cap

repelling the Mohawks in their last attack, with almost all his tains." I copy from Drake's multitudinous collection of facts, connected with Indian story; and he from collections of the Mass. Hist. Soc: The authority adds:-"The Mohawks considered themselves their masters, and although peace was brought about between them, by the mediation of the English and Dutch, yet the Massachusetts, and others, often suffered from their incursions."

The overthrow of these 6 or 700 warriors was manifestly total. One European nation was not sufficient, the English and Dutch were obliged to unite their powerful mediation to restrain these terrible barbarians. It is evident that long before this period (1669) the Mohawk power had been established, probably for centuries. No date has ever been given when the neighbouring nations were finally subdued. The Mohawks claimed, not that now they had conquered the Massachusetts, but that, for an indefinite period, these had been their vassals. In the history of the New England Indians, at a period thirty years previous to the defeat and death of Chikataubutt, we have an account of a great sachem of the Narragansetts, who was slain by the Mohawks. "In the beginning of July 1676, those Indians who were known by the name of Mauguawogs, or Mohawks, i. e. man-eaters, had lately fallen on Philip [the renowned Narragansett chief, whose Indian name was Pometacom]-and killed forty of his men."*

About this time the Mohawks sent a threat that they would destroy all the Indians from Uncas and Mount-Hope, to the eastward as far as Pegypscot.

The New York Historian, Smith, sets forth; "When the Dutch began the settlement of New York, all the Indians on Long Island, and the northern shore of the Sound, on the banks of the Connecticut, Hudson, Delaware, and Susquehanna rivers, were in subjection to the Five Nations."-The same author asserts that, within the

* The Governor of New Hampshire, in 1685, received a letter written by a distinguished Sagamore, and signed by fifteen Chiefs, of which the following is an extract.

"May 15, 1685. Honor Governor, my friend, you my friend, I desire your worship and your power, because I hope you can do some great matters this one. I am poor and naked, and have no men at my place, because I afraid always Mohago he will kill me every day and night. If your worship when please pray help me you no let Mohago kill me at my place at Malamake (Merrimack) river, called Panukkog, and Natukkog, I will submit your worship and your power."

By Mohago, the Mohawks were clearly indidated. So far cast as the Merrimack were their arms a source of terror.

memory of persons then living, a small tribe on the Hudson paid an annual tribute of twenty pounds to the Mohawks.

In August, 1689, the Iroquois sent out an army of 1200 warriors, who attacked Montreal, burnt the houses, sacked the plantations, and slew great numbers of the French.

Smith further says, in 1756, "These Indians (Iroquois) universally concur in the claim of all the lands not sold to the English, from the mouth of Sorel river, on the south side of lakes Erie and Ontario, on both sides of the Mississippi, and on the north side of those lakes," &c.

An extract from "Remarks on the Policy and Practice of the United States and Great Britain, in their treatment of the Indians," by Gov. Cass, published in the North American Review, April 1827, (a paper pregnant with important matter, and written with extraordinary power,) will illustrate the view I have taken. (See p. 50.)

66

Charlevoix, long since described the Wyandots, as the nation of all Canada, the most remarkable for its defects and virtues. When Jacques Cartier ascended the St. Lawrence he found them established near Hockelega, now Montreal; and when Champlain entered the same river their war with the Iroquois had already commenced, and that enterprizing officer accompanied one of their parties in a hostile expedition against their enemies. The events of the war were most disastrous, and they were driven from their country to the northern shore of lake Huron. But distance afforded no security, and the Iroquois pursued them with relentless fury. Famine, disease and war made frightful havoc among them, and the account of their sufferings given by the old Missionaries, who witnessed and shared them, almost tasks the belief of the reader." "They were literally hunted from their resting place, and the feeble remnant of this once powerful and haughty tribe owed their preservation to the protection of the Sioux, in whose country, west of lake Superior, they found safety and tranquillity." Surely that nation must have been tremendous in its power, as terrible in its wrath, that could thus nearly exterminate a powerful tribe, hunting them through twenty degrees of longitude! Nor can it be doubted that the western Indians, to lake Superior, must have been their obedient allies or trembling vassals.

I should deem myself unpardonable if I withheld the following interesting paper; for to a large proportion of the readers of this volume it probably will be new.

AN INDIAN TRADITION,

CONCERNING THE ORIGIN OF THE FIVE NATIONS.

The following is the account given by old Cannassa tego, of the manner in which his country was made and peopled.

"When our good Manitta raised Akanishionegy* out of the great waters, he said to his brethren, how fine a country is this! I will make Red† men, the best of men, to enjoy it. Then with five handfuls of red seeds, like the eggs of flies, did he strow the fertile fields of Onondago. Little worms came out of the seeds, and penetrated the earth, when the spirits, who had never yet seen the light, entered into and united with them. Manitta watered the earth with his rain, the sun warmed it, the worms, with the spirits in them, grew, putting forth little arms and legs, and moved the light earth that covered them. After nine moons they came forth perfect boys and girls. Manitta covered them with his mantle of warm, purple cloud, and nourished them with milk from his fingers ends. Nine summers did he nurse them, and nine summers more did he instruct them how to live. In the mean time he had made for their use, trees, plants, and animals, of various kinds. Akanishionegy was covered with woods and filled with creatures. Then he assembled his children together and said, "Ye are Five Nations, for ye sprang each from a different handful of the seed I sowed; but ye are all brethren; and I am your father, for I made ye all; I have nursed and brought you up: Mohocks, I have made you bold and valiant, and see, I give you corn for your food: Oneidas, I have made you patient of pain and of hunger, the nuts and fruits of the trees are yours. Senekas, I have made you industrious and active, beans do I give you for nourishment: Cayugas, I have made you strong, friendly and generous, ground nuts and every root shall refresh you: Onondagos, I have made you wise, just and eloquent; squashes and grapes have I given you to eat, and tobacco to smoke in Council. The beasts, birds and fishes have I given to you all, in common. As I have loved and taken care of you all, so do you love and take care of one another. Communicate freely to each other the good things I have given you, and learn to imitate each other's virtues. I have made you the best

The country of the Five Nations.

They thus distinguished themselves from white men and black men. plexion is not properly red. It is rather the color of copper, or mahogany.

But their com

people in the world, and I give you the best country. You will defend it from the invasions of other nations, from the children of other Manittas, and keep possession of it for yourselves, while the sun and moon give light, and the waters run in the rivers. This you shall do if you observe my words. Spirits, I am now about to leave you. The bodies I have given you will in time grow old, and wear out, so that you will be weary of them; or from various accidents they may become unfit for your habitation, and you will leave them. I cannot remain here always to give you new ones. I have great affairs to mind, in distant places, and I cannot again attend so long to the nursing of children. I have enabled you therefore among yourselves to produce new bodies, to supply the place of old ones, that every one of you, when he parts with his old habitation, may in due time find a new one, and never wander longer than he chose under the earth, deprived of the light of the sun. Nourish and instruct your children, as I have nourished and instructed you. Be just to all men and kind to strangers, that come among you. So shall you be happy and be loved by all: and I myself will sometimes visit and assist you." "Saying this, he wrapped himself in a bright cloud and went like a swift arrow to the sun, where his brethren rejoiced at his return. From thence he often looked at Akanishionegy, and pointing, showed with pleasure, to his brothers, the country he had formed, and the nations he had produced to inhabit it."

Is it not beautiful? And does it not in some degree warrant the opinion I have suggested, that the Onondagos were regarded as the wisest, perhaps, the Sacred Nation?"

LETTER II.

Massawamees of Wyoming-Senecas and Oneidas-Indian Fortifications-Medal of George I-Burying Places-Exhumation of an Indian King-Probable likeness of Queen Anne-Spirit, power and dominion of the Iroquois, or Great Confederacy.

THESE previously related facts make sufficiently plain the extent and spirit of dominion claimed and exercised in the eastern and northern portions of the Continent by this tremendously formidable power. We now turn to the southern Province, west of the Delaware, east of the Alleghany mountains; and southerly from the head waters of the Susquehanna, administered by the Senecas and Oneidas: and as in this territory Wyoming is included, we hope to throw more incident into our narrative, and impart greater interest to the subject.

Mr. Jefferson, after describing the numerous tribes in lower Virginia, in which the Powhattan confederacy is estimated at 8000, says: "Westward of all these tribes, beyond the mountains, and extending to the great lakes, were the Massawamees, a most powerful confederacy, who harrassed unremittingly the Powhattans, and Manahoacs. These were probably the ancestors of tribes known at present as the Six Nations." I am strongly of opinion that, at an early period, Wyoming was the head quarters of one or two of those nations, though not the scite of their great Council fire;—that was at Onondago. They were then known by the name of Massawamees. Is not the inference fair that the name they then bore was derived from these extensive plains? The reader will bear in mind that Indian names are not arbitrary selections of fancy, but uniformly are given as descriptive of the thing named.

Massachusetts was thus called from the blue hills, says Roger Williams. The Rev. John Cotton defines Massachusetts, in his vocabulary of Indian words, "An hill in the form of an arrow head." The name of the terrible foes of the Powhattans, then, was formed of the two words, Massa-Hills-Waughmees, plains-meaning A