HOLMES] POTTERY OF IKOQUOIA^V TRIBES 159 



POTTERY OF THE IROQUOIAN PROVINC^E 



The Iroquoian Tribks 



The group of tribes now classed, on the basis of lauguage, as Iro- 

 quoian. eonstitutecl one of the most impoi'taiit grand divisions of the 

 a))origines of North America. The central culminating event in their 

 history was the formation of the league, which included at first five 

 nations and finalh' six. The seat of this great groujj of conununities 

 was in New York, but their strong arm was felt at times from Nova 

 Scotia on the east to the Mississippi on the west, and from the drain- 

 age of Hudson })ay on the north almost to the Gulf on the south. There 

 were several outstanding tribes of this stock not absorbed by the 

 league — the Conestogas on the lower Susquehanna, the Oherokees in 

 the Carolinas and Georgia, the Wyandots along the St Lawrence and 

 the Great lakes, and others of less prominence in other sections. All 

 save the Cherokees were surrounded by tribes of Algonquian stock. 

 The cultural remains of this strong!}- indi\idualized people constitute 

 a well marked group of art pi'oducts, fully identified and correlated 

 with the makers. These remains are central in New York, in which 

 state the types are found, but they extend out into the neighboring 

 states, where they gradually lose their typical charactei-. The tracing 

 of the peculiarly Iroquoian art and art influence from center to cir- 

 cumference of the great province occupied, is a matter of very consid- 

 erable importance to the historian of the aborigines, but little has 

 been done as yet in a systematic way toward carrying out the work. 

 Morgan, Schoolcraft, Hale, Boyle, Beauchamp. Harrison Wright, 

 Perkins. Squier. Thomas. Cushiug, and many others have conti-iliuted 

 not a little, though most of the w(n'k has been fragmentary. 



Genekai, Chakacteks of the AVake 



Pottery constitutes the most important feature of the Iroquoian 

 remains. In genei'al, it falls in with the simj)!e ware of the northeast- 

 ern states, but at the same time it presents numerous striking and 

 distinctive characteristics of shape and decoration. Within tlie group 

 there are many local variations in form, ornament, and composition, 

 indicating the existence of somewhat marked tribal peculiarities, and 

 it may lie possible in time to segregate the work of some of the stronger 

 tribes, such as the Onondagas and the jMohawks, who dwelt for a long 

 time in limited areas. The Cherokees and Tuscaroi-as had for gener- 

 ations or perhaps centuries been completely isolated from their kin, 

 and their work was thus highly distinctive. 



The Iroquois did not dwell largely on the Atlantic sealjoard, })ut 

 occupied the shores of the lakes, especially Lake Ontai'io. Their 

 favorit(> resorts, however, were along the rivers and on the banks of 

 the hundreds of cliarniiiig upland lakes in New York state. The 



