﻿134 
  NE 
  W 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  made 
  without 
  her 
  consent. 
  Fugitives 
  and 
  enemies 
  were 
  safe 
  there 
  

   for 
  a 
  reasonable 
  time. 
  In 
  a 
  certain 
  case, 
  however, 
  she 
  unwisely 
  

   sided 
  with 
  her 
  own 
  people 
  and 
  the 
  fort 
  was 
  destroyed. 
  The 
  his- 
  

   toric 
  basis 
  of 
  this 
  legend 
  is 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  Neutral 
  nation, 
  once 
  

   occupying 
  both 
  sides 
  of 
  Niagara 
  river, 
  sheltered 
  both 
  Hurons 
  and 
  

   Iroquois 
  in 
  the 
  great 
  Huron 
  war, 
  allowing 
  no 
  fighting 
  in 
  their 
  

   territory. 
  Hence 
  their 
  common 
  name. 
  David 
  Cnsick 
  said 
  : 
  "A 
  

   queen, 
  named 
  Yagowanea, 
  resided 
  at 
  the 
  fort 
  Kauhanauka, 
  (said 
  

   Tuscarora) 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  The 
  queen 
  lived 
  outside 
  the 
  fort 
  in 
  a 
  long 
  

   house, 
  which 
  was 
  called 
  a 
  peace 
  house. 
  She 
  entertained 
  the 
  two 
  

   parties 
  who 
  were 
  at 
  war 
  with 
  each 
  other; 
  indeed 
  she 
  was 
  called 
  the 
  

   mother 
  of 
  the 
  Nations." 
  

  

  Ni-ag-a-ra 
  was 
  an 
  early 
  French 
  form 
  of 
  the 
  name 
  for 
  the 
  river. 
  

   but 
  for 
  a 
  long 
  time 
  the 
  accent 
  was 
  placed 
  on 
  the 
  penult 
  as 
  in 
  Gold- 
  

   smith's 
  Traveller: 
  

  

  When 
  wild 
  Oswego 
  spreads 
  her 
  swamps 
  around, 
  

   And 
  Niagara 
  stuns 
  with 
  thund'ring 
  sound. 
  

  

  It 
  meant 
  simply 
  the 
  neck 
  connecting 
  two 
  great 
  lakes, 
  as 
  the 
  body 
  

   and 
  head 
  are 
  united. 
  The 
  initial 
  letter 
  was 
  often 
  dropped 
  by 
  early 
  

   writers, 
  and 
  the 
  word 
  became 
  Yagerah 
  or 
  Jagara, 
  with 
  the 
  same 
  

   sound. 
  This 
  form, 
  however, 
  might 
  lead 
  to 
  a 
  different 
  interpreta- 
  

   tion, 
  for 
  Zeisberger 
  demies 
  the 
  Onondaga 
  word 
  Joragaree, 
  to 
  roar. 
  

   Sometimes 
  there 
  were 
  prefixes, 
  as 
  Oneigra 
  and 
  Oniagorah 
  in 
  1687, 
  

   the 
  latter 
  suggesting 
  the 
  idea 
  of 
  greatness. 
  It 
  appeared 
  as 
  the 
  great 
  

   fall 
  Oakinagaro 
  in 
  1701, 
  and 
  Onjagera, 
  Och 
  jagara, 
  etc., 
  in 
  1720, 
  

   becoming 
  Oniagara 
  in 
  English 
  use 
  in 
  1726. 
  In 
  1640 
  the 
  Neutrals 
  

   had 
  a 
  village 
  at 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  River 
  d'Onguiaahra, 
  and 
  this 
  had 
  

   its 
  name 
  from 
  the 
  river. 
  The 
  Relation 
  of 
  1641 
  mentions 
  this 
  early 
  

   name 
  : 
  

  

  On 
  this 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  and 
  not 
  on 
  the 
  other, 
  [east] 
  as 
  some 
  

   map 
  marks 
  it, 
  are 
  the 
  greater 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  towns 
  of 
  the 
  Neutral 
  

   nation. 
  There 
  are 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  beyond, 
  arranged 
  from 
  east 
  to 
  west, 
  

   toward 
  the 
  nation 
  of 
  the 
  Cat, 
  or 
  the 
  Erieehronons. 
  This 
  river 
  or 
  

   flood 
  is 
  that 
  by 
  which 
  is 
  discharged 
  our 
  great 
  lake 
  of 
  the 
  Hurons, 
  

   or 
  Mer 
  Douce, 
  which 
  flows 
  first 
  into 
  the 
  lake 
  of 
  Erie, 
  or 
  of 
  the 
  

   nation 
  of 
  the 
  Cat, 
  and 
  up 
  to 
  that 
  point 
  it 
  enters 
  into 
  the 
  lands 
  of 
  the 
  

   Neutral 
  nation, 
  and 
  takes 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  Onguiaahra, 
  until 
  it 
  is 
  dis- 
  

   charged 
  into 
  the 
  Ontario 
  or 
  lake 
  of 
  Saint 
  Louys. 
  

  

  Morgan 
  gave 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  Ne-ah'-ga 
  to 
  Youngstown, 
  and 
  from 
  

  

  