The most curious trait, of which we know but little, is that respecting
TOTEMS.
Asked the chief called Blacksmith, his name in Seneca. He replied,
De-o-ne-hoh-gah-wah, that is, a door perforated, or violently broken
through, not opened. Says he was born on the Tonewonda reservation,
and wishes to die there; will be 60 years old, if he lives till next
winter, 1846.
Says the Senecas call the Fort Stanwix or Rome summit, De-o-wain-sta,
meaning the place where canoes are carried across the land from stream
to stream; that is, a carrying place.
Says, Te-to-yoah, or Wm. Jones of Cattaraugus, can relate valuable
Seneca traditions.
He says there are eight Seneca clans; they are the Wolf, Bear, Turtle,
Deer, Plover, Beaver, Hawk and Crane. He is of the Wolf clan. This was
also Red Jacket’s clan.
These clans may be supposed to have arisen from persons who had
greatly distinguished themselves at an early period as founders, or
benefactors, or they may have held some such relation to the original
nation, as the Curiatii and Horatii, in Roman history. It is not
only the Iroquois, who ascribed this honor to the clans of the Bear,
the Turtle and the Wolf. They are equally honored among most of the
Algonquin tribes.