﻿/4 
  XEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  Brooches 
  

  

  About 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  the 
  18th 
  century, 
  Iroquois 
  taste 
  in 
  orna- 
  

   ment 
  took 
  a 
  decided 
  turn. 
  Glass 
  and 
  porcelain 
  beads 
  were 
  still 
  in 
  

   favor, 
  but 
  the 
  brass 
  and 
  bronze 
  ornaments 
  began 
  to 
  give 
  place 
  to 
  

   silver. 
  The 
  change 
  came 
  gradually, 
  but 
  very 
  decidedly, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  

   end 
  affected 
  all 
  Indian 
  tribes. 
  Loskiel 
  said: 
  ' 
  The 
  rich 
  adorn 
  their 
  

   heads 
  with 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  silver 
  trinkets 
  of 
  considerable 
  weight. 
  This 
  

   mode 
  of 
  finery 
  is 
  not 
  so 
  common 
  among 
  the 
  Delawares 
  as 
  the 
  

   Iroquois, 
  who, 
  by 
  studying 
  dress 
  and 
  ornament 
  more 
  than 
  any 
  other 
  

   Indian 
  nation, 
  are 
  allowed 
  to 
  dictate 
  the 
  fashion 
  to 
  the 
  rest." 
  

  

  By 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  that 
  century 
  the 
  Indians 
  had 
  everywhere 
  become 
  

   critical 
  in 
  this 
  matter. 
  La 
  Presentation 
  (at 
  Ogdensburg) 
  was 
  

   settled 
  in 
  1749, 
  and 
  reference 
  is 
  made 
  to 
  silver 
  articles 
  in 
  the 
  account 
  

   of 
  the 
  settlement 
  in 
  Lettres 
  ediiiantes 
  et 
  curieuses. 
  The 
  matter 
  of 
  

   rival 
  trade, 
  as 
  between 
  New 
  York 
  and 
  Canada, 
  was 
  as 
  burning 
  a 
  

   question 
  then 
  as 
  now, 
  and 
  the 
  latter 
  had 
  the 
  same 
  disadvantage 
  of 
  

   position 
  in 
  winter, 
  enhancing 
  the 
  price 
  of 
  goods. 
  Toronto 
  and 
  

   Niagara 
  could 
  have 
  stopped, 
  it 
  is 
  said, 
  " 
  all 
  the 
  savages, 
  had 
  the 
  

   stores 
  been 
  furnished 
  with 
  goods 
  to 
  their 
  liking. 
  There 
  was 
  a 
  

   wish 
  to 
  imitate 
  the 
  English 
  in 
  the 
  trifles 
  they 
  sold 
  the 
  savages, 
  such 
  

   as 
  silver 
  bracelets, 
  etc. 
  The 
  Indians 
  compared 
  '& 
  weighed 
  them, 
  

   as 
  the 
  storekeeper 
  at 
  Niagara 
  stated, 
  and 
  the 
  Choeguen 
  (Oswego) 
  

   bracelets 
  which 
  were 
  found 
  as 
  heavy, 
  of 
  a 
  purer 
  silver 
  and 
  more 
  

   elegant, 
  did 
  not 
  cost 
  them 
  two 
  beavers, 
  whilst 
  those 
  at 
  the 
  King's 
  

   posts 
  wanted 
  to 
  sell 
  them 
  for 
  ten 
  beavers. 
  Thus 
  we 
  were 
  discred- 
  

   ited, 
  and 
  this 
  silver 
  ware 
  remained 
  a 
  pure 
  loss 
  in 
  the 
  King's 
  stores. 
  

   ... 
  To 
  destroy 
  the 
  Trade 
  the 
  King's 
  posts 
  ought 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  

   supplied 
  with 
  the 
  same 
  goods 
  as 
  Choeguen 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  price.'' 
  

   O'Callaghan, 
  p. 
  437 
  

  

  William 
  Smith 
  published 
  his 
  History 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  in 
  1756. 
  He 
  

   said 
  of 
  the 
  Indians, 
  " 
  Many 
  of 
  them 
  are 
  fond 
  of 
  ornaments, 
  and 
  

   their 
  taste 
  is 
  singular. 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  rings 
  affixed, 
  not-only 
  to 
  their 
  

   ears, 
  but 
  to 
  their 
  noses. 
  Bracelets 
  of 
  silver 
  and 
  brass 
  round 
  their 
  

   wrists, 
  are 
  very 
  common." 
  Smith, 
  p. 
  69 
  

  

  Heckewelder 
  described 
  the 
  funeral 
  of 
  a 
  woman 
  in 
  1762: 
  " 
  Her 
  

   garments, 
  all 
  new, 
  were 
  set 
  off 
  with 
  rows 
  of 
  silver 
  brooches, 
  one 
  row 
  

  

  