HISTORY OF THE NEW YORK IROQUOIS 1 63 



The Antouhonorons are 15 villages, built in strong positions; 

 enemies of all others except the Neutral nation ; their country- 

 is fine and in a good climate near the River St Lawrence, the 

 passage of which they block to all other nations. . . The 

 Yroquois and the Antouhonorons make war together against all 

 the other nations except the Neutral nation. Carantouanis is a 

 nation to the south of the Antouhonorons . . . from whom 

 they are only three days distant. 



Here are several particulars. The Antouhonorons were dis- 

 tinct from but allied with the Iroquois. They were south of 

 Lake Ontario, but commanded the St Lawrence. They were at 

 peace with the Neutrals. The Carantouanis lay three days south 

 of them, and these have been placed near Waverly N. Y., and 

 were also but three days from the fort in Madison county. The 

 inference is that Champlain meant the Mohawks when he com- 

 monly spoke of the Iroquois, and sometimes included the other 

 four nations as the Antouhonorons. 



The French called the Seneca country Sonnontouan, and the 

 Seneca people Sonnontouehronons or Tsonnontouans, which is 

 very near the name of the Onondagas in meaning, implying 

 dwellers on or among the great hills. Their common name is 

 Algonquin, received by the Dutch from the Indians near the 

 coast. Hon. George S. Conover derived it from the common 

 word smni, to eat, in allusion to cannibal tastes, or their being 

 devourers of men in a more warlike sense. Horatio Hale, on 

 the authority of Mr E. G. Squier, gave Sinako as the Delaware 

 name for stone snakes, or as applied to the Senecas for mountain 

 snakes. This word does not appear in Zeisberger's Delaware 

 vocabulary; and Mr Hale spoke doubtfully of it. In fact, 

 Heckewelder gave the Delaware name of the Senecas as 

 Maechachtinni, Mountaineers, and he is good authority. Their 

 council name is Ho-neen-ho-hone-tah in Onondaga, Possessing 

 a Door. David Cusick gave it as Te-how-nea-nyo-hent, with 

 the same meaning. 



The Tuscaroras were added in 1714, their name signifying the 

 Shirt-wearing People, and the confederacy has since commonly 

 been termed the Six Nations. Their position is not equal to the 



