ABORIGINAL OCCUPATION OF NEW YORK 21 
etons are contained, and which, except in the absence of remains 
of European art, differ in no respect from the cemeteries found 
in connection with the abandoned modern towns and castles of the 
Indians. . . JI am aware that the remnants of the Indian stock 
which still exist in the state, generally profess total ignorance of 
these works. I do not however attach much importance to this 
circumstance. When we consider the extreme likelihood of the 
forgetfulness of ancient practices, in the lapse of 300 years, the lack 
of knowledge upon this point is the weakest of all negative evi- 
dence.” 
The writer is fully in accord with Mr Squier on all these points, 
and can not forbear quoting a story from Schoolcraft’s report on 
the Iroquois, page 211, “Abraham Le Fort says that Ondiaka was 
the great chronicler of his tribe. He had often heard him speak 
of the traditions of his father. On his last journey to Oneida he 
accompanied him. As they passed south by Jamesville and Pom- 
pey, Ondiaka told him that in ancient times, and before they fixed 
down at Onondaga, they lived at these spots. That it was before 
the Five Nations had confederated, but whilethey kept up a 
separate existence and fought with each other. At length they 
confederated, and then the fortifications were no longer necessary 
and fell into disuse. This is the origin, he believes, of these old 
works, which are not of foreign origin.” They actually passed the 
villages of 1654 and 1696. Other traditions were still farther out 
of the way. 
Mr Squier states his change of opinion on pages 11 and 140: 
“Misled by statements which no opportunity was afforded of veri- 
fying, 1 have elsewhere though in a guarded manner ventured the 
opinion that the ancient remains of western New York belonged 
to the same system with those of Ohio and the west generally. 
In full view of the facts before presented, I am driven to a conclu- 
sion little anticipated when I started upon my exploration of the 
monuments of the state, that the earthworks of western New York 
were erected by the Iroquois or their western neighbors, and 
do not possess an antiquity going very far back of the discovery.” 
He thought the small earthworks of northern Ohio belonged to 
