﻿126 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  PREFACE 
  

  

  The 
  need 
  of 
  a 
  simple, 
  systematic 
  and 
  yet 
  comprehensive 
  history 
  

   of 
  the 
  Six 
  Nations, 
  or 
  Konosioni, 
  has 
  long 
  been 
  felt, 
  and 
  one 
  

   seems 
  required 
  for 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  antiquities. 
  In 
  the 
  

   folloAving 
  pages 
  all 
  events 
  have 
  been 
  placed 
  in 
  due 
  order 
  and 
  

   taken 
  from 
  original 
  sources. 
  Secondhand 
  errors 
  have 
  been 
  

   avoided 
  or 
  corrected 
  when 
  possible, 
  and 
  the 
  general 
  history 
  has 
  

   been 
  brought 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  present 
  day. 
  The 
  results 
  of 
  field 
  

   exploration 
  have 
  been 
  briefly 
  stated, 
  because 
  treated 
  to 
  some 
  

   extent 
  in 
  previous 
  papers. 
  It 
  must 
  also 
  be 
  remembered 
  that 
  

   many 
  things 
  are 
  set 
  forth 
  in 
  a 
  sentence 
  or 
  paragraph 
  of 
  which 
  

   we 
  have 
  ample 
  details, 
  sufficient 
  to 
  fill 
  many 
  pages 
  with 
  humor- 
  

   ous, 
  pathetic 
  or 
  tragic 
  incidents. 
  To 
  give 
  these 
  would 
  require 
  

   many 
  volumes, 
  and 
  it 
  seems 
  better 
  to 
  be 
  now 
  content 
  with 
  orderly 
  

   arrangement 
  and 
  brief 
  details, 
  referring 
  the 
  deeper 
  student 
  to 
  

   original 
  sources. 
  It 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  thought 
  necessary 
  to 
  verify 
  

   every 
  statement 
  or 
  quotation 
  from 
  these 
  by 
  direct 
  references. 
  

   Charlevoix, 
  Champlain, 
  the 
  Jesuit 
  Relations, 
  Colden, 
  Zeisberger 
  

   and 
  others 
  are 
  sufficiently 
  indicated, 
  but 
  most 
  statements 
  relating 
  

   to 
  New 
  York 
  and 
  Canada 
  are 
  from 
  the 
  various 
  colonial 
  docu- 
  

   ments 
  of 
  New 
  York, 
  published 
  by 
  the 
  State 
  ; 
  and 
  those 
  on 
  Penn- 
  

   sylvania 
  from 
  its 
  archives 
  and 
  colonial 
  records, 
  which 
  are 
  easily 
  

   found 
  by 
  their 
  dates. 
  Parkman's 
  graphic 
  works 
  are 
  referred 
  

   to 
  as 
  valuable 
  and 
  of 
  easy 
  access, 
  but 
  his 
  sources 
  of 
  original 
  in- 
  

   formation 
  have 
  been 
  used 
  in 
  preference. 
  

  

  While 
  many 
  events 
  have 
  been 
  summarized, 
  others 
  of 
  less 
  

   apparent 
  importance 
  have 
  been 
  given 
  more 
  fully, 
  because 
  they 
  

   bear 
  on 
  the 
  ordinary 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  people, 
  or 
  the 
  character 
  and 
  

   appearance 
  of 
  notable 
  men. 
  How 
  some 
  warriors 
  and 
  orators 
  

   looked 
  and 
  acted, 
  how 
  some 
  councils 
  were 
  conducted, 
  may 
  be 
  as 
  

   interesting 
  as 
  to 
  tell 
  how 
  many 
  were 
  killed 
  and 
  scalped 
  in 
  in- 
  

   glorious 
  forest 
  fights. 
  In 
  national 
  progress 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  one 
  

   man 
  may 
  show 
  that 
  of 
  many, 
  and 
  in 
  early 
  Iroquois 
  history 
  there 
  

   were 
  men 
  of 
  dignity, 
  virtue 
  and 
  great 
  natural 
  gifts. 
  

  

  