﻿METALLIC 
  ORNAMENTS 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  INDIANS 
  

  

  As 
  there 
  were 
  national 
  and 
  provincial 
  costumes 
  in 
  the 
  countries 
  

   of 
  Europe, 
  so 
  were 
  there 
  differing 
  fashions 
  of 
  dress 
  and 
  ornaments 
  

   among 
  the 
  aborigines 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States. 
  In 
  the 
  

   heat 
  of 
  summer 
  the 
  simplest 
  possible 
  costume 
  prevailed, 
  except 
  on 
  

   festive 
  occasions, 
  and 
  many 
  had 
  scant 
  clothing 
  in 
  the 
  winter 
  season. 
  

   On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  the 
  feather 
  or 
  fur 
  dresses, 
  or 
  those 
  of 
  tanned 
  

   or 
  woven 
  goods, 
  have 
  been 
  described 
  in 
  picturesque 
  terms. 
  With- 
  

   out 
  recounting 
  these, 
  it 
  seems 
  proper 
  to 
  give 
  some 
  idea 
  hqw 
  the 
  

   New 
  York 
  Indians 
  were 
  arrayed 
  when 
  the 
  white 
  man 
  came, 
  and 
  for 
  

   some 
  time 
  after. 
  

  

  Henry 
  Hudson 
  said 
  that 
  the 
  natives 
  about 
  New 
  York 
  bay 
  wore 
  

   various 
  skins, 
  and 
  had 
  ornaments 
  of 
  copper, 
  but 
  later 
  writers 
  were 
  

   more 
  elaborate 
  in 
  description. 
  In 
  the 
  battle 
  on 
  Lake 
  Champlain 
  

   in 
  1609, 
  the 
  French 
  leader 
  was 
  told 
  that 
  the 
  three 
  Mohawks 
  " 
  who 
  

   bore 
  three 
  lofty 
  plumes 
  were 
  the 
  Chiefs, 
  and 
  that 
  there 
  were 
  but 
  

   these 
  three 
  and 
  they 
  were 
  to 
  be 
  recognized 
  by 
  those 
  plumes, 
  which 
  

   were 
  considerably 
  larger 
  than 
  those 
  of 
  their 
  companions. 
  . 
  . 
  

   They 
  were 
  provided 
  with 
  arrow-proof 
  armor, 
  woven 
  of 
  cotton 
  

   thread 
  and 
  wood." 
  Arent 
  Van 
  Curler 
  mentioned 
  similar 
  Mohawk 
  

   armor 
  in 
  his 
  journal, 
  Dec. 
  23, 
  1634. 
  He 
  saw 
  a 
  sham 
  fight 
  in 
  a 
  

   Mohawk 
  town, 
  nine 
  men 
  on 
  one 
  side 
  and 
  1 
  1 
  on 
  the 
  other. 
  " 
  Some 
  

   of 
  them 
  wore 
  armor 
  and 
  helmets 
  that 
  they 
  make 
  themselves 
  of 
  thin 
  

   reeds 
  and 
  strings 
  so 
  well 
  that 
  no 
  arrow 
  or 
  axe 
  can 
  pass 
  through 
  to 
  

   wound 
  them." 
  Wilson, 
  p. 
  91 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Journal 
  of 
  New 
  Netherland, 
  written 
  from 
  1641 
  to 
  1646, 
  it 
  is 
  

   said 
  that 
  the 
  Indians 
  " 
  go 
  almost 
  naked 
  except 
  a 
  lap 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  and 
  

   on 
  the 
  shoulders 
  a 
  deer-skin 
  or 
  mantle, 
  a 
  fathom 
  square 
  of 
  woven 
  

   Turkey 
  feathers 
  or 
  peltries 
  sewed 
  together, 
  they 
  make 
  use 
  now 
  

   greatly 
  of 
  Duffels, 
  Cloth 
  Blue 
  or 
  Red, 
  in 
  consequence 
  of 
  the 
  fre- 
  

   quent 
  visits 
  of 
  the 
  Christians. 
  In 
  winter 
  they 
  make 
  shoes 
  of 
  Deer 
  

   hKins, 
  manufactured 
  after 
  their 
  fashion." 
  O'Callaghan, 
  4:4 
  

  

  