[English Translation]

THE PRELIMINARY CEREMONY:

CALLED, "AT THE WOOD'S EDGE."

1. Now [Footnote: The paragraphs are not numbered in the original text. The numbers are prefixed in this work merely for convenience of reference.] to-day I have been greatly startled by your voice coming through the forest to this opening. You have come with troubled mind through all obstacles. You kept seeing the places where they met on whom we depended, my offspring. How then can your mind be at ease? You kept seeing the footmarks of our forefathers; and all but perceptible is the smoke where they used to smoke the pipe together. Can then your mind be at ease when you are weeping on your way?

2. Great thanks now, therefore, that you have safely arrived. Now, then, let us smoke the pipe together. Because all around are hostile agencies which are each thinking, "I will frustrate their purpose." Here thorny ways, and here falling trees, and here wild beasts lying in ambush. Either by these you might have perished, my offspring, or, here by floods you might have been destroyed, my offspring, or by the uplifted hatchet in the dark outside the house. Every day these are wasting us; or deadly invisible disease might have destroyed you, my offspring.

3. Great thanks now, therefore, that in safety you have come through the forest. Because lamentable would have been the consequences had you perished by the way, and the startling word had come, "Yonder are lying bodies, yea, and of chiefs!" And they would have thought in dismay, what had happened, my offspring.

4. Our forefathers made the rule, and said, "Here they are to kindle a fire; here, at the edge of the woods, they are to condole with each other in few words." But they have referred thither [Footnote: That is, to the Council House.] all business to be duly completed, as well as for the mutual embrace of condolence. And they said, "Thither shall they be led by the hand, and shall be placed on the principal seat."

5. Now, therefore, you who are our friends of the Wolf clan:

In John Buck's MS. Supposed Meaning.
Ka rhe tyon ni. The broad woods.
Ogh ska wa se ron hon. Grown up to bushes again.
Gea di yo. Beautiful plain.
O nen yo deh. Protruding stone.
De se ro ken. Between two lines.
Te ho di jen ha ra kwen. Two families in a long-house,
Ogh re kyon ny. (Doubtful.) [one at each end.]
Te yo we yen don. Drooping wings.

Such is the extent of the Wolf clan.

6. Now, then, thy children of the two clans of the Tortoise:

Ka ne sa da keh. On the hill side.
Onkwi i ye de. A person standing there.
Weg'h ke rhon. (Doubtful.)
Kah ken doh hon. "
Tho gwen yoh. "
Kah he kwa ke. "

Such is the extent of the Tortoise clan.

7. Now these thy brothers of the Bear clan:

De ya oken. The Forks.
Jo non de seh. It is a high hill.
Ots kwe ra ke ron. Dry branches fallen to the ground.
Ogh na we ron. The springs.

8. Now these have been added lately:

Ka rho wengh ra don. Taken over the woods.
Ka ra ken. White.
De yo he ro. The place of flags (rushes).
De yo swe ken. Outlet of the river.
Ox den ke. To the old place.

Such is the extent of the Bear clan.

These were the clans in ancient times.

9. Thus are written the words of mutual greeting, called "the opening ceremony." Then one will say, "My offspring, now this day we are met together. God has appointed this day. Now, to-day, we are met together, on account of the solemn event which has befallen you. Now into the earth he has been conveyed to whom we have been wont to look. Yea, therefore, in tears let us smoke together."

10. "Now, then, we say, we wipe away the tears, so that in peace you may look about you."

11. "And, further, we suppose there is an obstruction in your ears. Now, then, we remove the obstruction carefully from your hearing, so that we trust you will easily hear the words spoken."

12. "And also we imagine there is an obstruction in your throat. Now, therefore, we say, we remove the obstruction, so that you may speak freely in our mutual greetings."

13. "Now again another thing, my offspring. I have spoken of the solemn event which has befallen you. Every day you are losing your great men. They are being borne into the earth; also the warriors, and also your women, and also your grandchildren; so that in the midst of blood you are sitting."

14. "Now, therefore, we say, we wash off the bloodmarks from your seat, so that it may be for a time that happily the place will be clean where you are seated and looking around you."

* * * * *

15. Now the Hymn,

CALLED "HAIL."

I come again to greet and thank the League;
I come again to greet and thank the kindred;
I come again to greet and thank the warriors;
I come again to greet and thank the women.
My forefathers,—what they established,—
My forefathers,—hearken to them!

16. The last verse is sung yet again, while he walks to and fro in the house, and says:

17. "Hail, my grandsires! Now hearken while your grandchildren cry mournfully to you,—because the Great League which you established has grown old. We hope that they may hear."

18. "Hail, my grandsires! You have said that sad will be the fate of those who come in the latter times."

19. "Oh, my grandsires! Even now I may have failed to perform this ceremony in the order in which they were wont to perform it." "Oh, my grandsires! Even now that has become old which you established,—the Great League. You have it as a pillow under your heads in the ground where you are lying,—this Great League which you established; although you said that far away in the future the Great League would endure."

* * * * *

So much is to be said here, and the Hymn is to be sung again, and then he is to go on and walk about in the house again, saying as follows:

"Hail, my grandsires! Now hear, therefore, what they did—all the rules they decided on, which they thought would strengthen the House. Hail, my grandsires! this they said: 'Now we have finished; we have performed the rites; we have put on the horns.'

"Now again another thing they considered, and this they said: 'Perhaps this will happen. Scarcely shall we have arrived at home when a loss will occur again.' They said, 'This, then, shall be done. As soon as he is dead, even then the horns shall be taken off. For if invested with horns he should be borne into the grave,' oh, my grandsires, they said, 'we should perhaps all perish if invested with horns he is conveyed to the grave.'

"Then again another thing they determined, oh my grandsires! 'This,' they said, 'will strengthen the House.' They said, if any one should be murdered and [the body] be hidden away among fallen trees by reason of the neck being white, then you have said, this shall be done. We will place it by the wall in the shade."

25. "Now again you considered and you said: 'It is perhaps not well that we leave this here, lest it should be seen by our grandchildren; for they are troublesome, prying into every crevice. People will be startled at their returning in consternation, and will ask what has happened that this (corpse) is lying here; because they will keep on asking until they find it out. And they will at once be disturbed in mind, and that again will cause us trouble.'"

26. "Now again they decided, and said: 'This shall be done. We will pull up a pine tree—a lofty tree—and will make a hole through the earth-crust, and will drop this thing into a swift current which will carry it out of sight, and then never will our grandchildren see it again.'"

27. "Now again another thing they decided, and thought, this will strengthen the House. They said: 'Now we have finished; we have performed the rites. Perhaps presently it will happen that a loss will occur amongst us. Then this shall be done. We will suspend a pouch upon a pole, and will place in it some mourning wampum—some short strings—to be taken to the place where the loss was suffered. The bearer will enter, and will stand by the hearth, and will speak a few words to comfort those who will be mourning; and then they will be comforted, and will conform to the great law.'"

28. "Now, then, thou wert the principal of this Confederacy, Dekanawidah, with the joint principal, his son, Odadsheghte; and then again his uncle, Wathadodarho; and also again his son, Akahenyonh; and again his uncle, Kanyadariyu; and then again his cousin, Shadekaronyes; and then in later times additions were made to the great edifice."

* * * * *

29. Now listen, ye who established the Great League. Now it has become old. Now there is nothing but wilderness. Ye are in your graves who established it. Ye have taken it with you, and have placed it under you, and there is nothing left but a desert. There ye have taken your intellects with you. What ye established ye have taken with you. Ye have placed under your heads what ye established—the Great League.

30. Now, then, hearken, ye who were rulers and founders: [Footnote: The names in this version are in the orthography of John Buck's MS.]

TEHKARIHHOKEN!
Continue to listen!
Thou who wert ruler,

HAYENWATHA!
Continue to listen!
Thou who wert ruler,

SHADEKARIHWADE!
That was the roll of you,
You who were joined in the work,
You who completed the work,
The Great League.

31. Continue to listen!
Thou who wert ruler,

SHARENHHOWANE!
Continue to listen!
Thou who wert ruler,

TEHYONHEGHKWEN!
Continue to listen!
Thou who wert ruler,

OWENHEGHKOHNA!
That was the roll of you,
You who were joined in the work,
You who completed the work,
The Great League.

32. Continue to listen!
Thou who wert ruler,

TEHHENNAGHKARIHNE!
Continue to listen!
Thou who wert ruler,

AGHSTAWENSERONTTHA!
Continue to listen!
Thou who wert ruler,

SHAGHSKOHAROWANE!
That was the roll of you,
You who were joined in the work,
You who completed the work,
The Great League.

33. Ye two were principals,
Father and son,
Ye two completed the work,
The Great League.
Ye two aided each other,
Ye two founded the House.
Now, therefore, hearken!
Thou who wert ruler,

ODATSEGHDEH!
Continue to listen!
Thou who wert ruler,

KAHNONKWENYAH!
Continue to listen!
Thou who wert ruler,

TEHYOHHAKWENDEH!
That was the roll of you,
You who were joined in the work,
You who completed the work,
The Great League.

34. Continue to listen!
Thou who wert ruler,

SHONONGHSESEH!
Continue to listen!
Thou who wert ruler,

THONAEGHKENAH!
Continue to listen!
Thou who wert ruler,

HAHTYADONNENTHA!
That was the roll of you,
You who were joined in the work,
You who completed the work,
The Great League.

35. Continue to listen!
Thou who wert ruler,

TEHWAHTAHONTENYONK!
Continue to listen!
Thou who wert ruler,
KAHNYADAGHSHAYEN!

Continue to listen!
Thou who wert ruler,

HONWATSHADONNEH!
That was the roll of you,
You who were joined in the work,
You who completed the work,
The Great League.

36. These were his uncles:
Now hearken!
Thou who wert ruler,
WATHADOTARHO:
Continue to listen!
These were the cousins:
Thou who wert ruler,

ONEHSEAGHHEN!
Continue to listen!
Thou who wert ruler,

TEHHATKAHDONS!
Continue to listen!
These were as brothers thenceforth:
Thou who wert ruler,

SKANIADAJIWAK:
Continue to listen!
Thou who wert ruler,

AWEAKENYAT!
Continue to listen!
Thou who wert ruler,

TEHAYATKWAYEN!
That was the roll of you!

37. Then his son:
He is the great Wolf.
There were combined
The many minds!

HONONWIREHDONH!
That was the roll of you.

38. These were his uncles,
Of the two clans:

KAWENENSEAGHTONH!

HAHHIHHONH!
That was the roll of them!

39. These were as brothers thenceforth:

HOHYUNHNYENNIH!

SHOTEHGWASEH!

SHAHKOHKENNEH!
This was the roll of you.

40. This befell
In ancient times.
They had their children,
Those the two clans.
He the high chief,

SAHHAHWIH!
This put away the clouds:
He was a war chief;
He was a high chief—
Acting in either office:

SKAHNAHWAHTIH!
This was the roll of you!

41. Then his son,

TAHKAHENHYUNH!
With his brother,

JIHNONTAHWEHHEH.
This was the roll of you!

42. KAHTAHGWAHJIH!

SHONYUNHWESH!

HAHTYAHSENHNEH!
This was the roll of you!

43. Then they who are brothers:

TEHYUHENHYUNHKOH!

TEHYUHTOHWEHGWIH!

TYAWENHHEHTHONH!
This was the roll of you.

44. HAHTONHTAHHEHHAH!
TESHKAHHEA!
This was the roll of you!

45. Then his uncle,

SKAHNYAHTEIHYUH!
With his cousin,

SHAHTEHKAHENHYESH.
This was the roll of you!

46. SAHTYEHNAHWAHT!
With his cousin,
SHAKENHJOHNAH!
This was the roll of you!

47. KAHNOHKAIH!
With his cousin,—then

NISHAHYEHNENHHAH
This was the roll of you!

48. Then, in later times,
They made additions
To the great mansion.
These were at the doorway,
They who were cousins,
These two guarded the doorway:

KANONHKEHIHTAWIH!
With his cousin,

TYUHNINHOHKAWENH
This was the roll of you!

49. Now we are dejected
In our minds.