r234 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



Interesting among these Indian fancies are the various pat- 

 terns of bands which were worn about the head and decorated 

 with feathers. This primitive crown did not represent the ruler 

 of a kingdom, as the Iroquois were genuine socialists. There are 

 bracelets of rare designs among the collection, and finger rings 

 that represent union of hearts, also widows' rings of strange 

 device, numerous and interesting. There is no entirely useless 

 ornament. The brooches were worn as buttons, buckling the 

 dress or coat together securely. Sometimes a well-to-do Indian 

 woman will wear three or four hundred of these brooches on 

 various portions of her dress. The men adorn the waistbands of 

 their breechcloths in the dances and their buckskin coats with 

 these ancestral inheritances; for many of these descend as heir- 

 looms from one generation to another. Now that the Iroquois 

 brooch-maker has passed away, and modern '' spangle " jewelry 

 takes the place of the old time brooch, it is left to the faithful 

 and reverent '' old folks " to preserve even the few yet in 

 existence. 



In the state collection at Albany there is a curious lot of small 

 round brooches strung together on buckskin. As none other of 

 their kind have been found among the Iroquois varieties, it was 

 decided to investigate their origin if possible, and thus far they 

 have been traced to the Algonquin maker. This is proved by the 

 resemblance in form to the german silver brooches of the Sac and 

 Fox — tribes of the Algonquin. These special brooches were in 

 possession of the pagan wife of Ked Jacket when she died. Her 

 descendants tell the story of their having belonged to a captive 

 in the old age. If the captive was an Algonquin, they were prob- 

 ably suggested by some French design, though the form is some- 

 what original. 



If an expert could identify a flint arrowhead as the hand work 

 of any special nation or tribe of nations, so might the silver 

 brooch be traced to either Oneida, Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga or 

 Mohawk. Though each of these had its ownj brooch-makers, the 

 ornaments have been scattered among the various five tribes by 

 gift, purchase or exchange and national identification rendered 

 impossible. 



