ssor might be any descendant of the late chief's mother or
grandmother,--his brother, his cousin or his nephew,--but never his son.
Among many persons who might thus be eligible, the selection was made in
the first instance by a family council. In this council the "chief
matron" of the family, a noble dame whose position and right were well
defined, had the deciding voice. This remarkable fact is affirmed by the
Jesuit missionary Lafitau, and the usage remains in full vigor among the
Canadian Iroquois to this day. If there are two or more members of the
family who seem to have equal claims, the nominating matron sometimes
declines to decide between them, and names them both or all, leaving the
ultimate choice to the nation or the federal council. The council of the
nation next considers the nomination, and if dissatisfied, refers it back
to the family for a new designation. If content, the national council
reports the name of the candidate to the federal senate, in which resides
the power of ratifying or rejecting the choice of the nation; but the
power of rejection is rarely exercised, though that of expulsion for good
cause is not unfrequently exerted. The new chief inherits the name of
his predecessor. In this respect, as in some others, the resemblance of
the Great Council to the English House of Peers is striking. As Norfolk
succeeds to Norfolk, so Tekarihoken succeeds Tekarihoken. The great
names of Hiawatha and Atotarho are still borne by plain
farmer-councillors on the Canadian Reservation.

When the League was established, Hiawatha had been adopted by the Mohawk
nation as one of their chiefs. The honor in which he was held by them is
shown by his position on the roll of councillors, as it has been handed
down from the earliest times. As the Mohawk nation is the "elder
brother," the names of its chiefs are first recited. At the head of the
list is the leading Mohawk chief, Tekarihoken, who represents the noblest
lineage of the Iroquois stock. Next to him, and second on the roll, is
the name of Hiawatha. That of his great colleague, Dekanawidah, nowhere
appears. He was a member of the first council; but he forbade his people
to appoint a successor to him. "Let the others have successors," he said
proudly, "for others can advise you like them. But I am the founder of
your league, and no one else can do what I have done."

The boast was not unwarranted. Though planned by another, the structure
had