i6o 



THE MUSEUM. 



* Approximate, implement being broken. 



Probably many of the long and slen- 

 der points which are so often found in 

 this part of New York State and of 

 which so many beautiful examples can 

 be seen in private collections, were 

 used as arrow-heads and for that pur- 

 pose only. 



Long, thin and slender, often from 

 three to four inches in length, too slen- 

 der and fragile to be used as knives, 

 spear-heads or scrapers and .with per- 

 fect points often of needle like sharp- 

 ness showing no evidences of having 

 been used as perforators these objects 

 were certainly fashioned for arrow- 

 heads. 



With the long and powerful bow in 

 use among the Five Nations, to effect- 

 ively discharge an arrow tipped with a 

 slender ilint-head of from two to four 

 inches in length would be an easy mat- 

 ter. Morgan tells us: 



•'The Indian bow is usually from 

 three and a half to four and a half feet 

 in length, and so difficult to spring, 

 that an inexperienced person could 

 scarcely bend it sufficiently to set the 

 string. To draw the string back an 

 arrow's length when set, could only be 

 done by practice, superadded to the 

 most powerful muscular strength. An 



arrow thus sent would strike its object 

 with fearful velocity." 



Touareuna! Mr. J. N. B. Hewitt 

 informs me that the meaning of the 

 term is; "Where we dwell together" 

 and as the name was given by the Mo- 

 hawks not only to the region under 

 discussion but as well to the hill lying 

 directly opposite on the sonth side of 

 the river in the present town of Rotter- 

 dsm, so it is entirely possible that the 

 appellation has direct reference to the 

 juxtaposition of these two prominent 

 landmarks which stand like sentinels 

 at the ending of the hilly portion of 

 the Mohawk valley, for below to the 

 meeting with the Hudson are no sum- 

 mits of any considerable heighth. 



From the northern Touareuna a 

 grand outlook can be had in every di- 

 rection except to a small section of the 

 horizon to the southwest where the 

 more distinct view is cut off by the fel- 

 low summit in Rotterdam which is a 

 tritfe higher. To the south the rugged 

 Helderburg plateau, whose Siluvian 

 and Devonian ledges conceal so many 

 underground wonders, lies directly be- 

 fore us while above and far beyond 

 tower the dim blue peaks of the Cat- 



