88 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



made systematically. Excavations made 30 years ago in some sites 

 had yielded large quantities of human remains and the ploughing 

 of other places had produced annual crops of relics in others. 

 Nothing definite was known of the character of these places, nor of 

 the stage of art and culture represented by them. Commonly they 

 are described as being the remains and artifacts of the Eries whom 

 history places in this region. 



A survey of Chautauqua county led to the discovery that there 

 were at least three distinct cultures or successive occupations of 

 this region differentiated by very wide characters. There seems 

 some evidence also of a fourth occupation. The oldest occupation 

 definitely traceable is that characterized by the notched and shoul- 

 dered arrow point and spear point, by the total absence of pottery 

 and bone implements, by the absence of pits except a few shallow 

 ones containing charcoal only. The village sites of this culture and 

 occupation are situated alike on hills and in valleys and seem to 

 have been spread out rather than close together. On sites of this 

 description the gorget, bird and banner stone and other polished 

 slate articles have been found, although most of the celts are of 

 the common type, that is, symmetrical and equilateral. Stone pipes 

 are sometimes found, some of which are of the mound-builder 

 type. Mounds in which these same articles have been discovered 

 seem to indicate that the mounds are relics of this occupation. 

 These mounds are nowhere as large as those of Ohio and Wis- 

 consin, and seldom exceed 50 feet in diameter and 8 or 10 feet in 

 hight. On sites of this description grooved axes are sometimes 

 found although they seem to have been acquired from another 

 culture elsewhere by trade or otherwise. The human remains of 

 the occupation are extremely rare and probably none have ever 

 been found suitable for measurement or comparison. 



The second distinct culture is that known as the Huron-IroquOis 

 and is susceptible of two divisions, the prehistoric and historic. 

 The historic or second stage of this culture is undoubtedly Erian, 

 but the prehistoric or first stage is better termed Huron-Iroquois 

 and differs from the second in several material points. 



The third culture or occupation traceable is that of the Con- ■ 

 federated Iroquois, presumably the Senecas who held tracts of 

 land here during the late part of the 18th and early part of the. 

 19th centuries. This occupation was not of long duration nor are] 

 its evidenc-es widely traceable. 



The early Huron-Iroquois occupation is characterized by in- 

 closures surrounded by low walls of earth, by ossuary burials, byj 



