the ethnological notebooks of karl marx - Marxists Internet Archive

the Onondaga Sachems was made “Keeper of the Wampum” , and 2 aids wereraised up with him who were required to be versed in its interpretation aswell as the sachem. The interpretation dieser several belts u. stringsbrought out, in the address of the wise-men, a connected account o f theoccurrences at the formation o f the confederacy. The tradition was repeatedin full, and fortified in its essential parts-by reference to the records containedin diesen belts. Thus the council to raise up sachems became ateaching council which maintained in perpetual freshness in the minds ofthe Iroquois the structure and principles dr confederacy, as well asthe history o f its formation. These proceedings occupied the council untilnoon each day; the afternoon being devoted to games u. amusements.A t twilight each day a dinner in common served to the entire body inattendance; consisted o f soup and boiled meat cooked near the council-house,and served directly from the kettle in ivooden bowls, trays and ladles. Gracewas said before the feast commenced; it was a prolonged exclamation bya single person on a high shrill note, falling down in cadences intostillness, followed by a response in chorus by the people. The eveningsdevoted to dance. After these ceremonies u. festivities - for several days -their sachems inducted into office.Ob d. right d. council to “ invest” Sachems nur functional? Jedenfalls nocase of rejection mentioned. Obgleich in form an oligarchy, this rulingbody of sachems a representative democracy o f the archaic type. Right ofgentes to elect u. depose sachems u. chiefs, right of the people to beheard in council dch orators of their election, and the voluntary systemin the military service. In diesem lower u. middle ethnical period democraticprinciples were the vital element of gentile society.Ho-yar-na-go-war, the Iroquois name for a sachem, means: “a counselor ofthe people"; analog bei d. members of the Grecian council o f chiefs; sobet Aeschylus, The Seven against Thebes, zoo/:136δοκοΰντα καί δόξαντ’ άπαγγέλλειν με χρήδήμου προβούλοις τησδε Καδμείας πόλεως.Chief of the second grade heisst: “ Ha-sa-no-wä'-na” , “an elevated name” ,indicates appreciation dr Barbaren o f the ordinary motives for personalambition. Fst ohne Ausnahme d. celebrated orators, wise-men und war-chiefsder Iroquois - chiefs of the 2nd grade. Office of chief bestowed for merit,fell necessarily auf d. ablest men (diese also excluded von General Council,aus dem so d. ambitious element entfernt). In American (European)annals fst nur berührt solche chiefs; none o f the long lines of sachemsausser Logan (einer dr Cayuga sachems), Handsome Lake (Seneca sachem,Gründer der New Religion dr Iroquois) u. at a recent day Ely S. Parker(Seneca sachem)Ind. confederacy of tribes taucht zuerst auf the office of General (Hos-gä-ägeh'-da-go-wä= “ Great War Soldier” ) Entstanden von cases, when the172