﻿I48 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATIC 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  Webster, 
  interpreter 
  to 
  the 
  Oneidas, 
  signifies 
  in 
  the 
  dialect' 
  of 
  the 
  

   Indians, 
  a 
  swamp 
  under, 
  or 
  at 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  a 
  hill 
  or 
  mountain." 
  Mr 
  

   Clark 
  referred 
  to 
  this- 
  and 
  made 
  special 
  inquiries 
  about 
  the 
  word. 
  

   He 
  said: 
  "From 
  the 
  best 
  information 
  we 
  have 
  attained 
  we 
  set 
  it 
  

   down 
  as 
  the 
  'residence 
  of 
  the 
  people 
  of 
  the 
  hills,' 
  the 
  word 
  swamp 
  

   having 
  no 
  connection 
  with 
  it." 
  The 
  successive 
  towns 
  were 
  at 
  first 
  

   on 
  the 
  hills 
  near 
  Limestone 
  creek, 
  but 
  the 
  name 
  followed 
  the 
  later 
  

   sites 
  011 
  lower 
  lands. 
  The 
  Oneida 
  and 
  Oswego 
  rivers 
  once 
  had 
  

   this 
  name, 
  and 
  Onondaga 
  lake 
  and 
  creek 
  retain 
  it. 
  

  

  O-mm-da'-ga, 
  on 
  the 
  hills, 
  is 
  Morgan's 
  name 
  for 
  the 
  creek. 
  

  

  O-nun'-o-gese, 
  long 
  hickory, 
  is 
  his 
  name 
  for 
  Apulia, 
  and 
  may 
  be 
  

   compared 
  with 
  names 
  used 
  by 
  the 
  Moravians. 
  

  

  O-ser-i-gooch, 
  the 
  large 
  lake 
  in 
  Tully, 
  was 
  so 
  called 
  by 
  Span- 
  

   genberg 
  in 
  his 
  journal 
  of 
  1745. 
  

  

  Oswego, 
  flowing 
  out, 
  an 
  old 
  name 
  for 
  Seneca 
  river 
  in 
  its 
  down- 
  

   ward 
  course. 
  

  

  Ote-ge-ga-ja-ke, 
  for 
  Pompey 
  and 
  Lafayette, 
  is 
  correctly 
  given 
  

   by 
  Clark 
  as 
  a 
  place 
  of 
  much 
  grass 
  openings 
  or 
  prairies. 
  This 
  

   alluded 
  to 
  the 
  many 
  fields 
  abandoned 
  as 
  the 
  Onondagas 
  removed 
  

   their 
  villages, 
  for 
  they 
  occupied 
  several 
  places 
  in 
  these 
  towns. 
  

  

  Mr 
  Clark 
  added: 
  "Another 
  name 
  given 
  to 
  this 
  locality, 
  not 
  often 
  

   repeated, 
  and 
  about 
  which 
  there 
  is 
  much 
  superstitious 
  reserve, 
  is 
  

   Ote-queh-sah-he-eh, 
  the 
  field 
  of 
  blood 
  or 
  bloody 
  ground 
  — 
  a 
  place 
  

   where 
  many 
  have 
  - 
  been 
  slain. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  said 
  that 
  no 
  Indian 
  ever 
  

   visits 
  this 
  neighborhood. 
  They 
  certainly 
  very 
  much 
  dislike 
  to 
  con- 
  

   verse 
  about 
  it. 
  A. 
  Cusick 
  did 
  not 
  know 
  Pompey 
  by 
  this 
  name, 
  but 
  

   defined 
  it 
  as 
  blood 
  spilled. 
  There 
  is 
  no 
  evidence 
  of 
  early 
  battles 
  

   there, 
  but 
  the 
  allusion 
  is 
  to 
  the 
  numerous 
  cemeteries. 
  In 
  Iroquois 
  

   speech 
  even 
  a 
  peaceful 
  death 
  might 
  be 
  considered 
  as 
  the 
  shedding 
  

   of 
  blood. 
  Thus, 
  in 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  condoling 
  songs 
  the 
  people 
  are 
  re- 
  

   minded 
  that 
  their 
  great 
  men, 
  warriors, 
  women, 
  and 
  even 
  little 
  

   children 
  were 
  daily 
  borne 
  into 
  the 
  earth, 
  " 
  so 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  midst 
  of 
  

   blood 
  you 
  are 
  sitting. 
  Now, 
  therefore, 
  we 
  say, 
  we 
  will 
  wash 
  off 
  the 
  

   blood 
  marks 
  from 
  your 
  seat." 
  Thus 
  to 
  call 
  a 
  place 
  a 
  field 
  of 
  blood 
  

   might 
  be 
  merely 
  to 
  say 
  it 
  was 
  a 
  place 
  where 
  many 
  were 
  buried. 
  

   Many 
  illustrations 
  could 
  be 
  cited. 
  

  

  O-tis'-co 
  or 
  Otskah 
  lake 
  appears 
  as 
  Ostisco 
  on 
  a 
  map 
  of 
  1825. 
  

   Spafford 
  said 
  : 
  "Otisco 
  is 
  from 
  Ostickney, 
  signifying 
  waters 
  much 
  

  

  