20 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 
Hazard, p. 517. It seems better to make the word mean Knife- 
makers than to refer it to axes. Axe is atoko. In the old 
Mohawk assire was cloth, and assere knives, so that either defini- 
tion would stand as given by Megapolensis. 
Loskiel said, “Many of the Delawares and Iroquois have 
learned to make very good rifle-barrels of common fowling- 
pieces, and keep them likewise in good repair.” They also 
learned to make silver ornaments from coin, and even to insert 
colored glass when desired. 
Native copper articles 
It will be seen that articles of native copper stand distinctly 
apart from all others, and should be considered by themselves. — 
With slight exceptions those of New York have a useful char- — 
acter, and were probably all made before the close of the 15th 
century. Some found on early Huron sites in Canada may have 
had a more recent date and some may well have been known to 
the later Hurons, reaching them through western trade. The | 
form suggesting our case knife has been thought to show a 
knowledge of European art, but specimens of this are rare both 
in Canada and New York. The copper hooks of Wisconsin 
imply the same, but no early examples of these have appeared 
here. 
One fact must be borne in mind in speaking of the scarcity of. 
any early metallic articles. In early pioneer days in New York 
recent Iroquois village sites were prized sources of supply for 
iron and brass. Reference to this will be made later. Native — 
copper articles have proved useful or salable, and many a one > 
has gone into the crucible. Some of the finest figured by- the 
writer have been barely rescued from such a fate, and others _ 
lay for years in the farmer’s tool chest, serving some rude end. - 
The present scarcity is therefore no absolute test of former num-_ 
bers, though they were probably small. This is partly inferred 
from the opening of new sites, where other articles abound. | 
Those found seem to have belonged to transient visitors ane 
not to a settled people. 
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