98 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



KINGS COUNTY 



In dealing with old names and records the arrangement by 

 counties is arbitrary and a mere matter of convenience. On Long 

 Island nearly all published matter is on the old division of towns 

 and counties, and thus it is easier to refer to local names in this way. 

 Those belonging to Nassau now will be included in Kings and 

 Queens. In fact, but for its great length, it would be almost as 

 well to treat Long Island as one natural division as to divide it 

 midway. The Indians there were in several groups, under petty 

 chiefs, but they acknowledged the rule of one greater than the rest. 

 All local names are Algonquin. The Iroquois had some general 

 ones for the island and ocean. 



Can-ar-sie is generally supposed to be called after an Indian tribe, 

 but Mr W. W. Tooker said it was not at first a tribal designation or 

 a description of their place of abode, but was only applie'd to part of 

 their possessions. Kanarsingh was one Dutch spelling of this word, 

 meaning at or in the vicinity of the fence, or boundary which 

 divided their « lands from the colonists. In 1656 the sachem of 

 Canarsie was under Dutch protection. Canarsie Indian Fields are 

 on an old map, east of Flatbush and near the head of Canarsie bay. 

 The present village is in Flatlands. Mr Tooker carefully dis- 

 tinguished between locally descriptive and personal names, though 

 the names of owners were often given to places which they 

 possessed. , 



Cas-tu-tee-uw is Kestateuw, the central one of three flats, was 

 sold in 1636. It was called Cashuteyie in 1639. 



E-quen-di-to, or Barren island, was sold in 1664, and is in the 

 town of Flatlands. The English called it broken lands. 



Ga'-wa-nase-geh, a long island, is Morgan's Iroquois name for 

 Long Island. 



Go-wa-nus suggests how near an Algonquin name may approach 

 an Iroquois word in sight and sound. Mr Tooker rejected Mr 

 Jones' interpretation of the shallows, flowing dozun, etc., but said : 

 " the land probably takes its name from an Indian who lived and 

 planted there, Gau-wa-ne's plantation. His name may be trans- 

 lated as ' the sleeper,' or ' he rests,' related to the Delaware gaiiwi- 

 han, sleep, gauwin, to sleep-" Mr Tooker is a critical student of 

 Algonquin dialects and an excellent authority. Stiles also con- 



