236 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



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the edge and bore traces of red paint. One triangular arrowhead, 

 cut from sheet brass, was secured, of the same general sort that was 

 found with the famous " Skeleton in Armor " near Fall River and 

 in different parts of New York State from the rock-shelters near 

 New York City to the Iroquoian sites in central and western New 

 York. 1 Beads and jinglers of European brass were not infrequent; 

 the Indians had evidently cut small pieces from the sheet metal and 

 bent them into their present cylindrical and conical forms. Another 

 metallic ornament, of which several examples were found, is a 

 bracelet of slender or brass tubing bent in the form of a very long 

 and narrow loop thus giving it breadth. A short-handled metallic 

 ladle was also obtained. 



Two iron tomahawks were unearthed from graves, both of the 

 same early type shown by Beauchamp as figure 99 in his paper, the 

 " Metallic Implements of the New York Indians ;" and sharp-pointed 

 iron trade knives were not uncommon. A rude bracelet and two 

 or three awls complete the list of iron objects obtained here. No 

 guns, metallic kettles or articles of silver were found. Judging 

 from the specimens obtained and from the circumstances of their 

 finding, we had here a people gaining their livelihood mainly from 

 fishing, agriculture and the chase; building forts of earth doubtless 

 topped with palisades for their protection ; and quite well advanced 

 in the simple arts. Trade with Europeans had brought them num- 

 erous trinkets and had made their lives easier by the addition of 

 iron axes and knives to their native implements; but had not yet 

 brought the guns and metallic kettles so common later. Ornaments 

 such as beads and ear pendants were worn almost entirely by women 

 and children, the men seldom allowing themselves even a bracelet. 

 Trade with other tribes is shown by objects made of marine shells 

 and red catlinite. The dead were buried by simple inhumation, in 

 which case implements, utensils and ornaments were often placed in 

 the grave, or by the ossuary and " bone burial " system before 

 described. 



Everything seems to indicate that these people were of Iroquoian 

 culture. The characteristic pottery and terra cotta pipes, the use of 

 triangular points and celts instead of notched points and grooved 

 axes, the abundant use of corn, the wampum found, the ossuary 

 system and even the practice of fort building all point to similar 

 customs with the Iroquois. While many of these features may 



1 Beauchamp, W. M., " Metallic Implements of the New York Indians/' 

 p. 47-50. State Mus. Bui. 55. 1902. 



