﻿METALLIC 
  ORNAMENTS 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  INDIANS 
  3 
  1 
  

  

  a 
  strip 
  of 
  brass 
  with 
  three 
  perforations. 
  Fig. 
  367 
  is 
  a 
  pentagonal 
  

   brass 
  plate, 
  and 
  fig. 
  154 
  a 
  brass 
  circle, 
  both 
  perforated. 
  These 
  are 
  

   from 
  Indian 
  hill, 
  Pompey. 
  There 
  are 
  others 
  elsewhere. 
  

  

  Earrings 
  

  

  The 
  earliest 
  metallic 
  earrings 
  in 
  use 
  in 
  New 
  York 
  were 
  probably 
  

   those 
  of 
  copper 
  wire 
  coiled 
  and 
  flattened. 
  Fragments 
  of 
  these 
  have 
  

   puzzled 
  some 
  antiquaries. 
  It 
  is 
  possible 
  that 
  some 
  perforated 
  disks 
  

   and 
  coins 
  may 
  have 
  served 
  the 
  same 
  purpose 
  at 
  an 
  early 
  day, 
  but 
  

   they 
  are 
  more 
  likely 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  used 
  in 
  some 
  other 
  way. 
  Glass 
  

   and 
  shell 
  beads 
  were 
  also 
  utilized 
  for 
  earrings, 
  and 
  probably 
  many 
  

   other 
  things. 
  In 
  the 
  picture 
  of 
  Colonel 
  Pickering's 
  conference 
  at 
  

   Buffalo, 
  in 
  1793, 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  Indians 
  wear 
  in 
  their 
  ears 
  large 
  elliptic 
  

   disks, 
  each 
  containing 
  an 
  engraved 
  cross. 
  Stone, 
  2 
  1342. 
  This 
  form 
  

   does 
  not 
  appear 
  in 
  any 
  New 
  York 
  collections. 
  

  

  The 
  earliest 
  unmistakable 
  form 
  was 
  of 
  copper 
  wire, 
  bent 
  at 
  an 
  

   acute 
  angle 
  in 
  the 
  center, 
  and 
  having 
  the 
  ends 
  bent 
  into 
  a 
  flat 
  coil. 
  

   This 
  done, 
  the 
  wire 
  was 
  hammered 
  down 
  to 
  half 
  its 
  first 
  thickness. 
  

   They 
  are 
  often 
  broken 
  in 
  the 
  center, 
  and 
  then 
  give 
  no 
  suggestion 
  

   of 
  their 
  use. 
  In 
  their 
  symmetric 
  form 
  their 
  purpose 
  is 
  evident. 
  

   They 
  are 
  occasional 
  in 
  Canada, 
  but 
  are 
  probably 
  more 
  frequent 
  on 
  

   Onondaga 
  sites 
  than 
  elsewhere. 
  The 
  smallest 
  which 
  has 
  met 
  the 
  

   writer's 
  eye 
  is 
  a 
  fragment 
  from 
  Ontario 
  county, 
  in 
  the 
  Hildburgh 
  

   collection. 
  They 
  vary 
  much 
  in 
  size. 
  

  

  Heckewelder 
  described 
  another 
  ornament 
  for 
  the 
  head 
  which 
  he 
  

   observed 
  at 
  an 
  Indian 
  funeral. 
  " 
  Her 
  long 
  plaited 
  hair 
  was 
  con- 
  

   fined 
  by 
  broad 
  bands 
  of 
  silver, 
  one 
  band 
  joining 
  to 
  the 
  other, 
  yet 
  

   not 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  size, 
  but 
  tapering 
  from 
  the 
  head 
  downwards, 
  and 
  

   running 
  at 
  the 
  lower 
  end 
  to 
  a 
  point." 
  Heckezvelder, 
  p. 
  270 
  

  

  Loskiel 
  said: 
  "At 
  feasts, 
  their 
  hair 
  is 
  frequently 
  decorated 
  with 
  

   silver 
  rings, 
  corals, 
  or 
  wampum, 
  and 
  even 
  with 
  silver 
  buckles. 
  

   Some 
  wear 
  a 
  bandage 
  round 
  their 
  heads, 
  ornamented 
  with 
  as 
  many 
  

   silver 
  buckles 
  as 
  it 
  will 
  hold." 
  Loskiel, 
  1 
  48. 
  He 
  adds, 
  " 
  They 
  also 
  

   decorate 
  the 
  lappets 
  of 
  their 
  ears 
  with 
  pearls, 
  rings, 
  sparkling 
  stones, 
  

   feathers, 
  flowers, 
  corals, 
  or 
  silver 
  crosses." 
  Loskiel, 
  1 
  49 
  

  

  