THE HAMILTON ASSOCIATION. 1 5 



Through the midst of the U, from top to bottom, ran a deep cut, 

 which with the ledge just mentioned served to protect the town to 

 some extent on its southern and western sides, while the northern 

 and north-eastern sides of the U, which form a ridge, were most 

 probably palisaded. I have no doubt that this village was the 

 Otinawatawa, visited first by LaSalle in 1669. In the fall of this 

 year that unfortunate but heroic explorer was among the Senecas 

 seeking a guide to the Ohio (then identical with the Mississippi). 

 He failed to get one, but a young Indian who was on a visit then 

 from the Iroquois colony of Otinawatawa, offered to conduct him to 

 his home, where he would find a competent guide. LaSalle accept- 

 ed and set forth. His party proceeded to Lake Ontario, thence along 

 the southern shore of the lake past the mouth of the Niagara to the 

 head of the lake, thence north a few miles to the village of 

 Otinawatawa. 



This account answers perfectly to the location of the village 

 described above (which is about five miles, as the crow flies, from 

 the head of the lake), and to no other known Indian village. At 

 this village, or one of the neighboring villages, LaSalle (in Septem- 

 ber) met Louis Joliet, another explorer almost as celebrated as 

 himself. These villages will be referred to later on. 



About four hundred yards to the north of Otinawatawa was the 

 burial ground of the colony. As in all other observed similar cases, 

 this burying ground was the most elevated part of the ground adja- 

 cent to the village, and was discovered to the present generation by 

 the bones and wampum which a hedge-hog threw out of an ossuary 

 wherein he had made his burrow. So far three ossuaries have been 

 found here and explored. They are similar to those of other locali- 

 ties, being five or six feet deep, of variable size, and containing, in 

 addition to human bones, the utensils, implements and ornaments of 

 those therein buried. These ossuaries, as well as the neighboring 

 ash-pits, had all been opened up before my attention was called to 

 them ; yet by far the greater part of my collection has come from the 

 banks of Lake Medad. 



The other localities from which I have obtained Indian relics 

 are an ossuary on the banks of the 12-mile creek, about a dozen 

 miles from Bronte, near which, on the river he loved so well. Chief 

 Kwin-Ni-Bi-Nah was buried, after whom I have named my collection ; 



