ABORIGINAL PLACE NAMES OF NEW YORK Cl 



said : "The Senecas were conversant with the fact that the buffalo 

 formerly visited the salt lick or spring (on the bank of the creek) 

 in this vicinity, and hence they called Buffalo creek Tick-e-ack- 

 gou-ga-ha-un-da, and Buffalo village Tick-e-ack-gou-ga," the 

 latter meaning buffalo^ and the former adding creek. To 

 this Mr Strong replied, allowing the name and definition, but 

 adding that the Senecas said one of their people lived on Buffalo 

 creek and became a great fisherman. He was of the Wolf clan 

 and his name was De-gi-yah-go, or the huifalo. The whites found 

 him there, learned his name and its meaning and called the creek 

 by this. The explanation is simple and probable, all the more when 

 the author is considered. He added : 'T have been trying in vain 

 to find a river, creek, lake or mountain, that now bears the name 

 of any herbivorous animal in our State." He referred, of course, 

 to Iroquois names, for moose is very common. 



Ca-ha-qua-ra-gha was the name of the upper part of Niagara 

 river in 1726, and David Cusick applied the same term to Lake 

 Erie, writing it Kau-ha-gwa-rah-ka, or a cap, which is a correct 

 translation. Lake Erie was called Cahiquage in 1706, so that the 

 name is old. Marshall gave the Indian account of the origin of 

 the name, applying it to Fort Erie and translating it place of hats. 

 "Seneca tradition relates, as its origin, that in olden time, soon after 

 the first visit of the white man, a battle occurred on the lake between 

 a party of French in bateaux and Indians in canoes. The latter 

 were victorious, and the French boats were sunk and the crews 

 drowned. Their hats floated ashore where the fort was subse- 

 quently built, and attracting the attention of the Indians from their 

 novelty, they called the locality the place of hats." Though there 

 appears no historic basis for the story, it is the only one accounting 

 for this curious name. Canquaga, Schoolcraft's name for a stream 

 here, may be from this. 



Ca-yu-ga creek was so called from a recent Cayuga village on 

 its banks. According to Mr Morgan its Seneca name was quite 

 different, being Ga-da'-geh, through the oak openings. Mr Marshall 

 also called the Cayuga or north branch of Buffalo creek, Gah- 

 dah'-geh, but translated it fishing icith a scoop basket, a frequent 

 thing there. I am not sure which is right, but both can not well be 

 in this case. 



