sphere, and that the sun and moon perform their
orbits daily^round it.
They observe, it is believed; the autumnal and
vernal equinoxes, by their effects on 'Meteorological
phenomena. They have a lunar year of
about 365 days, but they make no intercalations
for mé true length of the year,’—which never
was, apparently; known to them,
When We come to draw the minds of the
sages and chroniclers of the IroqHois cantons to
the föets of their early history and origin, they
treat us with legendary fables, and myths’ of gods
and men, and changes and freaks in -ëïémentary
matter, which indicate that such ideas were
common to their progenitors, whatever part of
the world they occupied. We havmadVèrted to
their notions on this head, in the prèeedin^’re^
marks on their cosmogony, tinctured, "as''it
strongly is, with thé old-Persian, philosophy.1
They deny,, as do all the tribes; a forèign prtf
gin. They assert -that America, or -Aöweo, was
the plaeé-of their origin. They begiff b^feying
down thé theory, that they were the peculiar
care of the? Stiperhal Power who created all
things, and who, as a proof of his care aridT"benevolence
of a race whom he had marked by a
distinct cbfóri created the Contineiit for their
especial use, and placed them upon None of
the tribes pretend to establish dates, nor have
they any astronomical data, to fix them. But
they all give to thé story of their origin, or creation,
a locality, which is generally fixed to some
prominent geographical feature negr to their
present respective place of abode, or* at . least a
spot well known. This spot, among the Iroquois
cantons, is located in the northern hemisphere.
* The term Oqgwe Honwe, is, used by these
tribes,, very much in the manner in which* the
ancient Teutons cqlled- themselves Allamanna,
or Ghermann,-from which we have the modem
terms, Allemand and German. If they did not
literally.cajl themselves.'alb-mtn, as did- these,
proud tribes, they implied as much, in a term
which is-interpreted to mean, m§ny or a
people surpassing all othem^ ;thd common
term, for. .the red race, as contradistinguished
from .all. other races, and the, true equivalent of
the phrase Indian.
ByAheir earliest traditions* we are fold that a
body of the Ongwe Honwe encamped on the
banks of the St. Lawrence, where they were invaded
by, a nation few in number, but,df giant
stature, called ltononWCca.* After, a War,
brought on by personal encounters and incident^
and carried an with, .perfidy and cruelty, they
were delivered at length, , by the skill and courage
of rYatontea,* who, after retreating before
them, raised av large body pf men and defeated
them, after which they, were, supposed to he
extinct. They next suffered fiom; theftmalice,
perfidy;and lust of an extraordinary fCifson
called Shotmwea,^ who ,was finally driven across
\ f 1 abbreV%'t;^;.tbe3e vifords frota the originals, for thp sole
PW®?ose^fmabiag theia readable to the etdinaty aden
l -m r n