Goshen Central High School - Yearbook (Goshen, NY)

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THE PIONEER 15 hawk. The Iroquois also agreed to this proposal but with darkened countenances. The first pair of wrestlers struggled furiously and when the Iroquois finally succeeded in throwing his opponent to the ground, he refused to kill him. At once the maddened chief of the Eries hurled his tomahawk through the air with unerring aim and scattered the brains of his defeated kinsman. After this scene was twice repeated, the Iroquois in each case refusing to kill his opponent, the visitors withdrew from the field and returned home. War was immediately declared by the Eries and the five nations prepared for the defence. The two armies are said to have met between the Genesee River and Lake Cayuga and the battle raged all day and far into the night, with terrible fury on both sides. At last victory began to swing to the side of the Iroquois, but the brave Eries preferring death to defeat refused to fly and the awful carnage went on. Insane with the delirium of victory the conquerers pressed on to the chief town of the Eries. They scaled the walls and fell upon the defenders killing them without mercy, and when they finally ceased it was because they were alone, the Eries had been wiped out of existence. Such was also the fate of the Hurons, the Wyan-dots and the “ Neutral Nation. To the south the Delawares, Lenapes and other Alogonquin tribes were overcome one after the other, and toward the north the Ottowas and Canadians were continually harassed by these invaders. So the confederacy extended its conquests to the north, south, east and west, until at the time with which we are chiefly concerned the opening of the war of the Revolution, the Iroquoian confederacy was a recognized power and an ally of the greatest importance to either party in the coming struggle. A history of the ' five nations especially in connection with the revolution would not be complete without mentioning the name of a man who will always be associated with the name Iroquois. I refer to Sir William Johnson. He came to this country a poor lad and established himself in a trading post near the point where the Mohawk river enters the Hudson. Here by honest dealing and by always giving the Indian a little the best of the bargain, as the Indian thought, he gained a profitable fur trade with them, and what was far more important, the lasting friendship of these redmen. An Iroquois was always sure of a good meal and a warm place to sleep in the mansion of this friend of theirs and it is not strange that his word, which was faithfully kept when given, soon became as law to those simple minded children of the forest. Presently the first murmurs of the coming revolution were heard in the air and one of the questions of the greatest importance to both parties was which side the Iroquois would take in the coming struggle. The Mohawk and Champlain valleys offered splendid openings to the British for the invasion of the colonies and these openings would be impassable if blocked by a nation of treacherous redmen. As well as this, the addition of the warriors to the British fighting force would be a very appreciable gain in strength, for, while the British were attacking the colonies from the sea the Indians would harass them on the frontier, and so the colonies between two fires would fall. The Americans on the other hand, only asked the Indians to remain neutral and this the greater part of them finally agreed to do. As the struggle went on, the Indians aroused by the fighting and being continually exhorted to join with the English by Sir William Johnson, began to waver in their determination to remain neutral. Small pariies began to slip away secretly to join with the English and soon the greater part of the Mohawk nation was fighting in the British army. Now one of the greatest leaders in the history of the five nations appeared and his influence soon became noticeable in the attitude of the Indians. Joseph Brant, the son of Indian parents, had received most of his education among English people and the combination of his Indian characteristics; cunning, cruelty and reckless daring with the knowledge of fighting received from his English friends made him an especially dangerous leader of the redmen. Although he spoke English fluently, possessed many characteristics of the white man, and even professed to be a Christian, there was never a crueler, more blood-thirsty wretch at the head of a band of Indians bent on murder and destruction. Soon reports began to come in of insolated cabins being attacked, the inmates killed or what was far worse being carried of? to undergo torment at the hands of the savages, and of other outrages committed by the Indians. During the darkest days of the revolution when the American cause seemed most hopeless, came the news of the destruction of Wyoming, Cherry Valley and many other small towns and villages. Even we know something of these terrible days for the battle of Minisink was fought not very far from our homes against part of these very Indians. The patience of the colonists soon came to an end and in 1779 they determined to make a final attempt to put a stop to these outrages. Gen. Sullivan was sent into the country of the five nations at the head of an army to conquer and drive out the savages. As the army advanced no show of resistance was met and the vengeance of the soldiers instead of being wreaked on the Indians themselves was turned upon their homes and fields. The trail of the army could easily be followed for under its hand the country changed as if by magic to one terrible color— black. The homes, forts, crops; everything was destroyed by the merciless invaders and it is said that even the fruit trees were hewn down by the soldiers who had not forgotten the destruction of their own homes a short time before. The Indians could only look upon this work of devastation in helpless rage and their vengeance was taken in unnameable tortures committed upon unfortunate stragglers whom they captured. At last the leaders of the Indians decided to make a last stand and the two armies

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14 THE PIONEER lived in a state of independence from one another, jealous of their rights and privileges, and seldom helping each other in times of war. On the other hand the Iroquois were bound together by the closest ties of blood and friendship. Whenever a matter arose that concerned the whole confederacy, representatives were sent to meet in a council at the council house of the Onondagas where the matter was settled in a manner satisfactory to all concerned. Here questions of war and peace and everything concerning the welfare of the whole race were discussed and the quarrel of the least of the members became the quarrel of the whole nation if war was decided upon. So it was in all things and this characteristic of standing by each other in times of danger was probably accountable for the very existence of this comparatively small nation surrounded on every side by little enemies. In their home life the Iroquois differed in many, although not in all, respects from the other savages living round about them. They were about the only Indians who had fortified homes and these as described by the early Freneh explorers were by no means insignificant either in size or strength. The houses were long and built something after the style of modern bams, although of course not so high. A hall extended down the center of the building and on each side were rooms connected with the large hall. One family occupied each room and the cooking was done on a fire in the hall, one fire being sufficient for three or four families. Several such dwellings were surrounded by a palisade or a row of pointed logs set upright in the ground and pierced with loopholes through which the defenders could fire at the enemy. Outside of these forts were large fields of Indian corn and vegetables and large orchards of fruit trees which were cared for by the Indian women, the men, as was the case with all Indians, thinking it beneath their dignity to do such work. The people were bound together by no system of written laws and still they had regard for certain rules and customs, which were handed down from one generation to the next. The council of each tribe and the grand council of the whole confederacy had no power to enforce their orders but they were regarded and obeyed in almost the same spirit as are the laws of today. The people took a great interest in their political life and it was considered one of the greatest of honors to be chosen to fill some high political office. Here an opportunity of displaying their oratorical ability was given to the more brilliant among their number, and nowhere in the history of Indians do we read of such eloquent and stirring adresses as delivered by these dusky statesmen when moved by some great question of war or politics. In religion also, the Iroquois were deeply interested and their attention was frequently given to some religious festival or ceremony in honor of the spirit whom they worshipped. They never started a new enterprise without first asking the favor and assistance of these spirits whom they thought to be in all living things. Especially before , ..... , i. . . -j ... i, r»- - — ■ aaaa going to war whole weeks were spent in war dances and other mysterious rites not only to s£ek this divine aid but to encourage and strengthen the hearts of the warriors. In their political and religious life we see the serious side of the character of these people, but they also spend a good part of their time in sports and other pastimes. When not engaged in the more serious occupation of war they turned their attention to the chase and the game of chance, or else took part in the religious festivals and political struggles. Some of these pleasures, however, had a dark side for one of the customs of these savages which gave them the greatest delight was the torture of prisoners taken in war. The suffering and agony undergone by the captives at the hands of these madmen was too terrible to be described or conceived of in our present state of civilzation. But let us not condemn the savage too harshly for this barbarism, for it was his nature to be cruel to his enemies and when circumstances were reversed and he was the one to be thus treated we do not see him terrified and pleading for life, but rather dying bravely and scorning his tormentors to the last. The story of all the conquests made by the five nations would be long enough to fill a book, but perhaps the tale of the destruction of the Erics will show their spirit when angered and the merciless way in which they dealt with their enemies. The story as told in the Indian legends is this: From early times the Eries living along the southern border of lake Erie were the most powerful of all the tribes living in that part of the country. Now the Iroquois began to loom up into prominence and the Eries became jealous of the powerful confederacy springing up to the east of their country. So they determined to challenge their neighbors to a series of athletic contests and so prove their superiority over them. A delegation from the Erics challenged the Iroquois to a game of ball with one hundred men on a side and after much deliberation on the part of the grand council the offer was refused. In the following year the Eries again renewed their challenge which was again declined, but when on being repeated the third time, the Iroquois inflamed by the insolence of the Eries accepted the challange and prepared for the struggle. At last the day for the contest arrived and the opposing teams met on a field near the home of the Eries. The young men representing the Eries were much more self-confident than their opponents but this was as far as the superiority went. For after a desperate struggle the visitors were victorious and carried off the prize, a great pile of guns, blankets, beads and otber trinkets dear to the Indian's heart. The Eries angered by this defeat then challenged the Iroquois to a running race with ten runners on a side and this offer was accepted with no hesitation. Again the Iroquois were victors and then the wrath of the Eries knew no bounds. As a last trial of skill the chief of the Eries proposed a series of wrestling matches, the victor in each contest to kill his adversary with the toma-

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16 THE PIONEER met in a battle where the city of Elmira now stands. The Indians were routed and fled in the direction of Fort Niagara, while the work of destroying the deserted village continued. At last the work was done and General Sullivan looked about him in triumph. The once happy and beautiful scene was gone forever and all that remained to show that man had ever lived there were the piles of blackened ashes. Such warfare may seem cruel to us but it was no more than retaliation, and it was necessary if the white man was to control the country. The two races were totally different not only in character but also in the manner of living and one country was not large enough to hold both of them. The forests were necessary to the Indian for from them he gained his pleasure and living. He was content to spend his life in fighting, hunting and other savage pleasures, and never bettered his conditions, enough at least to compare with the white man. On the other hand the white man was the forerunner of development, and as he advanced he cleared away the forests and began to cultivate the land. As the forests disappeared the redman went with them and their few descendants whom we see on the reservations today are but a sorry remnant of a once flourishing race. It seems to be a law of nature that the world shall belong to the people who make the best use of it and there can be no doubt in our minds that it was best for our country that the white man should control it. EVERETT M. VINCENT. THE GREATEST CONFEDERATION OF THE AMERICAN ABORIGINES, IROQUOIS. HEN the Caucasian race first entered the primeval forests of the Empire State they found it already populated with two great Indian families. These two Indian organizations were the Iroquois and the Algonquins. The Algonquins held all of the Hudson River valley, the highlands below the Catskill mountains, and all of Long Island, being closely related to the New England Indians. The Iroquois inhabited the central and westerly part of the State of New York, from the Adriondack mountains in the north to Katzberg in the south and westward as far as the County of Erie. The Iroquois originally consisted of only five tribes: the Mohawk, the Oneidas, the Onondagas, the Cayugas and the Senecas; but in 1712 the Tuscaroras were admitted to the league, which now adopted the name of “Six Nations. Of the Iroquois nations mentioned, five were already in New York when Champlain and Hudson entered it in 1609. The Mohawk had come by way of Lake Champlain from the north; the Oneidas from the same direction, apparently leaving the St. Lawrence at the Oswegatchie river and tarrying in that region for a time; the Onondagas had gradually migrated from Jefferson County to the Oswego and Seneca rivers, hastening their movements and seeking the hills farther south when the war broke out in the 16th century; the Cayugas and Senecas had come by way of Niagara river much earlier than this, moving eastward unmolested. West of the Iroquois were the Erics and Cattaraugus; to the northwest were the Neutrals, known by that name because they seldom went to war; on the remaining sides, they were surrounded by the Algonquins. The Iroquois, in some measure, owed their triumphs to the position of their country from which several great rivers and the inland oceans of the northern lakes opened ready thoroughfares to their roving warriors through all the adjacent wilderness. But the true foundation of their success was in their own inherent energies, wrought to the most effective action under a political fabric well suited for the Indian life. In their scheme of government, as in their social customs and religious observances, the Iroquois displayed in full symmetry and matured strength, the same characteristics which in other tribes are found distorted, withered, decayed to the root, or, perhaps, faintly visible in an imperfect germ. To each tribe belonged an orgnnization of its own. Each had several Sachems, who, with subordinate chiefs and principal men, regulated all its internal affairs; but when foreign powers were to be treated with, or matters involving the whole confederacy required deliberation, all the Sachems of the several tribes convened in general assembly at the great council house in the valley of the Onondagas. Here ambassadors were received, alliances were adjusted, and all subjects of general interest discussed with exemplary harmony. The order of debate was prescribed by time-honored customs; and, in the fiercest heat of controversy, the assembly maintained its iron self-control. But the main story of Iroquois polity was the system of totemship. It was this which gave the structure its elastic strength; and but for this, a mere confederacy of jealous and warlike tribes must soon have been rent asunder by shocks from without or discord from within. The whole confederacy irrespective of their separation into tribes, consisted of eight totemic clans; and the members of each clan, to whatever nation they belonged, were mutually bound to one another by those close ties of fraternity which mark this singular institution. The names of the principal clans wcrs the Bear, the Wolf, the Turtle, the Deer, the Eagle and the Herons. A peculiar but very powerful element of the legislature of the whole confederacy was formed by the matrons. They sat in the assemblies and had an absolute veto in questions of war and peace. The Indian believed in a future life, a happy hunting ground, where he would be accompanied by his dog, would need his bow and arrow and hatchet, and where his occupation would be similar to that of this life, except that all care and sorrow, and toil that wearies, would be removed. The religion of the red man was an ever present consciousness; he prayed when he sat down to meal and when he arose; he prayed when he went on