separating the works of
the Mound Builders from those of the later Indians. We therefore think
that we may safely assert that the best authorities in the United States
now consider that the mound building tribes were Indians, in much the
same state of culture as the Indian tribes in the Gulf States at the
time of the discovery of America, and we shall not probably be far out
of the way if we assert, that when driven from the valley of the Ohio
by more warlike people they became absorbed by the southern tribes, and,
indeed the opinion is quite freely advanced that the Natchez themselves
were a remnant of the "Mysterious Mound Builders."

If the Mound Building tribes were here at a comparatively late date, we
ought to expect to find some traditions of their former existence. The
statement is quite often made that the Indians had no tradition as to
the origin or purpose of the mounds, and from this it is argued that the
mounds are of great antiquity. But, instead of finding no traditions,
we find nearly every tribe possessed of some, and often very full and
distinct.<43> It makes no difference that a number of those traditions
are childish, and that traditions are a very unsatisfactory sort of
proof at best. Still, if we observe that the traditions, such as they
are, are corroborative of other proofs, it is well to examine into them
anyway.

The Iroquois tribes have a tradition, that is given in the writing of
Cusick, a Tuscaroa Indian. It is generally considered as a nonsensical
production, but Mr. Hale points out that, "whenever his statements
can be submitted to the tests of language, they are invariably
confirmed."<44> Such, for instance, are the assertions that they
formerly inhabited the country around the St. Lawrence River in Canada,
and further, that the Mohawk was the oldest tribe, from whence the
others separated in time.

The substance of the tradition supposed to refer to the Mound Builders,
is as follows: South of the great lakes was the seat of a great empire.
The emperor resided in a golden city. The nations to the north of the
great lakes formed a confederacy, and seated a great council fire on
the river St. Lawrence. This confederacy appointed a high chief as
ambassador, who immediately departed to the south to visit the emperor
at the golden city. Afterwards, the emperor built many forts throughout
his dominions, and almost penetrated to Lake Erie. The people to
the north considered this an infringeme