Starr, Frederick

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l86 THE OPEN COURT.THE CORNPLANTER MEDAL.Th idea of a medal, in recognition of research among the Iroquois In-dians, first occurred to me in November 1901, wlien I was making somestudies at Onondaga, New York. Since boyhood I have known one an an-other of those who have notably contributed to our knowledge of these mostimportant and interesting tribes. Some of these workers, though diligent andprofound students, have lived and died unknown outside of the communitiesin which they lived; others, while recognised as authorities in the world ofinvestigators, have been little appreciated in their own homes. It seemedthat the founding and endowing of a medal, to be given in public acknowledg-ment to such workers, might be worth while. I believed that it would beeasy to interest some man of wealth, born and reared within the old Iroquoisarea, in establishing such a medal. This belief was a mistake.At about the same time I came to know Jesse Cornplanter and his pic-tures. Jesse was a twelve-year old Seneca boy, of pure blood, who delightedin making pen-and-ink drawings of Indian life—games, dances, etc. Withoutbeing a genius, his work was really good for an untaught Indian boy. Someof his -pictures had already attracted attention, and two or three had beenprinted. The pictures show firmness of line, boldness, and good skill ingrouping. It seenKnl desirable to preserve some examples of this work, espe-cially as writers have been accustomed to deny artistic ability to the Iroquois.No man of wealth having been found, who desired to establish themedal, it was decided to combine the two aims of founding the medal andpreserving samples of Jesse's drawings, making the one end contribute to theother. Jesse was employed to draw a series of fifteen pictures representingIroquois games and dances, as follows: (i) Game of Peach Stones and Bowl,(2) Women's Football Game, (3) Game of Javelin, (4) Game of Snowsnakes,(5) Great Feather Dance, (6) Hands-Joined Dance, (7) Seneca Indian WarDance, (8) Fish Dance, (9) Green Corn Dance, (10) False-Face Dancers(two are doorkeepers), (11) Husk-Face Dancers, (12) False-Face DancersCrawling Into the Council House, (13) False-Face Dancers Arriving at theCouncil House, (14) False-Face Dancers Sitting in the Council House, (15)The Doorkeepers' Dance.Nine gentlemen (Milward Adams, Chicago; Joseph G. Butler, Jr.,Youngstown, Ohio; Charles A. Ficke, Davenport, Iowa; Frank G. Logan,Chicago; Harold F. McCormick, Chicago; William H. Mofiitt, New York;W. Clement Putnam, Davenport, Iowa ; Frank W. Richardson, Auburn,New York; Frederick Starr, Chicago) contributed the money necessary forengraving and printing these pictures, with the understanding that they wereto be sold to aid in establishing the medal. The sale of these pictures is stillin progress and has warranted the cutting of the dies and the making of afirst strike of the medal. After the cost of the founding of the medal hasbeen fully met, further sales of the pictures will be devoted to the conduct ofresearches among the Iroquois.The medal is called The Cornplanter Medal for Iroquois Research, fromthe boy artist and in honor of the famous Seneca chieftain, who figured con-spicuously in the last part of the eighteenth century and the early part of thenineteenth century. It measures 54 mm. in diameter and is of silver. Onthe obverse is a profile portrait of the Cornplanter and the legend The Corn-MISCELLANEOUS. 187planter Medal for Iroquois Research. Below and to the left of the portraitis a turtle, the totem of the Cornplanter, while around the border is a beadingof wampum. On the reverse are the names of the Iroquois tribes, "the SixNations,"—Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Caygua, Seneca, Tuscarora. Withinthis circle of names is a string of placques of shell bearing the totems—wolf,bear, beaver, turtle, deer, snipe, heron, hawk. Within this, occupying theupper third of the space is a picture of the Iroquois long house typifjingthe Confederac}', below which is the inscription Awarded by the CaytigaCounty Historieal Soeiety to, with space for name and date. The highestachievement of the Iroquois was their remarkable governmental system basedupon the idea of kinship, and worked out through the clan, tlie tribe, and theconfederacy. These ideas are commemorated in the design of the medal, thesuggestion for which is my own, while the composition is that of Mr. Fred-erick W. Gookin of Chicago. The dies were cut and the strike made byTiffanv & Co. of New York. The medal will be given everv two vears, andits administration lias been accepted by The Cayuga County Historical So-ciety at Auburn, New York, in the very heart of the old Iroquois country.Four classes of workers are eligible to receive it:(a) Ethnologists, making worthy field-study or other investigations uponthe Iroquois ;(b) Historians, making actual contrilnition to our knowledge of the Iro-quois;(c) Artists, worthily representing Iroquois life or types by brush orchisel:(d) Philanthropists, whose efforts are based upon adequate scientificstudy and appreciation of Iroquois conditions and needs.The first strike of the Cornplanter ]\Iedal was awarded to Gen. John S.Clark of Auburn, on June 8, 1904. For more than a half century GeneralClark has devoted himself to Iroquois studies. By profession a surveyor, hehas done magnificent field-work in the identification of village sites, trails,and localities of historical events. His Journal of Sullivan's Campaign, pub-lished by the Cayuga County Historical Society, is a model of scholarlyeditorship and annotation. Every important contribution to Iroquois historyand the history of our Revolutionary epoch is under obligation to him for ad-vice, criticism, and annotation.155 THE OPEN COURT.Though the meeting, at which the award was announced, was a specialsession, called at the time when the society is usually in vacation, a largeattendance was present. A program of exceptional interest was carried out.Prof. Willis J. Beecher presided. In an introductory address he brieflystated the purpose of the meeting and the history of the medal. Mr. FrankW. Richardson, on behalf of the Committee appointed to receive and ad-minister the medal, announced acceptance of the trust and the award for 1904to General Clark. Dr. William M. Beauchamp of Syracuse, an eminent author-ity upon Iroquois matters, gave a carefully prepared address in which, afteremphasising the important place of the Iroquois among American Indiantribes, he expressed his satisfaction at the founding of the Cornplanter Medaland sketeched General Clark's labors in the Iroquois field. Frederick Starrthen informally stated the plan and history of the medal and added a wordof personal appreciation regarding General Clark and his work. During theprogram, Jesse Lyon, Honuses, an Onondaga chief, sang several Indiansongs to the accompaniment of rattle and drum. .\t the close of the addresses.Albert Cusick, Sagonaquaten, Onondaga and one time head-chief of the Iro-quois Confederacy, made a brief address and gave General Clark an Onon-daga name, Hahahcsuks, "the Pathfinder," at the same time leading him backand forth before the company, chanting the ancient formula of adoption.General Clark made a brief response after which Gen. William H. Seward,Jr., extended a vote of thanks to those who had been interested in the found-ing of the medal.The Cornplanter ]\Iedal is to be permanently endowed.Frederick St.\rr.DO ANIMALS THINK?BY LORD AVEBURY.From his life-long and conscientious study of ants Dr. Forel is peculiarlyqualified to write on such a subject; while from his position at the head ofa great lunatic asylum he has had exceptional opportunities, of which he hasably availed himself, for the studv of nfind in various phases.At first sight it might seem as if insects were hardly likely to throwmuch light on psychic problem^s. Nevertheless, if the dog and the elephantare in some respects pre-ennnent, and if in bodily structure the anthropoidapes approach nearer to man than do any other animals, yet, when we con-sider the habits of ants, their social organisation, their large communitiesand elaborate habitations, their road-ways, their possession of domestic ani-mals, and even in some cases of slaves, it must be admitted that they havea fair claim to rank nex.t to man in the scale of intelligence. However thismay be, Dr. Forel has selected insects, and especially his favorite ants, as thesubject of his present memoir.Many seem to solve the problem to their own satisfaction by saying thatanimals act by instinct and man by reason. I wish he did! How much hap-pier and better the world would be! But in fact the subject is much morecomplex. Others believe, or think they believe, that their pets, and especiallydogs, are as intelligent as man.Many again seem to entertain two entirely opposite and contradictoryopinions. I often hear people say that their dog, for instance, can do every-

The Cornplanter Medal.

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The Cornplanter Medal.

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