﻿A 
  HISTORY 
  OF 
  THE 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  IRO- 
  

   QUOIS, 
  NOW 
  COMMONLY 
  CALLED 
  

   THE 
  SIX 
  NATIONS 
  

  

  Chapter 
  i 
  

  

  Iroquois 
  and 
  Algonquins. 
  Distribution. 
  Iroquois 
  legends. 
  Religious 
  

   belief. 
  Creative 
  myths. 
  Stories 
  of 
  origin 
  and 
  migration. 
  Real 
  migra- 
  

   tions. 
  Huron-Iroquois 
  family. 
  Language. 
  Opinions 
  on 
  this. 
  

  

  When 
  Europeans 
  first 
  reached 
  the 
  interior 
  of 
  New 
  York, 
  it 
  

   was 
  occupied 
  by 
  two 
  Indian 
  families, 
  known 
  as 
  Iroquois 
  and 
  

   Algonquin. 
  The 
  latter 
  held 
  all 
  the 
  Hudson 
  river 
  valley, 
  the 
  high- 
  

   lands 
  below 
  the 
  Catskill 
  mountains, 
  and 
  all 
  of 
  Long 
  Island, 
  being 
  

   closely 
  related 
  to 
  the 
  New 
  England 
  Indians. 
  The 
  former 
  occu- 
  

   pied 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  Schoharie 
  creek, 
  and 
  westward 
  to 
  the 
  Genesee 
  

   river, 
  with 
  vacant 
  territory 
  beyond. 
  On 
  their 
  southwestern 
  line 
  

   were 
  the 
  Susquehannas, 
  or 
  Andastes, 
  and 
  farther 
  west 
  were 
  the 
  

   Eries 
  and 
  the 
  Neutral 
  nation, 
  all 
  three 
  kindred 
  to 
  them. 
  For 
  

   200 
  years 
  the 
  Iroquois 
  were 
  a 
  great 
  factor 
  in 
  the 
  safety 
  and 
  

   progress 
  of 
  the 
  European 
  settlements, 
  and 
  another 
  century 
  found 
  

   them 
  but 
  little 
  diminished 
  in 
  numbers, 
  while 
  many 
  still 
  clung 
  

   to 
  their 
  early 
  homes. 
  A 
  people 
  so 
  important, 
  so 
  powerful, 
  so 
  

   permanent, 
  deserves 
  more 
  than 
  mere 
  recognition. 
  

  

  The 
  Iroquois 
  had 
  a 
  strong, 
  but 
  in 
  some 
  ways 
  very 
  vague 
  reli- 
  

   gious 
  belief. 
  Unseen 
  deities 
  ruled 
  their 
  lives 
  through 
  mystic 
  

   dreams, 
  and 
  these 
  dreams 
  must 
  always 
  be 
  observed, 
  however 
  

   unpleasant 
  this 
  might 
  be. 
  All 
  things 
  to 
  them 
  had 
  a 
  tinge 
  of 
  the 
  

   supernatural. 
  Trees, 
  rocks 
  and 
  animals 
  had 
  an 
  inner 
  soul. 
  There 
  

   were 
  viewless 
  spirits, 
  fairies 
  and 
  flying 
  heads. 
  Stone 
  giants 
  and 
  

   monstrous 
  beasts 
  were 
  frequent. 
  The 
  great 
  Holder 
  of, 
  the 
  

   Heavens 
  was 
  a 
  dwarf 
  in 
  size; 
  for 
  what 
  need 
  had 
  omnipotent 
  

   power 
  of 
  physical 
  strength? 
  The 
  beasts 
  of 
  the 
  forest 
  were 
  their 
  

   ancient 
  kindred, 
  necessary 
  for 
  food 
  but 
  reverently 
  treated. 
  

   Sacrifices 
  were 
  few 
  and 
  simple. 
  In 
  a 
  certain 
  way 
  captives 
  might 
  

   have 
  been 
  offered 
  to 
  Aireskoi 
  at 
  an 
  early 
  day, 
  or 
  a 
  white 
  dog 
  to 
  

  

  