ABORIGINAL OCCUPATION OF NEW YORK I 1 



TERRITORIES OF THE ABORIGINAL NATIONS OF 

 NEW YORK 



The colonists of New York found its territory occupied by two 

 distinct families of Indians having many local divisions but forming 

 two great groups as far as land was concerned. From Lake Cham- 

 plain on the north a long and narrow triangle would represent the 

 homes of the Algonquins, following the valley of the Hudson, reach- 

 ing the Delaware on the west and including the New England line 

 and all Long Island. All the New England aborigines, those 

 farther south and near the sea, with those of Virginia, were of the 

 same great family. This line from Lake Champlain to the Dela- 

 ware crossed the Mohawk above Schenectady, and all west of this, 

 with most of Pennsylvania was occupied by Iroquoian nations. 

 They differed essentially from the others in language as well as in 

 habits. 



Colonization soon affected the balance of power. Near the coast 

 lands were bought and tribes dispossessed. In the interior the Iro- 

 quois procured guns, conquered their foes and took their lands. 

 Within little more than a quarter of a century all western New York, 

 northern Ohio and much of Pennsylvania and Canada were theirs. 

 They had changed the map arid to show the true aboriginal dis- 

 tribution it seems needful to go back to the beginning of the 17th 

 century. The territorial bounds given are not claimed to be exact 

 in every detail and yet are based on many facts. Field work^ early 

 maps and travels, topographic features, traditions and relics are 

 among these. It must be remembered that a large part of each 

 territory was not a home but a hunting ground. 



The Fries on the west may first claim our attention. They are 

 variously placed south of Lake Erie and inland, traditionally and 

 probably reaching the head waters of the Genesee river. They were 

 destroyed in 1654 and many of the survivors were adopted by the 

 Iroquois. Their southern and western limits are not shown here. 



North of their territory and east of the Niagara river and Lake 

 Erie were the Attiwandaronks or Neutrals, most of whose villages 

 wer^ in Canada, As the Iro(^UQis grew in power on the east tbey 



