﻿ABORIGINAL 
  PLACE 
  NAMES 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  III 
  

  

  formly 
  retained, 
  and 
  the 
  present 
  form 
  is 
  much 
  nearer 
  the 
  original 
  

   than 
  the 
  one 
  used 
  in 
  Livingston 
  county. 
  The 
  hills 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  

   waters 
  were 
  once 
  known 
  by 
  this 
  name. 
  On 
  some 
  early 
  treaties 
  and 
  

   maps 
  it 
  appears 
  as 
  Canassaderaga 
  creek, 
  but 
  the 
  usage 
  of 
  the 
  word 
  

   has 
  been 
  remarkably 
  uniform. 
  One 
  erroneous 
  definition 
  has 
  been 
  

   big 
  elk 
  horn. 
  Gansevoort's 
  men 
  came 
  there 
  from 
  Sullivan's 
  army, 
  

   September 
  23, 
  1779: 
  "Arrived 
  at 
  Canasaraga, 
  a 
  handsome 
  village 
  

   & 
  capital 
  of 
  the 
  Tuscarora 
  tribe." 
  

  

  Ca-na-sto'-ta 
  is 
  given 
  by 
  Morgan 
  as 
  Ka-ne-to'-ta, 
  pine 
  tree 
  stand- 
  

   ing 
  alone, 
  while 
  another 
  derivation 
  has 
  been 
  made 
  from 
  kniste, 
  a 
  

   group 
  of 
  pines, 
  and 
  stota, 
  standing 
  still. 
  The 
  following 
  statement 
  is 
  

   from 
  Mrs 
  Hammond's 
  history 
  of 
  Madison 
  county 
  : 
  " 
  Captain 
  Per- 
  

   kins 
  repaired 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  blockhouses, 
  which 
  stood 
  on 
  an 
  eminence 
  

   near 
  where 
  Dr 
  Jarvis 
  now 
  lives 
  built 
  on 
  an 
  addition, 
  and 
  moved 
  in 
  

   . 
  . 
  . 
  Not 
  far 
  from 
  Capt. 
  Perkins' 
  house 
  stood 
  the 
  cluster 
  of 
  pines, 
  

   from 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  said, 
  Canastota 
  derived 
  its 
  name." 
  In 
  the 
  same 
  his- 
  

   tory 
  " 
  It 
  is 
  said 
  that 
  the 
  name 
  ' 
  Canastota,' 
  is 
  derived 
  from 
  the 
  Indian 
  

   word 
  ' 
  Kniste,' 
  signifying 
  ' 
  cluster 
  of 
  pines,' 
  and 
  ' 
  stota/ 
  meaning 
  

   ' 
  still, 
  silent, 
  motionless,' 
  which 
  has 
  yet 
  greater 
  significance. 
  The 
  

   lands 
  were 
  low, 
  the 
  stream 
  sluggish. 
  To 
  the 
  swamp 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  

   village 
  the 
  Indians 
  gave 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  'Still 
  Waters.' 
  Col. 
  Caldwell 
  

   remarked 
  (as 
  given 
  in 
  Judge 
  Barlow's 
  sketch) 
  T 
  have 
  many 
  times 
  

   heard 
  the 
  Indians 
  bid 
  their 
  dogs 
  be 
  still 
  by 
  saying, 
  'stota 
  ! 
  stota 
  !' 
  or 
  

   'be 
  still! 
  be 
  still!' 
  Undoubtedly, 
  both 
  ideas, 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  'cluster 
  of 
  

   pines' 
  and 
  the 
  'still 
  waters,' 
  are 
  intended 
  to 
  be 
  conveyed 
  in 
  the 
  word 
  

   ' 
  Canastota.' 
  ' 
  : 
  Undoubtedly 
  is 
  a 
  strong 
  word 
  to 
  use. 
  

  

  Barber 
  and 
  Howe 
  mentioned 
  part 
  of 
  this 
  interpretation: 
  "The 
  

   village 
  takes 
  its 
  name 
  from 
  a 
  cluster 
  of 
  pine 
  trees 
  that 
  united 
  their 
  

   branches 
  over 
  the 
  creek 
  which 
  passes 
  through 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  

   village 
  and 
  bears 
  its 
  name, 
  called 
  in 
  the 
  native 
  dialect 
  of 
  the 
  

   Oneidas, 
  Knistee." 
  David 
  Cusick 
  also 
  defined 
  Kaw-na-taw-te-ruh 
  

   as 
  pineries, 
  or 
  pine 
  woods, 
  in 
  another 
  place, 
  and 
  the 
  reference 
  to 
  

   pines 
  seems 
  clear. 
  The 
  Onondagas, 
  however, 
  knew 
  Canastota 
  as 
  

   Kanosta, 
  frame 
  of 
  a 
  house, 
  from 
  their 
  admiration 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  one 
  

   built 
  there. 
  The 
  resemblance 
  of 
  this 
  word 
  to 
  Knistee 
  is 
  also 
  plain, 
  

   and 
  the 
  frame 
  of 
  a 
  house 
  is 
  but 
  a 
  cluster 
  of 
  timbers. 
  Zeisberger 
  

   has 
  Zanaejatote 
  as 
  the 
  Onondaga 
  word 
  for 
  frame, 
  which 
  is 
  more 
  

  

  