Record of A merica n Folk-L ore. 283
RECORD OF AMERICAN FOLK-LORE.
NORTH AMERICA.
Algonkian. Mohegan. The life of Samson Occom, " the pious Mohegan," will always be of interest to students of the contact be- tween the Red Man and the White in America. Rev. W. De Loss Love's recent volume, " Samson Occom and the Christian Indians of New England " (Boston, 1899, pp. xiii. -f- 379), is a valuable contri- bution to the literature of the subject. The author seems to place a high estimate upon the character of this Indian preacher and his achievement.
Chinantecan. Pages 68-71 of Professor Starr's paper (titled below) treat of the Chinantecs of the districts of Cuicatlan and Villa Alta in Oaxaca, whose language is probably of independent stock. Houses, dress, agriculture, intoxicants, superstitions are briefly noted. The red cloth worn about the neck or head by the men is character- istic, also the hairdressing of the women. Witchcraft and super- stitious treatment of diseases prevail.
Iroquoian. A curiosity in its way is the " Iakentasetatha kahn- wakeha tsini kahawis nonwa ioserate, 1900," etc., or " Iroquois Almanac for the year 1900" (Tiohtiake — Montreal, 1899, pp. 71), published by G. Forbes, Cure" of Caughnawaga. The main part of the pamphlet is in Indian, but pages 57-66 are in French and pages 67-70 in English. The Indian text is concerned with an account of Kateri Tekakwitha, the " Lily of the Mohawks " (pp. 32-50), — the famous "saint" of the Iroquois, — and general notes about the Iro- quois population in Canada and the United States. The rest of the pamphlet deals with the history of the Caughnawaga mission, etc. Although Iroquois is still spoken generally at Caughnawaga, there does not exist " a single family of pure Iroquois blood," indeed only a couple of individuals even lay claim to such descent. If we believe the statements in the Almanac, there are among the Iroquois at the present time 125 descendants of Eunice Williams, of Deerfield, Mass.; 1350 descendants of Silas Rice, of Marlboro, Mass. ; 1100 descendants of Jacob Hill, of Albany ; and 400 descendants of John Stacey, another white youth captured during the Indian wars of the eighteenth century. No wonder white blood is so common among these Indians. — Cherokee. Of more or less interest to folk-lorists is "The Story of the Cherokee Bible" (N. Y., 1900, pp. 173). by G. E. Foster, which contains some items of tradition, etc., besides biblio- graphical notes. — Wyandot. Under the title " Wyandot Folk-Lore " (Topeka, 1899, pp. 116), Mr. W. H. Connelley publishes a collection of myths and stories, with brief account of the sociological condi-
�� �
