Beautiful
Lake" as his name would be translated
the great Seneca prophet and teacher
of over hundred years ago who did Sc
much good by warning the Indians
against the snares and temptations OF
the white mems civilization-the drink.
ing, the fiddle playing and the gambling
Chief Grow, as the eXpounder of this
prophets doctrine, holds high eminencc
among the Senecas.
eve ought ALL, Chief Crow said. 'tc
thank the Great Spirit fer having sent
that good woman among his people a,
the bearer of his love to them. We
should ever be thankful for her GOOD
words-words that were wise. that urged
all to abstain from vice and evil WAYS
We should thank her for her work fol
us among our white friends. for making
us to know that which We did not know
At home or far away She was always om
friend-always our Ever Watchful One.
Chief William Crows speech made q
great impression and the wecoing broke
out afrrSh as he went on His appear.
anco was very impressive. with his white
hair and strongly marked features Hc
is about 20 years Old. His Indian name
! is So-No-Gah. It means Failing Snow.
job King, head man OF the Beaver
clan spoke, and then the food was hand
ed around. 1t was brought in Great
bowls, and each one broke off bit OF
the bread. The soup was IadIcd out in
to pals and eaten there or carried away
Nav Davis head woman Of tho Sninf