ABORIGINAL PLACE NAMES OF NEW YORK I93 



appropriate name. Zeisberger has attona for stairs, and this is the 

 Onondaga word still. It might also be from the early Mohawk 

 word atentonniaton, to cause to depart, it being a customary cross- 

 ing place, from which roads diverged. It is on the Jesuit map of 

 1665, as given here, and is mentioned in the Relation of 1656: "A 

 rock opposite Otondiata, which is the passage and the ordinary 

 road to go to the beaver hunt." In 167 1 the French documents 

 speak of it as " Otondiata, near Lake Ontario," which was sup- 

 posed to begin below the Thousand islands ; and also as " Otondiata, 

 quite celebrated in this country," being above the rapids. The eel 

 fishery began there. It was applied to Grenadier island in 1673, 

 and was long a prominent place. The island of Otoniata was men- 

 tioned in 1687, and Charlevoix said it was an island 5 or 6 leagues 

 from La Galette. The English first mentioned it in 1700, as three 

 days' journey from Cadaraqui. 



The first syllable is often dropped. Hough calls it Tioinata, by 

 the point, and oniata is a point of land in an early vocabulary. 

 Charlevoix said of this place : 



Five or six leagues from La Galette is an island called Tonihata, 

 the sgil of which appears tolerably fertile, and which is about Yz 

 league long. An Iroquois called the Quaker, for what reason I 

 know not, a man of excellent good sense and much devoted to the 

 French, had obtained the right to it from the Compte de Fronte- 

 nac, and he shows his patent to everybody that desires to see it. 

 He has, however, sold his lordship for four pots of brandy ; but he 

 has reserved the usufruct for his own life, and has got together 

 on it 18 or 20 families of his own nation. 



O-tsi-kwa-ke, zvhere the ash tree grows ivith large knots for mak- 

 ing clubs. Indian river and Black lake. This name suggests that 

 of Oswegatchie. 



O-was'-ne, the Indian name of Sheik's island, has been translated 

 feather island. It is not well sustained. 



Pas-kun-ge-meh is orte of Hoffman's names for Tupper lake, 

 equivalent to Paskongammuc, the name of Sabattis for the Saranac 

 lakes. Hough defines it going out from the river. 



Ta-na-wa'-deh, szinft zvater, is one of the names of Raquette 

 river. 



Te-wa-ten-e-ta-ren-ies, place where the gravel settles under the 



