History of Livingston County, New York, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 5

Author: Smith, James Hadden. [from old catalog]; Cale, Hume H., [from old catalog] joint author; Mason, D., and company, pub. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y., D. Mason & co.
Number of Pages: 744

USA > New York > Livingston County > History of Livingston County, New York, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 5

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* Col. Hist., 1., 283.

+ Parkman's Jesuits.

# See School raft's Notes.

· Antiquities of New York and the l'est, 9.

I've Historic Races of the United States of America, 174.

$ Antiquities of New York and the West, 140.

§ Schoolcraft.

INDIAN MODES OF DRESS.

bound to enforce it with all the powers of eloquence he possessed .* It was in this role that the talented, but anomalous Red Jacket, acquired so great a celebrity as an orator. To the men, in addition to the duties already enumerated, belonged that of making the implements of war and the chase, pipes, which were often skillfully and elaborately wrought, and canoes, which were of two kinds-"some of entire trees, excavated by fire, axes and adzes,"t and others made of bark. The canoes of the Hu- rons and other northern tribes were made of birch bark; while those of the Iroquois, in the absence of birch, were made of elm, which was greatly in- ferior, both in lightness and strength.

The dress of both men and women consisted of skins of various kinds, dressed in the well-known Indian manner, and worn in the shape of kilts, or doublets thrown over the shoulders, the men often wearing it only over the left shoulder, so as to leave their right arm free. Formerly these coverings were made of turkey feathers, woven together with a thread of wild hemp ;¿ but latterly both these and the skins were superseded by a piece of duffels,s which they received in trade with the whites. The rich wore a piece of blue, red or black cloth about " two yards" long, fastened around the waist, the lower seam of which, in some cases, was decorated with ribbons, wampum or corals. The poor cov- ered themselves with a bear-skin, and even the rich did the same in cold weather, or in its stead, a pelisse of beaver or other fur, with the hair turned inward. They made stockings and shoes of deer- skins and elk-hides, which, says Loskiel, were " tan- ned with the brains of the deer," which made them very soft ; and some even wore shoes made of corn husks, of which, also, they made sacks. The dress which peculiarly distinguished the women, was a petticoat, made of a piece of cloth about two yards long, fastened tight about the hips, and hanging down a little below the knees. This they wore day and night. A longer one would have impeded them in walking through the woods and working in the fields. Their holiday dress was either blue or red and sometimes black, hung all around, fre- quently from top to bottom, with red, blue and yellow ribbons. " Most women of rank," says Los- kiel, " wear a fine white linen shift with a red col- lar, reaching from their necks nearly to the knees. Others wear shifts of printed linen or cotton of va- rious colors, decorated at the breast with a great

* Benton's Herkimer County and the Upper Mohawk Valley, 18.

t Colonial History of New York.

$ Loskiel and Colonial History of New York.

§ A kind of coarse cloth resembling frieze.

number of silver buckles, which are also worn by some as ornaments upon the petticoats." The men also frequently appeared in a white shirt with a red collar, worn over the rest of the clothes. The dress "of the women, according to the Jesuits," says Parkman, in speaking of the Hurons, "was more modest than that of our most pious ladies of France ! The young girls on festal occasions must be except- ed from this commendation, as they wore merely a kilt from the waist to the knee, besides the wam- pum decorations of the breast and arms. Their long black hair, gathered behind the neck, was decorated with disks of native copper, or gay pen- dants made in France, and now occasionally un- earthed in numbers from their graves. The men. in summer, were nearly naked, those of a kindred tribe wholly so, with the sole exception of their moccasins."

All Indians were very much addicted to personal ornamentation, the women more so than the men. In these decorations consisted their wealth, and they were a means also of marking their rank among themselves .* The men paid particular at- tention to the dress and adornment of their wives, and thought it scandalous to appear better clothed than they. ¡ Their robes of fur were often richly decorated on the inside with painted figures and de- vices, and elaborately embroidered, and were of great value. Much time and labor was bestowed in decorating their faces and bodies with paint and other devices. The latter was frequently covered entirely with black, in case of mourning, and was most singularly tatooed with representations of ser- pents, birds and other creatures. The entire body was thus sometimes covered, and though the oper- ation was severe and painful, at times resulting in death, not a murmur escaped the sufferer. From these decorations they sometimes acquired appel- lations by which their pride was exceedingly grati- fied ; thus an Iroquois chief, whose breast was cov- ered with black scarifications was called the Black Prince.# The face each day received a fresh ap- plication of paint, and this was an object of special care if they were going to a dance. Vermillion was their favorite color, and with it they frequent- ly painted the entire head. At other times half the face and head were painted red and the other half black. Near the river Muskingum was found a yellow ochre, which, when burnt, made a beautiful red color. This the Huron warriors chietly used for paint, and did not think a journey of a hundred

* Kif's Fesuits.

t Loskiel.

# Loskiel.

HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.

miles too great a price to pay for it. Some pre- ferred blue. "because," says Loskiel. "it is the color of the sky, when calm and serene, and being considered an emblem of peace, it is frequently in- troduced as such in their public orations." White clay, soot and the red juice of certain berries, were among the agents employed in these fantastic decorations. Some wore a large pearl, or piece of silver, gold or wampum, suspended from a hole bored in the cartilage of the nose. From their ears, which had previously been distended and length- ened as much as possible, depended pearls, rings, sparkling stones, feathers, flowers, corals, or silver crosses. A broad collar made of violet wampum was deemed a most precious ornament, and the rich even decorated their breasts with it. "It is always necessary," says Father Sebastian Rasles, " to add a small piece of porcelain, which hangs at the end of the collar."

The hair was worn in various and grotesque fash- ions, and decorated with silver and other trinkets of considerable weight. The women suffered it to grow without restraint, and thus it frequently reached below the hips. Nothing was thought more ignominious in women than to have it cut off, and this was only now and then resorted to as an act of punishment, They anointed it with bear's grease to make it shine. " The Delaware women," says Loskiel, "never plait their hair, but fold and tie it round with a piece of cloth. Some, tie it behind, then roll it up, and wrap a ribband or the skin of a serpent around it. + * But the Iroquois, Shawanose and Huron women wear a queue, down to their hips, tied round with a piece of cloth, and hung with red ribband." The men did not allow their hair to grow long, and some even pulled so much of it out by the roots, that a little only re- mained round the crown of the head. forming a round crest of about two inches in diameter. This was divided into two parts, plaited, tied with rib- bon, and allowed to hang on either side of the head. The crown was frequently ornamented with a plume of feathers, placed either upright or aslant ; and the hair, at feasts, with silver rings, corals, wam- pum, and even silver buckles. With some the hair was braided tight on one side and allowed to hang loose on the other ; while with others it bristled in a ridge across the crown like the back of a hyena.

European writers, among them Voltaire, long contended that, par naturel, the North American Indians had no beards ; and W. J. Snelling, who resided for some years among the Western Indians,

says, it is not an error that the Indians have no beard. Brant, the celebrated Mohawk chief, ad- dressed the following letter to a Mr. McCausland, who, desiring to know the truth of the matter, pro- pounded the inquiry " thereon :-

" NIAGARA, 19 APRIL, 1783.

" The inen of the Six Nations have all beards by nature ; as have likewise all other Indian nations of North America, which I have seen. Some Indians allow a part of the beard upon the chin and upper lip to grow, and a few of the Mohawks shave with razors, in the same manner as Europeans ; but the generality pluck out the hairs of the beard by the roots, as soon as they begin to appear :t and as they continue this practice all their lives, they ap- pear to have no beard, or, at most, only a few strag- gling hairs, which they have neglected to pluck out. I am, however, of opinion, that if the Indians were to shave, they would never have beards altogether so thick as the Europeans ; and there are some to be met with who have actually very little beard.

JOS. BRANT THAYENDANEGA."

It was common for the Indians to rub their bodies with the fat of bears or other animals, which was sometimes colored, to make their limbs supple, and to guard against the sting of mosqui- toes and other insects.

The Iroquois studied dress and ornamentation more than any other Indian nation, and were allowed to dictate the fashion to the rest.

The Iroquois married early in life, the men sometimes in their eighteenth, and the women in their fourteenth year. Both marriage and divorce were effected with equal facility, and were attended with very little ceremony. The marriage ceremony consisted in the acceptance of a gift from a suitor by the intended wife, and the return on her part of a dish of boiled maize and an armful of fuel. Divorces ensued at the pleasure of the parties for the most trivial causes, and without disgrace to either, unless it had been caused by some scandal- ous offense. The man signified his wish to marry by a present of blankets, cloth, linen, and perhaps a few belts of wampum, to the nearest relatives of the object of his desire. If they happened to be pleased with the present and suitor, they proposed the matter to the girl, who generally decided agree- ably to the wishes of the parents or relatives. 1f the proposal was declined the present was returned by way of a friendly negative. The woman or girl indicated this desire by sitting, with her face covered with a veil. If she attracted a suitor, negotiations were opened with parents or friends,

* Biography and History of the Indians of North America .- Book V., Chap. V., 92.

+ See Holland Documents, Col. Hist. of New York, I., 281.

. Kip's Jesuits.

SOCIAL CUSTOMS OF THE IROQUOIS.

presents given and the bride taken. Says Father Cholonce, missionary of the Society of Jesus, in 1715, referring to the Iroquois: "Although these heathen extend their dissoluteness and licentious- ness to the greatest excess, there is yet no nation which in public guards so scrupulously the outward decorum, which is the attendant of perfect modesty. A young man would be forever dis- honored if he should stop to converse publicly with a young female. Whenever marriage is in agitation the business is to be settled by the parents, and the parties most interested are not even permitted to meet." *

Taciturn, morose and cruel as the Indians were usually in their hunting and war-like expeditions. in their own cabins and communities they were very social, patient and forbearing ; in their festal seasons, when all were at leisure, they engaged in a round of continual feasting, gambling, sinoking and dancing. In gambling they spent much of their leisure, and staked all they controlled on the chances of the game,-their food, ornaments, canoes, clothing, wives, and even the skins from their backs.t The game of bowl, in which two entire villages sometimes contended, had a pecu- liar fascination, and cases are related where some of the contestants lost their leggins and moccasins, and complacently returned home barefooted through the snow. Some of the Iroquois believed that they would play this game in the spirit land. # Various devices were employed, - eight plum stones, pieces of wood, or small pebbles, (noyaux) painted red or black on one side, and yellow or white on the other. These were put into a wooden bowl, which, being struck heavily upon the ground, caused them to bound upward, and the betting was upon the colored faces which were uppermost when they fell. So long as one threw seven or eight of the same color he gained and continued playing.$ Ball (la crosse,) was also a favorite game and engaged twenty or more contestants on each side. Entire villages were often pitted against each other. Two poles were set up and the game commenced in the center; one party, with bat, which is described "as a sort of little racket," pro- pelling the ball, (which was made of " very heavy wood, somewhat larger than the balls used at tennis,") from one side and the other from the op- posite, and whichever reached the goal won. * Early Jesuit Missions .- Kip, p. 86.

t Biography of the Indians of North America -Book 11., Chap. II., 31.

$ Parkman's Jesuits.

§ Col. Hist. I.N., SSS. ( Paris Documents. ) Carter's Travels, London Ed. 363. Phila. Ed., 1796, 237.

When playing they were entirely naked, except a " breech cloth," and moccasins on their feet ; and their bodies were completely painted with all sorts of colors. They played "very deep (gros jeu.) and often ; " and the bets sometimes amounted to "more than eight hundred livres."* These games occasionally provoked bitter feuds, resulting in deadly combat, and tradition ascribes the war be- tween the Neutral nation and the Iroquois to the defeat of the former in a series of games of ball.t

Dancing was a common amusement and a sol- emn duty with all Indians, and not a night passed during these periods of leisure without a dance in one family or another to which the youth of both sexes resorted with eagerness. The common dance was held in a large house or in an open field around a fire. A circle was formed and a leader chosen. The women danced with great decorum, even gravity, never speaking a word to the men, much less joking with them. as that would injure their character. They neither jumped nor skipped, but moved one foot lightly backward and forward, till by gradual advances they reached a certain spot, when they retired in the same manner. They kept their bodies straight and their arms hung down close to their sides. The men shouted, leaped and stamped with great violence, their extreme agility and light- ness of foot being shown to great advantage. The sole music consisted of a single drum, made by stretching a thin deer skin over an old barrel or kettle, or the lower end of a hollow tree, and beat with one stick. Its sound was disagreeable, and served only to mark the time, which they kept with exactness, even when dancing in great numbers. The intervals between the rounds were enlivened with singing by the drummer. The dances com- monly lasted till midnight. The dance was a com- mon way of welcoming and entertaining strangers. Baron Lahonton says it was the custom of the Iroquois to dance "lorsque les etrangers passent dans leur pais, ou que leurs ennemis envoient des ambassadeurs pour faire des propositions de peix."+

Another kind of dance was attended only by men. Each rose in his turn and danced with great agility and boldness, extolling the great deeds of himself or forefathers in a song, to which the whole company beat time, by a rough, monotonous note, sung with great vehemence at the commencement of each bar.

* Col Hist. 1.X., 887.

Biography and History of the Indians of North America .- Book I[., Chap. 11., 31 .- Duty's History of Livingston County, 33. Other authors ascribe to this cause the war between the Eries and Iroquois. $ Memoirs de L' Amerique, 11 . 110

HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.

Other dances were held upon particular occa- sions, the chief of which was the dance of peace, called also the calumet, or pipe-dance, because the calumet, or pipe of peace, was handed about during the dance. The dancers joined hands and leaped in a ring for some time. Suddenly the leader let go the hand of one of his partners, keeping hold of the other. He then sprang forward, turned round several times, so that he was encircled by the rest of the company. They disengaged themselves as suddenly, keeping hold of each other's hands during all the evolutions and changes of the dance, which, as they explained it, represented the chain of friend- ship. A song, composed especially for this solem- nity, was sung by all .*

The War Dance, held either before or after a campaign, was dreadful to behold. No one took part in it but the warriors themselves. They af- feeted with such marvelous fidelity the fierce pas- sions which actuated them in their bloody deeds of valor, as to give to the shuddering spectator an exact pantomime representation of the scenes in which they had actually engaged-representations as horrible as life-like. It delineated the prepara- tions for the war, and all the common incidents at- tending it-their arming, departure, arrival in the enemy's country, the encampment, the attack, the struggle, the victory, and lastly the torture of the captives.

Prodigality was as much a characteristic of their feasts as their dances and other amusements, with which they were often associated, and like them are supposed to have had their origin in religion.t They were often participated in by whole villages, sometimes even by neighboring villages, and in this way a vain or ambitious host applied all his sub- stance to one entertainment. Brébeuf relates an instance of this kind which occurred in the winter of 1635, at the village of Cantarrea, where thirty kettles were over the fires, and twenty deer and four bears were served up.# The invitation was simple and consisted in the concise summons, "Come and eat." To refuse was a grave offense. Each guest took his dish and spoon and as he entered, greeted his host with the ejaculation, Ho !' He then ranged himself with the rest, squatted on the earthen floor or on the platform along the sides of the house, around the steaming kettles. A long prelude of lugubrious singing preceded the feast. The host, who took no share in the feast, then pro- claimed in a loud voice the contents of each kettle

t Loskiel.

* Charlevoix.

t Parkman's Jesuits.

and at each announcement the company responded in unison, Ho' The attendant squaws then filled the bowls of the guests, who interspersed their feast- ing with talking, laughing, jesting. singing and smoking, at times protracting the entertainment throughout the day.

When the feast partook of a medical character it was indispensable that each guest should eat all that was served to him, however enormous the quantity, even if he should die. Should he fail, the host would be outraged, the community shocked, and the spirits roused to vengeance. Disaster would befall the nation ; death, perhaps, the individual. A vicarious alternative was provided, however, and when one found himself unable to conform to the ridiculous practice, he engaged, when he could, another of the company to eat what remained of his portion, generally rewarding his benefactor with a present. This was the only way of getting out of the dilemma. "In some cases the imagined efficacy of the feast was proportioned to the rapid- ity with which the viands were dispatched. Prizes of tobacco were offered to the most rapid feeder : and the spectacle then became truly porcine. " These feasts were much dreaded, but were never known to be deelined.

The War Feast of the Iroquois, as observed by Father Dablon on the occasion of the contemplated war with the Eries, in January. 1656, and which, he says, "serves to stimulate their courage for the approaching conflict," is thus described by him :-

"First of all the war-kettle, as they call it, is hung over the fire as early as the preceding autumn, in order that each of the allies going to war may have the opportunity to throw in some precious morsel, to be kept cooking through the winter, by which act they are solemnly pledged to take part in the proposed enterprise. The kettle having been kept steadily boiling up to the month of February, a large number of warriors, Senecas as well as Cayugas, gathered to celebrate the war feast, which continued for several nights in succes- sion. They sang their war songs, danced and went through all possible contortions of body and ex- pressions of countenance, protesting the while that never should they retire from the combat, but fight to the death, whatever tortures they might suffer, before they would yield an inch of ground. At the same time that they make this boast of their courage, they hurl at one another fire brands and hot ashes, strike each other heavy blows, and burn one an- other to show they do not fear the very worst the enemy can do. Indeed, one must remain firm and suffer himself to be bruised or burned by his nearest friends without flinching; otherwise he is regarded as a miserable coward .* "

· Relation, 1656, Chap. X.

RELIGIOUS BELIEFS OF THE IROQUOIS.

The Indians had rude, though positive religious ideas, which were associated with-almost entirely embodied in-superstition, that natural concom- itant of ignorance. As observed by the early Jesu- its, before being contaminated by those of civilized nations, they were in strict accordance, as with other nations, civilized or barbarous, with their mental and moral development, and hence differed in different nations. They evinced. in perfect an- alogy with the Indians themselves, a greater fear of evil than of reverence for good; and hence their devotions consisted more in propitiating evil spirits than invoking the interposition of the good. In- deed, and here we realize the beauty of their sim- plicity, it was deemed superfluous to importune the source of goodness. The belief in immortality was almost universal, but, though rarely, there were those who denied it .* Even animals were en- dowed with it, and were deified and worshiped.t This veneration for the animal kingdom is reflected in the common practice of selecting from it the names by which the tribes were designated. They were tolerant towards others, and allowed as large a liberty upon the subject of religion among them- selves as in their social and civil arrangements. To use the trite expression of a Creek chief who accompanied an American to England in 1791, on being asked as to his religious belief, he replied that, upon a subject upon which there was no pos- sibility of people's agreeing, he thought "it was best that every one should paddle his own canoe his own way !" }

The Indians' God, whom the Iroquois called Hawenniis, (meaning he rules, he is master,) was endowed with attributes akin to their own, but primitively not with that of moral goodness. The Indian language had no word expressive of our abstract idea of deity. The Iroquois had another God, with equal claims to supremacy. Him they called Areskoui, and his most prominent attribute was that of a god of war. He was often invoked and the flesh of animals and captive enemies was burned in his honor. They had also a third deity, called Terenyowagon, or Teharonhiwagon, whose place and character is not well defined. In some traditions he appears as the son of Jouskeha, the ruler of the world, and endowed with great influ- ence, for he it was who spoke to men in dreams.

Some writers identify him with Hiawatha, to whom the Iroquois ascribe their confederation ; while Van der Donck assumes that he is God, and Areskoui, the Devil. Besides these they had numerous objects, both animate and inanimate, which were endowed with supernatural powers and supplicated. These the Iroquois called Okies ; the Algonquins and other tribes, Manitous. There were local manitous of streams, rocks, mountains, cataracts and forests, which, when they revealed themselves to mortal sight, bore the semblance of beasts, reptiles or birds, in unusual or distorted shapes, their conception betraying for the most part, a striking poverty of imagination. There were manitous without local habitations, some good, some evil, countless in number and indefinite in attributes. They filled the world and controlled the destinies of Indians, who were held to be under a spiritual rule distinct from that which gov- erns the white man. These were, for the most part, in the shape of animals. Sometimes they took the forin of stones, and, though less frequent- ly, assumed human proportions. Each Indian had his guardian manitou, to whom he looked for counsel, guidance and protection.

The points of the compass and the winds were also personified as manitous. There was a Sum- mer-Maker and Winter-Maker, and the latter was kept at hay by throwing fire-brands into the air. The hunter sought to propitiate the game he desired to kill, and was often known to address a wounded bear in a long apologetic harangue. This is also true of the fish, which, says Parkman, "were addressed every evening from the fishing- camp by one of the party chosen for that function, who exhorted them to take courage and be caught, assuring them that the utmost respect should be shown to their bones. The harangue, which took place after the evening meal, was made in solemn form; and while it lasted, the whole party, except the speaker, were required to lie on their backs, silent and motionless, around the fire." The fish nets were no less objects of solicitude, and to in- duce them to do their work effectually, were mar- ried every year to two young girls, with a ceremony far more formal than that observed in human wed- lock. As it was indispensable that the brides should be virgins, mere children were chosen .*

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History of Livingston County, New York, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 5

Author: Smith, James Hadden. [from old catalog]; Cale, Hume H., [from old catalog] joint author; Mason, D., and company, pub. [from old catalog] Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y., D. Mason & co. Number of Pages: 744

Author: Smith, James Hadden. [from old catalog]; Cale, Hume H., [from old catalog] joint author; Mason, D., and company, pub. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y., D. Mason & co.
Number of Pages: 744