﻿20 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  Bells 
  

  

  When 
  the 
  French 
  abandoned 
  the 
  fort 
  at 
  Onondaga 
  lake 
  in 
  1658, 
  

   the 
  mission 
  bell 
  was 
  carried 
  to 
  Indian 
  hill, 
  and 
  was 
  there 
  used 
  for 
  

   a 
  long 
  time. 
  In 
  early 
  days 
  nearly 
  all 
  the 
  fragments 
  of 
  this 
  were 
  

   found, 
  and 
  also 
  a 
  small 
  bell 
  without 
  a 
  clapper. 
  Mr 
  Clark 
  said 
  that 
  

   the 
  former 
  " 
  would 
  have 
  weighed 
  probably 
  one 
  hundred 
  and 
  fifty 
  

   or 
  two 
  hundred 
  pounds. 
  The 
  metal 
  is 
  very 
  fine. 
  . 
  . 
  Time 
  and 
  

   exposure 
  have 
  not 
  changed 
  it 
  in 
  the 
  least. 
  When 
  found, 
  some 
  

   twenty 
  years 
  since, 
  it 
  was 
  broken 
  up, 
  and 
  the 
  pieces 
  found 
  were 
  

   enough 
  to 
  make 
  it 
  nearly 
  entire." 
  Clark, 
  2:276 
  

  

  Mr 
  Clark 
  also 
  says 
  that 
  near 
  the 
  fort 
  of 
  1696 
  " 
  numerous 
  little 
  

   bells, 
  such 
  as 
  are 
  sometimes 
  used 
  by 
  the 
  Romish 
  priesthood," 
  have 
  

   been 
  found. 
  He 
  reported 
  this 
  from 
  hearsay; 
  but 
  the 
  only 
  bells 
  

   familiar 
  to 
  the 
  writer 
  from 
  Iroquois 
  sites 
  are 
  those 
  commonly 
  called 
  

   hawk 
  bells, 
  like 
  the 
  sleigh 
  bells 
  of 
  modern 
  days, 
  but 
  lighter. 
  These 
  

   are 
  frequent, 
  and 
  were 
  probably 
  attached 
  to 
  the 
  dress 
  when 
  dancing. 
  

   They 
  are 
  usually 
  of 
  brass, 
  and 
  are 
  sometimes 
  nearly 
  perfect. 
  Mr 
  

   W. 
  L. 
  Hildburgh 
  has 
  two 
  of 
  silver 
  from 
  Ontario 
  county, 
  the 
  only 
  

   ones 
  yet 
  reported. 
  They 
  are 
  as 
  large 
  as 
  his 
  brass 
  bells, 
  and 
  larger 
  

   than 
  some. 
  Fig. 
  267 
  shows 
  one 
  of 
  these. 
  They 
  are 
  sometimes 
  

   quite 
  small, 
  as 
  in 
  two 
  of 
  his 
  brass 
  ones 
  from 
  the 
  same 
  county. 
  Fig. 
  

   266 
  shows 
  half 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  one 
  from 
  Pompey. 
  Fig. 
  264 
  is 
  a 
  fine 
  one 
  

   from 
  the 
  fort 
  near 
  Pompey 
  Center, 
  and 
  this 
  seems 
  the 
  oldest 
  yet 
  

   reported. 
  When 
  some 
  from 
  that 
  town 
  were 
  exhibited, 
  a 
  local 
  paper 
  

   said, 
  " 
  These 
  bells 
  belong 
  to 
  a 
  period 
  3000 
  years 
  ago." 
  Fig. 
  265 
  

   is 
  a 
  smaller 
  size 
  from 
  Fleming, 
  where 
  they 
  are 
  often 
  found. 
  

  

  The 
  Moravian 
  missionary, 
  Heckewelder, 
  spoke 
  of 
  this 
  feature 
  of 
  

   Indian 
  dress 
  in 
  the 
  18th 
  century. 
  The 
  women 
  have 
  " 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  

   little 
  bells 
  and 
  brass 
  thimbles 
  fixed 
  round 
  their 
  ankles, 
  which 
  when 
  

   they 
  walk, 
  make 
  a 
  tinkling 
  noise, 
  which 
  is 
  heard 
  at 
  some 
  distance; 
  

   this 
  is 
  intended 
  to 
  draw 
  the 
  attention 
  of 
  those 
  who 
  pass 
  by, 
  that 
  

   they 
  may 
  look 
  at 
  and 
  admire 
  them." 
  Heckewelder, 
  p. 
  205. 
  At 
  the 
  

   burial 
  of 
  a 
  Delaware 
  woman 
  of 
  rank, 
  on 
  the 
  upper 
  borders 
  of 
  moc- 
  

   casins 
  " 
  were 
  fastened 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  small 
  round 
  silver 
  bells, 
  of 
  about 
  

   the 
  size 
  of 
  a 
  musket 
  ball." 
  Heckewelder, 
  p. 
  271 
  

  

  