78 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



prosecuted at some disadvantage. It is hoped to complete the cases 

 for these groups in the Education Building early and by so doing 

 enable the removal of the first group to its proper place and with it 

 out of the way opportunity will be afforded to try out the other 

 groups experimentally before setting them up in their final resting 

 places. 



I should take this occasion to speak here with very great appre- 

 ciation of the admirable service rendered by David C. Lithgow, the 

 artist of the background pictures, in the matter of assembling the 

 parts of this group and bringing out the difficult distance effects so 

 essential to the perfection of the assemblage. The work has recjuired 

 not only artistic appreciation but a large degree of mechanical in- 

 genuity and execution. 



Not all of the work of the year has been given to the matter of 

 perfecting this group. During the winter months and up into the 

 early spring Mrs Shongo and her daughter, Mrs Maud Shongo Hurd, 

 two Seneca women, were employed in the Archeologist's rooms in 

 embroidering deerskin costumes in quill, moose hair and beadwork 

 for these life casts. The art of working in moose hair and quill 

 is almost extinct and so indeed is that of working all embroidery 

 of the old style. These women were the only ones found who 

 were still familiar with the technic of this handiwork. Great care 

 was taken in the execution of this work to have every design and 

 detail authentic. 



The Archeologist in the early summer located the historical sites 

 for subjects of backgrounds; an Oneida village near Nichols pond 

 in the town of Fenner, ]\Iadison county, an Oneida stronghold 

 stormed by Champlain in 161 5, and the Onondaga capital village in 

 the town of Manlius, Onondaga county. The latter is now known 

 as Indian Hill and overlooks the valley of Limestone creek. Some 

 weeks were consumed here by Mr Lithgow in making the sketches 

 that are to serve as the data for his large paintings. Later in the 

 summer a site was selected for the Cayuga Ceremonial group at Utt's 

 Point. 



The selection of additional models from among the Onondagas 

 who were to pose for the various characters in the Onondaga Coun- 

 cil group was a matter of some difficulty and when the models were 

 secured they were brought to Albany and very successfully cast by 

 Henri Marchand, and in some cases casts of typical faces have been 

 made by the Archeologist himself. 



Materials for the accessories to the groups have been sought for 



