overbearing“, quarrel about territory, and fight.
They were compelled to build fort's to defend
their stations, or secure their Wofnen and child*
ren, at night, and, by this system, kept down
their population to about its first point of increase.
It is altogether probable that they did not more
than maintain, for ages, a stationary population,
which occasionally went down by disease and
Other calamities^ and again revived, as we-know
that natural causes, in the laws of vitality, will
revive a people quickly, after the Scourge of pestilence.
The idea of a confederation Was, it is believed',
an old one with this people, for the very.'oldest
traditions speak of something of this kind, among
the lake and St. Lawrence tribes .of older days.
When the present league was formed,, on" the
banks of the Onondaga lake, this central tribe
had manifestly greatly increased in strength, and
distinguished itself in arms, and feats of hunting
and daring against giants and monsters, for in
such rencontres their traditions abound.
Most distinguished, however, above all others,
east or west, was U leader of great courage, Wisdom
and address, called Atotarho; and when
they proposed to form a league, this person* who
had inspired dread, and kept himself retired,
was anxiously sought. He was found by the
Mohawk embassy, who were charged With the
matter, as he is represented in the annexed specimen
of picture writing, composedly sitting in a
swamp, smoking his pipe, and rendered completely
invulnerable, % by living serpents. These
animals extended their hissing heads from all
parts óf hishêad and body. |Every thing about
him, and the place óf his residence, was such as
to’ inspire fear and respect/ His dishes and
spoons were made of the skulls óf enemies,
whom he had slain in battle. Him, when they
had duly approached with presents and burned
tobacco in friendship, in their pipes, by way of
frankincense, they placed at the head of their
league, as its presiding officer. They collected a
large quantity óf Wampum, and invested him
with à broad belt óf this sacred article. I found
the original drawing of this personage, from
whieh the above is reduced, in the summer of
1M5, in the house of a" Seneca on the Cattaraugus
reservation. Thé owner of this curious pictorial
relic, on being asked, proceeded to a chest
and carefully took it from its envelope, and al