﻿462 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  passed 
  beyond 
  our 
  borders 
  and 
  their 
  descendants, 
  if 
  perchance 
  they 
  

   may 
  be 
  found, 
  are 
  too 
  far 
  removed 
  in 
  ancestry 
  and 
  from 
  ancient 
  

   domain 
  and 
  conditions 
  to 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  tell 
  us 
  much 
  of 
  ethnic 
  interest. 
  

   The 
  Iroquois 
  who 
  held 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  remainder 
  of 
  the 
  territory 
  re- 
  

   main, 
  but 
  during 
  the 
  past 
  40 
  years 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  stripped 
  of 
  their 
  

   ancient 
  heirlooms 
  and 
  treasured 
  relics 
  by 
  collectors 
  who 
  have 
  been 
  

   silently 
  busy. 
  There 
  will 
  be 
  no 
  more 
  harvests 
  of 
  the 
  old 
  products 
  

   of 
  Iroquois 
  handicraft 
  — 
  we 
  may 
  only 
  pick 
  up 
  a 
  few 
  scattered 
  

   specimens 
  that 
  remain 
  hidden 
  in 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  way 
  corners. 
  The 
  State 
  

   for 
  many 
  reasons 
  has 
  been 
  oblivious' 
  to 
  the 
  true 
  conditions 
  and 
  not 
  

   until 
  1896 
  was 
  there 
  an 
  awakening 
  when 
  through 
  the 
  influence 
  of 
  Dr 
  

   Melvil 
  Dewey, 
  Secretary 
  of 
  the 
  Board 
  of 
  Regents, 
  the 
  following 
  

   bill 
  was 
  drafted 
  and 
  submitted 
  to 
  the 
  Legislature 
  : 
  

  

  There 
  shall 
  be 
  made 
  as 
  the 
  Indian 
  section 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  Museum, 
  

   as 
  complete 
  a 
  collection 
  as 
  practicable 
  of 
  the 
  historic, 
  ethnographic 
  

   and 
  other 
  records 
  and 
  relics 
  of 
  the 
  Indians 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  New 
  

   York, 
  including 
  implements 
  or 
  other 
  articles 
  pertaining 
  to 
  their 
  

   domestic 
  life, 
  agriculture, 
  the 
  chase, 
  war, 
  religion, 
  burial 
  and 
  other 
  

   rites 
  or 
  customs, 
  or 
  otherwise 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  Indians 
  of 
  New 
  

   York. 
  

  

  The 
  trustees 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  Museum 
  shall 
  appoint 
  on 
  its 
  staff 
  a 
  

   competent 
  curator, 
  without 
  salary, 
  to 
  make 
  and 
  arrange 
  this 
  Indian 
  

   collection, 
  and 
  for 
  his 
  necessary 
  expenses, 
  and 
  for 
  collecting 
  or 
  buy- 
  

   ing 
  specimens 
  for 
  the 
  Indian 
  collection, 
  there 
  shall 
  be 
  paid 
  by 
  the 
  

   Treasurer, 
  on 
  the 
  warrant 
  of 
  the 
  Comptroller, 
  from 
  any 
  money 
  not 
  

   otherwise 
  appropriated, 
  not 
  to 
  exceed 
  $5000. 
  

  

  The 
  bill 
  was 
  passed 
  and 
  became 
  chapter 
  586 
  of 
  the 
  laws 
  of 
  1896. 
  

   Then 
  followed 
  the 
  activities 
  of 
  Mr 
  A. 
  G. 
  Richmond 
  who 
  became 
  

   honorary 
  curator 
  of 
  the 
  collection, 
  and 
  of 
  Mrs 
  Harriet 
  Maxwell 
  

   Converse. 
  With 
  the 
  appropriation 
  at 
  service 
  Mr 
  Richmond 
  pur- 
  

   chased 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  collections 
  from 
  central 
  and 
  northern 
  New 
  York 
  

   that 
  today 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  duplicated. 
  Among 
  the 
  collections 
  are 
  those 
  

   of 
  John 
  S. 
  Twining 
  of 
  Copenhagen, 
  N. 
  Y., 
  of 
  Charles 
  F. 
  Moseley 
  

   of 
  Bergen, 
  N. 
  Y., 
  of 
  William 
  Lay 
  and 
  A. 
  D. 
  Crone 
  of 
  Honeoye 
  

   Falls, 
  N. 
  Y., 
  of 
  W. 
  S. 
  Stone, 
  Mt 
  Vernon, 
  N. 
  Y., 
  of 
  Dr 
  William 
  G. 
  

   Hinsdale, 
  Syracuse, 
  N. 
  Y., 
  and 
  of 
  L. 
  Walter 
  Ledyard, 
  Cazenovia, 
  

   N. 
  Y. 
  Active 
  work 
  in 
  the 
  field 
  was 
  done 
  under 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  Mr 
  

   Richmond 
  in 
  the 
  counties 
  of 
  Madison, 
  Onondaga, 
  Montgomery 
  and 
  

   Fulton 
  and 
  resulted 
  in 
  what 
  is 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  de 
  Clercq 
  collection, 
  

   from 
  the 
  Messrs 
  de 
  Clercq 
  and 
  Hall 
  who 
  did 
  the 
  excavating. 
  

  

  Mrs 
  Harriet 
  Maxwell 
  Converse 
  manifested 
  her 
  genuine 
  interest 
  

   by 
  donating 
  as 
  a 
  memorial 
  to 
  her 
  father, 
  Hon. 
  Thomas 
  Maxwell, 
  a 
  

   magnificent 
  collection 
  of 
  articles 
  of 
  dress, 
  domestic 
  utensils, 
  fabrics 
  

  

  