Legends, Traditions, and Laws of the Iroquois, or Six Nations, and History of the Tuscarora IndiansJohnson, Elias
History
Legends, Traditions, and Laws of the Iroquois, or Six Nations, and History of the Tuscarora Indians
Johnson, Elias
Iroquois Indians; Tuscarora Indians
flee from the decree of the Great Spirit, but if He is for us we shall
prevail. He will give strength to our bow, direct our arrows, give might
to our arms and direct our blows, and put to flight our enemy, and we
shall conquer. He is able to give us peace in this our time of trouble,
if we all but trust in Him. It is he that made us and He is able to
preserve us from our enemies. Now my dear relatives in the different ties
of blood, it is not meet that we should have our blood spilt within our
domain, nor to have the dead bodies of our enemies strewed within our
settlement. We must now march and meet our foe. We must not turn our heel
to them; but if we are to be exterminated, let the last drop of Seneca
blood be spilt upon the bosom of our mother earth, and let the sun in the
heavens be the witness that we die in the defence of our wives, children
and homes, which is pleasing in the sight of the Great Spirit."
They now made their march, and after they had advanced a number of miles
they met the enemy. It was now sometime in the afternoon. A desperate
battle ensued. The storm of the arrows headed with flint, and also the
creased poisoned arrows was kept up until evening, when a peculiar war
cry was given, which indicated rest, at which in an instant the storm of
arrows ceased, when the Sachems of the two parties came near together and
deliberated on the conditions of rest during the night, that each party
should retreat a ways and rest without either molesting the other during
the night, but in the morning they should come together and resume the
battle.
In the morning the battle was renewed, even with more vigor than the day
before, until nearly noon, when the war cry of rest was again given. The
fight was again suspended for the purpose of taking refreshments.
At this time Onea-gah-re-tah-wa said to the Chiefs of the Squawkihows,
"While we are resting let us have a recreation by having a wrestling
between the two parties, and each one should have a war club in his belt,
and the one that is defeated should die at the hands of his victor with
the war club." The Squawkihows accepted the challenge. Then the wrestling
was continued to several contests, in which the Senecas were victorious.
There were several of the very ablest warriors of the Squawkihows killed
in this simple contest of wrestling.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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