the ethnological notebooks of karl marx - Marxists Internet Archive

| A m appointed day the Sachems of the several tribes, with their followers,who usually arrived a day or 2 before u. remained encamped at a distance,were received in a formal manner by the Onondaga sachems at the risingo f the sun. They marched in separate processions from their camps to thecouncil grove, each bearing his skin robe and bundle o f fagots, w o d.Onondaga Sachems awaited them with a concourse o f people. The Sachemsthen formed themselves in a circle, an Onondaga sachem, acting by appointmentas master of the ceremonies, occupying the side towards the risingsun. A t a signal they marched round the circle moving by the North. Therim o f the circle toward the North called “ the cold side” , that on the west“ the side toward the setting sun” , that on the south “ the side of the high sun” ,that on the east “ the side of the rising sun” . After marching 3 times aroundon the circle single file, the head and foot of the column being joined, theleader stopped on the rising sun side, and deposed before him his bundle offagots. In this followed by the others. X X After this each sachem spreadhis skin robe in the same order and sat down upon it, crosslegged, behind hisbundle of fagots, with his assistant sachem standing behind him. [to X Xformed an inner circle of faggots.] After a moment’s pause, the master ofthe ceremonies arose, drew from his pouch 2 pieces of dry wood and a pieceof punk (Zündschwamm) with which he proceeded to strike fire by friction.When fire obtained, he stepped within the circle u. set fire to his ownbundle, and then to each o f the others. When diese well-ignited, andat a signal from the master of the ceremonies, the sachems arose andmarched 3 times around the Burning Circle, going as before by the North.Each turned v. time to time as he walked so as to expose all sides of hisperson ... then reseated themselves, each upon his own robe. Master ofthe ceremonies again rising to his feet, filled and lighted the pipe of peacefrom his own fire; drew 3 whiffs, the first toward the Zenith (bdtet thanksto the Great Spirit for his preservation during the last year u. for beingpermitted to be present at this council); the second toward the ground(means thanks to his Mother, the Earth, for the various productions whichhad ministered to his sustenance; third toward the Sun (means thanks forhis never-failing light, ever shining upon all.) Then he passed the pipe tothe first upon his right toward the North, who repeated the same cere-| monies u. so on around the burning circle. The ceremony of smoking thecalumet bdtete auch mutual pledg(ing) o f their faith, friendship, honour.Mit dieser ceremony opening of the council completed, u. dieser d(arau)fdeclared ready for business.A u f d. opposite sides d. Council fire, sassen, auf d. einen: Mohawk, Onondagau. Seneca Sachems; ihre tribes, wenn in council, were brother tribes to eachother u. father tribes to the two other; they constituted, by extension of theprinciple, a phratry of tribes u. sachems.On the opposite side of the fire the Oneida u. Cayuga u. später die TuscaroraSachems; a second tribal phratry; brother tribes to each other and son tribeso f those opposite.169