which was waged upon the whites for a number of years, and oftentimes
with extreme cruelty, the Delawares, Wyandots, Mingoes and Miamis,
united: the Shawanoes, however, were by far the most warlike and
troublesome.

The Shawanoes were originally divided into twelve tribes or bands, each
of which was sub-divided into families, known as the Eagle, the Turtle,
the Panther, &c., these animals constituting their _totems_. Of these
twelve, the names of but four tribes are preserved, the rest having
become extinct, or incorporated with them. They are, 1st. the
Mequachake,--2d. the Chillicothe,--3d. the Kiskapocoke,--4th. the
Piqua. When in council, one of these tribes is assigned to each of the
four sides of the council-house, and during the continuance of the
deliberations, the tribes retain their respective places. They claim to
have the power of distinguishing, at sight, to which tribe an
individual belongs; but to the casual observer, there are no visible
shades of difference. In each of the four tribes, except the
Mequachake, the chiefs owe their authority to merit, but in the last
named, the office is hereditary. Of the origin of the Piqua tribe, the
following tradition has been recited:[A] "In ancient times, the
Shawanoes had occasion to build a large fire, and after it was burned
down, a great puffing and blowing was heard, when up rose a man from
the ashes!--hence the name Piqua, which means a man coming out of the
ashes." Mequachake, signifies a perfect man. To this tribe the
priesthood is confided. The members, or rather certain individuals of
it, are alone permitted to perform the sacrifices and other religious
ceremonies of the tribe.[B] The division of the tribe into bands or
totems, is not peculiar to the Shawanoes, but is common to several
other nations. One of the leading causes of its institution, was the
prohibition of marriage between those related in a remote degree of