Notes on the Iroquois / or, Contributions to the Statistics, Aboriginal History, Antiquities and General Ethnology of Western New-York

by Henry Rowe Schoolcraft

APPENDIX.

(A.)
Letter from the Secretary of State to Henry R. Schoolcraft, &c.

Secretary’s Office, }
Albany, June 25th, 1845.}

Henry R. Schoolcraft, Esq.

SIR—I have deemed it proper to appoint you to take the enumeration of the Indians residing on the following reservations, to wit: The Oneida, Onondaga, Tuscarora, and the Reservations of the Senecas, one or more in each of the counties of Allegany, Cattaraugus and Erie, and also of the Tonewanda Indians in the county of Genesee.

Your duties are summarily defined in the fifteenth section of the act of the Legislature, which authorizes me to make this appointment, and to which I invite your attention.

On calling at this office you will be furnished with the proper blanks to enable you to perform the duties of the important trust committed to your hands, which will indicate with sufficient precision the method of ascertaining the numbers, ages, sex, condition and classification of the remnants of this interesting race. You will find, on running through and examining the blanks for these returns, full scope for all the information that can be of any practical use.

I desire you will be very particular and minute in your inquiries in respect to every matter which relates to agricultural and statistical information, as well as of all other information called for by the returns, which will be furnished to you.

It is believed, from the information which has been received at this office, that there may be found, at the different reservations, Indians who were not originally of the tribe or stock to which they now profess, perhaps, to belong. You will, as far as may be in your power, and without exciting the jealousy and distrust of the Indians, endeavor to ascertain the number of their people, now living at the different reservations, who are not of the original stock or tribe with whom they are now sojourning.

It is important that you do not consolidate or bring into one return any more than the inhabitants of one reservation, and a sufficient number of blank returns will be furnished to enable you to accomplish this object without any difficulty, and you can use some one of the columns which will otherwise be found useless, to denote or mark the number who derive their subsistence from the chase.

It is expected that you will complete the enumeration, and file the several returns in the Secretary’s office by the first day of September next, that I may be able to prepare abstracts and copies to be submitted to the Legislature at the next session.

You will no doubt experience some difficulties in the performance of the duties devolved upon you, owing to the jealousy of the Indians and the novelty of these proceedings; this, it is believed, being the first effort of the kind ever attempted by the State. You will assure our red brethren, that, in taking this enumeration of them, and making the inquiries into their present condition and situation, the Legislature, the Governor of the State, or any of the officers, have no other objects in view but their welfare and happiness.

The Indians within our State are under its guardian care and protection, and it is a high duty that is now to be performed of sending a competent and well qualified citizen to visit them, and inquire particularly into their situation. We have no connection with the government of the United States, or any land company, which prompts to these inquiries into their present social condition.

You will be at liberty to extend your inquiries to the early history and antiquarian remains of the Indians in the central and western parts of the State, but it is desired that these may be as brief as the nature of these inquiries will allow.

With these views of the subject I commit this important trust to your hands, confidently expecting and anticipating a very satisfactory result.

I have the honor to be, with great respect,
Your ob’t ser’t,
N. S. BENTON,
Secretary of State.

P. S. Please to advise me of your acceptance, and also state when you will probably call here to receive the blanks and commence your duties. duties.
N. S. B.

[a.] Fifteenth Section of an Act relative to the Census or Enumeration of the Inhabitants of the State, passed May 7, 1845.

§ 15. It shall be the duty of the secretary of state to appoint suitable persons to take the enumeration of the Indians residing on the several reservations in this state, who shall in respect to such reservations perform all the duties required of marshals by this act; and shall also return the number of acres of land cultivated by such Indians, and such other statistics as it may be in their power to collect, and as the secretary of state in his instructions shall prescribe; for which service they shall be paid out of the treasury upon the warrant of the comptroller such suitable compensation, not exceeding two dollars per day, as the secretary shall certify to be just. All expenses incurred by the secretary of state in executing this act shall be paid by the treasurer upon the warrant of the comptroller.

[b.] Attorneys or Agents of Indians appointed by the State.

Tribe.	Attorney or Agent.	Residence.	County.
Oneida Indians,	Spencer H. Stafford, Att’y,	Vernon,	Oneida
Seneca Indians,	Cephas R. Leland,	Hanover,	Chautauque
Onondaga Indians,	Wm. W. Teall, Agent,	Syracuse,	Onondaga

[c.] Reservations

Cattaraugus County: Reservation on the Allegany river, Oil Spring reservation. Erie County: Buffalo creek reservation, Part of Cattaraugus reservation. Allegany County: Part of Oil Spring reservation in this county. Genesee County: The Tonawanda reservation is principally in this county. Onondaga County: Onondaga reservation. Niagara County: Tuscarora Indian reservation. Oneida County: Oneida reservation.

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(B.)
Extracts from a Rough Diary of Notes by the way.

Such parts only of these notes and memorandums are retained, as have been referred to, as original materials, of which there is some particular fact or statement, which has not been exhausted. Sometimes the note itself was chiefly of a mnemonic character, and designed to recall further particulars entrusted to the memory.

MEMORANDA, NEW-YORK, JULY 1.
ANTIQUITIES OF NEW-YORK.

Localities to be examined, namely:

1.	Pompey, Onondaga.
	Vestiges of a town, 500 acres.
	Three circular walls, or elliptical forts, 8 miles apart.
	These formed a triangle, enclosing the town.
2.	Camillus, Onondaga.
	Two forts.
	One 3 acres on a high hill.
	East, a gate, west, spring 10 rods off.
	Shape elliptical.
	Ditch deep.
	Wall 10 feet high.
	Second fort, half a mile distant.
	Lower ground.
	Constructed like the other.
	About half as large.
	Shells, testaceous animals—plenty.
	Fragments, pottery.
	Pieces of brick.
	“Other signs” of ancient settlement, found by first settlers. [Clinton.]
3.1	East bank of Seneca River.
	Six miles south of Cross and Salt lakes.
	Forty miles south of Oswego.
	Discovered 1791, New-York Magazine, 1792 with picture writing, on a stone 5 feet by 3½, and 6 inches thick, evidently sepulchral.
	Two hundred and twenty yards length.
	Fifty-five yards breadth.
	Bank and ditch entire.
	Two apertures middle of parallelogram, one towards the water, other land.
	Second work, half a mile south.
	Half-moon.
	Outwork.
	Singularity, extremities of the crescent from larger fort.
	Bank and ditch of both, large old trees.
	Pottery well burned, red, indented.
	East, these works traced 18 miles east of Manlius square.
4.1	Oxford, Chenango county.
	East banks Chenango river.
	Great antiquity.
	North to Sandy creek, 14 miles from Sacketts Harbor, near one which covers 50 acres.
	Fragments of pottery.
	West in great numbers.
5.	Onondaga Town.
6.	Scipio.
7.	Auburn, two forts.
8.	Canandaigua, three forts.
9.	Between Seneca and Cayuga lakes—several.
10.	Ridgeway, Genesee:
	Several forts and places of burial.
11.	Allen’s Residence, 1788.
	Two miles west.
	A flat.
	Deserted Indian village.
	Junction of Allen’s creek with Genesee.
	Eight miles north of Kanawageas.
	Five miles north of Magic Spring.
	Six acres.
	Six gates.
	Ditch eight feet wide.
	Six feet deep.
	Circular on three sides.
	Fourth side, a high bank.
	A covered way, near two hundred years old.
	Second, half a mile south, on a greater eminence.
	Less dimensions.
	But deeper ditch.
	More lofty and commanding.
12.	Joaika:
	Twenty-six miles west of Kanawageas.
	Six miles further.
	Tegatainedaghgwe, or double-fortified town.
	A fort at each end.
	First about four acres.
	Two miles distant another.
	Eight acres.
	Ditch about first five or six feet deep.
	Small stream one side.
	Traces of six gates.
	Dug way to the water.
	Large oaks two hundred years old or more.
	Remains of a funeral pile—bones.
	Mound six feet by twenty—thirty diameter—(sixty to ninety.)
13.	Path To Buffalo Creek:
	Heights—fortified.
14.	West of Tonawanda:
	Still another.
15.	On Branch of the Delaware:
	A fort one thousand years old, by trees.
16.	South side of Erie:
	Cattaraugus creek to Pennsylvania line, fifty miles.
	Two to four miles apart—some half a mile.
	Some contain five acres.
	Wall and breast-works of earth.
	Appearance of ancient beds of creeks.
	[Note the geological change.]
	Lake Erie retired from two to five miles.
17.	Further South:
	A chain of parallel forts.
	Two table grounds.
	Recession of lake.

All these vestiges denote long periods of time, and probably different eras of occupation. Who preceded the Iroquois? Who preceded their predecessors? Do these vestiges tell the story? How shall we study them? By antiquities; by language; by comparison with other races of America, Asia, Africa, Europe.

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Albany, July 5th.—Examine the site of ancient Mohawk residence in 1609, on the island and its vicinity at the mouth of Norman’s Kill. Look for their ancient burial places. Bones, pieces of pottery, and other objects of art may tell something bearing on their history. Is the Oasis opposite the turnpike gate, the site of their ancient burial-ground? Is this the spot denoted by their name of Tawasentha, or is it to be sought in other places, at the mouth, or up the valley of this stream?

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Utica.—The Mohawk valley appears to have no monumental, or other evidences of its having been occupied by races prior to the Mohawks.

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Vernon.—Who were the original race that first set foot in Oneida county? When did the Oneidas come? Where did they originate, and how? They are said to be the youngest of the Six Nations.

L. Hitchcock Esq. says that he was present, when a boy, some forty years ago, when the last executions for witchcraft among the Oneidas took place. The suspected persons were two females. The executioner was Hon Yost. They were dispatched unawares, by the tomahawk.

Sachan, a strong wind, or tempest, was the Oneida name for Col. L. S.

The principal tributary to the Oneida creek which traverses this rich grazing town, is called after the noted chief, (to adopt the common pronunciation,) Scanado. It means a deer. The old orthography, for this word is Skenandoah.

Mr. Tracy, of Utica, whose authority on this point is good, gives Tegesoken, as the Indian name of Fish creek. It means, between the months.

Cowassalon creek, i. e., bushes hanging over the water.

Canastota. One pitch pine tree.

Aontagillon. Brook of the pointed rock.

Kunyonskota. White creek (on Dean’s patent.)

Kanaghtarageara. Place of washing the penis. This is a dark ravine. This word appears to be Mohawk.

Sa-da-quoit. Smooth pebbles in the bed of the stream—creek at New-Hartford. All these are in Oneida county.

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Ot, Judge J. says, means water in the Oneida tongue.

Otsego, he adds, is from Ot, water, and Sago, hail, welcome, how d’ye do? This I don’t believe. It is not in accordance with the Indian principles of combination.