306 THE INDIAN OCCUPANCY 



Archaeology of the Niagara Frontier. 



The antiquities of the Niagara Frontier comprise the sites 

 occupied by villages, and their attendant burial places; camp 

 sites; quarries and factories; earth-works; imperishable arti- 

 facts ; and the bones of the primitive inhabitants. 



Village Sites. 



The word "village" when used here, means any Indian com- 

 munity established at one place for a reasonable length of time. 

 It applies to any collection of homes of a settled people. 



Large village sites occur on both sides of the Niagara River 

 and from the "Mountain Ridge" to Cattaraugus Creek. They 

 occur in four groups, viz: (a) at Cattaraugus Creek; (b) at 

 Buffalo Cieek; (c) at the "Mountain Ridge;" (d) on the Niagara 

 River. 



Every site is situated on a water-course. The Indians had 

 no knowledge of wells, and relied for a supply of water, upon 

 running streams. Nearness to a stream was therefore a prime 

 necessity. Some of the streams were sufficiently large to be 

 navigable for canoes and so gave access to distant sources of 

 food supply. The larger streams gave a limited supply of food, 

 and even the brooks upon which some of the villages were situ- 

 ated supplied small fish and clams. 



Many of the sites were selected because they could easily be 

 defended. Nearly every site occupies a commanding position. 

 Some are on the "Mountain Ridge" overlooking the broad On- 

 tario plains; others are on bluffs or high terraces of the streams. 



Nearly all the villages stood on dry, welhdrained ground. 

 In some few cases the soil is wet and clayey, but this disadvan- 

 tage was seemingly overbalanced by some special advantage, as 

 nearness to an abundant food supply, or natural strength of 

 position. 



As a large village means a settled people, so also does it 

 mean an agricultural population. It is therefore to be expected 

 that every village be situated in the midst of fertile land suita- 

 ble for the raising of corn. Every village was so situated. 

 Along the Cattaraugus and Buffalo Creeks they stood on the 

 highest terraces overlooking the fertile "flats", and on the 

 "Mountain Ridge" they overlooked the rich plains at its foot. 



