'^66 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



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The Iroquois had Algonquin captives in hundreds. It is possible 



such a string may have kept the general fact in memory, but the 

 ransom went to the owner of the captive. The tradition seems de- 

 fective in some points, but the beads are probably of moderate age. 

 Tlie eastern Iroquois used this kind sparingly from 1600 to 1640, 

 and the earliest record of pictograph wampum belts was a dozen 

 years later. On the other hand, the disk beads were fine and abund- 

 ant among the Senecas as late as 1700, and not rare with the others. 

 They were recently and largely in use in our western territories, and 

 were divided by stones instead of ribbons, each division having an 

 extravagant trade value. One in the hands of the writer would 

 have bought several horses. In his experience colored ribbons. or 

 bright cloths are used merely for a pleasing effect, but in important 

 afifairs some colors become emblematic. In this instance the dark 

 blue ribbon has been added since 1893. 



With slight exceptions New York discoid shell beads date from 

 the latter part of the i6th century, becoming most abundant during 

 the next hundred years. Sir J. W. Dawson informs the writer that 

 the only shell bead he found at Hochelaga was . of this kind, but 

 the longer marine beads have sparingly appeared on that interest- 

 ing site^ and may be of any age. A few New York examples will 

 be given. Probably the earliest yet found was in the curious and 

 early cemeteiy reported by S. L. Frey, a little east of Palatine 

 Bridge. Mr Schoolcraft, in his Notes on the Iroqiwis, p. I42_, figured a 

 large disk bead from Onondaga, and had found others in the 

 Neutral ossuar}- in Beverly, Canada. He says these were first dis- 

 closed on opening the Grave creek mound in 1839. ^^^ general 

 description of this form is good. " Decomposition gives its sur- 

 face a dead white aspect and limy feel. The powder scraped from 

 the surface, effervesces in acids. It is generally, not uniformly, an 

 exact circle, and resembles extremely a very thick horn button- 

 mould." His New York specimen is of the 17th century, and we 

 can not uphold his conclusion that " its occurrence in Onondaga 

 denotes the universality of the art in the ante- European period." 

 These flat beads were used at an early day, but a recent example 

 h no proof of this. 



