﻿AN 
  ERIE 
  INDIAN 
  VILLAGE 
  AND 
  BURIAL 
  SITE 
  529 
  

  

  Destruction 
  of 
  the 
  Eries. 
  One 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  picturesque 
  and 
  

   tragic 
  accounts 
  of 
  these 
  people 
  is 
  given 
  in 
  the 
  Relation 
  of 
  1655-56. 
  

   It 
  is 
  the 
  story 
  of 
  their 
  destruction. 
  In 
  the 
  account 
  they 
  are 
  called 
  

   the 
  Cat 
  nation 
  (La 
  Nation 
  du 
  Chat). 
  The 
  Jesuit 
  account 
  is 
  with- 
  

   out 
  doubt 
  essentially 
  correct 
  and 
  differs 
  in 
  many 
  respects 
  from 
  the 
  

   rather 
  fanciful 
  Seneca 
  tradition. 
  In 
  one 
  particular 
  both 
  accounts 
  

   agree 
  and 
  that 
  is 
  that 
  the 
  Eries 
  brought 
  destruction 
  upon 
  themselves 
  

   by 
  their 
  own 
  folly. 
  

  

  The 
  account 
  as 
  given 
  in 
  the 
  Thwaite's 
  edition 
  of 
  the 
  Relations 
  

   follows 
  : 
  

  

  CAUSE 
  OF 
  WAR 
  AGAINST 
  THE 
  CAT 
  NATION 
  

  

  The 
  Cat 
  Nation 
  had 
  sent 
  30 
  Ambassadors 
  to 
  the 
  Sonnontoua- 
  

   hronnons 
  to 
  confirm 
  the 
  peace 
  between 
  them; 
  but 
  it 
  happened 
  that 
  

   by 
  some 
  unexpected 
  accident, 
  that 
  a 
  Sonnontouahronnon 
  was 
  killed 
  

   by 
  a 
  man 
  of 
  the 
  Cat 
  Nation. 
  This 
  murder 
  so 
  incensed 
  the 
  Son- 
  

   nontouahronnons, 
  that 
  they 
  put 
  to 
  death 
  the 
  Ambassadors 
  in 
  their 
  

   hands, 
  except 
  five 
  who 
  escaped. 
  Hence 
  the 
  war 
  was 
  kindled 
  be- 
  

   tween 
  those 
  two 
  Nations, 
  and 
  each 
  strove 
  to 
  capture 
  and 
  burn 
  

   more 
  prisoners 
  than 
  its 
  opponent. 
  Two 
  Onnontagehronnons 
  

   among 
  others 
  were 
  captured 
  by 
  men 
  of 
  the 
  Cat 
  Nation; 
  one 
  

   of 
  them 
  escaped 
  and 
  the 
  other, 
  a 
  man 
  of 
  rank, 
  was 
  taken 
  home 
  by 
  

   the 
  enemy 
  to 
  be 
  burnt. 
  He 
  pleaded 
  his 
  cause 
  so 
  well 
  that 
  he 
  was 
  

   given 
  to 
  the 
  sister 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  30 
  Ambassadors 
  who 
  had 
  been 
  put 
  

   to 
  death. 
  She 
  was 
  absent 
  from 
  the 
  village 
  at 
  the 
  time; 
  but 
  the 
  

   prisoner 
  was 
  nevertheless 
  clothed 
  in 
  fine 
  garments, 
  and 
  feasting 
  and 
  

   good 
  cheer 
  prevailed, 
  the 
  man 
  being 
  all 
  but 
  assured 
  that 
  he 
  would 
  

   be 
  sent 
  back 
  to 
  his 
  own 
  Country. 
  When 
  she 
  to 
  whom 
  he 
  had 
  been 
  

   given 
  returned, 
  she 
  was 
  told 
  that 
  her 
  dead 
  brother 
  was 
  to 
  be 
  restored 
  

   to 
  life, 
  that 
  she 
  must 
  prepare 
  to 
  regale 
  him 
  well, 
  and 
  then 
  to 
  give 
  

   him 
  a 
  most 
  gracious 
  dismissal. 
  She, 
  however, 
  began 
  to 
  weep 
  and 
  

   declare 
  that 
  she 
  would 
  never 
  dry 
  her 
  eyes 
  until 
  her 
  brother's 
  death 
  

   was 
  avenged. 
  The 
  Elders 
  showed 
  her 
  the 
  gravity 
  of 
  the 
  situation, 
  

   which 
  was 
  likely 
  to 
  involve 
  them 
  in 
  a 
  new 
  war 
  ; 
  but 
  she 
  would 
  not 
  

   yield. 
  Finally 
  they 
  were 
  compelled 
  to 
  give 
  up 
  the 
  wretched 
  man 
  

   to 
  her 
  to 
  do 
  with 
  him 
  as 
  she 
  pleased. 
  All 
  this 
  occurred 
  while 
  he 
  

   was 
  still 
  joyfully 
  feasting. 
  Without 
  a 
  word 
  he 
  was 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  

   feast 
  and 
  conducted 
  to 
  this 
  cruel 
  woman's 
  cabin. 
  Upon 
  entering 
  he 
  

   was 
  surprised 
  at 
  being 
  stripped 
  of 
  his 
  clothes. 
  Then 
  he 
  saw 
  that 
  

   his 
  life 
  was 
  lost, 
  and 
  he 
  cried 
  out, 
  before 
  dying, 
  that 
  an 
  entire 
  people 
  

   would 
  be 
  burned 
  in 
  his 
  person, 
  and 
  that 
  his 
  death 
  would 
  be 
  cruelly 
  

   avenged. 
  His 
  words 
  proved 
  true 
  ; 
  for 
  no 
  sooner 
  had 
  the 
  news 
  

   reached 
  Onnontague, 
  than 
  1200 
  determined 
  men 
  started 
  forth 
  to 
  

   exact 
  satisfaction 
  for 
  this 
  affront. 
  

  

  We 
  have 
  already 
  observed 
  that 
  the 
  Cat 
  Nation 
  is 
  so 
  called 
  from 
  

   the 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  Wildcats, 
  of 
  great 
  size 
  and 
  beauty 
  in 
  their 
  

   country. 
  The 
  Climate 
  is 
  temperate, 
  neither 
  ice 
  nor 
  snow 
  being 
  

   seen 
  in 
  the 
  winter; 
  while 
  in 
  summer 
  it 
  is 
  said 
  that 
  grain 
  and 
  fruit 
  

   are 
  harvested 
  in 
  abundance, 
  and 
  are 
  of 
  unusual 
  size 
  and 
  excellence. 
  

  

  