METALLIC ORNAMENTS OF NEW YORK INDIANS II 



In Wood's Nezv England Prospect we are told that " a Sagamore 

 with a Humberd in his eare for a pendant, a black hawk on his 

 occiput for his plume, Mowhackees for his gold chaine, a good store 

 of Wampompeage begirting his loynes, his bow in his hand, his 

 quiver at his back, with six naked Indian spatterlashes at his heels 

 for his guard, thinkes himselfe little inferior to the great Cham; he 

 will not stick to say he is all one with King Charles." Wood, p. 74. 

 Of the Indians in general, in 1634, he adds to this account that 

 " although they be thus poore, yet is there in them the sparkes of 

 naturall pride, which appeares in their longing desire after many 

 kinds of ornaments, wearing pendants in their eares, as formes of 

 birds, beasts and fishes carved out of bone, shels and stone, with 

 long bracelets of their curious wampompeag and mowhackees, 

 which they put about their necks and loynes." At that time the 

 women wore coats of turkey feathers. He said also: " In the 

 winter time the more aged of them weare leather drawers, in forme 

 like Irish trouses, fastened under their girdle with buttons." For 

 more comfort, " many of them weare skinnes about them in forme 

 of an Irish mantle, and of these some be Beares skinnes, Mooses 

 skinnes, and Beaver skinnes sewed together, other skinnes, and 

 Rackoone skinnes; most of them in winter having his deepe furr'd 

 Cat skinne, like a long large muffe, which he shifts to that arme 

 which lieth most exposed to the winde." Wood, p. 73 



This will suffice for the clothing and general ornaments of the 

 New York Indians toward the ocean, who were of the same family 

 as those of New England, and whose apparel would be much the 

 same. A few words may be said of the Iroquois in the interior, 

 whose early opportunities of obtaining shell and metallic ornaments 

 were few indeed. 



While most of the Huron-Iroquois went much of the time nearly 

 naked, they did not in the least object to fine robes and ornaments 

 for festive occasions. Champlain described the Huron women as 

 wearing a petticoat, and often heavy strings of beads. Beaver robes 

 were common. The Jesuits said that men and women went bare- 

 headed, and a headdress was used only as an ornament. Their 

 rrobes were the hides of elk, bear and other animals, and the women 



