﻿ABORIGINAL 
  PLACE 
  NAMES 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  II 
  

  

  As 
  we 
  are 
  not 
  dealing 
  with 
  languages 
  so 
  much 
  as 
  a 
  class 
  of 
  

   names, 
  this 
  may 
  suffice 
  for 
  Algonquin 
  names, 
  though 
  very 
  briefly 
  

   stated. 
  In 
  considering 
  Iroquois 
  words 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  class, 
  a 
  few 
  

   words 
  may 
  be 
  quoted 
  from 
  Sir 
  William 
  Johnson, 
  written 
  in 
  1771 
  : 
  

  

  The 
  article 
  is 
  contained 
  in 
  the 
  noun 
  by 
  varying 
  the 
  termination, 
  

   and 
  the 
  adjective 
  is 
  combined 
  into 
  one 
  word 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  Caghyung- 
  

   haw 
  is 
  a 
  creek; 
  Caghyungha, 
  a 
  river; 
  Caghyunghaowana, 
  a 
  great 
  

   river; 
  Caghyungheeo, 
  a 
  fine 
  river; 
  Haga, 
  the 
  inhabitants 
  of 
  any 
  

   place 
  and 
  tierhan, 
  the 
  morning 
  ; 
  so 
  if 
  they 
  spes.k 
  of 
  eastern 
  people, 
  

   they 
  say 
  Tierhans-aga, 
  or 
  people 
  of 
  the 
  morning. 
  

  

  Mr 
  L. 
  H. 
  Morgan 
  gave 
  a 
  comparative 
  list 
  of 
  24 
  local 
  names 
  in 
  

   the 
  six 
  dialects 
  of 
  the 
  New 
  York 
  Iroquois, 
  and 
  a 
  few 
  of 
  his 
  remarks 
  

   may 
  be 
  quoted. 
  He 
  reckoned 
  19 
  letters 
  common 
  to 
  these, 
  but 
  two 
  

   or 
  three 
  of 
  them 
  are 
  not 
  needed. 
  " 
  The 
  Mohawks 
  and 
  Oneidas 
  use 
  

   the 
  liquid 
  L, 
  and 
  the 
  Tuscaroras 
  occasionally 
  employ 
  the 
  sound 
  of 
  

   F, 
  but 
  these 
  letters 
  are 
  not 
  common 
  to 
  all 
  the 
  dialects. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  

   customary 
  to 
  exclude 
  the 
  liquid 
  R 
  from 
  the 
  Iroquois 
  alphabet, 
  as 
  

   not 
  common 
  to 
  the 
  several 
  nations, 
  but 
  this 
  is 
  clearly 
  erroneous." 
  

  

  These 
  sounds 
  are 
  now 
  rare 
  among 
  the 
  Onondagas, 
  if 
  used 
  at 
  all. 
  

   He 
  says 
  further: 
  "In 
  connecting 
  the 
  "adjective 
  with 
  the 
  noun, 
  the 
  

   two 
  words 
  usually 
  enter 
  into 
  combination, 
  and 
  lose 
  one 
  or 
  more 
  

   syllables. 
  This 
  principle 
  or 
  species 
  of 
  contraction 
  is 
  carried 
  

   throughout 
  the 
  language, 
  and 
  to 
  some 
  extent 
  prevents 
  prolixity." 
  

   He 
  gives 
  as 
  an 
  example: 
  " 
  O-ya, 
  fruit; 
  O-ga-uti 
  ', 
  sweet; 
  O-ya- 
  

   ga-uh, 
  sweet 
  fruit. 
  In 
  other 
  instances 
  the 
  adjective 
  is 
  divided, 
  and 
  

   one 
  part 
  prefixed 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  suffixed 
  to 
  the 
  noun 
  thus 
  : 
  Ga-nun'- 
  

   da-yeh, 
  a 
  village; 
  Ne-wa'-ah, 
  small; 
  Ne-ga-nun-da'-ah, 
  a 
  small 
  

   village." 
  

  

  Among 
  the 
  few 
  prepositions 
  applicable 
  to 
  place 
  names 
  but 
  modi- 
  

   fied 
  in 
  composition, 
  he 
  mentioned 
  : 
  " 
  Da-ga-o, 
  across 
  ; 
  No'ga, 
  after 
  ; 
  

   Na'-ho, 
  at; 
  O'-an-do, 
  before; 
  Dose-ga-^o, 
  near, 
  etc." 
  He 
  added 
  a 
  

   remark 
  which 
  should 
  be 
  modified, 
  as 
  towns 
  often 
  changed 
  their 
  

   sites 
  and 
  yet 
  retained 
  their 
  names 
  : 
  " 
  Names 
  of 
  places 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  of 
  

   persons, 
  form 
  an 
  integral 
  part 
  of 
  their 
  language, 
  and 
  hence 
  are 
  all 
  

   significant. 
  It 
  furnishes 
  a 
  singular 
  test 
  of 
  their 
  migrations, 
  for 
  

   accurate 
  descriptions 
  of 
  localities 
  become 
  in 
  this 
  manner 
  incor- 
  

   porated 
  into 
  their 
  dialects. 
  The 
  Tuscaroras 
  still 
  adduce 
  proof 
  from 
  

   this 
  source 
  to 
  establish 
  a 
  common 
  origin 
  with 
  the 
  Iroquois." 
  In 
  

  

  