ABORIGINAL PLACE NAMES OF NEW YORK I33 



carora Indian village. It is equivalent to Kienuka, the common 

 form, but with a different definition. 



Ga-sko-sa-da, falls (of a river), is also applied to Niagara Falls 

 and vicinity. 



Ga-o'-wah-go-waah, big canoe island, was a name given to Navy 

 island from the French shipbuilding there, according to Marshall. 



Gau-strau-yea, hark laid dozvii, is said to have been the original 

 name for the Fort Kienuka. The Tuscarora historian, Elias John- 

 son, said : " This has a metaphorical meaning, in the similitude of 

 a freshly peeled slippery elm bark, the size of the fort and laid at 

 the bottom as a flooring, so that if any person or persons go in 

 they must be circumspect and act according to the laws of the fort, 

 or else they will slip and fall down to their own destruction." He 

 adds the legend of the Neutral queen. 



Marshall said that Niagara river, above the falls, had sometimes 

 the Seneca name of " Gai-gwaah-geh, — one of their names for Lake 

 Erie." A variant of this has been given. 



Ga-we'-not, Great island, is his name for Grand island. The 

 adjective does not appear. 



Gwa-u'-gweh, taking canoe out, was a carrying place and Seneca 

 village at the mouth of Tonawanda creek, according to Morgan. 

 It seems to belong to Cayuga creek. 



Hate-keh'-neet-ga-on-da is Marshall's name for Golden Hill creek, 

 in the town of Somerset. 



Hickory Corners is from the Indian name of a common tree. 



Kas-sko-so-wah-nah, great falls, for Niagara Falls. Of all the 

 Indian names given to the falls this alone expresses greatness. 



Ki-en-u-ka, fort zuith a fine vieiv, according to Turner. Kah-ha- 

 neu-ka was interpreted by A. Cusick, where the cannon point dozvn, 

 but in his fanciful chronology D. Cusick said the fort had this name 

 about 800 years ago. Elias Johnson said : " The term Kienuka 

 means the strong hold or fort," and he gave the story of this place 

 at length. The Onondaga word for fort is Kah-en-ha'-yen, having 

 a fence around. According to Johnson a fort was to be built as a 

 place of refuge and placed under the charge of a young woman 

 selected from the Squawkihows, " a remote branch of the Seneca 

 nation." She was to be a peacemaker with the official name of Ga- 

 keah-saw-sa. No blood was to be shed there, nor could war be 



