THE VISIT OF CHIEF OS-KE-NON-TON
by
BESSIE HILTON (VI.1).
Drawing by
EDITH JAFFE (VI.2).
On Monday, March 21st, a visit was paid by Chief Oskenonton, the Chief of the
Mohawk tribe of North America. The whole school assembled to hear his talk about
the Indians and their customs. His appearance on the platform caused a great stir,
as he was dressed in his magnificent native costume, of which the headdress attracted
most attention. He explained to us the time and trouble necessary to collect the eagle's
feathers, which formed the main part of the headdress. We were then shown various
other headdresses worn only on special occasions. The singing of several songs bv
the Chief, accompanied on different kinds of tom-toms, thrilled the audience. Another
interesting feature of this talk was a story told in the universal Red Indian sign language,
and so popular has this means of communication become, that a visitor might think that
the majority of the members of the lower school have recently been stricken dumb,
Several questions were asked and our curiosity satisfied concerning the life of the
Red Indian women, and the age at which the young boy is initiated into the ceremonies
of his tribe. The making of fire in thirty seconds proved a stimulating climax to this
interesting talk. From this fire the chief proceeded to light his pipe of peace, and
after this show of goodwill he bade us farewell. His visit is one that we shall long
remember, taking us back, as it did, to the days when we read with avidity the thrilling
yarns of Fenimore Cooper.
P.S. It was no wind-up. Read on...
26 November 2002: My Inbox this morning included the following:
"I have just been reading Estelle Roberts book "Fifty Years a Medium" in which she mentions Chief Oske-non-ton.
On trying to track down some mention of him on the internet I came across your website wherein you describe a visit made to your school by Chief Oske-non-ton in I think it was 1938. I can vividly remember a similar visit to my school in England when I would have been about 9 years old (I am now 76 (!) and live in Australia). I must have been very impressed to have remembered it all these years.
Just thought I would let you know.
Regards
Margaret Nichols"
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There's more. The following arrived on 27 February 2003:
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"I just saw your 1938 story regarding Chief Os-ke-non-ton. My father knew
him personally as a child, as he was a good friend of my great-grandfather.
The Chief was a spiritualist in Lily Dale, New York (south of Buffalo) and
vacationed in Florida. He travelled around the world performing Native
American songs and demonstrating his culture in the manner you describe. He
was recorded on both film and phonograph, and may be found on postcards from
the 1920s-40s. Although I have not been able to verify it, it is my
understanding that he even performed for the Queen.
Jim Savage
Formerly of Amherst, NY"
...and on 14 March 2003:
Yesterday Ms. Rhonda Savage, who is Mr. Savage's cousin, kindly offered to ask her father to e-mail me a photograph of the Chief himself. It arrived today — and here it is.
I am most grateful to the Savage family in the United States, and to Ms. Nichols in Australia, and I'm delighted to publish this evidence, which shows just how wrong I was.
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Chief Os Ke Non Ton
(Photograph courtesy of Mr. Ronald E. Savage) |
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Finally, on 3 July 2003:
Another e-mail arrived, this time from an American gentleman named Robert English, who specialises in the restoration of very old recordings. Mr. English wrote to say that his archive contains a 1920 recording of the Chief, which you can hear if you
visit his website.
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I can only offer my apologies for being such a cynical old man.
(I don't suppose Bessie Hilton ever imagined that her 1938 essay would attract attention from Australia and the United States 65 years later. Isn't the internet amazing?)
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