﻿56 
  

  

  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  An 
  important 
  mound 
  was 
  excavated 
  during 
  the 
  year 
  by 
  Mr 
  

  

  E. 
  R. 
  Burmaster, 
  and 
  a 
  fine 
  type 
  of 
  a 
  mound 
  skull 
  obtained. 
  

  

  This 
  mound 
  is 
  in 
  Chautauqua 
  county 
  and 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  largest 
  

  

  of 
  its 
  kind 
  in 
  the 
  State. 
  

   A 
  unique 
  acquisition 
  and 
  addition 
  to 
  our 
  collection 
  of 
  early 
  

  

  religious 
  objects 
  is 
  a 
  crucifix 
  obtained 
  by 
  Miss 
  Pearl 
  Hoppel 
  in 
  

  

  an 
  old 
  farmhouse 
  at 
  Fallsburg. 
  It 
  was 
  

   evidently 
  made 
  by 
  some 
  Delaware 
  or 
  

   Minsi 
  Indian 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  days 
  and 
  in- 
  

   deed 
  has 
  two 
  totem 
  animals 
  of 
  the 
  Minsi 
  

   carved 
  upon. 
  it. 
  The 
  accompanying 
  fig- 
  

   ure 
  shows 
  a 
  representation 
  of 
  this 
  object. 
  

  

  FOLKLORE 
  

   The 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  Iroquois 
  rites 
  and 
  

   folklore 
  was 
  continued 
  with 
  much 
  suc- 
  

   cess. 
  Valuable 
  additions 
  were 
  made 
  to 
  

   the 
  notes 
  on 
  the 
  wampum 
  codes 
  and 
  con- 
  

   dolence 
  ceremony. 
  Mr 
  Albert 
  Cusick, 
  

   long 
  the 
  helper 
  of 
  and 
  coworker 
  with 
  

   Dr 
  William 
  M. 
  Beauchamp, 
  and 
  pre- 
  

   viously 
  the 
  interpreter 
  for 
  Horatio 
  Hall,, 
  

   was 
  of 
  much 
  assistance 
  in 
  this 
  connec- 
  

   tion. 
  Mr 
  Cusick 
  is 
  an 
  Onondaga 
  by 
  

   birth 
  and 
  has 
  long 
  been 
  regarded 
  by 
  the 
  

   Onondagas, 
  and 
  indeed 
  by 
  all 
  the 
  Six 
  

   Nations 
  in 
  New 
  York, 
  as 
  their 
  greatest 
  

   authority 
  on 
  the 
  council 
  rites 
  of 
  the 
  

   League 
  of 
  the 
  Iroquois. 
  In 
  October,, 
  

   a 
  few 
  weeks 
  after 
  the 
  Archeologist 
  had 
  

   completed 
  his 
  notes 
  on 
  tree 
  symbols 
  and 
  

   myths, 
  Mr 
  Cusick 
  died. 
  This 
  serves 
  as 
  

   a 
  reminder 
  of 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  speedy 
  work 
  

   must 
  be 
  done 
  if 
  any 
  amount 
  of 
  informa- 
  

   tion 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  recorded. 
  With 
  the 
  death 
  

   of 
  Chief 
  John 
  Gibson, 
  of 
  the 
  Six 
  Na- 
  

   tions 
  of 
  Ontario, 
  in 
  October, 
  another 
  

   native 
  annalist 
  passed 
  beyond 
  reach. 
  

   Mr 
  Gibson 
  had 
  also 
  been 
  of 
  considerable 
  

   assistance 
  to 
  this 
  section 
  of 
  the 
  Museum. 
  

   With 
  the 
  corrections 
  made 
  by 
  Chief 
  Edward 
  Cornplanter 
  on: 
  

   the 
  Code 
  of 
  Handsome 
  Lake, 
  the 
  Seneca 
  prophet, 
  a 
  manuscript 
  

  

  Crucifix 
  probably 
  carved 
  by 
  

   Minsi 
  Indians. 
  From 
  

   Fallsburg, 
  N. 
  Y. 
  

  

  