"Burying the hatchet" is an old Indian saying. Skenandoa, an Oneida chief stated, "This is a family quarrel. Let us keep our hatchets buried deep. Let the two sides settle their differences."

Indian warriors expected to be tortured when captured. Torture was a mark of high honor given only to those who were known to be brave. Bravery was greatly admired.

Among the Iroquois, Erie and other Indians, a promise made is a promise kept. They honored every pledge they made even though they might be losers doing so.

When an Indian made a settlement or a promise he ended it by saying, "I have spoken". This meant that his word was given and would not be changed.

Early Indians knew about plumbing to transfer fresh water. Gennargaro, the Seneca capital had about 5000 people living in 150 dwellings. Running water from a spring was carried to their village through basswood pipes laid in the ground.

Indians used tobacco which only the older men smoked for pleasure. Smoking was a religious act. As the smoke rose upward it was believed to carry the prayers of the people.

Although women did the agricultural labor in the Indian culture, they did not grow or harvest tobacco. They were not permitted to smoke at any time.

Only women tended the fields as Indians believed that the Earth Creator had divided work among men and women. Anything that had to do with home or creation belonged to the women. Men were the providers and defenders. What they did was harder and dangerous.

In an Indian village all the people young and old worked at something. They were constantly busy and had activities for every season.

Indians loved their children and were good to them. Parents never struck a child but they were taught to obey. A child that cried was never given what it cried for. Children were not permitted to be disrespectful.

Indian boys played games that prepared them for manhood. Shooting games trained eyesight, racing games made them good runners and wrestling games developed their muscles.

Indians believed in the Great Spirit who lived beyond the sky in a place of great beauty. They prayed to him and gave great thanks. All Indians who obeyed him believed that they would someday live with him.

Indians decorated their clothing with porcupine quills embroidery. They were the only people to use porcupine quills for decoration.

To Indians, hunting was never a sport. It was a necessity. They killed no more animals then were needed.

Iroquois used blowguns when hunting birds.

Indians believed the honorable way to hunt bears was to knock them in the head with a club when the bears stood erect like a man.

Indian planters had a simple method of knowing when to start their crops in the ground. When the leaves on the Oak Tree were as large as a red squirrel's foot, it was time to do the planting.

Long hair on the Indian was a hazard in the woodlands. The hunter's or Warrior's life often depended on his ability to move swiftly through the woods. Long hair would entangle him in the bushes or low hanging tree branches. The Woodland Indian found it wise to shave his head and leave a small scalp lock which he often decorated or braided.

The scalp lock was an ornamentation and was used for adornment not for scalp taking. Very few Indians took scalps until the white man used the scalp trophy as a means of earning bounty money which was paid for the scalp of the enemy. This practice soon spread and became commonplace in later years.

The Woodland Indian knew the forest to be a brother or friend. From the forest came his worldly possessions. He observed the forest with reverence and used the flowers, vines, buds or leaves as articles of decoration.

The Great Spirit taught the Indians that animals and living things in the woods were the helpers of man. The Indians did not spoil a tree or take the life of any animal unless it was necessary. He never took more than he needed and hunted for food only when necessary. Nothing was wasted and a use was found for everything.