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          National Council                               170

The national council, consisting of the U Ku and his immediate attendants, together with the Town priests - their right hand men, messengers, speakers, and prime counsellors, was convened by the U Ku and his privy council a short time before the feast of green fruits. Being convened, previous to entering on business, the priest whose duty it was to officiate as chaplain, and offer up the prayers of the council, most being dressed in white, and stood directly before the U Ku, and covering his face with an eagle tail fan prayed for assistance in all the business of the council and for the health of the members & their families & people, & for a blessing to rest on the whole nation. At the close of each prayer all the council shouted Waw. (This practice continued until about fifty years ago.) As this prayer at the opening of the council is said to have been offered a little after dark, it appears that the national council always convened so as to be opened in the early part of the evening. Prayers were offered every day during the sitting of the council by the same person.

 At the close of a national council, the speaker arose, and took as many sticks of beads as there were messengers from the different towns (each town priest having his messenger) and placed them around him together with just as many pieces of tobacco (old tobacco) that his words, as he spake, might fall on them. He then recapitulated loudly and distinctly, all the desires and outs? of the council, now about to close. All the messengers especially listened with attention. He then gave a stick of the beads, & a piece of the tobacco to each messenger, to take to his respective town together with all the acts of the council, especially the time which the council had appointed for the  feast of first fruits, and