Ruttenber, E.M. History of the Indian Tribes of Hudson's River; their origin, manners and customs; tribal and sub-tribal organizations; wars, treaties, etc., etc. Albany: J. Munsell, 1872.

1 i i I if *= i i HISTORY wta inks; 0{ iutott's MANNERS AND CUSTOMS; TRIBAL ORIGIN, AND SUB-TRIBAL ORGANIZATIONS; WARS, TREATIES, ETC., ETC. * fl .. RUTTENBER, \6aS~- ^x Author of the History of Nevvburgh. GOOD TO MUSE ON NATIONS PASSED AWAY FOREVER FROM THE LAND WE CALL OUR OWN NATIONS AS PROUD AND MIGHTY IN THEIR DAY, WHO DEEMED THAT EVERLASTING WAS THEIR THRONE." "I'lS …

now submitted to the public, have been no exception Not only had the history of the Indians to this rule. who occupied the valley of Hudson's river never been is written, but the incidental references to them, in the histories of nations more prominent at a later period treating them as mere fragmentary bands without organization or political position among the aboriginal …

distinguished, eloquence as pure, bravery and prowess as unquestionable, as was possessed by those who, pre served for a greater time in their national integrity by their remoteness from became of more civilization, esteem in their relations to the government but less noble in their purposes. It has been the object of the author to trace the his tory of the Indians from the …

As far as possible the narrative has been divested of the recitation of events which do not pertain to it, and though necessarily running beyond the limits of the territory regarded as the valley of the Hudson, has been as closely confined to it as possible, too closely perhaps, as it is believed that the eastern PREFACE. v Indians have the same claim to consideration as a con …

the morning of September 3d, 1609, in the waters of the river which now bears his name. Lingering off Sandy Hook a week, he passed through the Narrows, and anchored what is now Newark bay. On the I2th, he resumed his in voyage, and slowly drifting with the tide, anchored over night, on the 1 3th, just above Yonkers, the great river stretching on before him to the north and …

of navigation, and that the Eastern passage was yet an unsolved problem. His return voyage began on the 2$d ; on the 25th, HISTORT OF THE INDIAN he anchored in ist of October ; Newburgh bay; reached Stony point on the on the 4th, Sandy Hook, and sailed from thence Newburgh Bay. to Europe, bearing with him the information which he had col lected, not the least of which in …

Hudson first met the Indians near the Narrows, where they came on board his vessel " clothed in mantles of feathers and robes of fur, the women, clothed in hemp, red copper tobacco pipes, and other things of copper they did wear about their necks;" of arms they brought none, their mission was peace; but he "durst not trust them." Suspicion breeds suspicion, leads to violence …

They were far from the ship, the night came on and a thick cloud of rain and fog 'settled over them ; seeing their condition, the Indians sprang to their boats to rescue them, fear seized them, the savage was more dreaded then the tempest, a falcon shot was hurled at the approaching canoes, the swift arrow re man was slain and two more hurt." plied, and "in the fight one Day …

" master's mate went on land 2 with an old sociable, and the savage, a governor of the country, who carried him to his house and made him good cheere." " I sailed to the shore," he says, " in one of their canoes, with an old man who was chief of a These I tribe consisting of forty men and seventeen women. saw there in a house well constructed of oak bark, and circular in …

statements as to who visited the shore in this, and in other instances. He does not give the latitude, but from the ship's log it would seem that the place was " six leagues higher," up the river than that fixed by De Laet, and that it was Castleton. at Schodac or 37; BrodCollections of the Nenv Tork O'Callaghan, heady I, 31 } Historical Society, ad Ser. i, i, 326. , HIS10RT …

They likewise killed a fat dog, 1 and skinned it in great haste, with shells which they had got out of the water. They supposed that I would remain with them for the night ; " when they but saw that he desired to return to the ship and that he would not u was afraid of their bows and remain, they supposed he arrows, and taking their arms they broke them in pieces and threw …

On the following day they came again, and when they saw that their chief had recovered from his debauch " they were glad. They returned to their castle and brought " " tobacco and beads and made an and gave them to Hudson, and showed him all the roundabout." u Then oration, country they sent one of their company on land again, who presently returned and brought a great platter …

So he made the two old men dine with him, and the and two old man's wife; for they brought two old women, young maidens of the age of sixteen or seventeen years with them, who behaved themselves very modestly." No doubt more wine was served at this dinner, but the aqua vitee was evi dently omitted, for the party took their departure at one o'clock. " " the met Hudson his …

" weapons." One canoe kept hanging under the stern," and its in soon detected was occupant pilfering from the cabin windows. When detected, he had secured a " pillow and two shirts, and two bandeliers " but the " mate shot at him, and struck him on the breast, and killed him." The Indians were frightened and fled away, some in their canoes, others jumping into the ; A boat was …

fered to enter the vessel, and falling behind it, discharged their "in recompense whereof " six muskets replied "and killed two or three of them." The Indians retreated, and from a point of land renewed the attack but " a falcon " " shot killed two of and " the rest fled into the woods arrows at it; ; them, ; "yet they manned off another canoe, with nine or ten men," through …

For over an hundred years the white-winged strange spectacle. of the old world had been wafted by them ; in the messengers further south, the white man was not a stranger, but not before his sails been folded on the breast of their waters, nor the voice of trumpet and cannon reverberated through their All this was new and strange; the Great Spirit solitudes. had had come to …

As the ship approached they concluded it was " a large canoe or house, in which the great Manitto himself was, and that he was probably coming to visit them." Every thing was put in order to entertain him ; " the best of victuals was prepared, and plenty of meat for sacrifice procured, and idols or images examined and put in order, to appease him in case he was Other runners …

Meanwhile Hudson kept on his course, and the Indians con tinued to collect on the banks of the river, expressing their curiosity in at last, the strongest manner. Establishing intercourse on board the ship, where they were ventured they " in a friendly manner, and they returned the salute " after their manner." They are lost in admiration both as to saluted the color of the …

contents being tasted by any one, and is on the point of being returned again to the red-clothed man, when one of their num ber, a spirited man and great warrior, jumps up, harangues the the of on impropriety returning the glass with the assembly contents in it ; that the same was handed them by the Manitto in order that they should drink it, as he himself had done before them …

effect this would have upon him ; and he soon begin- THE INDIAN TRIBES ning to stagger about, and at last dropping to the ground, they bemoan him. He falls into a sleep, and they view him as expiring. He awakes again, jumps up, and declares that he never before felt so He wishes for happy as after he had drank of the cup. more. His wish is granted ; and the whole assembly soon …

Their traditions seeing again ; they rejoiced whites laughed at them, seeing that they knew not the use of the axes, hoes, etc., they had given them, they having had those hanging to their breasts as ornaments, and the stockings they had made use of as tobacco pouches. The whites now put handles or helves in the former, and cut trees down before their eyes, and dug the ground …

of a bullock would cover or encompass, which hide was brought forward and spread on the That they readily granted this request ; a knife, and beginning at one place took the whites whereupon ground before them. on this hide, cut it up into a rope not thicker than the ringer of that by the time this hide was cut up, there was a great heap ; that this rope was drawn out to a …

the Cohatatea, while the Mahicans and the " Lenapes called it the Mahicanituk or the The Dutch continually flowing waters." gave it the name of Mauritius river, as early as 1611, in honor of their stadtholder, Prince Maurice, of Nassau. Hud a name which the French adopted in Rio de Montagne. The English first gave it the name of Hudson's river by which, and North river, the …

Morton wrote a book to prove that the Indians were of Latin John Joselyn held, in 1638, that they were of Tartar Cotton Mather inclined to the opinion that they were Scythians. James Adair seems to have been fully con vinced that they were descendants of the Israelites, the lost origin. descent. tribes ; and, after thirty years residence among them, published in 1775, an …

Their notion of a theocracy. 4. Their belief in the ministration of angels. 5. 6. Their Their language and dialects. manner of counting time. 7. Their pro 8. Their festi phets and high priests. Their vals, fasts and religious rites. 9. 10. Their ablutions and daily sacrifice. II. Their laws of uncleananointings. ness. 12. Their abstinence from unclean things. 13. Their …

who affirms that " at or about the time of the commencement of the Christian era, voyages from Africa and Spain into the " and holds Atlantic ocean were both frequent and celebrated ; that " there is strong probability that the Romans and Carthagenians, even 300 B. C., were well acquainted with the exist ence of this country," adding that there are " tokens of the presence of …

population as she did her peculiar trees, and plants, and animals, and birds. The geologist examines the relics of the west, and where imagination fashions artificial walls, he sees but crumbs of decaying sandstone, clinging like the remains of mortar to blocks of greenstone that rested on it ; discovers in parallel intrenchments a trough that subsiding waters have ploughed …

no special evidence of connection with other continents. 1 "Among the more ancient works" of the west, says another 2 " there is not a single edifice, nor any ruins which prove writer, afford the existence, in former ages, of a building composed of impe rishable materials. No fragment of a column, nor a brick, nor a single hewn stone large enough to have been incorpo rated …

we perceive no points of resemblance between them, in their moral institutions or in their habits, that are not apparently founded in the necessities of human life." This is apparently the reasonable conclusion of the whole matter, for to pass intelligent judgment, the aborigines of America must be taken as they were found, and not as they may have appeared after years of …

settlements had lost a great part of their traditions, and had so Warren in DelaficlcTs Antiquities. a Drakis Picture of Cincinnati. OF HUDSON'S RIVER. blended their customs with those of the Europeans as to render " difficult if not it impossible to trace their origin or discover had nevertheless their explication," while those further removed been visited by traders, and …

His description being the feathers of birds of various colors." they were untainted by association with Europeans. In person, he says, they were of good proportions, of middle stature, broad across the breast, strong in the arms, and well-formed. Among those who came on board his vessel were " two kings more beautiful in form earliest is of the most merit, for at that time and …

The women, he says, were " of the same form and beauty, very graceful, of fine countenances and pleasing appear ance " in manners and modesty." They wore no except a deer skin ornamented like those of the men." 43 ! Documentary History of Neiv 7~ork } iv, Collections of the Nciv Society , ad Series, i, 45. clothing Some York Historical THE INDIAN TRIBES had u very rich lynx …

friendship." in 1609, was somewhat but his references to their personal appearance are "This day," he says, "many of the people came Hudson's experience with them, different, similar. aboard, some in mantles of feathers, and some in skins of divers sorts of good furs. Some women also came to us with hemp. They had red copper tobacco pipes, and other things of copper they did …

As soldiers, they are far from being honorable, but perfidious and accomplish all their designs by treachery ; they also use many stratagems to deceive their ene learn, be it good or bad. mies, and execute by night almost all their plans that are in any way hazardous. The thirst for revenge seems innate in them ; they are very pertinacious in self-defense, when they cannot …

of skins, but after the Dutch came those who could obtain it wore " between their legs a lap of duffels cloth half an ell broad and nine quarters long," which they girded around their waists, and drew up in a fold "with a flap of each end hanging down in front and rear." In addition to this they had mantles of feathers, and at a later period duffels cloth " decked themselves …

unless they have a young woman in view." The dress of an Indian belle was more attractive than any which civilized life has produced. Says the writer last quoted, " The women wear a cloth around their bodies, fastened by a their and extends below is as much as an which knees, girdle under coat ; but next to the body, under this coat, they wear a dressed deer skin coat, girt …

THE INDIAN TRIBES and is fastened behind, over the club, in Their head dress forms a handsome and lively fines the hair smooth, a beau's knot. Around their necks they wear various ornaments, which are also decorated with wampum. Those they esteem appearance. our ladies do their pearl necklaces. They also wear hand bands or bracelets, curiously wrought, and inter as highly as …

such frequently have two, three or four wives, j of the neatest and handsomest of women, and who live together and powerful Minors did not marry except with the without variance." Widowers and widows advice of their parents or friends. Their marriage ceremonies followed their own inclinations. were very simple. Young women were not debarred signify ing their desire to enter …

The wife was handed her share of the goods and put out of doors by the husband, and was then free to marry another. In cases of separation the children followed the mother, and were frequently the cause of the parents coming together again. The man who abandoned his wife without cause left her all OF HUDSON'S RI7ER. her property, and in like manner the wife the husband's. Foul …

Before confinement it was their custom to retire to a secluded place near a brook, or stream of water, and prepare a shelter for themselves with mats and covering and food, and await delivery "without the company or aid of any person." After their children were born, and if were males, they immersed them some time especially they in the water, no matter what the temperature …

was placed in a sitting posture, and beside it were placed a pot, kettle, platter, spoon, money and provisions for use in the other Wood was then placed around the body, and ,.the whole covered with earth and stones, outside of which palisades were erected, fastened in such a manner that the tomb re sembled a little house. 1 To these tombs great respect was paid, and to …

hot ashes, and make a "pap or porridge, called by some sapsis, by others dundare (literally boiled bread), in which they mixed beans of different color which they raised." The maize from which their bread and sapsis were made was raised by them selves, and was broken up or ground in rude mortars. They observed no set time for meals. the repast was prepared. their sapsis …

for its food and fur, but for the highly prized by them, not only medicinal uses of the oil obtained. The women made cloth cultivated the fields of corn, beans ing of skins, prepared food, and squashes, made mats, etc., but the men never labored until the field, when they remained with they became too old for ''the^women and made mats, wooden bowls and spoons, traps, nets …

over this was bark, lapped on the ends and edges, which was A hole was left in kept in its place by withes to the lathings. the roof for smoke to escape, and a single door of entrance was provided. Rarely exceeding twenty feet in width, these houses were sometimes a hundred and eighty yards long. " " In those places," says Van der Donck, they crowd a sur prising number of …

upper ends of which crossed each other and were joined together: a against the rude assaults of rude enemies , these castles were Inside of their walls they not unfrequently had twenty or thirty houses, so that a clan or tribe could be provided safe retreat. for in winter. Besides their strongholds, they had villages and towns which were enclosed or stockaded. The latter …

Their domestic implements were of very rude construc Fire answered them many purposes and gained for them uniform. tion. the name of Fireworkers. By it they not only cleared lands, but Some shaped their log canoes and made their wooden bowls. of their arrows were of elegant construction and tipped with copper, and when shot with power would pass through the body The more …

Their standards of value were the hand or fathom of wampum, and the denotas or bags which they made themselves for measuring and pre Such was their currency and such their only serving corn. commercial transactions. To obtain wampum they made war and took captives for whom they demanded ransom, or made the weaker tribes tributaries to the stronger. There were two kinds of …

neck ; also as an edging for certain pieces of their garments; and when these strings were united, they formed the broad wampum belts by which solemn public transactions were commemorated. As a substitute for gold and silver coin, its price was fixed by law. Three purple beads of wampum, or six of "white, were equal to a stuyver among among the the Dutch, or English. a penny …

They were not skilled in the practice of medicines, notwith They knew how standing the general belief on that subject. to cure wounds and hurts, and treated simple diseases success Their general health was due more to their habits than fully. knowledge of remedies. Their principal medical treat ment was the sweating bath. These were literally earthen ovens, into which the …

Good and evil spirits they recognized, and to them appealed in Their minister or priest was called kitziIt was his duty to visit the sick and exorcise the evil sacrifice and fires. naeka. spirits ; or, failing, to see the usual rites for the dead performed. He had no home of his own, but lodged were it pleased him, was not permitted to eat any food prepared by a married woman …

recognized the existence of God, who dwelt in a life immortal expected to renew the beyond the stars, and But to them God had less to do with associations of this life. 1 the world than did the devil, who was the principal subject of their fears, and the source of their No expedi earthly hopes. tions of hunting, fishing or war were undertaken unless the devil was first …

separation of the soul, is, that it goes up There met with great rejoicing by the others westward on leaving the body. it is their own igno rance, not understand matters turn out differ who died previously; there they wear but directed black otter or bear skins, which them are signs of gladness. among They have no desire to be with them. Wassenaar. Indians was called This …

They had chief and subordinate Their sachem was rulers, and general as well as local councils. their local ruler and representative. Their general councils were composed of the sachems of different families or clans. But these councils assembled only in case of war, or other matters In all other respects the tribes or requiring concerted action. clans acted independently, and …

not, no further proceedings were had unless the applicant On occasions of im changed the conditions and the presents. a at held the was house of the chief portance, general assembly eve of engaging in expeditions of war or When taken prisoners and hunting. about to suffer torture, they asked permisdance the kintc-kaye. sion to The first dance witnessed by the Europeans was by …

sachem in order that a full explanation might be made. At these assemblies the will of the sachem was supreme, for al though permitting full debate, mutiny was punished by death. Lands held by them were obtained by conceded original If conquered, original right ceased occupation or by conquest. and vested in the conquerors ; if reconquered, the title returned to its original …

Rank was known among them nobles, who seldom married below their rank, as well as a commonalty. 2 These conditions ; were hereditary, for although one of the commonalty might one rise to prominence, the sachemship descended as long as any was found fit to rule, and regents frequently governed in the name of a minor. The oldest or first of a household or family " with or unto …

If any one commit that offense (stealing) too often, he is stripped bare of his goods." Documentary History t iv, 129; Wasstnaar, Ib. y in, 44. 2 " do not make such this Though a distinction people between man and man as OF HUDSON'S RIVER. or captains, as the Europeans called them, 1 who stood in rank according to the services by which they had distinguished them selves, the …

presents ; but when a warrior was killed and scalped, or when, as with the Mohawks, the hatchet was left sticking in the head of the victim, it was regarded as a declaration 6*f war. In such cases the war captains summoned their followers and addressed " The bones of your murdered countrymen lie un covered they demand revenge at our hands, and it is our duty to obey them their …

collected, a pouch of parched corn and maple sugar prepared, Then came the war dance and and the body painted black. other nations, yet they have high and low proportion to the number of troops under and superior chiefs, whose authority remains hereditary in the his families; houses. inferior The military officers are disposed of only according to the valorous prowess of each …

and the paths of the forest received the avenging horde, to return to peace only when compelled by necessity or the intervention of mediators. ; The ceremonies of war and peace were somewhat different when the alliance of one tribe with another was called. In such cases an embassy was dispatched bearing a piece of tobacco, a belt of wampum, and a hatchet with a red handle. The …

Male prisoners were subjected to great torture, usually by fire, and a savage cunning indeed was practiced sufferings of the victims. in prolonging the The next of kin was an avenger and might inflict death on a murderer, provided he was enabled to do so within twenty-four hours. After the lapse of that time the avenger himself was liable to death if death came by Heckewelder …

But tries to do his duty To my wife And to my relations Take pity on me and preserve my life, And I will make thee a sacrifice." ! For the welfare of his nation. O thou Great Spirit above ! Take pity on my children And on my wife ! . ! OF HUDSON'S RIVER. his hand. A murderer was seldom killed after the first twentyfour hours were passed, but he was obliged to remain concealed …

Were the line strictly drawn, point of a different civilization. however, it might be shown that, as a whole, they compared favorably with nations upon whom light had fallen for sixteen hundred years. This at least appears to their credit, that were none who were cross-eyed, blind, hunch-backed or limping ; all were well-fash crippled, lame, in constitution of ioned, strong …

the discovery, and for some years after occupation * by the Dutch, the Maikans or Mabicans, held twenty-five miles on both sides of the river in the vicinity of Fort Orange ; ' that the Maquas, or Mohawks, resided in the interior ; that Fort Orange was erected on the lands of the Mahicans, whose castle was on the opposite (east) side of the river. De Laet 1625, that the Maquas …

held possession, under sub-tribal organizations, of the east bank of the river from an undefined point north of Albany to the sea, including Long Island ; that their dominion extended e^st to the Connecticut, where they joined kindred tribes ; that on the west bank of the Hudson they ran down as far as Catskill, and west to Schenectady ; that they were met on the west by the …

Although the latter sovereignty north of the Mohawk river. were not in possession by castles and villages, it may be ad mitted tha:, practically, as early as 1630, three great divisions or nations were represented on the Hudson : The iROQyois, the MAHICANS, and the LENNI LENAPES, or Delawares as they were more modernly known. The first of these nations,- the IROQUOIS, was …

The traditions held by the Iroquois respecting their origin and confederate organization^ are that, like the Athenian, they sprung from the earth itself. In remote ages they had been falls of the Osh-wah-kee, confined under a mountain near the The appellation, Iroquois, was first applied to them by the French, because they usually began and finished their discourses or palaver …

ing its stream they reached the Hudson, which some of them descended to the sea. Retracing their steps towards the west, they originated, in their order and position, the Mohawks^ Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, Senecas, and Tuscaroras, six nations ; but the Tuscaroras wandered away to the south and settled on the Cautano, or Neuse river, in North Carolina, reducing the number to …

pose he selected a handsome spot of ground on the southern banks of the lake called Teonto, being the sheet of water now known as Cross lake. 1 Here he built a cabin, and took a wife of the Onondagas, by whom he had an only daughter, whom he tenderly loved, and most kindly and carefully treated and in The excellence of his character, and his great saga structed. city and good …

Andastes, or Guandastogues (Guyandots), south of Lake Erie ; the southern, of the Tuscaroras, the Tutelos, and the Nottowas, of North Carolina. The Tuscaroras and Tutelos removed to the 1714 and the latter 1758, and were incorporated in the Five Nations, the former becoming the north, the former in in sixth member of the confederacy, l Schooler afis Notes on the Iroquois, 273 …

as yet Hiawatha was absent. Messengers were dispatched to hasten He his attendance, but they found him gloomy and depressed. told them that evil lay in his path, and felt that he should be called to make some great sacrifice ; nevertheless he would attend the council. The talismanic white canoe, in which he always made his voyages, and which the people had learned to …

The force of the descending body was like that of a sudden storm ; and hardly had Hiawqtha paused, when an immense bkd, with long distended wings, came down, with a swoop, and crushed the daughter to the earth. The very semblance of a human being was destroyed in tne remains of the girl, and the THE INDIAN TRIBES head and neck of the bird were buried in the ground from the* …

northern tribes singly and alone, would prove certain destruc " tion ; that to oppose them successfully, the tribes must unite in ".one common band of brothers," must have one voice, one fire, one pipe, and one war club. In the confederacy which he proposed should be formed, the several tribes were assigned the position they were to thereafter occupy ; and, in conclusion, he …

Before the council dispersed, he recounted the services he had rendered to his people, and urged serve the union they had formed. " If them to pre you preserve this," said u and admit no foreign element of power, by the admission of other nations, you will always be free, numerous and happy. he, If other tribes and nations are admitted to your councils, they will sow the seeds …

as the result of his investigations, that Mohawks, " one alliance took place age, or the length of a man's states before the white people came into the country." the life, Another 1414 ; while a third confirms the state ment of Pyrlaus. Whatever may have been its date, it was a practical and effective alliance by which the democratic principle, which was the basis of the …

Indeed, the unanimous principle was the ruling one of the Tribes might declare war and conclude peace, confederacy. and exercise "* all powers of sovereignty on Schoolcraffs Notes, 278, etc. Schooleraffs Notes, 1 1 8, 1 20, their pelled to join it. etc. "The time when the confederacy was formed is not known, but it was presumed to be of a recent date, and the Oneidas and …

the braves returned from the conflict without compromiting the character of the tribe for bravery. But this feature in their to all the common Indian customs was nations. It remains to shown that they had any forms of government peculiar Their power was in their confederation, themselves. be to they apparently differed from other nations only in the number of tribes and in the …

Whatever was pleasing to the word nee, or yes. And council was confirmed by all with the the end of each speech, the whole plauding the speaker by calling hobo. at company joined in ap At noon, two men entered, bearing a large kettle filled with meat upon a pole across their shoulders, which was first presented to the guests. A large wooden ladle as broad and deep as a common …

determination of the council in favor of neutrality, OF HUDSON'S RIVER. The whole was conducted in a very decent and quiet manner. Indeed, now and then one or the other would lie flat upon his back and rest himself, and sometimes they would stop, joke and laugh heartily." The second of the national divisions was the MAHICANS, called by the Dutch, Maikans, and, by the French …

the noble stream upon ing other national combinations. which they were found by the Dutch they gave their name, the Mahicanituck ; and kindled their ancient council-fire at Scho- To trace dac, opposite the site of the present city of Albany. movements prior to the discovery, tradition and theory be that in the course of presumed may the ages they seized the head waters of the …

which they were found by the English," that they, being a more fierce, cruel, and warlike people than the rest of the Indians, came down out of the inland parts of the conplanted " tinent, and by force seized upon the became goodliest places near the sea, and a terror to all their neighbors." Indian Wars, 14. The relationship between the Mahicans and Pequots is so conclusively …

original signification, is great waters or sea, which are constantly in motion, either ebbing or flowing. Our forefathers asserted that they were emigrants from west-by-north of another country ; that they passed over great waters, where this and the other country are nearly connected, called Ukhkokpeck ; it signifies snake water or water where snakes are abundant ; and that …

That before they began to decay, our forefathers in ment. formed us that the Muhheakunnuk nation could then raise about one thousand warriors who could turn out at any emergency." 1 The government of the Mahicans was a democracy. They had a chief sachem, chosen by the nation, upon whom they looked as conductor and promoter of the general welfare. This office was hereditary by …

was gotten only by courage and prudence in war. When a war-alliance was asked, or cause for war existed with another tribe, the sachem and the counselors consulted, and if they concluded to take up the hatchet, the matter was put in the hands of the heroes for execution. When peace was proposed, the heroes put the negotiations in the hands of the sachem and counselors. The …

be remembered, was a Pequot chief, and as such occupied a district of country between the Thames and the Connecticut, called Mohegoneak. 2 After an unsuccessful conflict with the which he belonged, he fled, with some fifty of his of New London, Groton and Stonington. Stockbridge, Past and Present. tribe to The Pequot and Mohegan country and east of the NehanLyme), from …

Trumbull, in his History the expresses opinion, of Connecticut, that the Pequots and Mohegans were one " tribe and took their names from the Massachusetts place of their situation." east as has Historical Society Collections, ix, 79. THE INDUN TRIBES followers, to Hartford, where he formed an alliance with the In the subsequent wars between the English English in 1638. and the …

The organization under Uncas, however, was clearly from that of the Hudson confederacy. 4 The latter were powerful in themselves, and in their recognized confede extent. 3 distinct rated allies, and successfully disputed the prowess of their Mohawk rivals. The third of the great divisions or confederations represented on the Hudson was the LENNI LENAPES, a name which they …

were appa Pequots and Mohegans rently originally of the same race with the Mohicans, Mohegans, or Mohicanders, who Hudson." lived on the banks of the De Forest's History of the In dians of Connecticut. " Some Mahicanders are at Hertford This fact cannot be too in alliance with the government of that province ; the Mahicans of territory their alliances ; having in the latter re …

them in their dialect, in the which they occupied, and in differed from in consultation with others the rivers and Col. distinctly The Mobegans were an exclusively Eastern Connecticut tribe and recognized. as Hcckeiuelder. OF HUDSON'S RIPER. Men of the or East. 1 Their from extended territory the KatskiK mountains south to the Potomac, occupying the region watered by the …

people are known and called by all the western, northern and some of the southern nations by the name of Wappanachki, which the Europeans have corrupted into Apenaki, Openagi, All these Abenaquis, and Abenakis. names, however differently written, and improperly understood by authors, point to one and the same people, the Lenape, who are by this compound word called People at …

In the controversy in reference to the Hardenbergh tract, in 1769, one Dr. Shuckburgh stated that he was present at a conference in 1734, in which the chiefs of Schoharie, Seth and Hance, " told the Esopus or Delawares that if they ever attempted to sell lands west of the Kats- An hills, they would kill them." Oneida Indian, whose father was chief sachem of Oneida, " and their …

In this country the Lenape, on their arrival, asked to settle. This request was denied by the Allegewi, but permission was granted to pass through the territory, and seek a settlement No sooner had they commenced to cross further eastward. the Mississippi, however, than the Allegekui, perceiving the vast numbers of the Lenape, furiously attacked them. The result of long and …

mountains, pursued their travels near to the great salt-water lake the great river (Delaware). Going (Atlantic), and discovered on still further eastward through the Sheyickbi country, they came to another great stream (the On their return Hudson). home they gave so flattering an account of the excellence and richness of the regions thus discovered, as to induce the general …

This people spoke the Welsh language to a considerable extent, and claimed Welsh For more than a century and a half, the existence of this people in the interior of our country, has been traced." " TTatcs and Moulton. They occupied a large portion of the western area of the State of New York, comprising the valley of the Alleghany river to its utmost source, and extending …

American Antiquities. OF HUDSON'S RIVER. / their Though emigrating at first in small permanent abode. numbers, the great body of the nation at last settled on the four great rivers, Delaware, Hudson, Susquehanna and Potomac, and kindled their council-fire in the centre of their possessions. Here they became so numerous that their descendants were compelled to separate from …

In times of peace nothing could be done without the The consent of the council were required to keep unanimously expressed. and to in all decide good order, quarrels and disputes ; but they had no power to command, compel, or punish ; their only mode chiefs of government was persuasion and exhortation, and in departing from that mode they were deposed by the simple form of for …

The tribes acknowledging this relation the Lenni Lenapes with the title of Mochomes, that is to say, their grandfather, and were received with the addressed appellation of Noochivissak or my grandchildren. Yates and Moulton. Schoolcraft admits that there is some reason to acquiesce, " to a certain extent," THE INDIAN TRIBES He was required to maintain the peace and covenants …

National councils were a duplication of tribal councils, except that they were composed of representatives selected by the chiefs and counselors of the tribes and their assemblage held at In times of war the powers of the civil government the capital. were suspended. consent of his A chief could not declare war without the captains', nor could he accept a war-belt except to …

All the appointment of embassadors to conclude a treaty. the gravest demeanor, and proceedings were accompanied by " the most impressive dignity. stranger could councils without a sensation of respec t." No visit their x Law and justice, as civilized nations understand those terms, were to them unknown, yet both they had in a degree suited to Assaults, murders, and other acts …

were retaliatory for the taking of their territory without making There was not a man among just and proper compensation. them that did not know the bounds of his own land as accu Their customs were their unwritten laws, more effective than those which fill rately as though defined by a surveyor's chain. the tomes of civilized governments, because taught to the people from …

The wandering savage appealed to his totem, and was entitled to the hospitality of the wigwam which bore the corresponding em blem. They had other and various uses, but the most important was the representation which they made of the tribe or family to which they The belonged or were made the emblems. Iroquois had nine, forming two divisions, one of four tribes and the other …

south-western shore of the Hudson, while the Wolf or Minsi, being much the most warlike of the three, served as a sort of shield to their more peaceful brethren, and watched the movements of the Mengwe or Iroquois. Their to the head territory extended from the Katskill mountains waters of the Delaware and Susquehanna rivers, and was bounded on the east by the Hudson their …

" The Turtle tribe, among the Lenapes, claims^ a superiority and ascendancy over the others because of their relation to the great tortoise, a fabled monster, the Atlas of their mythology, who bears, according to their traditions, this great island, as they term the world, on his back} and also superior because he is fates and Moultons Hisamphibious." Politically the Turtle …

their northern boundaries were supposed originally to be the heads of the great rivers Susquehanna and Delaware, and their southern .boundaries that ridge of hills known in New Jersey by the name of Muskanecum, and in Pennsylvania, by those of Lehigh, Coghnewago, in the vicinity of Albany. etc." organization. "The Bear tribe was considered the leading totem and entitled to the …

For dividing the territory of the Mahlcans at RoelofF Jansen's kill, and again at Long Island, there is other than totemic au In regard to the former, the affidavit of King Nimham is on record, under date of October 13, 1730, in which it thority. is stated that the deponent was "a River Indian of the tribe of the Wappinots, which tribe was the ancient inhabitants of the …

writing in 1626, states that its occupation was then by the "old the Manhattans," and intimates that they were conquered "by Wappenos." x penos, or While all the eastern Indians were called WapWapenacki, the reference, in this instance, is clearly specific, not general, and evidently refers to the Wappinoo or Wappinger branch of the Mahicans, who, whatever tainly. In the …

who live in the neighboring places along the North river, on Long Island, and at the Neversink ; with the Minquas, we stood, by which the tribe is known to us, is not the true Indian, but has been include the Senecas, the Maquas, and shorn of a part of its true sound by the other inland tribes. The Savanoos are early French, Dutch and English writers, '^the southern nations …

"From their ancient fortresses," says one of their ardent but not alto gether truthful admirers, "war parties continually went forth ; their war-cry sounded from the lakes to the far west, and rolled along the banks of the Mississippi and over the far-off fields of the south. They defeated the Hurons under the very walls of Quebec, put out the council-fires of the Gakkwas and …

the Iroquois, and to their immediate representative on'the Hudson, the Mohawks, much of the credit which has been claimed for them, justice to other nations will compel the acknowledgment that the former were aided in their conquests and preserved in their integrity to a very great extent by their early alliances with the Europeans, and especially by New their constitution, by …

They were defeated, in conflict with the English, at their fort near Cobay. OF HUDSON'S RIPER. takeable fact that the subjugated tribe was contending against civilized as well as In their early wars the Dutch savage foes. took no part, except to exchange for their furs the munitions of war which they wanted, and to cultivate with them, for the pur poses of trade, peace and …

in 1604, under a patent granted Champlain discovered the lake which now bears his name. At the Mohawks were at war with the northern tribes, and by the mere force of the circumstances under which he was placed, he formed an alliance with the latter, even agree The first result of ing to assist them against their enemies. this alliance was at a meeting of war parties of the …

aoo Hurons, were engaged water, both parties hurried to the shore, where they pitched for battle. The Mohawks hastily entrenched themselves with trees " at the which runs of a point cape enemy, The sudden ap pearance of the Frenchmen, and the peculiarity of their arms, produced extreme astonishment in the Mohawk ranks ; but in exploring Lake Champlain, when a party of hostile …

along the northern frontiers of the Iroquots, and carried terror Onondagas* Obtaining arms and powder from the Dutch, the confederacy recovered its position, and in turn harassed the French and their Indians in wars which were into the ranks of the yet open when the jurisdiction of the Dutch was exchanged for that 6f the English. That the Dutch were neutrals is evident from …

named were present at one time, for they were not at peace with each other ; there is no mention made by the Dutch histo rians of any acknowledgment of subjugation by any of the tribes, so minutely described in one of the early histories of New York, 3 and accepted apparently without examination by subsequent The deducible fact is that none of the tribes were writers. granted …

one of the Hurons was killed ; and they celebrated their victory on the field of Yates and battle in dancing and singing. Moulton. ing The incursions of the French explorthe very parties may have been "northern hordes," to resist whom the confederation was formed in the manner so graphically described in the story of Hiawatha. Ifassenaar, . vn, 1 1 } Doc. Hist., in, 35, 51. * …

In 1660, they were included in the threatening hostilities. peace at Esopus, but neither in its negotiation nor its terms was there distinction made between the parties to that treaty. Three years later Stuyvesant distinctly refused to employ them. The advantage to the Iroquois from their treaty of free trade was great, but it was made so only by the bar which their proxi mity …

one of alternate successes and reverses, with positive advantages undetermined ; but at the south, where the French alliance was without power, the Lenapes, Minsis, Susquehannas, dndastesj and other tribes became tributary to their ancient enemies. With the progress of the French in the west, and the gathering * Note 3, ante p. 35. Raffeix, the French 1672: missionary, writes …

The Mohawks were shorn of an entire canton of converts the flower of the Mohicans became the trophies of the priests the Senecas, who could call out more warriors than their four associate tribes combined, were detached almost entirely, two small villages only ; ; hundred years of retaining their allegiance to the English. war and diplomacy gave the French a very strong …

The inquiry has its specific form in the alleged subjugation of the Mahicans and in the period assigned to the subjugation of the Lenapes as having been anterior to the advent of the Europeans. The Mahicans were the most formidable com Equal in courage, equal in numbers, petitors of the Iroquois. equal in the advantages of obtaining fire-arms from the Dutch and in their …

Delaware, and Susquehanna rivers, were in subjection to the Five Nations, and, within the memory of persons now living, acknowledged it by the payment of an Hudson's, Connecticut, annual tribute : " He Dutch with gives no authority for the early date he The subsequent protracted wars of the assigns to that event. the Manhattan and the Long Island Indians, and the continued …

war existed in 1656, between the Manhingans and the Mohawks, and that these experienced a severe check in 1663, in an attack upon a Manhingan fortified village, and Golden admits that the contest was not at an end until 1673. 'The trade of New ' he hindered the was which the Five war York,' says, by Nations had at that time with the River Indians j that the governor of New …

This conclusion is not only abundantly sustained by the records referred to, but by an analysis of the testimony which The has been relied upon as indicating an opposite result. latter is confined, first, to traditionary reverses sustained by the Mahicans on Wanton island, near Katskill, and at Red Hook, in Dutchess county, the bones of the slain at the latter place Golden''s …

The former writer states that in the war of 1626, the Mohawks were successful and that the Mabicans fled and left their lands x " war broke out " unoccupied ; the latter affirms that again in " between the near Fort the Makand 1628, Maikens, Orange, waes" and that the former were beaten and driven off. 2 Ad mitting that both writers refer to the same occurrence, and that there …

To these facts it may be added that deeds from King Aepjin show that his council-fire was kept burning at Schodac 3 as late as 1664 ; that one of the castles of the nation, that at Cohoes, was in occupation by them as late as 1660, and that the records of the commissioners of Indian affairs show an organization, distinct from that which was recognized by Mas sachusetts but …

769. beginning of this year (1628) war broke out between the Maikans, near Fort Orange, and the Mohawks, " In the towards the north by the Fresh called, where they begin to the soil ; and thus the war terminated." Wassenaar, Documentary have so History, in, 48. 8 It is not certain that Schodac was the The prooriginal capital of the nation. babilities are that it was, and that …

Mohawk river they never either claimed or sold lands on the Hudson, and even north of that point their claim, although tra Whatever conceded, was subsequently disputed. may have been the extent of the territory which they claimed, ditionally however, it is apparent that it was limited and that it did not include or extend to the east side of the river, nor involve the The …

more extended reference to this war and its results may be pro per. The eastern Indians were involved in the contest as well *It is asserted that the Mahicans admitted the conquest of the lands west of the Hudson embraced in the Saratoga (Schuylerville) tract ; yet from the Johnson Manuscripts it appears that they claimed them in 1767, to "the prejudice," as Johnson says, "of …

I perceive in these two tribes, by nature arrant and declared enemies of the Iroquois, a great inclination to reside ' the French." After King among Philip's THE INDUN TRIBES as the Mabicam* In in Director 1662, Stuyvesant^ucceeded establishing peace between the contestants, but iPen the Mo hawks carried presents to the English fort at Penobscot to confirm the same, they were …

from Claverack," 3 and that they were "about five " Hans the Norman 4 arrived at hundred strong." Again the redoubt with his yacht from Fort Orange ; reports that full inland : at Claverack, on the about three east side, (nine) miles inland, but he knows not with seven thousand Indians had assembled The intent soon became apparent. JJnder date of June 21, 1664, Brodhead …

The greater portion, however, ultimately found their way to Canada, where, with fragments of other tribes, they were known as the St. Francis Indians. Doc. Hist., i, 27 j in, 482, 562; Col. Brodkead's Ne w York, i, 732. The village of Claverack was five It was known miles from the Hudson. t by the Indian name of Potkoke. Hist., 684, 715. *On the other hand, war was raging …

The Mahicans retired after two hours and the Mohawks, descending the river in canoes, hid fighting; themselves below them in an ambuscade which commanded the road to Schenectady, at a place called Kinaquariones, where a con flict ensued in which, although at first successful, the Mohawks were put to flight. 1 The Mohawks then induced the Oneidas, Onondagas and Cayugas to make …

treated as equals even in the selection of representative chiefs to visit England. At no stage of their history are they repre sented as the dependents of the Five Nations. This will more the wars with the Dutch, fully appear from their connection with Drake that the Mahicans and marched into the Mohawk country, led by the principal sachem of chosen leader. This was a severe …

The Mohaiuks pursued them, got in their Mendowasse, sagamore from Hackinsack, Anmanhose from Haverstroo, Meggenand from an ambush, attacked maiker, sagamore of Tappan, in behalf of themselves and Neversincks, having understood that peace had been made between the Maquas and Mahikanders, asked permission to visit, etc." front, them and a great fight ensued. The Mohawks were …

valley of the the was subsequently removed to it where, Housatonic, under the name of W-nahk-ta-kook, it was known to the authorities of Massa chusetts and to the English missionaries ; under that of Westenhuck, to the Moravians, and under that of Stockbridge, preserved the line of kings and linked the past with the present To. the English of New York, however, history of the …

which Philip was killed, they again retreated " towards Albany," some two hundred and fifty in number, but were pur sued and attacked by the English, near the Housatonic river, and a number of them killed. The main body of them, how in ever, made good their retreat to the Hudson, where a portion of The Housatonic was originally known to the Westenhook river, south of Wesand …

them remained near the Dutch village of Claverack, and the remainder, some two hundred in number, passed over to Potick, an old Mahican village at Katskill. 1 The French immediately made overtures to them, through their associates who had found refuge in Canada, and Connecticut invited them to homes within her borders. Governor Andros, with equal promptness and from a similar …

That conclusion was based upon information less perfect than that which has since been obtained, and not only so but is in conflict with the previous There was findings of that author. in their action inconsistent the with understood nothing clearly powers of chieftaincies ; but much that implies obligation to national authority. The entire peninsula south of the Highlands was …

Hubbard's Indian Wars^ 94, 98, 188 ; Colonial History, jv, 902, etc. ; time of the discovery they were a powerful Brodheatfs New York, 11, 294. The Indians began to have a value in the hands of the French as well as the To both parties they were the English. Schoolcraffs Ind. Nat., v, 222, etc. most effective soldiers that could be proefforts to secure their removal to the …

and the debris which remained after the retirement of their more active members, the result was the same in all parts of the country, whether Mahicans, Lenapes, or Mohawks. In considering the political relations of the LENAPES they should be regarded as the most formidable of the Indian con federacies at the time of the discovery of America, and as hav ing maintained for many …

primitive language which was the most widely diffused, and the most the fertile in dialects, received from French the name of Algonquin. It was the mother tongue of those who greeted the colonists of Raleigh at Roanoke, of those who welcomed the Pilgrims at PlyIt was heard from the Bay of mouth. Gaspe to the valley of the Des Moines, from Cape Fear, and, it may be, from the …

To this house the nations from ever so far off used to resort, and smoke the pipe of peace with their grandfather. The white people coming from over the great OF HUDSON'S RIPER. tion is that the Iroquois, finding the contest in which they were engaged, too great for them, as they had to cope on the 'one hand with the French, and on the other with native prowess, resorted to a …

nanimous nation, of the position of the women or umpire; that a weak people in such a position would have no influence, but a power like the Lenapes, celebrated for its bravery and above all suspicion of pusillanimity, might properly take the therefore, the Aquinoshioni besought them to lay aside their arms, devote themselves to pacific employments, and step ; that, act as …

signed to break the strength of the Lenapes soon became evident. They woke up from their magnanimous dream, to find them From that time they were selves in the power of the Iroquois. the cousins of the Iroquois, and these were their uncle. 1 While this tradition bears the impress of theory upon a sub ject in regard to which little was known, and while it is much water …

The Lenapes did, to a very considerable extent, act in the capacity of mediators, and the Dutch traders did no doubt have part in the hostilities between terminating them and the Iroquois. nations subjugated It is a singular fact, too, that of all the by the Iroquois, the Lenapes alone bore the While the council-fires of other nations name of women. were " and their survivors …

wyck, the Iroquois were primarily indebted for their subsequent That manor was position in the family of Indian nations. organized under an independent charter with powers not delegated to the West India Company at Fort Amsterdam, especially in the matter of the sale of fire-arms to the Indians. At its trad ing-houses arms could be had for furs ; there the doors were open to …

Ne w t Netherlandy Doc. Hist., iv, I, etc. OF HUDSON'S RWER. than usual, where guns were them at a fair price, realizing in this way plenty, purchasing considerable profit. This extraordinary gain was not long kept Amsterdam, secret. in greater numbers The traders coming from Holland soon got scent of it, and from time to time, brought over great quantities, so that the …

On this account the Indians, in the vicinity of Fort Amsterdam, and as the record elsewhere shows, especially the Minsis of New Jersey and the Delaware, " endeavored no less to procure guns, and through the familiarity which existed between them and the people " at New Amsterdam, " began to solicit the and powder, but as such was forbidden on pain of death, and could not …

Nor could subjugation have been as early as 1643 or 1645, when Kieft made his treaty with the Mohawks and Mahicans, for the Swedes were then supplying the Minsis In 1660, the latter, through their chief, could declaim to their dependents at Esopus, in the presence of the Mohawk embassador, " this is not your land ; it is our land,- with arms. THE INDIAN TRIBES therefore repeat …

them a keg says, replied by giving of powder, but entreated them to make peace with the Minsis so that the Dutch might " use the road to them in safety." tor Stuyvesant, so the record Three years later the Dutch were in terrible alarm. A body of six hundred Senecas attacked the fort of the Minsis on the Delaware, and were put to flight and pursued northward for Unable to cope …

" to Hackinsack, Tappen, and Staten Island," had visited him renew and acknowledge the peace between them and the Christ ians ; also, between them and the Maquas and Sinnecas, the which they say they are resolved to keep inviolable." He ordered that the matter be " put on record to be a testimony It was about against those that shall make the first breach." this time that …