The Treaty Held with the Indians of the Six Nations at Philadelphia, in July 1742

The Treaty Held with the Indians of the Six Nations at Philadelphia, in July 1742

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Title: The Treaty Held with the Indians of the Six Nations at Philadelphia, in July 1742 To which is Prefix'd an Account of the first Confederacy of the Six Nations, their present Tributaries, Dependents, and Allies
Author: Various
Editor: Sir George Thomas
Release Date: June 20, 2006 [EBook #18635]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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THE
TREATY
Held with the
INDIANS
OF THE
SIX NATIONS
AT
Philadelphia, in July 1742.
To which is Prefix'd
An Account of the first Confederacy of the SIX NATIONS, their present TRIBUTARIES, DEPENDENTS, and ALLIES.
LONDON:
Re-printed and Sold by T. SOWLE RAYLTON and LUKE HINDE, at the Bible in George-Yard, Lombard-Street.
[Price Six-Pence.]

THE
PREFACE.
A Copy of the following Treaty, printed at Philadelphia in 1743, having fallen into my Hands, upon perusal, I judg'd its Contents deserved to be more generally known, than probably would have been from the few Copies which might be sent over.
To make it more instructive and entertaining, I had once Thoughts of prefixing an Account of the Customs and Manners of these People, such an one as I could collect either from the Printed Relations concerning them, or from such Materials as my Correspondence or Acquaintance would have afforded: But, the accurate Description drawn up and published by the memorable WILLIAM PENN, deterr'd me from attempting a short One; and an ingenious Gentleman of New-York will probably soon oblige the World with a large and curious History of the Five Nations,[1] exceeding any thing in my Power to perform.
[Footnote 1: The History of the Five Nations, from the earliest Acquaintance of the Europeans with them, to the Treaty of Reswick, by C. COLDEN, a Manuscript ready for the Press, in the Hands of a worthy Gentleman in London.]
But, that the Reader might have some Idea of these People, I thought it necessary to subjoin the following succinct Account of the Principles in this Confederacy, their Tributaries, Dependents and Allies: And the more so, as it is neither extant in Print, nor is this Part taken Notice of so fully in the Manuscript History above-mentioned. It was communicated by a Gentleman of good Understanding and Probity; one who is very well skill'd in the Indian Affairs,[2] adopted into one of their Tribes, is of their Council, and their constant Interpreter at the Philadelphia Treaties, to a Friend of his, who sent it to his Correspondent here.
[Footnote 2: "It is customary among them to make a Complement of Naturalization into the Five Nations; and considering how highly they value themselves above all others, it must be accounted no small one.--I had this Complement from one of their old Sachems, which he did by giving me his own Name: He had been a notable Warriour; and he told me, that now I had a Right to assume to my self all the Acts of Valour he had performed." C. COLDEN'S History of the Five Nations, M.S.]
They have generally been stiled the Five Nations of Indians, bordering upon Pensilvania and New-York; but, since the Arrival of the Tuscarora's from Carolina, they are called the Six Nations. An Account of whom is as follows,
1. The Conymkos or Mohawks; the first Promoter of the Confederacy.[3] He is stiled in the Council of all the Nations, Dicarihoagan, i.e. President or Eldest.
[Footnote 3: The Indian Idiom; they always stile a whole Nation in the singular Number.]
2. The Onayiuts or Onoyders, were the first that join'd in the Confederacy with the Mohawks, by putting themselves under their Protection. He calls the Mohawk his Father, and in Return [Transcriber's Note: original has "Retnrn"] he is called a Son: The Mohawk used him for his Ambassador to the other Nations: In Council he is stiled Niharontaquoa, or the great Tree.[4]
[Footnote 4: A Tree is their most frequent Emblem of Peace. To plant a Tree whose Top may reach to the Sun, and its Branches may extend over the whole Country, is a Phrase for a lasting Covenant of Peace.]
3. The Onontago's were the next that joined, and of their own Accord became Confederates; they are therefore called by the Mohawks, Brothers; and by the Onoyders, Fathers, because they had not been forced into the Alliance as the Onoyders were: He