﻿HISTORY 
  OF 
  THE 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  IROQUOIS 
  147 
  

  

  and 
  natural 
  way. 
  Mr 
  Hale 
  took 
  the 
  same 
  view, 
  considering 
  that 
  

   the 
  three 
  western 
  nations 
  adopted 
  more 
  captives 
  or 
  allies 
  than 
  

   the 
  Oneidas 
  and 
  Mohawks, 
  and 
  thus 
  had 
  more 
  clans. 
  

  

  The 
  examination 
  of 
  early 
  New 
  York 
  sites 
  has 
  thrown 
  much 
  

   light 
  on 
  the 
  time 
  and 
  manner 
  of 
  the 
  Iroquois 
  advent 
  in 
  New 
  

   York, 
  heretofore 
  based 
  on 
  doubtful 
  grounds, 
  though 
  historic 
  proof 
  

   seemed 
  ample. 
  No 
  precise 
  date 
  can 
  be 
  given 
  to 
  the 
  coming 
  of 
  

   the 
  Cayugas 
  and 
  Senecas, 
  but 
  no 
  great 
  age 
  can 
  be 
  allowed 
  either 
  

   of 
  these. 
  The 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  Onondagas 
  is 
  much 
  clearer. 
  The 
  

   former 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  come 
  directly 
  from 
  the 
  west, 
  and 
  the 
  latter 
  

   from 
  the 
  north, 
  tarrying 
  for 
  awhile 
  at 
  the 
  east 
  end 
  of 
  Lake 
  

   Ontario. 
  Early 
  in 
  the 
  16th 
  century 
  they 
  had 
  some 
  settlements 
  

   in 
  the 
  north 
  part 
  of 
  Onondaga 
  county 
  and 
  south 
  part 
  of 
  Oswego, 
  

   but 
  did 
  not 
  reach 
  the 
  hills 
  whence 
  they 
  had 
  their 
  name 
  till 
  late 
  

   in 
  that 
  century. 
  Before 
  its 
  close 
  they 
  may 
  have 
  had 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  

   towns 
  there. 
  One 
  occupied 
  about 
  1600, 
  or 
  a 
  little 
  later, 
  is 
  closely 
  

   connected 
  by 
  its 
  relics 
  with 
  those 
  having 
  European 
  articles. 
  

  

  Possibly 
  one 
  early 
  Oneida 
  fort 
  may 
  be 
  dated 
  before 
  1580, 
  but 
  

   the 
  one 
  which 
  had 
  the 
  earliest 
  of 
  those 
  Oneida 
  stones 
  which 
  

   gave 
  name 
  to 
  the 
  nation 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  later, 
  and 
  to 
  this 
  suc- 
  

   ceeded 
  the 
  fort 
  attacked 
  by 
  Champlain 
  in 
  161 
  5, 
  also 
  having 
  its 
  

   great 
  boulder. 
  The 
  Oneidas 
  remained 
  among 
  the 
  higher 
  hills 
  

   till 
  some 
  time 
  in 
  the 
  18th 
  century, 
  when 
  they 
  sought 
  the 
  lower 
  

   land. 
  Their 
  earlier 
  homes 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  on 
  either 
  side 
  of 
  

   the 
  St 
  Lawrence, 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  Oswegatchie 
  river. 
  From 
  

   these 
  two 
  nations 
  we 
  might 
  find 
  an 
  approximate 
  date 
  for 
  the 
  

   league, 
  but 
  Mohawk 
  history, 
  traditions 
  and 
  remains 
  furnish 
  much 
  

   plainer 
  evidence. 
  

  

  Indian 
  tradition 
  is 
  no 
  sure 
  guide, 
  for, 
  even 
  when 
  striking 
  events 
  

   are 
  kept 
  in 
  mind, 
  dates 
  are 
  almost 
  certain 
  to 
  be 
  confused. 
  So 
  

   those 
  who 
  depend 
  on 
  popular 
  tales 
  vary 
  over 
  a 
  century 
  in 
  the 
  

   date 
  of 
  the 
  league. 
  Mr 
  Hale 
  disregarded 
  David 
  Cusick's 
  esti- 
  

   mates 
  of 
  time, 
  but 
  followed 
  his 
  scheme 
  of 
  settlement 
  and 
  division 
  

   of 
  dialects, 
  concluding 
  that 
  Mr 
  Morgan 
  was 
  right 
  in 
  dating 
  the 
  

   league 
  about 
  1459. 
  These 
  eminent 
  writers 
  knew 
  little 
  prac- 
  

   tically 
  of 
  early 
  Iroquois 
  towns, 
  and 
  these 
  silent 
  witnesses 
  did 
  not 
  

  

  