68 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



Indian tobacco (Nicotina rustica) in the other. Before 

 him is a group of women engaged in gathering and preparing the 

 crops. One is braiding corn, one is shelUng beans and putting 

 them in a bark storage basket, one is baking bread and watching 

 a pot, another is pounding meal in a wooden mortar, and still 

 another is carrying in a heavy load of corn. The scene is laid on 

 the flats of the Genesee just below Squakie hill near Mount Morris, 

 Livingston co. The painted sketch which was made on the spot 

 shows a cornfield in the foreground, the river to the left with the 

 cliffs just beyond. To the right is the steep slope of Squakie hill 

 covered by oaks, hemlocks and maples, all resplendent in their 

 brilHant autumn foliage. The spot is one associated with the later 

 history of the Senecas and by some is said to have been regarded 

 as their Olympus. 



The Senecas were always extensive agriculturists and today pre- 

 serve certain primitive features of agriculture better than the other 

 Iroquois. The flat lands of the Genesee were cleared in wide 

 tracts and given up to their great cornfields. These reasons with 

 others lead to the choice of the Senecas and their beautiful valley, 

 the Genesee, as the actors and the scene for the harvest group. 



The Onondaga Council group, the Oneida Arts and Industry 

 group and the Cayuga Ceremony group are still undeveloped be- 

 yond the plan stage. 



The work of making and superintending the making of these 

 remaining groups will consume another year. There are many 

 unavoidable obstacles which impede progress of this undertaking 

 and yet to those quite familiar with similar work our progress has 

 seemed rapid. 



It is difficult to get proper models, especially females whose 

 natural modesty leads them to shrink from the casting process. 

 The eight female figures which we have are without doubt the 

 only life casts of Iroquois women ever made. Our casts of male 

 figures likewise are, for the most part, phenomenally expressive. 



In carrying out our plan the idea is to have every possible 

 feature of it genuine. The casts are to be genuine life casts of 

 Iroquois Indians, their costumes genuine Iroquois costumes, 

 Iroquois made and decorated, and the paintings are to be accu- 

 rate representations of scenery intimately connected with Iro- 

 quois history. ^ . 



When installed each group as viewed from the front of the 

 case will present the illusion of an actual view of nature. The 

 foreground will be made to look as natural as possible by expert 



