INDIANS OF THE WOODLANDS 17 



Southwest Wing 

 INDIANS OF THE WOODLANDS 



The halls to the west contain collections from the North American 

 Indians of the Indians and together with the hall in the south central 

 Woodlands wing present the nine great cull ure areas of Nbrl h America 

 (See map on the right of the entrance.) 



The hall you now enter represents three of these culture; areas. 

 Filling the greater part of the hall are the tribes of the Eastern Wood- 

 lands who occupied the middle portion of the North American continent 

 east of the Mississippi. In two wall cases on the left are exhibits of the 

 Mackenzie region of the North and of the related tribes in Alaska west 

 of that region. Midway of the hall on the right side are represented the 

 peoples of the Southeast. 



Near the entrance of the hall will be found the remains of our local 

 Indians. On the left are some specimens of pottery vessels and many 

 small objects of stone and bone recovered from the Island of Man- 

 hattan and the neighboring territory of Staten Island, Long Island 

 and Westchester. Nearby on the same side of the hall are collections 

 obtained from living Indians of the coast region north and south of 

 New York. These are the Penobscot and Passamaquoddy of Maine, 

 the Micmac and Malecite of the lower provinces of Canada, and a few 

 but rare objects from the Delaware who once occupied the vicinity of 

 New York City and the State of New Jersey. The age and historical 

 relations of these cultures are shown in a large label at the left of the 

 entrance. 



On the opposite side, the north, are the Iroquois whose league 

 comprised the Mohawk, Seneca, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga and later 

 the Tuscarora. They dominated New York and much adjoining terri- 

 tory. The exhibits represent particularly the agriculture of the East, 

 which was carried on with rude tools by the women. 



In a case in the aisle are exhibited wampum belts which were highly 

 esteemed in this region. They served as credentials for messengers 

 and as records of treaties and other important events. Later, wampum 

 beads came to have a definite value as currency, especially in trade 

 between the white men and the Indians. 



In the farther end of the hall, on the left, are the collections from 

 the Ojibway, Hiawatha's people, who lived mainly north of the Great 

 Lakes. They had but little agriculture, living chiefly by hunting and 

 fishing. Beyond the Ojibway are the Cree, who live still farther north. 

 Here is to be seen the rabbit skin clothing of our childhood rhymes. 



