Skip to main content

Full text of "The Indians of Manhattan island and vicinity"

See other formats 


AMERICAN  MUSLUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

THL  INDIANS  OF  MANHATTAN 
ISLAND  AND  VICINITY 


BY  ALANSON  SKINNLR 


GUIDL  LLAFLLT  SLRILS  No.  41 


\  I       W>-          V,,  .~~f-4>^  \->V-  V   A         SJT  I 

v  ^"~"    C^       ^"^     °~~  •-     %^         "    "      C  ^^vA 

POPULAR  PUBLICATIONS 

OF  THE 
AMERICAN     MUSEUM1  OF     NATURAL     HISTORY 


HANDBOOKS 


These  deal  with  subjects  illustrated  by  the  collections  rather  than  with  the  objects 
themselves. 

NORTH  AMERICAN  INDIANS  OF  THE  PLAINS.     By  CLARK  WISSLER,  Ph  D 
Curator  of  Anthropology.     October,  1912,  _145  pages,  maps  and  illustrations! 
Paper,  25  cents;  doth  50  cents. 

This  gives  an  account  of  the  Material  Culture,  Social  Organization, 
Religion,  Ceremonies,  Arts  and  Languages  of  the  Plains  Indians  of  North 
America. 

INDIANS  OF  THE  SOUTHWEST.  By  PLINY  EARLE  GODDARD,  Ph.D.,  Associate 
Curator,  Department  of  Anthropology.  March,  1913,  190  pages,  maps  and 
many  illustrations.  Paper,  25  cents;  doth,  50  cents. 

A  resume  of  our  present  knowledge  of  these  interesting  Indians.  Among 
the  subjects  treated  are  the  Spanish  Conquest,  Cliff  Dwellings,  ..Native 
Weaving,  the  Potter's  Art  and  the  Hopi  Snake-dance. 

ANIMALS  OF  THE  PAST.  A  popular  -account  of  some  of  the'  Creatures  of  the 
Ancient  World.  By  FREDERIC  A.  LUCAS,  Sc.D.,  Director  of  the  Museum. 
250  pages  with  41  illustrations  by  Charles  R.  Knight  and  Joseph  Gleeson.  Paper 
35  cents. 

This,  now  revised  as  one  of  the  series  of  Museum  Handbooks,  tells  of 
mammoth  and  mastodon,  of  the  giants  among  birds,  the  sea  lizards  and  the 
huge  dinosaurs. 


ILLUSTRATED   GUIDE    LEAFLETS 

These  describe  some  exhibit,  or  series  of  exhibits,  of  special  interest  or 
importance,  or  may  deal  with  the  contents  of  an  entire  hall. 

SOME  OF  THE   LEAFLETS 

NORTH  AMERICAN  RUMINANTS.     By  J.  A.  ALLEN,  Ph.D.,  Curator  of  Mam- 
malogy and  Ornithology.     Revised  edition,  February,  1904.     Price,  10  cents. 

Describes  the  rapidly  disappearing  large  game  of  North  America,  such 
as  the  Bison,  Elk  and  Mountain  Sheep. 

THE   METEORITES   IN  THE  FOYER  OF  THE  AMERICAN   MUSEUM   OF 
NATURAL  HISTORY.     By  EDMUND  OTIS  HOVEY,  Ph.D.,  Curator,  Depart- 
ment of  Geology  and  Invertebrate  Palaeontology.     December,    1907      Price 
10  cents. 


THE  CENTRAL  CHILDREN'S  ROOM 
DONNELL  LIBRARY  CENTER 

WEST  53  STREET 
iW  YORK,  N.Y^IOOH,  . 


AMAHIKAN    INDIAN   CHIEF   FROM   THE   HUDSON    RIVER   BELOW  ALBANY 


Note  his  war  club,  the  shape  of  which  is  common  in  his  region,  the  thunderbirds  painted  or  tattooed 
on  his  face  and  his  belt  embroidered  with  dyed  deer's  hair.  His  totem,  the  Tortoise,  is  at  his  feet. 
This  man  and  the  three  Mohawk  Chiefs  shown  following  formed  a  party  which  visited  England  in  1709. 

From  an  engraving  in  the  possession  of  the  New  York  Historical  Society. 


INDIANS  OF  MANHATTAN  ISLAND  AND  VICINITY. 

By    Alanson    Skinner, 

Department  of  Anthropology. 


INTRODUCTION. 


THERE  is  no  subject  which 
makes  a  more  forceful  appeal 
to  the  student,  the  historian, 
or  even  the  general  reader,  than  that 
of  the  native  inhabitants  of  what  is 
now  (Ireater  Xe\v  York;  yet  there  is 
no  subject  upon  which  it  is  more 
difficult  to  obtain  information,  for  our 
Colonial  ancestors  have  left  us  but  few 
accounts  of  their  observations,  and 
these  are  in  tomes  that  are  rare  and 
difficult  of  access. 

The  aborigines  themselves  have  so 
nearly  passed  into  oblivion,  that  no 
heli>  can  be  obtained  from  their 
scattered  and  degenerate  remnants  in 
exile  in  the  west,  so  that  we  must  turn 
to  two  sources  for  our  knowledge; 
the  writings  of  the  first  white  settlers, 
already  mentioned,  and  the  archaeo- 
logical remains,  the  imperishable 
objects  of  stone,  clay,  bone  and  antler, 
which  the  vanished  red  men  have  left 
behind  them  on  their  ancient  dwelling 

places. 

The  writings  of  the  Colonists  tell  us 
that  in  appearance  the  Manhattans 
and  their  neighbors  were  tall  and  well- 
built,  with  black  hair  and  eyes  and 
not  unpleasing  laces.  Their  dispo- 
sition is  noted  as  mild,  except  when 
aroused,  when  they  are  said  to  have 
been  very  greedy  of  vengeance. 

The  men  -haved  their  heads,  or 
rather  burned  off  their  hair  with  hoi 
stones,  leaving  often  a  standing  roach 


of  stiff  black  hair  two  or  three  inches 
high  and  as  many  broad,  running  from 
the  forehead  to  the  nape  of  the  neck, 
and  the  lock  which  hung  from  the 
crown  was  generally  allowed  to  grow 
much  longer.  This  was  the  famous 
.sro/^/ocA',  which  the  warrior  culti- 
vated in  defiance  of  the  enemy,  who 
might  take  it  if  he  could.  Sometimes 
they  wore  a  roach  of  red  dyed  deer 
hair,  exactly  similar  to  those  worn  by 
the  Sauk,  Fox,  Menomini,  and  other 
tribes  of  the  Central  West  today. 
Our  Indians  <li<l  not  wear  the  feather 
war-bonnet  so  characteristic  of  the 
Sioux  and  other  tribes  of  the  < Ireat 
Plains,  and  which  is  now  alwa\> 
placed  upon  the  Indians  in  the  con- 
ventional drawings  picturing  tin- 
sale  of  Manhattan  Island. 

The  Manhattan^  and  their  neigh- 
bors, unlike  the  Indians  west  and 
north  of  them,  wore  no  shirts  or  coats. 
Instead,  they  covered  the  upper  parts 
of  their  bodies  with  robes  made  of 
dressed  deer  leather,  of  wolf,  wildcat. 
(.!•  bear  fur,  or  of  the  shimmering 
feathers  of  the  wild  turkey,  neatly 
attached  to  a  netted  fabric.  So  closely 
and  carefully  were  these  feathers 
applied  that  they  are  said  to  have  shed 
the  rain. 

The  men  also  wore  loin  cloths  or 
breechclnut-  of  dres>ed  leather,  and 
legging-  and  moccasins  of  the  -a im- 
material. The  moccasins  of  all  the 


A  MOHAWK  CHIEF  FROM  THE  MOHAWK  VALLEY 

Observe  his  tattooing  and  his  belt  embroidered  with  dyed   deer's   hair.      His  totem,  the  Bear    is 
shown  at  his  side. 

From  an  engraving  in  the  possession  of  the  New  York  Historical  Society. 


I. \DIANS  OF  MANHATTAN  ISLAND 


Indian  tribes  east  of  the  Mississippi 
had  one  point  in  common,  they  were 
soft-soled,  but  west  of  the  Mississippi 
region  the  tribes  of  the  prairies  used 
hard  flat  soles  of  rawhide  for  their 
shoes. 

In  addition  to  this  costume  the 
warriors  wore  necklaces  of  dyed  deer 
hair,  of  native  copper  or  shell  beads, 
or  wampum ;  and  often  they  hung  over 
their  chests  pendants  of  stone  or 
gorgets,  such  as  are  still  to  be  found 
occasionally  upon  the  sites  of  their 
old  camps.  They  also  painted  their 
faces  with  various  pigments,  especially 
red  and  black,  which  they  obtained 
from  limonite  and  graphite  fragments. 
To  this  day  one  may  find  in  the  debris 
of  an  abandoned  Indian  lodge  bits  of 
these  paint  stones  showing  the  striated 
markings  of  the  stone  scrapers  with 
which  the  color  was  removed  for  use. 
The  Manhattans,  being  a  part  of  the 
Delaware  tribe,  an  important  group  of 
the  Algonkin  stock,  probably  followed 
the  ancient  Delaware  custom  of  tattoo- 
ing their  bodies,  with  designs  represent- 
ing their  dreams  and  warlike  exploits. 

Old  paintings  of  the  Delaware  show 
us  that  they  wore  their  knives,  and 
even  their  tobacco  pipes  and  pouches, 
suspended  from  their  necks.  The 
reason  for  wearing  their  knives  in  this 
position,  old  Indians  of  some  of  the 
central  western  tribes  declare,  was  so 
that  they  could  be  more  readily  sei/ed 
at  a  moment's  notice.  Besides  his 
deerskin  tobacco  pouch,  with  its  dyed 
hair  and  porcupine  quill  embroidery 
and  leathern  fringe,  each  warrior 
carried  a  war  club,  carved  of  wood, 
with  a  ball-shaped  head  set  at  right 
angles  from  the  handle,  and  a  six  foot 
bow  and  quiver  of  flint,  bone,  or  antler 
tipped  arrows. 


The  women  were  differently  clothed 
from  the  men.  They  often  wore  their 
hair  in  a  braid  over  which  they  drew  a 
"square  cap,"  ornamented  with  wam- 
pum. Presumably  this  hair  dress  was 
similar  to  that  used  by  the  Winnebago 
and  Sank  and  Fox  women  of  the 
middle  west  today,  examples  of  which 
may  be  found  in  the  cases  in  the  Wood- 
land Hall  under  the  various  tribal 
designations. 

The  women,  like  the  men,  were 
naked  to  the  waist,  save  for  the  robe, 
which  was  shifted  from  side  to  side, 
according  from  whence  the  coldest 
wind  blew.  They  wore,  however,  knee 
leggings  instead  of  the  hip  length  style 
of  the  warriors,  and  wrapped  about 
their  waists  a  single  square  piece  of 
fringed  leather,  which  was  open  at  one 
side  exactly  like  a  modern  sheath  skirt. 
Sometimes  these  skirts  were  not  made 
of  leather,  but  instead  were  of  cloth 
woven  from  Indian  hemp,  such  as  was 
also  used  to  make  bags.  The  women 
covered  their  gala  costumes  with 
wampum  beads,  and  quill  or  hair 
embroidery,  so  that  some  of  the  old 
chroniclers  declare  that  a  dress  of  this 
sort  was  often  worth  "above  300 
guilders."  Of  course  the  women,  like 
the  men,  protected  their  feet  with 
dainty  soft-soled  moccasins. 

The  houses  or  wigwams  of  the  Man- 
halt  an  and  their  neighbors  were  never 
the  conical  shaped,  leather  covered, 
painted  tipis  so  often  shown  in  illus- 
trations. Lodges  of  that  type  were 
only  found  in  the  (Ireat  Plains  area, 
and  northward  up  the  Macken/ie 
Hiver  and  thence  eastward  about 
Hudson  Bay  and  Labrador.  The 
Manhattan  lodges  were  of  bark,  and 
they  and  the  other  local  tribes  com- 
monly built  either  square  or  semi- 


A  MOHAWK  CHIEF  FROM  THE  MOHAWK  VALLEY. 

His  totem  was  the  Wolf,  which  is  shown  beside  him. 
From  an  engraving  in  the  possession  of  the  New  York  Historical  Society. 


I  \DIA\X  OF  MANHATTAN   ISLAM) 


globular  houses  of  poles  arched  over 
and  set  in  the  ground,  covered  with 
bark,  mats  made  of  rushes,  with  corn 
husks,  or  sedge  grass.  Such  houses 
looked  very  much  like  wooden  bowls 
turned  upside  down.  In  the  center  of 
each  wigwam  a  hole  was  duo-  in  the 
earthen  floor  to  hold  the  tire  so  that 
the  sparks  might  not  fly  up  and  ignite 
the  dry  walls  of  the  lodge. 

.  In  such  fire  holes,  marking  the  sites 
of  abandoned  Indian  houses,  archae- 
ologists may  still  find  fire-cracked 
stones,  wood  ashes,  the  split  bones  of 
deer  and  other  animals  broken  open 
to  extract  the  marrow,  oyster  shells, 
fragments  of  earthen  kettles,  stone 
and  bone  implements,  and  all  the  dis- 
carded debris  of  the  household  utensils 
which  were  thrown  away  by  their 
extinct  owners.  Sometimes  in  such  a 
place  whole  articles  are  to  be  had, 
hidden  there  perhaps  during  a  sudden 
attack,  and  never  recovered  by  the 
owner.  There  too,  in  winter,  when  the 
frozen  ground  outside  made  digging 
impossible,  the  bodies  of  the  dead 
were  sometimes  buried  in  the  useful 
fireplace,  and  the  lodge  either 
destroyed,  or  set  up  elsewhere.  In 
proof  of  this  skeletons  have  often  been 
found  in  these  forgotten  fireplaces. 

The  interior  furnishing  of  a  round 
lodge  was  simple  enough.  A  bench 
ran  all  around  the  inside  of  the  wall, 
and  on  this  the  inhabitants  sat  and 
slept.  Poles  swung  horizontally  from 
the  roof,  supported  strings  of  braided 
corn,  and  baskets  or  bags  of  food,  and 
other  paraphernalia.  A  hole  was  left 
in  the  roof,  directly  over  the  hearth, 
for  the  smoke  to  escape. 

Another  kind  of  house,  and  one  that 
was  probably  used  most  fre<|iiently 
in  the  summer,  was  a  square  lodge, 


made  of  poles  and  bark,  with  a  pointed 
or  rounded  roof  in  which  a  long  slot 
was  left  at  the  ridge  for  the  escape  of 
smoke.  Such  a  house  was  commonly 
occupied  by  a  number  of  related  fam- 
ilies, and  corresponded  in  many  way*', 
with  the  long  tenements  of  the  Iroquois. 
None  of  the  houses,  and  few  of  the 
villages  of  the  local  Indians  were  ever 
defended  by  palisades  or  trenches. 

\Ye  are  told  by  the  old  writers,  and 
archaeological  investigation  confirms 
them,  that  the  household  utensils  of 
the  Indians  were  pottery  vessels, 
nearly  always,  curiously  enough,  made 
with  a  pointed  bottom,  so  that  they 
had  to  be  propped  up  with  stones  when 
in  use,  calabashes  or  gourds  for  water, 
spoons  of  shell  and  wood,  wooden  bowls 
laboriously  made  by  burning  and 
scraping  knots  or  burls  of  trees,  and 
bone  awls  and  other  tools. 

The  Indians  derived  their  live- 
lihood by  farming  a  little,  for  they 
raised  corn,  beans,  pumpkins, 
squashes,  melons,  and  tobacco;  but 
mostly  by  fishing,  oystering,  and  clam 
gathering.  They  also  were  good 
hunters,  as  the  bones  of  various  ani- 
mals, so  common  on  their  old  kitchen 
refuse  heaps,  abundantly  prove.  How- 
ever, from  the  vast  heaps  of  oyster, 
clam,  mussel,  and  other  marine  shells, 
that  may  be  found  scattered  about  the 
old  Indian  camping  grounds,  it  is  obvious 
that  the  sea  furnished  most  of  their  food. 

They  caught  fish  in  seines  and  gill 
nets,  by  harpooning,  and  by  shooting 
with  the  bow  and  arrow;  they  killed 
deer  and  other  game  with  the  bow  and 
arrow,  often  hunting  in  large  com- 
panies. This  was,  with  the  waging 
of  war,  the  dut  y  of  the  men;  the  women 
tended  the  fields  and  probably  built 
and  owned  the  lodges. 


A  MOHAWK  CHIEF  FROM  THE  MOHAWK  VALLEY. 

Note  the  wampum  belt.     His  totem,  the  Wolf,  is  shown  beside  him. 
From  an  engraving  in  the  possession  of  the  New  York  Historical  Society. 


INDIANS  OF  MANHATTAN  ISLAND 


9 


In  their  fishing,  and  for  traveling  by 
water,  our  Indians  used  canoes  some- 
times made  from  heavy  elm-bark,  but 
more  often  hollowed  out  of  logs. 
Roger  Williams  says  of  the  Narrag- 
ansett  and  their  neighbors: 

Obs:  Mishoon,  an  Indian  Boat,  or  Canow 
made  of  a  Pine  or  Oake,  or  Chestnut-tree: 
1  have  seene  a  Native  goe  into  the  woods  with 
his  hatchet  carrying  onely  a  Basket  of  Corn,, 
with  him  and  stones  to  strike  fire  when  he 
had  felled  his  tree  (being  a  Chestnut )  he  made 
him  a  little  House  or  shed  of  the  bark  of  it 
he  puts  fire  and  followes  the  burning  of  it 
with  fire,  in  the  midst  in  many  places'  his 
corne  he  boyles  and  hath  the  Brook  by  him 
and  sometimes  angles  for  a  little  fish:  but  s<, 
hee  continues  burning  and  hewing  untill  he 
hath  within  ten  or  twelve  dayes  (lying  there 
at  his  work  alone)  finished,  and  (getting 
hands),  launched  his  boate  with  which  after- 
ward hee  ventures  out  to  fish  in  the  Ocean 


Obs.  Their  owne  reason  hath  tau»ht 
them,  to  pull  off  a  Coat  or  two  and  set  it  up 
on  a  small  pole,  with  which  they  will  saile 
before  a  wind  ten,  or  twenty  mile  &c. 

****** 

Obs:  It  is  wonderfull  to  see  how  they  will 
venture  in  those  Canoes,  and  how  (being  oft 
overset  as  I  have  myselfe  been  with  them) 
they  will  swim  a  mile,  yea  two  or  more  safe 
to  Land:  I  having  been  necessitated  to  passe 
Waters  diverse  times:  with  them,  it  hath 
pleased  God  to  make  them  many  times  the 
instruments  of  my  preservation,  and  when 
sometimes  in  great  danger  I  have  questioned 
safety,  they  have  said  to  me:  Feare  not,  if 
we  be  overset  I  will  carry  you  safe  to  Lan'd.i 

^Collections    of  the  Rhode  Island    Historical 
Society,  vol.  1,  pp.  98-99,  Providence,  1827. 


The  NEW  YORK  TIMES  for  July  10 
1906,  writes: 

Cherry  Hill  was  the  centre  of  an  excited 

•owe!  all  day  yesterday  when  the  news  got 

about  that  some  workmen  had  dug  U])  ail  ou 

Indian  canoe  in  an  excavation  at  the  corner 

ol  Cherry  and  Oliver  Streets 

Men,  women,  and  boys  and  girls  flocked 
to  the  spot,  and  so  blocked  the  streets  that 
the  police  of  the  Oak  Street  Station  had  to 
be  sent  there  to  keep  order. 

The  lower  part  of  Oliver  Street  is  made 
ground  for  in  the  old  days  the  waters  of  the 
-kast  River  used  to  wash  above  the  Cherry 
Street  line. 

Workmen  from  the  New  York  Edison  Com- 
pany had  made  an  excavation  about  eight 
feet  dee])  when  they  came  to  what  seemed  to 
be  a  big  log  near  the  bottom.  They  dug 
around  this  and  disclosed  to  view  what  the 
police  and  all  others  who  viewed  it  said  was 
half  of  an  Indian  canoe.  Then  the  workmen 
who  don  t  take  much  interest  in  anythin°- 
pertaining  to  the  American  Indian,  promptly 
got  an  axe  and  chopped  away  until  they  got 
"u|,  th.c;,  ^ber  in  sight,  leaving  the  other 
half  still  buried  in  the  mud. 

In  doing  this  they  split  the  canoe  into  three 
pieces,  and,  followed  by  an  admiring  crowd 
it  was  carried  to  the  corner  of  Frankfort  and 
1  earl  Streets,  and  deposited  on  a  pile  of  dirt 
under  the  Franklin  Square  elevated  station 
where  the  night  watchman   could   keep  his 
eye  on  it  until  to-day,  when  the  workmen 
expect  to  get  the  other  half  and  piece  the 
canoe  together. 

It  is  supposed  that  the  canoe  was  lying  in 
the  mud  a  hundred  years  ago  or  more,  when 
the  river  front  was  filled  in  to  make  more  land 
The  part  saved  is  about  7  feet  long  and  3  feet 
wide,  and  14  inches  deep,  and  tapers  to  an 
abrupt  and  rounded  end,  which  is  sharp, 
somewhat  like  the  Indian  canoes  of  the  West- 
ern Indian.  The  whole  was  hewn  from  a 
solid  log  of  white  pine  about  fourteen  feet 
long. 


Pound  at  Cherry  St.,  New  York. 
Manhattan. 


PART  OF  DUGOUT  CANOE. 

This  only  known  fraKin.ini  of  a  canoe  used   I,,    i|,(.  Indians  of 


10  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  GUIDE  LEAFLETS 

The  Indian  children,   shortly   after  "June  Meeting,"  which  was  formerly 

birth,   were   bound   to   a   stiff   board,  a  ceremony  held  for  the  green  corn, 

which  served  as  a  cradle,  and  there  they  The  Delaware  in  Oklahoma  and  Canada 

were  kept  until  they  were  able  to  walk  still  perform  a  number  of  other  annual 

and  run  about.     This  served  the  double  ceremonies. 

purpose  of  making  their  backs  straight  The   old   writers  tell   us  that   each 

and    also    of    keeping    them    out    of  Indian  had  some  such  name  as  '  'Buck's 

mischief.  Horn,"  "Wildcat,"  or  "Rattlesnake," 

The  religion  of  the  Manhattan  and  and  that  when    he   died   it  was  cori- 

their  neighbors  was  a  nature  worship,  sidered    sacrilegious   ever   to  mention 

pure  and  simple.     They  believed  that  his    name    again.     It    is   also   known 

there  were  deities  who  dwelt  in  the  that  polygamy  wras  practised  by  the 

four  quarters  of  the  compass,  that  the  local  Indians. 

sun  and  moon,  the  thunder  and  the  So  much  for  the  ethnology  of  the 
winds  were  various  supernatural  Manhattan  and  their  neighbors.  Let 
beings.  That  these  were  all  controlled  us  now  turn  to  their  archaeology  as  set 
by  a  supreme  god  whom  they  called  forth  by  the  specimens  on  view  in  the 
"Kickeron,"  or  "Kickerom"  was  their  entrance  of  the  Woodland  Hall. 
conviction.  They  thought  that  the  On  entering  the  Eastern  Wood- 
earth  was  populated  by  the  descend-  land  Indian  Hall  the  visitor  will  find 
ants  of  a  woman  who  fell  from  the  sky  that  the  first  table  sections  are 
and  who  would  have  been  lost  in  the  devoted  to  an  exhibition,  as  corn- 
sea,  save  that  a  gigantic  tortoise  which  prehensive  as  possible,  showing  the 
afterwards  became  the  earth,  caught  life  of  the  natives  in  prehistoric 
her  on  his  back.  They  wrere  also  in  times  by  means  of  specimens  obtained 
fear  of  a  terrible  evil  power,  a  horned  from  the  ancient  village  and  camp  sites, 
snake,  to  whom  they  made  sacrifices  Here  may  be  seen  bones  of  the  various 
by  burying  objects  in  the  ground  in  its  animals,  fish  and  shell-fish  upon  which 
name.  the  Indians  depended  for  subsistence; 

The  Manhattans  and  their  neighbors  fragments  of  nuts,  corn,  roots  and  other 

also  believed  in  a  future  existence,  plac-  food  products  preserved  by  charring 

ing  their  Elysian  fields  in  the  south-  and  obtained  from  ancient  fireplaces, 

western  skies,  where  they  believed  the  and  such  implements  as  arrowr  points 

souls  of  their  dead  journeyed.     It  was  of  antler  and  stone,  net-sinkers  of  stone 

for  this  reason  that  they  placed  food  and  stone  hoes  for  tilling  the  field,  all 

and  implements  in  their  graves  with  illustrative    of   primitive    methods    of 

the  bodies,  so  that  the  wandering  soul  hunting  and  agriculture.     Implements 

might   lack   nothing  necessary   to   its  exhibited  in  the  same  case  show  the 

comfort  on  the  trip.  preparation  of  animal  and  vegetable 

The    religion    of    the    Indians    was  food  with  primitive  utensils,  while  close 

marked  by  periodic  ceremonies,  one  of  by  are  tools  used  by  the  Indians  in 

which  has  come  down  to  the  present  preparing  skins.     The  manufactures  of 

day  among  the  modern  remnants  of  the    Indians    are    illustrated    in    the 

the  Shinnecock  of  Long  Island  and  the  immediately  adjacent  section. 

Mohegan  of  Connecticut.     This  is  the  A  progressive  series  of  implements 


INWOOD  ROCK-SHELTER.   MANHATTAN. 


FINCH'S  ROCK  HOUSE. 


11 


12 


AMERICAN  MUSEUM  GUIDE  LEAFLETS 


shows  the  making  of  an  arrow  point 
from  a  simple  quartz  pebble  such  as 
might  lie  picked  up  anywhere  on  the 
shore,  with  the  various  stages  leading 
to  the  finished  point;  the  tools 
employed  are  also  exhibited.  Imple- 
ments of  stone  for  pecking,  grooving, 
and  polishing;  hatchets  and  axes; 
pottery  fragments,  and  household 
utensils,  such  as  hammers,  axes,  adzes 
and  gouges,  will  be  found  at  hand. 

In  the  upright  cases  there  is  an 
exhibit  from  Manhattan  Island,  made 
up  of  specimens  principally  collected 
by  Messrs.  Alexander  C.  Chenoweth, 
W.  L.  Calver,  and  R.  P.  Bolton,  in  the 
rock-shelters  and  village  sites  at  In- 
wood,  showing  as  fully  as  possible  the 
life  of  the  prehistoric  Manhattan 
Indians. 

In  another  table  case  are  to  be  seen 
implements  and  remains  from  the 


methods  of  cutting  bone  and  antler 
employed  by  these  Indians.  Bone 
was  cut  by  notching  or  grooving  it 
with  a  stone  knife  or  flake,  and  then 
breaking  it  at  the  groove.  Antler  was 
worked  in  the  same  way,  but  it  is  very 
probable  that  the  Indians  boiled  antler 
in  order  to  make  it  more  pliable  and 
easily  cut. 

From  the  appearance  of  pottery 
fragments  now  to  be  found  on  the  sites 
of  the  ancient  Indian  villages  of  this 
vicinity  and  the  methods  of  modern 
Indian  pottery  makers,  we  may  safely 
conclude  that  most,  if  not  all,  of  the 
earthenware  manufactured  in  this 
locality  was  made  by  the  coil  process, 
which  consisted  of  the  following  steps. 
The  Indians  first  secured  clay  of  a 
suitable  quality,  which  wras  mixed  with 
pounded  shell  or  stones  to  make  it 
tougher  and  more  durable.  It  was 


Jl,  /// 


T>,(- 


"Pit 


Soil 


IK- 


DIAGRAM  OF  A  TYPICAL  SHELL  DEPOSIT. 


shell-heaps  marking  a  long-forgotten 
Indian  village  at  Shinnecock  Hills, 
Long  Island.  This  exhibit,  which  is 
one  of  the  most  complete  of  its  kind, 
gives  a  rather  adequate  picture  of  the 
ancient  life  of  these  people  and  is 
especially  valuable  for  the  number  and 
variety  of  primitive  manufactures 
shown.  One  of  the  most  interesting  of 
the  sections  demonstrates,  by  means  of 
a  series  of  specimens,  the  primitive 


then  worked  into  long  rolls,  and  the 
Indians,  beginning  at  the  bottom, 
worked  the  pot  up  by  adding  coil  after 
coil,  blending  or  smoothing  the  coils 
with  a  smooth  stone  until  they  did 
not  show  from  either  the  interior  or 
exterior  surface.  When  the  pot  was 
completed,  it  was  decorated  by  stamp- 
ing or  incising  designs  about  the 
exterior  of  the  rim. 

The  upright  case  at  the  end  contains 


INDIANS  OF  MANHATTAN  INLAND 


13 


an  exhibit  from  the  remnants  of  the 
Algonkin  and  Iroquois  Indians  of  New 
York  State  and  New  England,  while 
a  map  showing  the  location  of  most  of 
the  Indian  villages  of  Greater  New 
York  and  vicinity  and  an  actual  section 
of  a  typical  shell-heap,  as  well  as 
photographs  and  labels  describing  the 
opening  and  excavation  of  the  sites  are 
near  at  hand.  Specimens  typical  of 
those  found  in  the  shell-heap  are  also 
exhibited. 

Of  all  the  traces  left  by  the  aborigines 
along  the  New  York  seacoast,  the  most 
abundant  and  familiar  are  the  shell- 
heaps.  These  are  beds  of  refuse  mark- 


cultivation  have  generally  made  it  level 
with  its  surroundings  (Fig.  3).  Very 
often,  unless  the  land  be  plowed,  no 
shells  whatever  show  on  the  surface, 
and  the  only  way  of  finding  out  the 
conditions  of  things  below  the  sod  is 
to  test  with  a  spade  or  a  crowbar.  If 
shells  are  present,  their  crunching  soon 
gives  notice  of  the  fact.  Sometimes 
shell-heaps  have  been  located  by  shells 
thrown  from  animal  burrows,  or  washed 
out  by  the  rain,  or  in  banks  broken 
down  by  the  surf.  Some  have  been 
found  fronting  on  the  open  Sound, 
but  such  cases  are  rare.  These  deposits 
consist  of  large  quantities  of  decayed 


CROSS  SECTION  OF  A  SHELL  PIT. 


ing  the  sites  of  ancient  villages,  camps 
and  isolated  wigwams.  Wherever  the 
fresh  water  joins  the  salt ;  especially 
where  open  water  for  fishing,  and  a 
spring  for  drinking  come  together  in 
happy  combination,  there  is  generally 
to  be  found  some  such  evidence  of 
Indian  occupation. 

The  typical  "shell-heap"  is  not  a 
heap  at  all,  for  leaf  mold,  the  wash 
from  neighboring  high  ground,  and  of  ten 


oyster,  clam,  and  other  marine  shells 
mixed  with  stained  earth,  with  ashes, 
charcoal,  and  fire-cracked  stones  to 
mark  the  spots  where  ancient  camp 
fires  blazed.  Among  the  shells  are 
usually  scattered  antlers  of  deer,  bones 
of  animals,  fishes,  and  birds,  quantities 
of  pottery  fragments,  and  broken 
implements;  in  short,  the  imperishable 
part  of  the  cam])  refuse  left  by  the 
Indians.  Now  and  then,  perfect  imple- 


14 


AMERICAN  MUSEUM  GUIDE  LEAFLETS 


merits  and  ornaments  that  had  been 
carelessly  lost  in  the  rubbish  or  hidden 
for  safe-keeping  are  discovered. 

Shell-heaps  vary  from  a  few  inches 
to  four  feet  in  depth,  and  in  area  from 
a  few  square  yards  to  several  acres- 
all  depending  on  the  length  of  time  the 
settlement  was  occupied  and  the 
number  of  dwellings  comprising  it. 
Deep  shell-heaps  are  often  divided  into 


feet  deep  by  three  feet  wide.  It  is  sup- 
posed that  they  were  used  as  ovens  or 
steaming  holes  and  afterwards  filled 
up  with  refuse.  Some  contain  human 
skeletons,  which  may  have  been  inter- 
red in  them  during  the  winter  season 
when  grave  digging  was  impossible. 
These  pits  generally  contain  more  of 
interest  than  the  ordinary  shell-heap. 
The  closely  packed  regular  masses  of 


o 


E        -1       \ 


r 


L    <     v    r  •/ 


MAP  GIVING  THE  LOCATIONS  OF  SHELL  DEPOSITS. 
Those  marked  +  have  been  explored  by  the  Museum. 


layers,  the  lowest  of  which  are,  of 
course,  the  oldest.  Under  and  near 
most  of  these  deposits  may  be  found 
scattered  "pits"  or  fire  holes,  which 
are  bowl-shaped  depressions  in  the 
ground  filled  with  layers  of 
stained  earth,  shells,  and  other  refuse, 
with  an  occasional  layer  of  ashes. 
Some  pits  are  as  large  as  ten  feet  wide 
by  six  feet  deep,  but  the  average  is  four 


shells  form  a  covering  which  tends  to 
preserve  bone  implements,  charred 
com,  and  such  perishable  articles  from 
decay  in  a  way  that  the  looser  shells  of 
the  general  layers  fail  to  do. 

Shell-heaps,  while  abundant  along 
the  seacoast,  are  seldom  found  inland, 
except  on  salt  creeks  or  other  streams 
having  access  to  salt  water.  They 
may  be  seen  all  along  the  east  shore  of 


INDIANS  OF  MANHATTAN  ISLAND 


15 


the  Hudson  River  at  more  or  less 
frequent  intervals  as  farupasPeekskill; 
on  Croton  Point  and  between  Nyaek 
and  Hook  Mountain  on  the  west  shore 
they  attain  considerable  size.  There 
are  a  few  small  deposits,  however, 
composed  mainly  of  fresh  water  clams 
(Unio)  situated  on  fresh  water  lakes 
in  the  interior  of  West  Chester  County. 
There  are  many  shell-heaps  on  Stateii 


cemeteries  of  the  Indians  hold  much  of 
interest  to  the  archaeologist. 

Although  most  of  the  natives  in  the 
vicinity  of  Greater  New  York  did  not 
place  objects  in  the  graves  with  their 
dead,  some  graves  at  Burial  Ridge, 
Tottenville,  Staten  Island,  when 
opened  for  the  Museum  in  1895,  wen- 
found  to  contain  a  great  many  interest- 
ing and  valuable  remains.  With  the 


INDIAN  SKELETONS  PIERCED  BY  ARROW  POINTS.  TOTTENVILLE,  STATEN  ISLAND. 


Island .  Shell-heaps  occur  or  did  occur  on 
Constable  Hook,  New  Jersey,  and  at 
intervals  between  there  and  Jersey  City 
along  the  western  shore  of  New  York 
Bay.  The  accompanying  map  gives 
the  location  of  the  important  known 
shell  deposits  in  the  vicinity  of  New 
York  City. 

Besides  the  shell-heaps,  the  ancient 


skeleton  of  a  child  there  was  a  great 
deposit  of  utensils,  both  finished  and 
unfinished  ornaments,  such  as  beads, 
pendants,  and  the  like,  a  stone  pipe 
and  a  number  of  other  objects,  while 
not  far  away  the  skeletons  of  three 
Indian  warriors  were  exhumed,  in  and 
among  whose  bones  there  were  found, 
as  shown  in  the  cases  devoted  to  the 


11 


BONES  PUNCTURED  BY  ARROW  POINTS,  FROM  SKELETONS  FOUND  ON  STATEN  ISLAND. 


10 


INDIANS  OF  MANHATTAN  ISLAM) 


17 


archaeology  of  Staten  Island,  twenty- 
three  arrow  points  of  stone,  antler  and 
bone. 

This  is  an  exhibit  which  excellently 
indicates  the  use  of  the  bow  in  Indian 
warfare.  In  the  first  skeleton,  it  was 
found  that  two  arrow  points  of  antler 
and  one  of  bone  had  pierced  the  body 
and  lodged  near  the  spinal  column. 
Another  point  of  argillite  had  been 
driven  between  two  ribs,  cutting  a 
notch  in  each.  A  bone  arrow  point  had 
struck  the  shoulder  and  was  resting 
against  the  scapula.  Among  the  bones 
of  the  right  hand,  an  arrow  point  of 
antler  was  discovered,  and  there  was  a 
similar  one  near  the  left  hand.  Another 
antler  point  was  lying  in  the  sand  just 
beneath  the  body  and  had,  no  doubt, 
dropped  from  it  when  the  flesh  wasted 
away.  The  most  interesting  wound  of 
all  was  one  where  an  antler-tipped 
arrow  had  ploughed  through  one  side 
of  the  body  and  fully  one-third  of  the 
point  had  passed  through  one  of  the 
ribs,  making  a  hole,  in  which  it 
remained.  The  second  warrior  was 
also  terribly  injured.  The  left  femur 
showed  an  elongated  puncture  near  the 
lower  end,  probably  made  by  an  arrow 
point.  Among  the  ribs  was  the  tip  of 
an  antler  point,  and  another  of  yellow 
jasper  was  among  the  ribs  on  the 
left  side  of  the  body.  Three  other 
points  were  among  the  bones.  The 
third  skeleton  was  likewise  an  example 
of  old-time  bow  play.  There  was  an 
antler  point  among  the  ribs  on  the  left 
side.  The  end  of  one  of  the  filmhe  was 
shattered  by  a  stone  arrow-head,  and 
a  second  point  had  lodged  between  two 
ribs.  Beneath  the  sternum  was  a 
flint  point,  and  the  right  shoulder- 
blade  showed  a  fracture  near  the  end, 
caused  by  a  blow  of  some  hand  imple- 


ment or  an  arrow.  Near  the  base  of 
the  skull,  the  end  of  an  antler  arrow- 
head was  discovered,  broken  perhaps 
by  its  impact  with  the  occiput.  Two 
bone  points  we're  near  the  lower  bones 
of  the  left  leg.  A  second  point  was 
found  upon  search  among  the  left 
ribs;  under  the  vertebrae  was  the  base 
of  another  antler  point,  and  two 
broken  points  were  found  beneath  the 
body. 

The  positions  in  which  several  of  the 
points  were  found  certainly  speaks  well 
for  the  great  force  which  propelled 
them.  The  long  bows  of  the  local 
Indians  must  indeed  have  been  formid- 
able weapons.  Taking  into  consider- 
ation the  number  of  arrows  which 
must  have  been  imbedded  in  the 
bodies  of  the  warriors,  it  is  perhaps 
probable  that  the  majority  of  the  pro- 
jectiles were  driven  into  the  victims 
at  close  range  after  death. 

In  a  small  square  case  will  be  found 
the  model  of  a  rock-shelter  and 
typical  objects  found  in  such  places. 
These  rock-shelters,  as  the  name  im- 
plies, are  protected  spots  in  rocky 
ledges,  which  Indians  once  made  more 
or  less  permanent  places  of  abode. 
Many  such  shelters  exist  in  the  vicinity 
of  New  York,  two  or  more  having  been 
discovered  at  Inwood,  Manhattan. 
The  most  important  rock-shelter  so  far 
discovered  is  the  so-called  Finch  Hock 
House  reproduced  in  a  model.  The 
original  is  near  Armonk,  West  chest er 
County,  New  York.  One  point  of 
>pecial  interest  is  the  fact  that  the 
Finch  shelter  contained  two  layers 
bearing  relics  separated  by  sand  a- 
shown  in  the  drawing.  As  no  pottery 
was  found  in  the  bottom  layer,  it  has 
been  inferred  that  we  have  here  the 
remains  of  two  different  races  of 


18 


AMERICAN  MUSEUM  GUIDE  LEAFLETS 


Indians,  the  older  not  yet  advanced  to 
the  pottery-making  stage.  This  con- 
clusion, is,  however,  far  from  final,  for 
the  whole  arrangement  may  be  due  to 
accident. 

In  the  table  cases  opposite  those 
devoted  to  the  Algonkin  some  sections 
are  used  to  show  the  life  history  of  the 
Iroquois  tribes  of  western  New  York, 
and  the  following  section  shows,  as 


well  as  possible,  the  culture  of  the 
Five  Nations  and  objects  used  by  the 
Indians  of  New  York  State  obtained 
from  European  traders  after  the  advent 
of  the  settlers. 

With  the  Iroquois  exhibit  is  a  special 
exhibit  showing  typical  wampum 
beads,  belts,  and  implements  illustrat- 
ing the  prehistoric  manufacture  of 
wampum  on  Long  Island. 


VERTICAL  SECTION  OF  REFUSE  IN   FINCH'S  ROCK  HOUSE,  ABOUT  MIDWAY  OF  THE  CAVE. 


TYPES   OF   INDIAN   RELICS   FOUND   IN  AND  ABOUT   NEW   YORK  CITY. 


HAVING  now  taken  a  general 
view  of  the  exhibit,  the  vis- 
itor may  be  interested  in 
a  study  of  the  several  kinds  of 
relics  found  in  this  locality.  As  these 
types  are  somewhat  unlike  those 
found  in  near-by  regions,  we  conclude 
that  the  Indians  formerly  living  here 
had  habits  and  customs  different  from 
those  of  their  neighbors.  For  want  of 
a  better  name,  these  long-extinct 
tribes  have  been  called  collectively 
the  New  York  Coastal  Algonkin.  The 
term  Algonkin  designates  the  language 
they  spoke,  while  the  adjectives  define 
their  habitat. 

Under  the  designation  New  York 
Coastal  Algonkin,  the  writer  includes 
the  tribes  along  the  coast  from  Totten- 


ville,  Staten  Island,  the  extreme  sou- 
thern point  of  the  state,  to  the  Connec- 
ticut boundary  on  Long  Island  Sound, 
including  to  a  certain  extent  the  shores 
of  New  Jersey  immediately  adjacent 
to  Staten  and  Manhattan  Islands,  the 
east  bank  of  the  Hudson  River  as  far 
north  as  Yonkers,  and  exclusive  of 
Long  Island  except  the  western  end. 
From  the  examination  of  the  remains 
of  the  New  York  Coastal  Algonkin  area 
preserved  in  many  collections,  both 
public  and  private,  it  becomes  obvious 
that  the  objects  found  may  be  roughly 
divided  into  three  groups:  articles  of 
stone,  articles  of  bone  and  antler,  and 
articles  of  clay,  shell,  and  metal.  The 
first  group  is,  from  the  imperishable 
nature  of  its  representatives,  naturally 


11  12,  '  •  15  1G          1 


2fa 


I 

ii 


33  3-3-  35 


•3  - 


41 


* 


3o 


38  39 


4lf 


t 


5o 


58  53  Go  6^ 


TYPES  OF  ARROW  POINTS. 


22  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  GUIDE  LEAFLETS 

States.       One    very    large     stemmed  used  as  receptacles  for  holding  nuts 

scraper,  of  a  type  more  common  in  the  while  cracking  them.     While  these  are 

far  west,  also  comes  from  this  locality,  common  in  the  Iroquoian  area,  they 

Drills.     These  are  usually  chipped  are  unknown  here. 

tools  presenting  an  elongated  narrow  Large  stones,  single  or  double- 
blade  and  a  considerably  swollen  or  pitted,  resembling  over-sized  hammer- 
expanded  base,  suitable  for  grasping  stones  occur.  These  may  have  been 
in  the  hand.  In  some  cases  the  base  used  as  anvils  in  chipping  flint  or  for 
was  absent  and  those  were  probably  like  purposes. 

hafted    in    wood.       Specimens    whose  Grooved  clubs  or  mauls,  also  showing 

blades  have  a  square  or  rectangular  use  as  hammers  are  found.    These  are 

cross-section  are  very  rare.     The  find-  rare    and    are    usually    either    rough 

ing  of  cores  left  in  half-drilled  objects  pebbles,  grooved  for  hafting,  as  in  the 

shows  the  use  of  a  hollow  drill,  and  it  case  of  the  grooved  axe,  or  grooved 

has  been  suggested  that  a  hard  hollow  axes,  the  blades  of  which  have  become 

reed  used  with  sand  and  water  on  a  so  battered,  broken,  and  rounded  by 

soft  stone  would  produce  this  effect,  wear  as  to  preclude  their  further  use 

To  bear  out  this  assertion,  it  has  been  for  chopping. 

reported  that  a  half-drilled  implement  Net-sinkers.     On  all  sites  near  the 

has  been  found  outside  this  area  on  the  water,  either  salt  or  fresh,  net-sinkers 

upper  Hudson  in  which  the  remains  of  show  the  prevalence  of  fishing.    These 

the  reed  drill  were  found  in  the  cavity  are  of  two  types.    In  one  case  a  pebble 

left  by  its  action.  is  notched  on  opposite  sides  of  either 

the  long  or  broad  axis;  in  the  other,  a 

ROUGH  STONE  ARTICLES.  grooye  ig  pecked   ajound   the   entire 

Hammer  stones.        These  vary  from  pebble  in  the  same  manner.  The  latter 

simple  pebbles  picked  up  and  used  in  type  is  comparatively  scarce,   as  the 

the  rough,  showing  merely  a  battered  former,  being  more  easily  and  quickly 

edge  or  edges  acquired  by  use,  to  the  made,  was  just  as  useful  to  the  savage, 

pitted  forms.   They  are  generally  mere  The  modern  Cree  and  Ojibway,  resid- 

pebbles   with    a    pit   pecked   on   two  ing  in  the  forests  north  of  the  Great 

opposite  sides,  perhaps  to  aid  in  grasp-  Lakes,  still  use  pebbles  for  this  purpose, 

ing   with   the   thumb   and   forefinger,  but  those  observed  by  the  writer  were 

Some  have  battered  edges,  but  many  not  notched  or  worked  in  any  way. 

have  not,  suggesting,  when  round  and  Occasionally,  sinkers  notched  on  both 

regular,  a  use  as  gaming  or  "Chunke"  axes  are  found  in  this  region, 

stones,  or  as  implements  used  only  in  Hoes.       These    are    usually    ovoid 

pounding  some  rather  soft  substance,  implements,  chipped  from  trap   rock, 

Hammerstones,  pitted  on  one  side  only,  sometimes  notched  to  facilitate  haft- 

and  others  with  many  pits  on  all  sides,  ing,  and  sometimes  not.   They  usually 

occur.  These  latter  may  have  had  some  show    a   slight   polish    on    the    blade, 

special  use,   and   are  not  to   be  con-  caused  by  friction  with  the  ground, 

founded  with  the  large  flat,  slab-like  This  type  of  stone  hoe  is  the  form 

stones  having  pits  only  on  one  side,  mentioned  by  early  writers;  but  per- 

found  in  other  regions,  and  perhaps  haps  hoes  of  shell,  bone,  or  tortoise 


tft 


DRILLS,  SCRAPERS  AND  OTHER  OBJECTS. 


24  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  GUIDE  LEAFLETS 

shell,  and  wood  were  used  also.  None  the  Eastern  Cree  living  in  the  vicinity 

of  these,  however,  are  still  in  existence,  of  the  southern  end  of  Hudson  Bay 

Hand  Choppers.  Pebbles  chipped  to  told  the  writer  that  their  ancestors, 

an  edge  on  one  side,  for  use  as  hand  who  made  and  used  such  axes,  hafted 

choppers,  occur.  These  are  occasionally  them  by  splitting  a  stick  and  setting 

pitted  on  both  sides.  the  blade  in  it,  then  binding  the  handle 

Grooved  Axes.  For  the  purposes  of  together  with  deerskin  (probably  raw- 

this  paper,  the  writer,  while  aware  that  hide)  above  and  below  the  split.  No 

many  grooved  axes  are  well  made  and  specimens  of  the  grooved  axe  in  the 

polished,  has  decided  to  include  them  original  haft  seem  now  to  be  extant 

under  the  head  of  "Rough  Stone  from  any  locality  in  the  East.  From 

Articles,"  as  by  far  the  greater  majority  the  battered  appearance  of  the  butts 

of  the  grooved  axes  and  celts  from  this  of  these  axes,  it  may  have  been  that 

region  lack  the  polish  and  finish  belong-  they  were  sometimes  used  in  lieu  of 

ing  to  other  articles  later  to  be  described,  mauls  or  hammers.  It  is  possible  that 

Grooved  axes  are  of  two  sorts:  a,  those  they  may  have  been  used  in  war.  It 

made  of  simple  pebbles,  merely  modi-  is  generally  supposed  that  in  cutting 

fied  by  grooving  and  chipping  or  peck-  down  trees,  making  dug-out  canoes  and 

ing  an  edge;  and  6,  axes  which  have  other  kinds  of  wood-working,  fire  was 

been  pecked  and  worked  all  over  and  used  as  an  adjunct  to  the  stone  axe, 

sometimes  polished.  The  latter  (6)  may  the  former  being  the  active  agent.  The 

be  said  to  include:  process  of  burning  and  charring  having 

1.  Groove  encircling  three  sides  of  gone  on  sufficiently,  the  stone  axe  was 
blade,  one  side  flat.  used  to   remove  the  burned  portion. 

2.  Ridged  groove  encircling  three  However,  some  stone  axes  seem  sharp 
sides  of  blade,  one  side  flat.  enough  to  cut  quite  well  without  the 

3.  Groove  encircling  three  sides  of  aid  of  fire. 

blade,  longitudinal  groove  on  flat  side.  Celts.     Ungrooved  axes  or  hatchets, 

4.  Groove  encircling  three  sides  of  usually     called     celts,     are     frequent 
blade,  longitudinal  groove  on  flat  side  throughout  this  area;  but  are  nowhere 
and  opposite.  as    abundant    as    the    grooved    axe, 

5.  Groove  encircling  blade.  especially  near  the  southern  border  of 

6.  Ridged  groove  encircling  blade,  the  region.    The  grooved  axe  seems  to 
A   seventh   type,    having   a   double  have  been  the  typical  cutting  and  chop- 
groove  encircling  the  blade,  may  occur  ping  tool  of  the  local  Algonkin.    The 
in  this  territory,  but  has  never  been  widespread  idea  that  the  celt  was  some- 
reported.  A  specimen  from  the  Hudson  times  used  unhafted  as  a  skinning  tool, 
River  region,  just  north  of  the  area  has  no  historic  proof,  but  may  possibly 
here  dwelt  upon,  is  in  the  Henry  Booth  have  some  foundation.  The  Cree  of  the 
Collection  in  this  Museum.  While  most  southern  Hudson  Bay  region  use  an 
worked  stone  axes  have  been  pecked  edged  tool  of  bone  for  this  purpose,  a 
into  shape,  a  few  have  been  fashioned  fact   which    is    somewhat    suggestive, 
by  chipping,  but  these  seem  to  be  rare,  although  the  implement  differs  in  shape 

Grooved  axes  were  hafted  in  various  from  the  celt.    Celts  with  one  side  flat 

ways.     During  the  summer  of   1908,  and  the  other  beveled  to  an  edge  may 


• 


. 


TYPES  OF  STONE  AXES  AND  CELTS. 


25 


26 


AMERICAN  MUSEUM  GUIDE  LEAFLETS 


have  been  used  as  adzes.  From  the 
worn  and  hammered  appearance  of  the 
polls  of  some  celts,  it  is  possible  that 
many  of  these  implements  were  used 
as  wedges  in  splitting  wood,  after 
constant  manipulation  in  their  chop- 
ping capacity  had  permanently  dulled 
their  edges. 

The  celts  of  this  region  are,  as  a 
general  thing,  poorly  made,  a  pebble  of 
suitable  shape  having  an  edge  ground 


broader  than  the  butt,  although  some 
exceptions  have  been  found.  The 
forms  are  as  follows:  a,  rough  stone 
celts,  pebbles  with  one  end  ground  to 
an  edge,  but  otherwise  scarcely  worked ; 
and  b,  worked  stone  celts,  which 
include  the  following : 

1.  Wedge-shaped,     poll     narrower 

than  bit,   and  angles  rounded. 
Common. 

2.  Like  number  one.  but  with  bit 


HAFTED  CELT  FROM  A  POND  AT  THORNDALE,   DUTCHESS  CO.,  N.  Y. 

Length  of  celt  16.6  cm. 


on  it  with  little  or  no  preliminary  shap- 
ing. More  rarely,  however,  they  were 
carefully  worked  all  over  by  pecking 
and  polishing,  as  in  the  case  of  the 
grooved  axe. 

In  type,  aside  from  the  general 
division  of  rough  and  worked  celts,  we 
may  add  that  most  celts  in  this  region 
have  slightly  rounded  polls,  the  bit 


4. 


much  broader  than  poll.    Cross- 
section  oval.    Very  rare. 
Like  number  one,  but  one  side 
flat,  other  beveled  at  one  end  to 
make  a  cutting  edge. 
Like  number  two,  but  with  cut- 
ting edge  flaring,  broader  than 
body.       "Bell-mouthed    type." 
Very  rare. 


INDIANS  OF  MANHATTAN  ISLAND  27 

North  and  west  of  this  region,  we  were  set  into  a  club-like  handle,  the 

find  the  Iroquois  territory  where  most  butt  resting  in  a  hole  or  socket, 
worked  celts  are  angular,  having  almost          Adzes.     These   seem   to   be   of   two 

invariably  a  rectangular  cross-section  kinds,  the  first  and  most  simple  being 

and  squared  butt.    Types  1  and  3  also  celt-like,  but  flat  on  one  side,  the  other 

occur,  but  the  celt  with  the  rectangular  side  being  beveled  to  an  edge  on  one 

cross-section  seems  most  typical  of  the  side.     The  second  form  differs  in  hav- 

Iroquoian  region.     Many  small  celts,  ing  a  groove,  which  is  not  infrequently 

made   of   flat    fragments   or   chips   of  ridged.     Occasionally,  adzes  with  two 

stone,  are  also  found  in  this  area,  and  parallel    grooves   occur.      They    were 

these  could  scarcely  have  had  a  use  as  probably  hafted  by  taking  a  stick  at 

chopping  tools.  one  end  of  which  projected  a  short  arm 

In     the     Niagara     watershed     and  at  right  angles  with  the  shaft,  laying 

extending    eastward    as    far    as    the  the  flat  side  of  the  blade  against  this 

Genesee  Valley,  an  angular  adze-like  arm   and    binding   it    on   with   sinew, 

form  having  a  trapezoidal  cross-section  thongs,    or    withes.      The   groove,    of 

occurs.    It  is  found  principally  in  what  course,  was  of  aid  in  securing  the  blade 

was  the  territory  of  the  Attiwandaronk,  to  the  handle.     Adzes  of  stone,  hafted 

Kah-Kwah,    or    Neutral    Nation    (an  in  this  manner,  have  been  obtained  on 

Iroquoian  tribe,  early  annihilated  by  the  the  North  Pacific  Coast.        The  celt 

Five  Nations).    It  also  occurs,  as  has  adze  seems  not   uncommon,   but   the 

been  stated,  on  the  sites  of  villages  of  grooved    adze    is    rare,    neither    form 

the  Iroquois  proper,  but  is  not  abund-  being  nearly  so  abundant  as  in  the  New 

ant.    South  of  the  Iroquois  in  Central  England  region. 

Pennsylvania,  another  form  which  does  Gouges.  The  stone  gouge  is  rare, 
not  occur  in  this  region  is  the  chipped  and  seems  always  to  be  a  plain,  single- 
celt,  usually  of  flint  or  other  hard  stone,  bladed  affair  without  the  transverse 
This  form  is,  however,  frequent  in  the  grooves  so  frequently  seen  in  New 
country  about  the  headwaters  of  the  England  specimens,  and  hereabouts  is 
Delaware.  always  easily  distinguished  from  the 

In  the  '' American  Anthropologist,"  adze.  Less  than  half  a  dozen  specimens 
Vol.  9,  No.  2,  p.  296  et  seq.,  Mr.  C.  C.  have  been  seen  by  the  writer  from  this 
Willoughby  has  figured  and  described  entire  area,  although  probably  quite 
the  celts  of  the  New  England  region  as  much  work  in  wood  was  done  by  the 
with  remarks  on  the  methods  of  hafting  New  York  ( 'oastal  Algonkin  as  by  the 
employed.  These  seem  to  be  two  in  New  England  Indians, 
number,  and  consist,  in  the  case  of  the  Pestles.  The  long  pestle  occurs 
larger  forms,  of  setting  the  blade  throughout  the  region  of  the  Coastal 
through  a  hole  in  the  end  of  a  club-like  Algonkin  of  New  York,  but  is  nowhere 
handle,  the  butt  or  poll  projecting  on  as  abundant  as  in  New  England. 
one  side  and  the  blade  on  the  other  as  They  seem  always  to  have  been  used 
in  one  which  was  found  in  the  muck  of  a  with  the  wooden  block  mortar  hen-- 
pond bottom  at  Thorndale,  Dutehess  abouts,  and  are  mentioned  by  the  early 
County,  New  York,  a  region  once  in  writers  as  part  of  the  household  equip- 
the  Mahican  territory.  Smaller  celts  ment  of  the  natives.  They  do  not  seem 


28  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  GUIDE  LEAFLETS 

to  have  been  used  by  the  Iroquois  to  3.     Portable  slab  mortar  or  metate, 

the  north  and  west  of  this  area  either  used  on  one  or  both  sides. 

in  early  or  later  times.     The  wooden  4.     Boulder    mortar,    one    or    more 

pestle   of   dumb-bell   shape   seems   to  holes,  immovable. 

have  been  preferred  by  them.      The  The    first    two    types    are    the    most 

latter  is  used  by  the  Canadian  Dela-  abundant,  the  third  is  not  uncommon, 

ware  and  may  have  taken  the  place  of  but  the  fourth  is  very  rare,  only  one  or 

the  long  stone  pestle  to  a  great  extent  two  being  reported.    As  above  stated, 

in  this  region.  De    Vries    claims    that    the    portable 

Mutters,  Grinders,  and  Polishing  mortars  were  used  in  bread-making 
Stones.  These  are  frequent,  and  consist  while  the  Indians  were  traveling,  but 
merely  of  rounded  pebbles,  shaped  and  certainly  the  majority  of  those  found 
worn  by  use,  probably  most  often  in  are  far  too  heavy  for  this  purpose, 
crushing  corn.  They  are  mentioned  by  Pigments  and  Paint  Cups.  Frag- 
De  Vries  as  being  used  by  the  Indians  ments  of  pigments  such  as  graphite 
with  a  flat  stone  slab  for  grinding  corn  and  limonite,  showing  the  marks  of 
when  traveling.  Some  seem  to  have  scratching  with  scrapers,  are  found, 
been  used  for  polishing  stone  imple-  which  have  apparently  supplied  the 
ments,  but  it  seems  hard  to  draw  the  material  for  painting.  Worked  geodes 
line,  as  the  appearance  gained  from  are  common  on  many  sites.  These 
friction  would  be  quite  similar.  Such  show  traces  of  chipping  in  some  in- 
mullers  and  their  attendant  slabs,  stances  and  may  have  been  paint  cups, 
used  for  preparing  corn  meal  have  There  is  a  tiny  pestle-shaped  pebble  in 
within  a  few  years  been  collected  in  the  Museum  collection  from  West- 
use  among  the  Oneida  Iroquois  of  New  Chester  County,  which  is  said  to  have 
York,  one  specimen  being  in  the  Ameri-  been  found  with  a  geode  of  this  type, 
can  Museum  collection.  The  popular  theory  is  that  such  geodes 

Sinew    Stones.     These    are    pebbles  were  used  as  "paint  cups"  and   this 

showing    grooves     along    the    edges,  seems  probable. 

popularly  supposed  to  have  been  worn  Stone    Plummets.     These    are    very 

there  by  rubbing  thongs  and  sinews  rare,  in  contrast  to  their  abundance  in 

across  the  edges  to  shape  them.    They  the  New  England  region.  They  consist 

occur  generally,  but  are  not  common,  usually   of   small   worked    egg-shaped 

Stone  Mortars.     These  are  common,  stones,  grooved  at  one  end,  probably 

but  rather  local,  some  sites  having  none  for  suspension.     The  writer  has  seen 

at  all,  and  others  a  good  many.    One  but  one  from  this  area.     Their  use  is 

locality  on  Staten  Island  is  notable  for  problematic. 

the  numbers  found  there,  whereas  they  Semilunar  Knives.  Knives  of  rubbed 

are   rare    elsewhere   in   that    vicinity,  slate,  similar  in  appearance  to  the  ulu, 

They  may  be  divided  into  the  following  or  woman's  knife  of  the  Eskimo,  are 

types:  found,  though  rarely,  in  this  region. 

1.  Portable   mortar,    hole    on   one  While  sometimes  ascribed  to  Eskimo 
side.  influence  or  contact,  it  is  possible  that 

2.  Portable  mortar,  hole  on  both  this  form  (which  occurs  through  out  New 
sides  (New  Jersey  type).  England),  judging  by  its  distribution, 


:: 


BANNER  STONES,  GORGETS,  AND  AMULETS. 


29 


30 


AMERICAN  MUSEUM  GUIDE  LEAFLETS 


may  have  been  native  to  the  Eastern 
Algonkin  also.  The  Eastern  Cree  still 
use  knives  of  this  type  as  scrapers. 
Like  most  other  forms  common  in  New 
England,  it  is  less  abundant  in  the 
southern  part  of  this  area. 

Stone  Beads.  Various  pebbles  gen- 
erally perforated  naturally  are  to  be 
found  011  some  sites,  and  may  or  may 
not  have  been  used  as  beads  or  pend- 
ants. On  Staten  Island,  at  Watchogue, 
Mr.  Isaiah  Merrill  once  owned  a 
number  of  square  beads  of  pinkish 
steatite  (?),  all  but  one  of  which  have 
been  lost,  and  which  he  claims  were 
found  on  his  farm. 

Gorgets.  Two  types  of  the  gorget 
occur.  These  are  the  single-holed 
pendant  form,  which  is  the  less  abund- 
ant of  the  two,  and  the  double-holed 
type.  The  latter  is  flat,  rectangular  in 
shape,  and  generally  well  polished.  It 
usually  has  two  perforations  a  short 
distance  from  the  middle.  The  modern 
Lenape  of  Canada  claim  to  have  used 
these  as  hair  ornaments.  Probably  the 
two-holed  variety  is  typical  of  the 
Algonkian  peoples  of  this  region,  the 
single-holed  form,  on  the  other  hand, 
is  the  most  abundant  on  old  Iroquoian 
sites.  Specimens  of  the  latter  have  been 
obtained  in  use  among  the  Canadian 
Iroquois,  and  some  of  them  are  in  the 
Museum  collections. 

Amulets.  Certain  problematic  ar- 
ticles of  the  "bar"  and  even  "bird 
amulet"  type  have  been  found,  but 
these  are  probably  exotic  in  origin  and 
are  not  characteristic  of  the  arche- 
ology of  the  region  in  question. 

Banner  Stones.  These  beautiful  pol- 
ished stone  implements  of  unknown  use 
may  be  divided  into  three  great  classes, 
with  several  sub-types  as  follows : 

1.     Notched  banner  stones. 


2.  Grooved  banner  stones. 

a.  Groove  on  both  sides. 

b.  Groove  on  one  side. 

3.  Perforated  banner  stones. 

a.  Plain. 

b.  Butterfly. 

All  three  types  seem  equally  abund- 
ant, but  the  notched  banner  stones 
appear  to  be  the  oldest  form  and  occur 
under  circumstances  pointing  to  great 
relative  antiquity.  They  are  found, 
however,  on  the  more  recent  sites  as 
well.  Both  the  notched  and  the  grooved 
banner  stones  are  usually  more  rough 
in  appearance  than  the  perforated 
type,  and  the  writer  has  never  seen  a 
polished  specimen  of  the  first  class.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  grooved  variety 
frequently  exhibits  the  high  degree  of 
finish  characteristic  of  the  perforated 
forms.  Banner  stones  grooved  only  on 
one  side  are  less  common  than  the 
other  forms.  While  the  latter  class  is 
generally  made  of  slate,  steatite,  or 
some  similar  soft  and  easily  worked 
material,  the  notched  and  grooved 
forms,  especially  the  former,  are  often 
formed  either  from  naturally-shaped 
pebbles  or  chipped  roughly  into  shape. 
Implements,  usually  naturally-shaped 
stones  with  little  working,  without 
notches,  grooves  or  perforations,  but 
greatly  resembling  the  notched  and 
grooved  banner  stones  in  shape,  are  not 
infrequently  found  on  aboriginal  sites 
hereabouts  and  may  have  served  as 
banner  stones.  There  seem  to  be 
neither  records  nor  plausible  theories 
as  to  their  use. 

Pipes.  Stone  pipes,  invariably 
made  of  steatite,  are  very  rare.  Four 
types  have  been  noted  as  follows :- 

1.  Monitor  or  platform  pipe,  plat- 
form not  projecting  before  the 
bowl. 


INDIANS  OF  MANHATTAN  ISLAND 


31 


2.  Monitor  or  platform  pipe,  plat- 

form projecting  before  bowl, 
with  or  without  tiny  carved 
stem  or  mouthpiece.  Of  the 
latter,  one  specimen  is  known. 

3.  Trumpet-shaped      stone      pipe. 

4.  Rectangular  stone  pipe,  human 
face  carved  on  front   of  bowl. 

It  may  be  remarked  that  more  stone 
pipes  have  been  reported  from  the  Indian 
cemetery  at  Burial  Ridge,  Tottenville, 
Staten  Island,  than  from  all  the  rest  of 
the  area  put  together.  The  second 
and  third  types  are  represented  by  one 
specimen  each  from  Burial  Ridge  and 
from  nowhere  else  in  this  region.  Four 
or  five  pipes  of  the  first  class  have  been 
found  there  as  well.  The  last  class  is 
represented  by  a  single  specimen  ob- 
tained by  Mr.  W.  L.  Carver  at  Inwood, 
Manhattan  Island.  Undoubtedly  the 
clay  pipe  was  the  most  common  form 
used  in  this  locality. 

Steatite  Vessels.  These  are  not  at 
all  abundant,  though  occurring  almost 
everywhere.  They  were  doubtless  all 
imported  from  New  England,  as  there 
are  no  steatite  quarries  within  the  range 
of  the  New  York  Coastal  Algonkin. 
The  single  form  found  is  that  common 
in  the  east,  an  oblong,  fairly  deep  vessel 
with  a  lug,  ear,  or  handle  at  each  end. 
Occasionally,  such  vessels  are  orna- 
mented by  rude  incisions  along  the  rim. 

ARTICLES   OF  CLAY. 

Pottery  Pipes  are  common  every- 
where. They  are  usually  manufac- 
tured of  a  better  quality  of  day  than 
that  used  for  vessels,  and  bear  fairly 
similar  designs.  They  are  susceptible 
of  division  into  the  following  classes: 

1.  Straight   pipe,    bowl    expanding 

-lightly. 

2.  Bowl   much   larger   than    stem, 


leaving  it  at  an  angle  of  forty- 
five  degrees.  Stem  round. 

3.  Same   as   number   2,   but   stein 

angular    and    much    flattened. 

4.  Effigy  pipes,   (represented  by  a 
.pottery  human  head  apparently 

broken  from  a  pipe  bowl, 
obtained  by  Mr.  M.  R.  Harr- 
ington at  Port  Washington, 
Long  Island). 

The  straight  pipe  seems  to  have 
been  obtained  only  on  Staten  Island 
on  the  north  shore  in  the  region  occu- 
pied by  the  Hackensack.  While  no- 
where as  abundant  as  upon  the  Iro- 
quoian  sites  of  central  and  western 
New  York,  the  clay  pipe  is  rather 
common  and  is  a  prominent  feature 
in  the  coast  culture  of  New  York. 
It  is  more  abundant  perhaps  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  area,  but  this 
may  well  be  due  to  the  fact  that  data 
from  this  region  are  more  easily 
accessible.  The  triangular-stemmed 
"trumpet"  pipe  so  common  on  the 
Iroquoian  sites  is  unknown  in  this 
region. 

POTTERY  VESSELS. 

The  pottery  of  this  region  may  all 
lie  considered  as  being  either  the 
native  Algonkian  in  type  or  showing 
Iroquoian  influence  with  a  third  and 
intermediate  variety.  Algonkian  ves- 
sels may  be  divided  into  the  following- 
groups  according  to  shape: 

1.  Conical,  pointed  bottom,  slight- 

ly swollen  sides,  circumference 
largest  nt  the  mouth,-  Un- 
typical Algonkian  pot  of  this 
area,  Fig.  a. 

2.  Like     number     1,     but     much 

rounder  and  broader,  Fig.  1). 

3.  Bottom    pointed,    sides    slightly 


32 


AMERICAN  MUSEUM  GUIDE  LEAFLETS 


swollen,  neck  slightly  constric- 
ted, Fig.  c. 

4.  Identical  with  number  2,  except 

that  just  below  the  beginning 
of  the  neck,  occur  small  raised 
lugs,  ears  or  handles.  This  is 
rare  from  this  area,  Fig.  d. 

5.  Bounded     bottom,     somewhat 

constricted  neck,  lip  sometimes 
flaring,  or  even  turning  down 
and  back,  Fig.  e. 

The  intermediate  types  are  as 
follows : 

6.  Rounded     bottom,     constricted 

neck,  narrow  raised  rim  or 
collar,  Fig.  f. 

7.  Like  number  6,  but  with  sides 
more     elongated    and     bottom 
more  oval  than  round,   heavier 
collar,  generally  notched  angle, 
with  or  without  a  series  of  small 
humps  or  projections  at  inter- 
vals. Fig.  g. 

The  Iroquoian  types  are  as  follows: 

8.  Mouth   rounded,    collar   or   rim 

heavy,  with  humps  or  peaks  at 
intervals,  angle  notched,  neck 
constricted  and  bottom  round- 
ed; can  stand  by  itself,  an 
unknown  feature  in  local  Al- 
gonkian  vessels,  Fig.  h. 

9.  Same   as   number   7,    but   with 
mouth   square,   and   humps   at 
every  angle.     Much    less  com- 
mon than  the  preceding,  Fig.  i. 

In  size,  the  vessels  range  from  small 
toy-like  pots  to  jars  of  very  large  capa- 
city. In  general  they  appear  to  have 
been  made  by  the  coil  process,  and  are 
tempered  with  pounded  stone  or  fine 
gravel,  mica  or  burned  or  pounded 
shell.  Sherds  showing  tempering  by 
fiber  or  some  other  substance  that  dis- 
appeared in  firing  are  found  rarely. 
When  vessels  were  cracked  or  broken, 


a  series  of  holes  was  bored  opposite 
each  other  on  either  side  of  the  break 
and  the  parts  laced  together,  render- 
ing the  vessel  capable  of  storing  dry 
objects,  at  least. 

Life  forms  are  exceedingly  rare  in 
local  ceramic  art.  From  Manhattan 
Island  and  Van  Cortlandt  Park,  there 
come  a  number  of  specimens  showing 
incised  human  (?)  faces.  This  is  not 
an  uncommon  form  on  Iroquoian  sites 
in  Central  and  Western  New  York. 
On  the  Bowman's  Brook  site  at  Mar- 
iner's Harbor,  Staten  Island,  frag- 
ments of  a  typically  Algonkian  pot 
were  obtained  which  bore  at  inter- 
vals, rude  raised  faces.  With  the 
sole  exception  of  a  rather  well-modeled 
clay  face,  apparently  broken  from  the 
bowl  of  a  pipe  found  at  Port  Wash- 
ington, Long  Island,  by  Mr.  M.  R. 
Harrington,  this  brief  statement  con- 
cludes the  list  of  pottery  life  forms 
reported  from  this  area,  although  others 
may  yet  be  found  here,  since  some  inter- 
esting objects  have  been  collected  in 
immediately  adjacent  territory. 

The  forms  of  decoration  consist  of 
stamping  with  a  stamp,  roulette,  or 
paddle,  and  incising.  Occasionally, 
but  very  rarely,  stucco  work  occurs. 
Under  stamping  we  can  enumerate  the 
following  processes  :- 

1.  Impression    with    the    rounded 
end  of  a  stick   (rare). 

2.  Impression  with  the   end   of  a 
quill,  or  hollow  reed,  leaving  a 
circular  depression  with  a  tiny 
lump  or    nipple   (rare)    in    the 
center. 

3.  Impression  with  a  section  of  a 
hollow  reed,  making  a  stamped 
circle  (rare). 

4.  Impression     with     finger     nail 

(doubtful,  but  perhaps  used  on 


INDIANS  OF  MANHATTAN  ISLAND 


33 


some  sherds    from  Manhattan 
Island) . 

5.  Impression    of    the    edge    of    a 

scallop  shell. 

6.  Impression  with  a  carved  bone, 

antler,  or  wooden  stamp. 

7.  Impression   of    a    cord-wrapped 

stick. 

8.  Impression  with  roulette. 


finish  the  sides  and  bottom  of  the  pot 

by  imparting  an  appearance  of  pressure 

with   fabric  when  the  clay  was  wet. 

11.     Stucco.     Occasionally,     ridges 

of  clay  placed  on  the  rim   for 

ornament  appear  to  have  been 

added  after  the  shaping  of  the 

vessel. 

Ornamentation  is  usually  external, 


POTTERY  FORMS  OF  THE  COASTAL  ALGONKIN. 


Under  of  the  head  of  decoration  by 
incision  we  can  enumerate  the  follow- 


ing :- 
9. 


probably 


Incised     decoration, 

made  with  a  stick. 
10.     Incised     decoration,     possibly 

made  with  a  flint  object  (only 

one  specimen  at  hand). 
The  paddle  was  frequently  used  to 


and  vessels,  either  Algnnkian  or  Iro- 
quoian,  are  rarely  ornamented  below 
the  rim,  alt  hough  occasionally  the 
designs  run  part  way  down  the  side 
in  the  case  of  the  Algonkian  forms. 
Where  decoration  has  been  applied  by 
one  of  the  stamping  processes,  and 
more  rarely  by  incision,  it  is  sometimes 
continued  over  the  lip  or  rim  for  an 


34 


AMERICAN  MUSEUM  GUIDE  LEAFLETS 


inch  or  less  on  the  inside.  This  only 
occurs  in  the  typical  Algonkian  forms, 
and  is  never  seen  when  incised  orna- 
mentation is  used.  The  rims  of  Iro- 
quoian vessels  are  never  ornamented 
on  the  interior,  nor  is  stamping  so  fre- 
quently practised  on  vessels  of  this 
class.  The  intermediate  forms,  at 
least  the  first  of  the  two  mentioned,  are 
frequently  ornamented  on  the  inter- 
ior of  the  lip.  This  internal  decoration 
is  much  more  common  in  the  southern 


patterns  are  the  most  common,  but 
other  angular  forms  occur,  and  rows 
of  parallel  lines  encircling  the  vessel 
are  sometimes  to  be  found.  Stamping 
and  incision  as  decorative  processes 
never  seem  to  occur  on  the  same  vessel. 
Curvilinear  decoration  is  exceedingly 
rare,  and  not  enough  material  is  at 
hand  to  show  that  patterns  were  used, 
possibly  these  were  scrolls  of  some 
form.  On  account  of  the  lack  of  mate- 
rial, it  cannot  be  determined  whether  the 


TYPICAL  ALGONKIAN   POTTERY  PIPE  AND  FRAGMENT  OF  AN   EFFIGY  PIPE  FROM   PORT  WASHINGTON,   L.  I. 


portion  of  this  area  than  elsewhere  in 
the  vicinity. 

"In  design,  we  must  of  course,  give 
up  all  thought  of  trying  to  obtain  sym- 
bolism, if  such  there  were,  for  there  are 
are  no  sources  now  left  upon  which  to 
base  our  assumptions.  Certain  con- 
ventional types  of  decoration  seem  to 
have  been  in  vogue,  usually  consisting 
in  rows  of  stamped  or  incised  parallel 
lines  and  much  more  rarely  of  dots 
regularly  arranged  in  the  same  manner. 
Zigzag,  chevron,  and  "herring  bone" 


designs  on  the  Algonkian  vessels  differ 
from  those  on  the  Iroquoian,  except  in 
a  very  general  and  unsatisfactory  way. 
The  angle  formed  where  the  heavy 
rim  or  collar  leaves  the  constricted 
neck  of  the  Iroquoian  vessel  is  almost 
invariably  notched,  and  as  such  collars 
and  angles  do  not  occur  on  vessels  of 
the  true  Algonkian  type,  this  feature 
is  necessarily  absent  from  them.  It 
is  noticeable  that  Iroquoian  vessels 
are  usually  decorated  with  incised 
designs,  rather  than  stamped  patterns. 


c   o 


INCISED  DESIGNS  FROM  ALGONKIAN  VESSELS. 


INDIANS  OF  MANHATTAN  ISLAND 


35 


INCISED  DESIGNS  FROM  POTTERY  VESSELS. 


a,  b,  and  d,  designs  from  Iroquoian  vessels:  c  and  e,  design  from  an  Aljionki.-ui  \  rssrl :  f,  design  from  a 
vessel  of  the  Iroquoian  type  from  a  Connecticut  rock-shelter,  introduced  here  for  comparison. 


36  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  GUIDE  LEAFLETS 

Pottery  is  found  abundantly  on  the  of  copper  beads  of  the  type  described, 
majority  of  the  sites  in  this  district;  were  found  with  a  skeleton  on  Con- 
but,  while  very  much  more  common  stable  Hook,   Bayonne,   New  Jersey, 
than  in  the  New  England  area,  it  does  and  are  now  in  the  hands  of  a  private 
not  equal  in  abundance  that  from  the  collector  in  Brooklyn. 
Iroquois  country.     It  is  rarely  found  ARTICLES  OF  SHELL. 
buried  in  graves  with  skeletons  as  in 

the  Iroquoian  area;  when  sometimes  Wampum.     Objects  of  shell  are  not 

found  in  graves,  however,  it  is  usually  at  all  common,  and  notwithstanding 

at  some  distance  from  the  human  re-  the  coast  region  of  New  York  was  one 

mains  and  apparently  not  connected  of  the  best  known  localities  for  wam- 

with   them.     Whole  or  nearly   whole  pum   manufacture   on   the   continent, 

vessels  are   exceedingly  rare  and  the  Wampum  beads  are  almost  unknown 

number  of  those    found   up    to    date  from  local  sites.     With  the  exception 

may  easily  be  counted  upon  the  fingers,  of  completed  beads,  most  of  which  may 

Potsherds   taken   from   pits   or   shell-  have  been  taken  into  the  interior,  by 

heaps,  where  they  have  not  been  ex-  the  Indians,  wampum  may  be  found 

posed  to  the  action  of  the  weather,  in  all  stages  of  manufacture.     We  refer 

are  often  as  thickly  covered  with  grease  to  the  white  wampum,  for  traces  of 

as  when  they  were  broken  and  cast  the    "black"    (blue)    wampum    made 

aside.  from  the  hard  clam  or  quahog  are  so 

far  not  reported.     The  process  of  man- 

ARTICLES  uf  acture  may  be  shown  by  shells  with  the 

Beads.     Beads  of  native  metal,  con-  outcr  whorls  broken  away  in  steps  until 

sisting  simply  of  pieces  of  hammered  the  innermost  solid  column  is  reached, 

sheet  copper  rolled  into  small  tubes,  ground  and  polished  at  the  end,  and 

have  been  found,  but  they  are  very  needing  only  cutting  off  into  sections 

rare.     Copper  salts,   but   no   objects,  and  perforations  to  make  the  finished 

were  found  upon  the  bones,  especially  white  wampum  bead.     These  do  not 

on  those  of  the  head  and  neck  of  a  occur  on  all  sites,  though  they  have 

child's  skeleton  at  Burial  Ridge,  Tot-  been  found  here  and  there  throughout 

tenville,  Staten  Island,  which  seemed  the   region.     Ninety-six    conch   shells 

to  predicate  the  use  of  copper  beads.  with  the  outer  whorls  broken  entirely 

A  great  many  beads  of  olivella  shell,  away  were  found  in  a  grave  at  Burial 

some   of  them   discolored   by   copper  Ridge,  Tottenville,  Staten  Island,  about 

salts,  were  found  about  the  neck  of  the  the  head  and  neck  of  a  skeleton, 

skeleton.     A  single  celt  of  copper  is  Pendants.     Occasionally  oyster  and 

said  to  have  been  found  in  Westchester  clam  shells,  found  unworked  save  for 

County,   probably   on   Croton   Neck,  perforations  in  them,  may  have  been 

slightly  above  the  limit  of  the  territory  pendants  or  ornaments,  but  certainly 

treated  in  this  paper.1     A  large  number  have  little  aesthetic  value. 

Scrapers.      Clam    shells    seem     to 

i  Native  copper  occurs  in  the  New  Jersey  trap  V,flvp   Upprl    1]Spr]    qc,   cPranpre!   qT1r]    ^i 

ridges,  within  a  few  miles  of  New  York  City,  an  n«AVe                                          .Id/perb   and   Some 

important   source  in   Colonial  times   being   near  npoflsirmnllv   frmnrl    witli    nnA   orlo-o 

Boundbrook  30  miles  from  the  lower  end  of  Man-  mail}    IOU1KL    WltM    One    edge 

dri?t?wlders  °f  native  C°PPer  C  showing  the  effect  of  rubbing  and  wear- 


IXDIANS  OF  MANHATTAN  ISLAND  37 

ing.     These  are  rare,  however.     Some  decorated  bone  awls  are  extremely  rare 

may    have    been    pottery    smoothers,  in  this  region.     While  it  is  generally 

Clam  shells  have  been  reported  which  considered  that  these  bone  tools  were 

contained     central     perforations     and  used    as    awls    in   sewing   leather,    as 

were  identical  in  appearance  with  some  by     modern     shoemakers,     neverthe- 

shell  pottery  scrapers  and  smoothers  less,  they  may  have  served  as  forks  in 

collected   by   Mr.   M.   K.    Harrington  removing  hot  morsels  from  the  pot  or 

among  the  Catawba.     Contemporary  for  a  number  of  other  purposes.     The 

writers  mention  the  use  of  knives  made  latter  supposition  is  supported  by  the 

of  shell.  abundance  of  bone  awls  found  in  some 

Pottcrij  Tempering.     This  was  some-  shell  pits.     The  Eastern  Cree  of  the 

times  done  with  calcined  and  pounded  Hudson  Bay  region  use  a  similar  bone 

shells,  but  was  uncommon,  considering  implement  as  the  catching  or  striking 

the  abundance  of  the  material  at  hand,  pin  in  the  cup-and-ball  game. 

Pounded  stone  or  gravel  seems  to  have  Bone  Needles.     These  are  rare,  but 

been  more  favored.  found   in   most   localities.     They   are 

Pottery     Stamps.     The     corrugated  generally  made  of  the  curved  ribs  of 

edge  of  a  scallop  shell  was  frequently  mammals  and  are  six  or  eight  inches 

used  as  a  stamp  for  pottery,  as  may  be  long,  or  even  longer.     They  are  gener- 

seen  by  examining  the  potsherds  from  ally  broken  across  the  eye,  which  is 

this  region.  usually  midway  between  the  ends.     A 

few  with  the  perforation  at  one  end 
ARTICLES  OF  BONE  AND  ANTLER. 

have  been  reported. 

Objects  of  bone  and  antler,  while  Bone  Arroiv  Points,  usually  hollow 

perhaps  more  abundant  here  than  in  and  conical  in  shape,  have  been  found, 

New  England,  are  far  less  plentiful  in  especially  at  Tottenville,  Staten 

form  and  number  than  in  the  Iroquoian  Island,  in  the  Burial  Ridge.  They 

area.  Cut  bones  are  frequent  in  most  are  rather  rare,  but  this  may  be  due 

shell  pits  and  heaps.  They  were  cut  to  the  fact  that  conditions  are  not 

probably  with  a  flint  knife,  by  grooving  suitable  for  their  preservation  in  most 

the  bone  partly  through  on  all  sides,  localities.  Others  are  flat  and  triang- 

and  breaking.  ular  in  shape. 

Bone  Awls.  These  utensils  are  the  Harpoons.  No  actual  barbed  bone 

most  common  of  all  bone  articles  in  harpoons,  such  as  occur  in  the  Iroquois 

this  region  and  are  found  in  almost  country  have  been  reported  from  this 

every  part  of  the  area.  Somearemere-  region;  although  the  writer  has  seen 

ly  sharpened  slivers,  but  others  show  what  appeared  to  be  part  of  one  from 

a  considerable  degree  of  work,  and  are  ShinnecaCk  Hills,  Long  Island,  whence 

well  finished  and  polished.  They  are  comes  a  harpoon  barb  of  bone,  found 

usually  made  of  deer  or  other  mammal  by  the  writer,  now  in  the  Museum 

bone,  but  sometimes  from  the  leg  bones  collection  which  was  apparently  made 

of  birds.  to  tie  to  a  wooden  shaft.  While 

In  some  instances,  the  joint  of  the  neither  of  these  forms  seems  to  occur 

bone  is  left  for  a  handle,  but  this  is  within  this  region,  several  naturally 

often  cut  off.  Grooved,  perforated  or  barbed  spines  from  the  tail  of  the  sting- 


38 


AMERICAN  MUSEUM  GUIDE  LEAFLETS 


ray,  found  on  the  Bowman's  Brook 
site,  at  Mariner's  Harbor,  Staten 
Island,  may  have  been  used  as  har- 
poons or  fish  spears,  for  which  purpose 
they  were  admirably  suited  by  nature. 
Long,  narrow,  chipped  stone  arrow- 
heads are  generally  called  '  'fish  points  " 
but  they  do  not  seem  peculiarly  adapt- 
ed for  this  purpose  and  the  name  is 
probably  a  misnomer.  No  bone  fish 
hooks  are  reported  from  hereabouts, 
though  suggested  by  early  writers. 

Bone  Beads  and  Tubes.  While  so 
abundant  on  Iroquoiaii  sites,  tubes 
and  beads  made  of  hollow  bird  or  other 
animal  bones,  polished  and  cut  in  sec- 
tions, are  very  rare  here. 

Draw  Shaves,  or  Beaming  Tools, 
made  of  bone,  and  probably  used  for 
removing  the  hair  from  skins,  were 
made  by  splitting  the  bone  of  a  deer 's 
leg,  leaving  a  sharp  blade  in  the  middle 
with  the  joints  on  either  end  as  han- 
dles. The  writer  has  seen  none  from 
this  immediate  region,  but  they  are 
reported  by  Mr.  M.  R.  Harrington. 
A  number  were  obtained  for  the  Mu- 
seum by  Mr.  Ernst  Volk  in  the  Lenape 
sites  near  Trenton,  New  Jersey.  An 
implement,  evidently  made  of  the 
scapula  of  a  deer,  and  perhaps  used  as 
a  scraper,  was  found  in  a  grave  at  Bur- 
ial Ridge,  Tottenville,  Staten  Island, 
by  Mr.  George  H.  Pepper. 

Worked  Teeth.  Perforated  teeth  of 
the  bear,  wolf,  and  other  animals,  so 
abundant  on  Iroquoiaii  sites  never  seem 
to  be  found  here.  Beavers'  teeth  cut 
and  ground  to  an  edge,  occur,  and  may 
have  been  used  as  chisels,  or  primitive 
crooked  knives,  or  both,  as  they  were 
till  recently  by  some  of  the  eastern 
Canadian  Algonkin.  Other  cut  beaver 
teeth  may  have  served  as  dice  or  count- 
ers in  gaming. 


Turtle  Shell  Cups.  These  are  com- 
mon, and  consist  merely  of  the  bony 
carapace  of  the  box  turtle  (Terrapene 
Carolina),  scraped  and  cleaned  inside, 
the  ribs  being  cut  away  from  the  cov- 
ering to  finish  the  utensil  for  use. 

Antler  Implements.  Deer  antlers 
and  fragments  of  antler,  worked  and 
unworked,  occur  in  all  shell-heaps  and 
pits.  When  whole  antlers  are  found, 
they  usually  show  at  the  base  the 
marks  of  the  axe  or  other  implement 
used  to  detach  them  from  the  skull. 
Cut  antler  prongs,  prongs  broken  from 
the  main  shaft  and  others  partly  hol- 
lowed and  sharpened  show  the  process 
of  manufacture  of  antler  arrow  points. 
These  are  characteristic  of  this  area 
and  are  usually  conical  in  shape, 
hollowed  to  receive  the  shaft,  and  with 
one  or  more  barbs;  not  infrequently, 
however,  they  are  diamond-shaped  in 
cross-section.  The  shaft  fitted  into 
the  hollow  socket  as  in  the  case  of  the 
conical  bone  arrow  points.  A  large 
number  were  found  in  and  among  the 
bones  of  human  skeletons  in  a  grave 
at  the  Burial  Ridge,  Tottenville, 
Staten  Island. 

Cylinders,  neatly  cut  and  worked  all 
over,  or  cylindrical  tines  made  of  deer 
antler  only  cut  and  rounded  at  the 
ends,  are  not  infrequent,  and  were 
probably  used  as  flaking  tools  in  mak- 
ing and  finishing  arrow  points  by  pres- 
sure. One  broken  cylinder  or  pin, 
found  on  the  Bowman's  Brook  site, 
Mariner's  Harbor,  Staten  Island,  had 
a  rounded,  neatly  carved  head.  This 
specimen,  however,  seems  to  be  unique. 

Pottery  stamps,  perhaps  of  antler  or 
bone,  but  which  may  be  of  wood,  seem 
to  have  been  used,  judging  by  the  dec- 
orations of  many  pottery  sherds.  A 
pottery  stamp,  carved  from  antler,  was 


INDIANS  OF  MANHATTAN  ISLAND 


39 


found  slightly  east  of  this  region,  at 
Dosoris,  Glen  Cove,  Long  Island,  by 
Mr.  M.  R.  Harrington,  and  is  now  in 
the  [Museum  collection. 

TRADE  ARTICLES. 

In  spite  of  the  frequent  mention  by 
old  writers  of  barter  of  European  for 
Indian  goods,  the  amount  of  trade 


porcelain,  a  few  glass  beads,  Venetian 
and  plain,  and  some  old  pipes,  notably 
those  stamped  "R.  Tippet"  on  the 
bowl.  All  these  articles  are  very  rare 
here,  and  for  this  no  adequate  expla- 
nation can  be  given. 

RESUME. 
This    area    was    inhabited    during 


LOCATION  OF  THE  NEW  YORK  COASTAL  ALGONKIN  AND  THEIR  NEIGHBORS. 


historic  times  by  the  following  tribes:1 
A.     The  Lenni  Lenape,  or  Delaware, 


material  found  is  small  indeed.  While 
it  is  abundant  in  the  Iroquoian  area, 
all  that  has  ever  been  found  here  con- 

.    ,        ,.       ,.                     111-  1  On  tin-  map  above,    these    tribes  are   shown 

SlstS  OI  a  lew  rOUnd-SOCKcted  iron  toil!-  together  with  the  Lon«  Island  and  other  neiKhlior- 

,  in«  tribes  as  indicated  by  Ueauehamp  in  the  map 

anawks,    iron    hoes,     brass    or    copper  accompanying  his.  "Aboriginal  Occupation  of  New 

,.            .                     ,                i-,,,  York."    New    York    Slate    Museum,    Bulletin   32, 

arrow  points  of  various  styles,  a  little  Albany,  moo. 


40 


AMERICAN  MUSEUM  GUIDE  LEAFLETS 


ranging  from  the  Raritan  River,  in- 
eluding  Staten  Island,  to  Saugerties 
on  the  west  bank  of  the  Hudson. 

Raritan  or  Assanhican. 

Hackensaek. 

Tappan. 

Aquakanonk. 

Haverstraw. 

Waranawankong. 

B.  The    Wappinger    Confederacy 
ranging   along  the   east   bank   of  the 
Hudson,     eastward    to     Connecticut, 
from  Manhattan  Island. 

Rechgawawank  or  Manhattan. 

Siwaiioy. 

Weckquaskeek. 

Wappinger. 

C.  Montauk  or  Matouwack  Con- 
federacy. 

Canarsie. 

These  tribes  were  surrounded  on 
all  sides  by  neighbors  of  the  same 
stock,  who  differed  somewhat  in  their 
language  and  culture.  On  the  south 
and  west,  lay  the  Lenni  Lenape,  or 
Delaware  proper;  on  the  north,  the 
Manhattan,  and  on  the  east  the 
New  England  tribes.  Almost  without 
exception,  these  natives  were  displaced 
early  in  the  history  of  this  country, 
and  have  been  long  since  expatriated 
or  exterminated.  A  very  few  mixed 
bloods  may  yet  be  found  on  Staten 
Island,  Long  Island,  and  in  West- 
chester  County,  but  their  percentage 
of  Indian  blood  is  extremely  low. 

The  remains  of  aboriginal  life  now 
to  be  found,  consist  of  shell-heaps, 
occurring  at  every  convenient  point 
along  the  coast,  on  the  rivers,  and, 
more  rarely,  inland;  shell,  refuse,  and 
fire  pits;  camp,  village  and  burial 
sites ;  and  rock  and  cave  shelters.  With 
one  prominent  exception,1  few  or  no 

i  Burial  Ridge,  Tottenville,  Staten  Island. 


relics  have  been  found  in  graves.  The 
typical  interment  was  of  the  flexed 
variety,  but  bone  burials  are  not  in- 
frequent. 

Dog  skeletons  complete  and  intact, 
bearing  the  appearance  of  having 
been  laid  out,  are  sometimes  found 
buried  in  separate  graves.  Some 
writers  have  supposed  that  these  indi- 
vidual dog  burials  are  the  remains  of 
"white  dog  feasts"  or  kindred  prac- 
tices, because  the  Iroquois  even  up  to 
the  present  day  hold  such  ceremonies. 
The  white  dog  is  entirely  cremated  by 
the  Iroquois,  and  so  far  as  we  have 
been  able  to  find  out,  there  is  no  record 
of  such  occurrences  among  the  Coastal 
Algonkin;  hence,  there  seems  no  reason 
to  attribute  this  custom  to  them  since 
other  Iroquois  traits  were  so  infre- 
quent. It  seems  more  probable  that- 
such  burials  are  simply  those  of  pet 
animals,  interred  as  we  today  honor  a 
faithful  dog. 

Some  of  these  dog  burials  may  have 
been  sacrifices  made  to  the  Under- 
neath Powers,  such  as  homed  snakes, 
just  as  the  Western  Indians  do  today. 

In  Waessenaer's  Historic  Von  Europe, 
we  read  of  the  Mahikan  who  lived  on 

the  Upper  Hudson. 

It  appears  that  the  Sickanamers  before- 
mentioned,  make  a  sort  of  sacrifice.  They 
have  a  hole  in  a  hill  in  which  they  place  a  ket- 
tle full  of  all  sorts  of  articles  that  they  have, 
either  by  them,  or  procured.  When  there  is 
a  great  quantity  collected  a  snake  comes  in, 
then  they  all  depart,  and  the  Manittou, 
that  is  the  Devil,  comes  in  the  night  and 
takes  the  kettle  away,  according  to  the  state- 
ment of  the  Koutsinacka,  or  Devil  Hunter, 
who  presides  over  the  ceremony.1 

****** 

Our  Indians  may  well  have  sacrificed 
dogs  and  buried  them  for  these  mythi- 
cal snake  monsters. 

Occasionally,  the  skeletons  of  dogs 
and  rarely  of  other  animals  have  been 

1  Documentary  History  of  New  York.  Ill,  2S-9. 


INDIANS  OF  MANHATTAN  ISLAND 


41 


found  in  graves  associated  with  human 
bones.  The  finding  of  arrow-heads 
among  the  ribs  of  some  of  these,  and 
other  circumstances,  seem  to  point  to  a 
practice  of  killing  a  favorite  animal  on 
the  death  of  its  owner  to  accompany 
or  protect  the  spirit  of  its  master  on 
the  journey  to  the  hereafter. 

From  their  appearance  and  position, 
many  graves  seem  to  indicate  that 
the  dead  may  sometimes  have  been 
buried  under  the  lodge,  especially  in 
time  of  winter,  when  the  ground  out- 
side was  frozen  too  hard  to  permit 
grave  digging.  Others  under  the  same 
circumstances  seem  to  have  been 
buried  in  refuse  pits.  The  remains 
further  indicate  that  "feasts  of  the 
dead,"  were  also  held  at  the  time  of 
the  interment,  judging  by  the  quantity 
of  oyster  shells  and  animal  bones  in 
and  near  the  graves.  Some  graves 
have  rows  or  layers  of  oyster  shells, 
with  the  sharp  cutting  edge  upward, 
placed  above  the  bodies  as  if  to  pre- 
vent wild  animals  from  disinterring 
and  devouring  the  dead. 

An  interesting  fact,  brought  to  light 
by  the  rock-shelter  work  of  Messrs. 
Schrabisch  and  Harrington  in  their 
explorations  in  New  Jersey  and  West- 
chester  County,  New  York,  is  that 
in  the  lowest  and  oldest  refuse  layers  of 
some  of  these  shelters  pottery  does  not 
occur.  It  would  be  ill  advised  to  infer 
from  this  that  the  earliest  occupants 
were  peoples  of  another  culture  from 
the  surrounding  village  dwellers,  as  the 
other  artifacts  found  are  quite  similar 
to  the  implements  of  the  latter.  Many 
reasons  for  this  lack  of  pottery,  such 
as  the  more  easy  transportation  of 
vessels  of  bark  or  wood  through  the 
mountains  and  hills,  suggest  them- 
selves, though  they  are  more  or  less 


nullified  by  the  presence  of  pottery  in 
the  upper  layers.  The  upper  layer, 
however,  may  have  been  made  during 
the  period  when  the  natives  were 
being  displaced  by  Europeans  and 
at  the  same  time  subjected  to  Iro- 
quoian  raids,  when  the  villages 
would  naturally  be  abandoned  from 
time  to  time,  for  refuge  among  the 
cliffs  and  caves  of  the  mountain  fast- 
nesses. 

It  has  been  suggested  that  the  rock 
and  cave  shelters  are  remains  of  an 
older  occupation  by  people  with  or 
without  the  same  culture  as  the  later 
known  savages.  The  nature  of  the 
finds  does  not  support  this  view,  for 
the  specimens  obtained  are  often  of  as 
good  workmanship  as  the  best  to  be 
found  in  the  villages  and  cemeteries 
of  the  latter,  while  pottery,  on  the 
other  hand,  occurs  on  the  oldest  known 
Algonkian  sites.  It  seems  most  prob- 
able to  the  writer  that,  like  the  shell- 
heaps,  the  rock  and  cave  shelters  form 
but  a  component  part,  or  phase,  of  the 
local  culture,  perhaps  a  little  special- 
ized from  usage  and  environment,  but 
contemporary  with  the  villages,  shell- 
heaps,  and  cemeteries  of  the  lowlands. 
Mounds  and  earthworks  do  not 
occur  in  the  region  under  consider- 
ation, nor  does  it  appear  that  most  of 
of  the  Indian  villages  here  were  forti- 
fied, unless  they  were  slightly  stock- 
aded. A  number  of  instances  of  this 
are  known  historically,  however,  and 
a  few  earthworks  occur  just  beyond 
this  area.1 

The  remains  found  do  not  bear  any 
appearance  of  very  great  geological 
antiquity.  In  a  fe\v  instances,  rock- 
shelters,  shell-heaps,  and  village  sites 

'  An  earthwork  ;it  (Yoton  I'oint  <>n  (lit-  Hudson 
has  i>rrn  cxc;i\;itcii  hy  Mr.  M.  K.  Harrington  for 
t  he  American  M  iisriun. 


42 


AMERICAN  MUSEUM  GUIDE  LEAFLETS 


seem  to  possess  a  relative  antiquity; 
but  the  oldest  known  remains,  in  every 
case,  may  be  placed  as  Algonkian  with 
considerable  certainty.  No  paleoliths 
have  been  reported,  and  it  would  seem 
from  the  comparative  lack  of  antiquity 
of  the  remains  that  the  natives  could 
not  have  lived  in  this  region  for  many 
centuries  before  the  advent  of  the 
whites.  The  accounts  of  contempo- 
rary writers  prove  conclusively  that 
these  archaeological  remains,  if  not 
those  left  by  Indians  found  here  by  the 
early  Dutch  and  English  settlers,  must 
have  been  from  people  of  very  similar 
culture.  In  culture,  the  local  Indians 
were  not  as  high  as  the  Iroquois,  nor 
perhaps  as  the  Lenape  or  Delaware 
proper  from  whom  they  sprang;  but 
they  compare  very  favorably  with  the 
New  England  tribes.  Absence  and 
scarcity  of  certain  artifacts  such  as 
steatite  vessels,  the  long  stone  pestle, 
the  gouge,  adze,  and  plummet,  and  the 


abundance  and  character  of  bone  and 
pottery  articles  show  them  to  have 
been  intermediate  in  character  be- 
tween the  Lenape  on  the  south  and 
west,  and  the  New  England  tribes  on 
the  east  and  north;  and  consultations 
of  the  old  European  contemporaries 
show  that  this  was  the  case  linguistic- 
ally as  well  as  culturally.  Examination 
of  the  remains  also  shows  that  the 
influence  of  the  Lenape  on  the  west, 
and  of  the  New  England  peoples  on 
the  east,  was  most  strongly  felt  near 
their  respective  borders.  Iroquoian 
influence  was  strong,  as  evinced  by  the 
pottery,  and  there  is  also  documentary 
evidence  to  this  effect.  Finally,  as  is 
frequent  throughout  most  of  eastern 
North  America,  the  archaeological 
remains  may  be  definitely  placed  as 
belonging  to  the  native  Indian  tribes 
who  held  the  country  at  the  time  of  its 
discovery  or  to  their  immediate  ances- 
tors. 


LOCATION  OF  ARCHEOLOGICAL   REMAINS  ON   MANHATTAN   ISLAND.' 


THE  first  field-work  done  on  Man- 
hattan Island  is  of  very  recent 
date .  Doubtless  many  articles 
of  Indian  manufacture  and  evidences 
of  Indian  occupation  were  found 
as  the  city  grew  up  from  its 
first  settlement  at  Fort  Amsterdam, 
but  of  these  specimens  we  have 
very  few  records.  An  arrow  point 
found  in  the  plaster  in  the  wall  of 
a  Colonial  house  was,  without  doubt, 
in  the  hands  of  some  member  of  the 
Kortrecht  family;  and  Indian  pottery 
has  been  found  in  a  hut  occupied  by 
Hessian  soldiers  during  the  War  of 
Independence.  The  first  specimens 
to  have  been  preserved,  to  the  know- 
ledge of  those  now  interested  in  the 


subject,  were  found  in  1885,  and  con- 
sisted of  Indian  arrow  points  dis- 
covered in  Harlem  during  excavation 
for  a  cellar  on  Avenue  A,  between  120th 
and  121st  Streets.  Some  of  these  are 
spoken  of  by  James  Hiker-  as  being  in 
the  author's  cabinet.  Riker  also 
speaks  of  shell-heaps  near  here.3  The 
next  specimens  preserved  were  found 
at  Kingsbridge  Road  (now  Broadway) 
and  220th  Street  in  1886,  and  are  in 
the  John  Neafie  collection  at  the  Mu- 
seum. These  consist  of  an  arrow  point 
and  a  few  bits  of  pottery.  The  next 
work  was  begun  in  1889  by  Mr.  W.  L. 


1  By  James  K.  Finch,  revised  by  Leslie  Spier. 

2  History  of  Harlem  (1881),  footnote,  p.  137. 

3  Ibid,  p.  366. 


INDIANS  OF  MANHATTAN  ISLAND  43 

Calver  of  this  city,  and  has  led  to  the  Academy  Street  and  Prescott  Avenue, 

discovery  of  much  valuable  material  they   found   an   Indian    potsherd  the 

which  has  been  preserved.1  importance    of    which    Air.    MrGuey 

The  following  account  of  the  work  seemed  to  realize,   for,   a  week  later, 

is   taken   mainly    from    Mr.    Carver's  Mr.  Calver  met   him  again  and  was 

note-book:—  presented  by  him   with   a  number  of 

In  the  autumn  of  the  year  1889,  fragments  of  Indian  ware.  He  assured 
while  exploring  the  heights  of  Bloom-  Mr.  Calver  that  he  had  found  it  by 
ingdale  (now  called  Cathedral  Heights)  digging  in  an  Indian  graveyard.  The 
for  any  relics  that  might  have  remained  two  men  dug  again  at  this  place,  and 
from  the  Battle  of  Harlem,  Mr.  found  more  pottery.  They  then  went 
Calver  discovered  one  arrow  point  at  to  Cold  Spring,  a  point  on  the  extreme 
118th  Street,  east  of  Ninth  Avenue,  northern  end  of  the  Island,  and  in  a 
and  immediately  afterwards  a  circular  shell-heap  there  they  found  more 
hammerstone.  On  a  later  trip  to  the  Indian  work.  Mr.  Alexander  C. 
same  locality,  he  found  a  small  grooved  Chenoweth  an  engineer,  then  on  the 
axe  or  tomahawk.  In  February,  1890,  Croton  Aqueducts,  hearing  of  these 
while  hunting  for  Revolutionary  rel-  discoveries,  obtained  a  permit  from 
ics  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Washington,  the  property  owners  and  began  to  ex- 
he  made  a  trip  to  the  northern  part  of  plore  "The  Knoll,"  at  Dyckrnan 
the  island  in  search  of  British  regimen-  Street  and  Broadway,  for  Indian  re- 
tal  buttons,  many  of  which  were  said  mains.  After  having  finished  here, 
to  have  been  found  in  that  vicinity,  he  went  to  Cold  Spring  and  made  some 
There  he  met  an  old  acquaintance,  Mr.  further  discoveries.  All  his  specimens 
John  Pearce,  a  policeman  then  on  were  purchased  in  1894  by.  the  Mu- 
duty  there,  by  whom  he  was  intro-  seum,  and  some  of  them  are  now  on 
duced  to  Mr.  James  McGuey,  a  youth  exhibition. 

residing  in  the  vicinity  of  198th  Street  Since  this  time,  several  interesting 

and    Kingsbridge    Road    and,    while  relics   have   been   found   and,    as   the 

crossing  the  orchard  at  Academy  Street  work  of  grading  streets  and  other  ex- 

ancl  Seaman  Avenue,  Mr.  Calver  saw  cavation  at  this  part  of  the  Island  are 

that   the   ground   was   thickly  strewn  carried  on,  more  relics  will  probably 

with   shells  which   afterwards  proved  come  to  light, 

to   be   of   Indian   origin.  The  only  Indian  remains  left  on  the 

The  first  Sunday  in  March,  Messrs.  Island  so  far  as  known  to  the  writer, 

Calver    and    McGuey    explored     this  are  situated  at  the  extreme  northern 

part      of     the      Island      for      Indian  end    at    Inwood    and    Cold    Spring. 

remains.         At       the       junction      of  They   consist    of   the   so-called    shell- 

heaps    or    refuse    piles    from     Indian 

i  In  the  Spring  of  1890  Mr.  Edward  Haganian  i  fi.rp,  rnr-l-  xlicltr«ix  -it 
Hall  began  his  investigations  and  at  about  the 

same  time  Mr.  Reginald  Pelh  am  Bolton  entered  the  r<n|,i    Snrim,-       Hut    \vo    have    evidence 
field  of  local  research.      In   many  instances  tbese 

gentlemen  and  Mr.  W.  L.  Calver  collaborated  with  .       slm\v    tint     this    WMS    not    the    onlv 
valuable  results.     In  i  he  preservation  of  the  traces 

of  Indian  occupation   of  Manhattan   Island  the  ,         ,-    fi         T^l-iiifl     rirrimicd     bv    the 
American  Scenic  and  Historic  Preservation  Societj 

(formedinl895imdertliepivsidrnc.vofthela.tr  I,HIiin<?        Mix      I-mih1    SMVS    tint     the 
Hon.  Andrew  H.  Green,  but  now  under  i  hat  of  Di 
George  Frederick  Kunz)  has  done  much   pioneer 

work.  '   Bistory  of  New  York  City,  p.  36. 


44 


AMERICAN  MUSEUM  GUIDE  LEAFLETS 


Dutch  found  a  large  shell-heap  on  the 
west  shore  of  Fresh  Water  pond,   a 
small  pond,  mostly  swamp,  which  was 
bounded  by  the  present  Bowery,  Elm, 
Canal  and  Pearl  Streets,   and  which 
they   named   from   this    circumstance 
Kalch-Hook.     In  course  of  time,  this 
was  abbreviated  to  Kalch  or  Collect 
and  was  applied  to  the  pond  itself.1 
This  shell-heap  must  have  been  the 
accumulation  of   quite   a  village,   for 
Mrs.  Jno.  K.  Van  Rensselaer2  speaks 
of  a  castle  called  Catiemuts  overlook- 
ing a  small  pond  near  Canal  Street, 
and  says  that  the  neighborhood  was 
called  Shell  Point.     Hemstreet  refers 
to   the   same   castle   as    being    on    a 
hill    "close  by  the  present   Chatham 
Square,"  and  says  that  it  had  once 
been    an    "Indian    lookout."3     Exca- 
vations  at   Pearl   Street   are   said    to 
to    have    reached    old    shell    banks. 
'The     Memorial     History     of     New 
York"4  says  that  a  hill  near  Chatham 
Square    was    called    Warpoes,    which 
meant      literally      a      "small      hill." 
According    to    the    same    authority, 
"Corlear's    Hoeck   was    called    Naig- 
ianac,  literally,  'sandlands.'      It  may, 
however,  have  been  the  name  of  the 
Indian  village  which  stood  there,  and 
was  in  temporary  occupation."     This 
is  the  only  reference  we  have  to  this 
village,    but    there    are    references    to 
another  on  the  lower  end  of  the  Island. 
Janvier6  says  that  there  was  an  Indian 
settlement   as   late   as    1661    at   Sap- 


1  Mr.  Edward  Hagarnan  Hall,  however,  derives 
the  name  from  "Kolk"  or  "Kolch"  a  word  still  in 
use  in  Holland  and  applied  to  portions  of  a  canal 
or  inclosure  of  water.— Editor. 

2  Goede-Vrouw  of  Manahata,  p.  39. 

3  Hemstreet,   Nooks  and  Corners  of  Old  New 
York,  p.  46. 

4  Bulletin,  N.  Y.,  State  Museum,  Vol.  7,  No.  32, 
p.  107,  Feb.,  1900. 

6  James  G.  Wilson,  op.  cit.,  p.  52. 
6  Evolution  of  New  York. 


pokanican  near  the  present  Ganse- 
voort  Market.  According  to  Judge 
Benson,1  Sappokanican  ("tobacco 
field")2  was  the  Indian  name  for  the 
point  afterwards  known  as  Greenwich. 
"In  the  Dutch  records  references  are 
made  to  the  Indian  village  of  Sap- 
pokanican; and  this  name  '  *was 
applied  for  more  than  a  century  to  the 
region  which  came  to  be  known  as 
Greenwich  in  the  later,  English,  times. 
The  Indian  village  probably  was  near 
the  site  of  the  present  Gansevoort 
Market;  but  the  name  seems  to  have 
been  applied  to  the  whole  region  lying 
between  the  North  River  and  the 
stream  called  the  Manetta  Water  or 
Bestavaar's  Kill."  Benton  says  that 
the  name  of  the  village  was  Lapini- 
can.4  Going  back  to  the  old  Dutch 
records  might  lead  to  finding  the  actual 
names  and  other  data  regarding  these 
places. 

Most  of  the  specimens  found  on 
Manhattan  Island,  as  already  stated, 
come  from  the  northern  part.  We 
have  a  few  from  the  central  portion, 
however.  There  are  the  arrow-heads 
spoken  of  by  Riker,  and  in  the  Webster 
Free  Library  there  is  a  fine  specimen 
of  a  grooved  stone  axe  found  at  77th 
Street  and  Avenue  B.  Mr.  Calver  has 
found  an  arrow-head  at  81st  Street  and 
Hudson  River  and  specimens  from  the 
site  of  Columbia  College  have  been 
recorded. 

Doubtless  the  northern  part  of  the 
Island  was  inhabited  for  the  longer 
period;  but  it  is  probable  that  all 
along  the  shore,  wherever  one  of  the 
many  springs  or  small  brooks,  shown 

1  N.   Y.    Historical   Society   Collections,    S.   II, 
Vol.  II,  Pt.  I,  p.  84,  1848. 

2  All  Hilse  translations  are  doubtful. 

3  Thos.  A.  Janvier,  In  Old  New  York,  pp.  85-86. 

4  New  York,  p.  26. 


INDIANS  OF  MANHATTAN  ISLAND 


45 


on  old  maps,  emptied  into  the  Hudson 
or  East  River,  there  were  small, 
temporary  Indian  camps.  It  is  likely 
that  these  camps  were  used  only  in 
summer,  while  the  primitive  occupant 
of  Manhattan  retreated  to  the  more 
protected  part  of  the  Island,  as  at 
Inwood  and  Cold  Spring,  during  the 
winter.  Or  it  may  be  possible  that, 
as  Ruttenber1  states,  the  villages  on 
Manhattan  Island  were  only  occupied 
when  the  Indians  were  on  hunting  and 
fishing  excursions,  while  their  per- 
manent villages  were  on  the  mainland. 
Bolton,"  however,  says  their  principal 
settlement  was  on  Manhattan  Island. 
Fort  Washington  Point.  There  is  a 
small  deposit  of  shells  on  the  southern 
edge  of  the  point,  in  which  the  writer 
found  some  small  pieces  of  pottery  and 
a  few  flint  chips,  thus  proving  its 
Indian  origin.  This  was  probably  a 
summer  camp,  as  it  was  too  exposed 
for  winter  use. 

Zerrenner's  Farm.  A  favorable  slop- 
ing field  at  194th  Street  and  Broadway 
now  used  for  truck  farming,  was 
utilized  as  a  camp  site.  Camp  debris 
of  varied  character  has  been  ploughed 
up  here.  Perhaps  the  overhanging 
rocks  below  Ft.  Washington,  between 
194th  and  198th  Streets  on  Bennett 
Avenue  afforded  the  Indians  some 
shelter  in  winter. 

Inwood  Station  Site.  At  the  foot  of 
Dyckman  Street  and  Hudson  River, 
there  existed  a  large  deposit  of  shells, 
most  of  which  were  removed,  when  the 
rocks  on  which  they  lay  were  blasted 
away  for  grading  the  street.  A  few 
arrow  points  and  bits  of  pottery,  as 
well  as  several  Revolutionary  objects 

1  Indian  Tribes  of  Hudson's  River,  p.  78. 

2  History  of  Westchester  County,  p.  '-'">. 


were  found  here.  There  are  photo- 
graphs of  this  deposit  in  the  Museum. 
Seaman  Avenue  Site.  This  site, 
between  Academy  and  Hawthorne 
Streets,  running  through  from  Seaman 
Avenue  to  Cooper  Street,  is  the  most 
extensive  village  site  from  which 
remains  have  been  collected.  It  was  a 
British  camp  site  during  the  Revolu- 
tion, and  a  number  of  buttons,  gun- 
flints  and  bullets  have  been  found  there 
as  well  as  numerous  Indian  remains. 
It  seems  to  have  been  the  workshop  for 
a  red  jasper-like  stone  of  which  numer- 
ous chips  but  no  finished  implements 
have  been  found.  The  shells  at  this 
point  were  first  noticed  by  Mr.  Calver 
in  1890.  They  may  not  all  be  of 
Indian  origin,  as  some  may  be  due  to 
Revolutionary  soldiers. 

Harlem  River  Deposit.  Mr.  Calver 
says,  '  'Extending  from  209th  Street  to 
211th  Street  on  the  west  bank  of  the 
Harlem  River  and  almost  on  a  line 
with  Ninth  Avenue  was  another  large 
deposit  of  oyster  shells  lying  just 
beneath  the  top  soil  of  the  field.  These 
shells  had  nearly  all  been  disturbed  by 
the  plow  and  are  interesting  only  for 
their  color,  which  was  red.  Pieces  of 
horn  of  deer  and  split  bones  of  the  same 
animal  were  common  among  the  shells; 
but,  in  spite  of  the  apparent  antiquity 
of  the  deposit,  there  were,  even  in  the 
lowest  strata  of  it,  some  small  frag- 
ments of  glass  which  proved  that  either 
the  whole  mass  IKK  I  been  disturbed  or 
else  the  shells  had  been  left  during  the 
historic  period.  There  are  several 
stone  sinkers  and  hammerstones  from 
this  spot  in  Mr.  Calver's  collection  and 
at  the  Museum. 

I  sham  1'iu'l;  Site.  On  the  knolls 
along  the  south  side  of  Lsham  Park, 
and  particularly  in  Isham's  (lanlen, 


46 


AMERICAN  MUSEUM  GUIDE  LEAFLETS 


about  on  the  line  of  Isham  Street  and 
Seaman  Avenue,  the  soil  is  white  with 
small  fragments  of  shells.  A  number 
of  arrow  points,  flint  chips,  hammer- 
stones,  sinkers,  and  potsherds  have 
been  found  here.  On  the  knolls  to 
the  south  of  this  garden,  an  Indian  bur- 
ial, shell  pockets  with  small  deposits 
of  pottery,  etc.,  and  several  dog  bur- 
ials, have  been  found.  There  are  two 
small  shell-heaps,  containing  chips 
and  potsherds,  in  the  Park  on  the 
bank  of  the  Ship  Canal,  and  several 
shell  pockets  were  disturbed  in  exca- 
vating 218th  Street  on  the  north  side 
of  the  Park. 

Cold  Spring.  Cold  Spring  is  sit- 
uated at  the  extreme  northern  end  of 
Manhattan  Island  on  the  southern 
shore  of  Spuyten  Duyvil  Creek.  The 
Indian  remains  consist  of  three  rock- 
shelters  and  three  refuse  heaps.  The 
rockshelter  is  a  formation  where  the 
overhanging  rocks  form  a  small  cave 
or  shelter  which  the  Indians  used  as 
a  dwelling  place.  All  their  rubbish, 
such  as  oyster  shells,  broken  pottery, 
and  broken  arrow-heads,  were  dumped 
near  by,  forming  the  so-called  shell- 
heaps.  Messrs.  Calver  and  McGuey 
explored  the  shell-heaps;  but  Mr. 
Chenoweth  was  the  first  to  suspect  the 
existence  of  the  shelters.  There  is 
only  one  which  is  likely  to  have  been 
used  as  a  dwelling  place,  the  others 
being  places  where  food  was  stored  or 
shelters  for  fires  used  in  cooking. 
These  shelters  face  east,  and  are  at 
the  foot  of  Inwood  Hill  (formerly 
called  Cock  Hill)  which  forms  the 
most  northern  part  of  Manhattan 
Island.  The  largest  one  was  formed 
by  several  of  the  rocks  breaking  off 
the  cliffs  above  and  falling  in  such  a 
manner  that,  by  digging  out  some  of 


the  earth  from  beneath  them,  the 
Indians  could  make  a  small  shelter. 
Probably  it  was  occupied  by  one  fam- 
ily, while  the  others  lived  in  bark 
wigwams  near  by.1  Another  of  the 
shelters  is  simply  an  excavation  under 
the  end  of  a  huge  fragment  which 
also  dropped  from  the  cliffs  above, 
and  the  third  is  a  large  crevice  in 
the  foot  of  these  cliffs.  When  Mr. 
Chenoweth  first  explored  them,  all 
these  shelters  were  completely  filled 
with  earth  which  had  gradually  worked 
its  way  in  since  their  occupation,  and 
much  credit  is  due  him  for  suspect- 
ing their  presence.  In  them  he  found 
fragments  of  pottery  and  stone  imple- 
ments, 'together  with  the  bones  of 
turkey  and  deer.  The  largest  of 
the  refuse  heaps  is  situated  on  a 
rise  directly  in  front  of  these  shel- 
ters. It  consists  of  a  layer  of 
shells,  in  places  one  foot  thick,  found 
under  a  layer  of  fine  loam,  a  black 
earth  which  has  been  deposited  since 
the  shells  were  scattered  over  the  orig- 
inal sandy  yellow  soil.  The  sheltered 
position  of  this  place  made  it  an  es- 
pecially desirable  camp  site.  The 
hills  to  the  south  and  west  formed  a 
protection  to  the  camp  from  winds, 
and  by  Spuyten  Duyvil  Creek  access 
could  be  had  to  either  Hudson  or  East 
River;  while  the  Cold  Spring,  from 
which  the  place  takes  its  name,  fur- 
nished an  abundant  supply  of  fresh 
water. 

Harlem  Ship  Canal.  Formerly  at 
220th  Street  and  Kingsbridge  Road 
was  a  large  deposit  of  shells  on  the 
westerly  side  of  the  road.  This  was 
destroyed  when  the  ship  canal  was  put 
through.  As  with  the  Inwood  Station 


1  Memorial  History  of  New  York,  Vol.  I.  p.  33, 
for  picture  of  houses,  and  p.  30  for  description. 


INDIANS  OF  MANHATTAN  ISLAND  47 

site,    no    systematic    examination    of  summer    of    1904,    Mr.    Culver    with 

this  place  was  ever  made.     Mr.  John  Messrs.    Hall    and   Bolton   uncovered 

Neafie  found  some  potsherds  here  in  nine  or  more  pockets  to  the  southwest 

1886,  Mr.  Chenoweth  also  has  some  of     the     graveyard.1     These     pockets 

potsherds    from    here.1     Mr.     Calver  all  seem  to  have  been  of  the  same  pe- 

says  that  this  was  a  large  deposit,  and  riod  as  the  others,  and  all  appear  to 

that  the  peculiar  thing  about  it  was  have  been  on  the  original  ground  sur- 

that   the 'shells  were  so  wedged  and  face,    although   those   farther   up    the 

packed    together   that    a   pick   would  hill    were   some   four   feet    under   the 

hardly     penetrate    them.     They    lay  present     surface.     In     one     of     the-e 

on  the  bare  rock  surface  in  cracks  in  pockets,  was  found  the  complete  skele- 

the  rock;  a  condition  common  to  this  ton  of  a  dog2  in  another,  a  turtle  shell; 

neighborhood.  two  others  contained  complete  snake 

Shell    Pockets    at    211th    Street.     In  skeletons;  while  a  fifth  held  the  t'nig- 

March,    1903,  there  was  considerable  rnents  of  a  small  pottery  vessel.     The 

excitement  over  the  reported  discov-  pockets  were  small,  being  about  lhp" 

ery  of  an  Indian  graveyard  at  211th  feet  in  diameter  and  of  equal  depth, 

Street.'  The  graveyard  proved  to  have  showing  no  signs  of  having  first   been 

been   that    of   some    slaves,    and   was  used  as  fireplaces  and  then  filled  up, 

situated  on  the  western  end  of  the  rise  though  charcoal  was  scattered  among 

between  210th  and  211th  Streets,  on  the  shells.     Almost  all  the  relics  from 

the  eastern  end  of  which  is  the  old  Van   Cortlandt   Park  were   found    by 

Neagle    Burying    Ground.     This    dis-  Mr.  James  in  pockets  similar- to  these, 
covery  was  interesting  because  under         During  Indian  troubles  in  1<>7.~),  the 

the  negro  graves  several  shell  pockets  Wickquaskeek   at    Ann's    Hook,    now 

of  undoubted  Indian  origin  came  to  Pelham  Neck,  were  told    "to  remove 

light.     The     workmen,     in     grading  within  a  fortnight  to  their  usual  winter 

Tenth   Avenue,   cut  into   this   hill  to  quarters    within    Hellgate    upon    this 

obtain  material  for  filling,  and  uncov-  Island."     River    says,     "This    winter 

ered  the  graves  and  pockets.     It  seems  retreat  was  either  the  woodlands  be- 

almost  certain  that  the  deposits  were  tween  Harlem  Plains  and  Kingsbridge. 

made  some  time  ago;  then  the  wind  at   that   date   still   claimed    by    these 

blew  the  sand  over  the  deposits  to  a  Indians  as  hunting  grounds,  or  Un-h- 

depth  of  four  or  five  feet,  and  negroes  awanes    and    adjoining    land-    on    the 

later  used  this  place  as  a  burial  ground.  Bay  of  Hellgate,  as  the  words  'within 

In  support  of  this  theory  is  the  fact  Hellgate1    would    strictly    mean,    and 

that  the  pockets  were  four  or  five  feet  which,  by  the  immense  shrllbnls  found 

under  the  surface,  that  the  soil  above  there  formerly,  is  proved  to  have  been 

showed  no  signs  of  having  been  dis-  a   favorite    Indian    resort.'        A    little 

turbed,  and  that  this  rise  is  put  down  later  the  Indians  asked  to  be  allowed 

on  the  Government  maps  of  this  sec-  to  return  to  their  mai/.e  lands  on  Man- 
tion    as    a    sand    dune.3     During    the 

i    Nr\v   York   Tnhimr.    on.. in.   L  904,  and 
York  Sun.   Dec.   II.   I'.MH. 

.^ohn   Neafie  collection,  20-2558;  Che, „,  ^Anau^omg  *™« 

'  i  14 1903-  *?lKrW  ,,„..,-„,  „  366. 


48 


AMERICAN  MUSEUM  GUIDE  LEAFLETS 


hattan  Island  and  the  Governor  said 
that  they,  "if  they  desire  it,  be  admit- 
ted with  their  wives  and  children,  to 
plant  upon  this  Island,  but  nowhere 
else,  if  they  remove;  and  that  it  be 
upon  the  north  point  of  the  Island 
near  Spuyten  Duyvel."1 

Mrs.  Mary  A'.  Bolton  Post,  in  writ- 
ing to  the  editor  of  "The  Evening 
Post,"  June  19th  of  the  year  of  the 
opening  of  the  Harlem  Ship  Canal 
(1895),  speaks  of  some  Indians  who 
were  allowed  to  camp  on  the  south 
side  of  Spuyten  Duyvil  Creek  on  the 
Bolton  property  in  1817.  Ruttenber 
says  that  the  Reckgawanc  had  their 
principal  village  at  Yonkers,  but  that 
on  Berrieii's  Neck  (Spuyten  Duyvil 
Hill)  was  situated  their  castle  or  fort 
called  Nipinichsen.  This  fort  was  pro- 
tected by  a  strong  stockade  and  com- 
manded the  romantic  scenery  of  the 
Papirinimen,  or  Spuyten  Duyvil 
Creek,  and  the  Mahicaiiituk  (Hudson 
River),  the  junction  of  which  was 
called  the  Shorackappock.  It  was 
from  this  castle  that  the  Indians  came 
who  attacked  Hudson  on  his  return 
down  the  river.2  Some  small  shell 
deposits  occur  on  Spuyten  Duyvil  Hill, 
but  as  yet  this  "castile"  has  not  been 
definitely  located.  The  village  site 
at  Yonkers,  according  to  Mr.  James, 
is  now  covered  by  buildings;  but 
several  relics  found  near  the  site  years 
ago  are  now  in  the  Manor  Hall  at  that 
place  (1904). 

Judging  from  these  references,  we 
might  conclude  that  the  territory 
occupied  by  the  tribe  commonly  known 
as  Manhattans  including  Manhattan 
Island  and  that  part  of  the  mainland 
which  is  west  of  the  Bronx  River  north 


1  History  of  Harlem,  p.  369. 

2  Ruttenber,  pp.  77-78. 


of  Yonkers,  and  that  these  Indians 
were  a  sub-tribe  of  the  Wappinger 
division  of  the  Mahikan. 

NOTABLE  TYPES  OF  REMAINS. 

Dog  Burials.  The  first  clog  burials 
were  found  by  Mr.  Calver  in  1895. 
The  first  burial  was  unearthed  at  the 
summit  of  a  ridge  of  soft  earth  at  209th 
Street,  near  the  Harlem  River.  The 
ridge,  which  was  about  twelve  feet 
high,  had  been  partly  cut  away  for  the 
grading  of  Ninth  Avenue.  It  was 
at  the  highest  part  of  the  hillock  that 
a  pocket  of  oyster  and  clam  shells  was 
noticed,  from  which  a  few  fragments 
of  Indian  pottery  which  lay  on  the 
face  of  the  bank  had  evidently  fallen. 
The  shells,  upon  inspection,  were  found 
to  have  served  as  a  covering  for  the 
skeleton  of  a  dog  or  wrolf.  Another 
burial  was  found  on  May  18th  within 
fifty  yards  of  the  first  burial.  It  had 
been  covered  with  shells  just  as  the 
first  one,  but  had  been  disturbed  by 
workmen.  Mr.  Calver  says:  "The 
two  canine  burials  were  situated  at  a 
point  just  without  the  borders  of  the 
Harlem  River  shell-heap  and  were 
distinct  from  it.  The  shells  were 
found  to  be  matched,  hence  it  was  con- 
cluded that  they  were  thrown  in  un- 
opened or  eaten  on  the  spot.  As  the 
skeletons  were  intact  and  the  bones 
uninjured,  all  probability  of  the  ani- 
mals having  been  eaten  is  disposed  of. " 
These  burials  are  common  in  this 
vicinity,  Mr.  Calver  thinks  they  were 
for  some  religious  purpose,  and  suggests 
a  relation  to  the  "White  Dog  Feast " 
of  the  Onondaga  of  this  state.1  How- 
ever, it  is  known  that  the  carcass  of 
the  sacrificed  dog  was  burnt  by  the 

i  New  York  Herald,  May  26,  1895. 


INDIANS  OF  MANHATTAN  ISLAND 


49 


Iroquois  and  the  explanation  given  011 
page  40  is  probably  correct. 

Indian  Burials.  Notwithstanding 
all  the  efforts  of  various  collectors, 
the  first  Indian  burials  to  be  discovered 
on  the  Island  were  due  to  the  activi- 
ties of  Messrs.  Bolton  and  Calver  in 
1904.  The  improvement  of  Seaman 
Avenue,  Inwood,  at  that  time,  uncov- 
ered many  relics  of  the  long  extinct 
Indian  inhabitants  among  which  Mr. 
Bolton  saw  unmistakable  signs  of 


mass  of  oyster  shells,  some  of  which 
were  unopened,  the  skeleton  reclined 
on  its  right  side,  facing  west.  The 
arms  were  flexed  and  crossed,  the  knees 
bent  and  the  head  thrown  back.  Xo 
traces  of  weapons  were  found,  nor 
were  there  any  other  objects  found, 
save  a  fragment  of  an  animal  bone. 
'The  location  and  position  led  to 
further  exploration,  which,  early  in 
1908,  led  to  still  more  interesting  dis- 
coveries. Sunday,  March  22nd,  being 


INDIAN  BURIAL,  MANHATTAN. 


Indian  graves.  To  quote  from  this 
gentleman:  "It  thus  became  evident 
that  there  were  human  interments 
in  the  vicinity,  and  in  August,  1907, 
the  first  burial  was  discovered  under 
a  shell  pit  in  Corbett's  garden.  The 
grading  process  had  been  extended 
only  about  eighteen  inches  below  the 
sod,  but  had  sufficed  to  destroy  the 
jaw  of  the  skeleton  which  extended 
upwards,  as  did  also  the  foot  bones. 
The  bones  lay  in  and  upon  a  close 


the  first  day  in  the  field  for  exploration 
for  the  season  for  1908,  W.  L.  ( 'alver 
and  the  writer  met  at  Seaman  Avenue 
and  Hawthorne  Street.  Manhattan, 
to  discuss  plans  for  full  her  excavations 
on  this  Indian  village  site.  The  rains 
of  the  winter  1907-8  had  washed  the 
west  bank  where  the  layer  of  oyster 
shells  and  black  dirt  lay  along  the 
hill,  and  a  patch  of  red  burnt  earth 
was  observed,  which  on  digging  out, 
disclosed  a  fireplace,  evidently  of  the 


50  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  GUIDE  LEAFLETS 

period  of  the  Revolution,  having  some  carefully  to  work  upon  the  cluster  of 
large  burnt  stones,  ashes,  wood  char-  mixed  bones  in  front  of  the  large  skel- 
coal,  brick,  broken  rum  bottles,  a  wine  eton,  and  soon  found  them  to  be  rather 
glass  nearly  complete,  a  large  open  compactly  arranged  in  a  rectangular 
clasp-knife  with  bone  handle,  a  hoop-  form  about  14  by  26  inches,  the  long 
iron  pot-hook,  various  forged  head  bones  parallel.  The  vertebrae  abrupt- 
nails  and  a  curious  folding  corkscrew,  ly  ended  parallel  with  the  head  of  the 
Gold  buttons  of  Revolutionary  pattern  larger  skeleton,  and  after  working  some 
and  an  officer's  silver  button  of  the  time,  we  found  a  skull  placed  below, 
Royal  Marines,  together  with  pewter  beneath  the  pile  of  bones  in  a  vertical 
buttons  of  the  17th  Regiment  dis-  position,  facing  north,  the  lowrer  jaw  of 
closed  who  had  occupied  the  spot,  which  was  disengaged,  and  was  placed 

'  'At  one  part  of  this  fireplace,  we  sideways  in   front   of  the   face.     The 

came  upon  a  pocket  of  oyster  shells,  "back  of  the  skull  was  broken  in,  and 

evidently  Indian,  about  two  feet  deep,  was    black    with    marks    of    burning, 

and  on  removing  some  of  these,  had  The  lower  jaw  was  burned,  and  some 

the  good  fortune  to  uncover  a  human  of  the  teeth  split   by  fire.     The  arm 

thigh-bone.     We      worked      carefully  and   leg   bones   were    charred    at   the 

into  the  shells  and  under  the  pocket,  joints.     Inside  the  skull  was  a  burned 

gradually  disclosing  the  complete  re-  toe    bone.     Some    oyster    shells    were 

mains  of  a  full-grown  man  lying  on  its  among  the  charred  remains, 
right    side,    feet   to   the   north,    head          "A    significant    fact    was    that    the 

facing    east,    knees    doubled    up,    the  right  arm  bones  of  the  large  skeleton 

left  arm  extended  down  through  the  were  below  the  pile  of  burned  bones, 

thighs.     The  feet  had  been  within  the  This  feature,  and  the  compact  arrange- 

area  of  the  hole  in  which  the  Revolu-  ment   of  the  latter  within  the  space 

tionary  fireplace  had  been  made,  and  in  front  of  and  at  the  same  level  as  the 

only  one  or  two  foot  bones  were  found,  large  skeleton,  seem  to  point  strongly 

At  a  later  period  other  foot  bones  were  towards    an    intentional    arrangement 

found  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Rev-  of  these  bones,  in  front  of  the  large 

olutionary  fireplace,  evidently  having  corpse  and  to  indicate  the  simultane- 

been    displaced    in    its    construction,  ous  burial  of  the  two  bodies.     On  ex- 

The   right   arm   was   flexed,    and   the  animation,  the  large  skeleton  proved 

hand  was  under  the  head,  the  latter  to  be  that  of  an  adult  male,  and  the 

was   intact    and   every   tooth   was   in  dismembered  remains  those  of  a  female 

place.     Shells  had  been  packed  over  of  about  35  years  of  age.     No  imple- 

the  body,   and  some  around  it.     We  merits  were  found  with  the  remains, 

were  much  puzzled  by  a  number  of  but  a  part  of  a  stone  pestle  and  a  rude 

human  bones  lying  compactly  together  celt  lay  under  the  sod  among  the  oy- 

by   the   skeleton,    in   a   position   that  sters  above  the  large  skeleton, 
would  have  been  in  its  lap,  had  it  been          "On  Sunday,  June  14,  1908,  another 

upright.  burial  was  found  about  20  feet  north 

"We    removed    the    skull,    covered  of  the  above.     This  burial  consisted 

the  remains,  and  on  Sunday,  March  of  an  adult  skeleton  doubled  up  and 

29th,    renewed   the   work.     We   went  its  back  much  curved,  and  was  appar- 


IXDIAXS  OF  MAXHATTAX  ISLAM) 


51 


289 


J-fa.  u/f/i  or?ie 


^ 

o 
o 


LOCATION  OF  BURIALS,  PITS  AND  SHELL-BEDS  NEAR  INWOOD. 


1.  Human  remains.  2.  Shell  pit,  deer  antler.  :H.  Shell  pit.  4.  Shell  pit.  pottery.  5.  sin  II 
pits.  6.  Shell  pit,  sturgeon  below.  7.  Shell  pit.  sturgeon  scales.  8.  9.  Shell  pits.  10.  Human 
remains.  11.  Fire  pit.  12.  Shell  pit.  13.  Dog  burial,  puppy.  14.  Shell  pit.  15.  Part  of  a  jar. 
16.  Shell  pit.  fish  and  meat  bones.  17.  Shell  pits.  18.  Two  dogs  in  shell  pit.  19.  Human  skeleton, 
1907.  19a.  Female  skeleton.  1908.  20.  Human  remains  when  house  was  built.  21.  Small  fire  pits, 
Revolutionary.  22.  Large  shell  pit.  23.  Large  shell  pit.  24.  Shell  pit.  25.  Dog  burial.  2(>.  27,  28. 
Shell  pits.  29.  T«o  human  skeletons,  male  and  female.  30.  Revolutionary  fireplace  "Koyal  Marines" 
and  "17th."  31.  Skeleton  and  infant,  female.  :<2.  Skeleton  (Chenoweth,  190S).  33.  Revolutionary 
fireplace.  71st.  officers'  buttons.  D.  Dyckman  dwelling.  R1,  R-.  Revolutionary  fireplaces.  Rs. 
Revolutionary  well. 


52  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  GUIDE  LEAFLETS 

ently  that  of  a  female  of  mature  age.  BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

Between  the  knees,  the  remains  of  a  Anthropological  Papers  of  the  Amer- 

small  infant  were  laid,  the  skull  of  the  icon  Museum  of  Natural  History,  Vol- 

latter  being  fragmentary.     The  right  ume  III;  Hudson-Fulton  Publication, 

hand  of  the  adult  was  below  the  infant  ' '  The  Indians  of  Greater  New  York 

and  the  left  hand  around  the  throat,  and  the  Lower  Hudson. "     New  York, 

The  skull  was  intact  and  had  nearly  1909. 

all  the  teeth.  One  ringer  bone  had  This  volume  contains  a  series  of 
grown  together  at  the  joint  in  a  crook-  papers  by  Messrs.  Finch,  Bolton, 
ed  position  apparently  due  to  disease.  Harrington,  Speck,  Schrabisch,  and 
On  lifting  the  ribs  of  the  right  side,  an  Skinner,  dealing  minutely  with  all 
arrow-head  of  flint  fell  out  between  the  phases  of  the  subject  in  a  thoroughly 
fourth  and  fifth  bones.  These  skele-  scientific  and  less  popular  manner  than 
tons  lay  about  two  and  a  half  feet  be-  the  present  volume.  Especial  atten- 
low  the  grass,  and  a  pocket  of  oyster  tion  is  paid  to  the  research  in  local 
shells  was  over  the  head.  The  woman's  archaeology,  with  maps  and  notes  on 
remains  lay  within  a  space  about  31  most  of  the  important  sites.  The 
inches  long  by  50  inches  wide,  flat  Museum  also  published  a  guide  leaf- 
in  the  hard  red  sand  bed  facing  let  to  the  collection  on  exhibition, 
east.  Skinner,  Alanson,  The  Indians  of 

"Shortly  after  these  remains  were  Greater    New    York;    Torch    Press, 

discovered,  Mr.  Chenoweth  extended  Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa,  1915. 

the   excavation   previously   made   by  A  very  full  and  thoroughgoing  ac- 

the  explorers   at  the  side  of  a  large  count   of   the   history   and   ethnology 

oyster  shell  pit  in  the  same  bank  of  of  the  local  Indians,  containing  many 

sand,  and  uncovered  a  male  skeleton  sources  not  available  at  the  time  when 

of  which  he  preserved  the  skull.     Some  volume    III    of    the    Anthropological 

small  fragments  of  the  skeleton  were  Papers  was  published.     The  archaeol- 

afterwards  found  by  the  writer  on  this  ogy  of  the  locality  is  also  written  up 

spot.     Contractors   for   the   sewer   in  in    a    more    popular    style    than    the 

Seaman   Avenue   also   uncovered   the  preceding     publication.     These     two 

remains  of  a  young  female  close  to  the  papers  with  the  present  guide  leaflet 

position   of  several   of  the   shell   pits  bring  the  subject  of  our  local  Indians 

previously  described.  thoroughly  up  to  date  and  summarize 

"These  interments  have  some  curi-  the  older  authors. 

ous    features.     The    position    of    the  Ruttenber,   E.    M.,    History   of   the 

remains  facing  east,  sometimes  west,  Indian    Tribes  of  the  Hudson   River, 

the  absence  of  weapons  or  other  ob-  Albany,  1872. 

jects  and  the  oyster  shells  packed  with  A  little  old-fashioned  in  style,  and 

or  above  them  are  subjects  for  inter-  with  a  few  errors,  but  brimful  of  all 

esting    discussion    on    which    future  sorts    of    useful    information    on    the 

finds  may  throw  much  light,  as  also  subject. 

upon  the  peculiar  double  burial  and  Beauchamp,   Rev.    W.   M.,   Bulletin 

the    burnt    state    of    the    female    re-  of  the  New  York  State  Museum.  Nos. 

mains."  16,  18,  22,  32,  41. 


INDIANS  OF  MANHATTAN  ISLAND  53 

These  list,  figure,  and  describe  the  time    of    their    migration    from    New 

types  of  chipped  and  polished  stone  Jersey   and   Eastern   Pennsylvania  to 

implements,    and    the    pottery,    shell,  the  Ohio  Valley. 

bone      metal,     and    wooden    utensils  Harrington)  M.  R     -  Some  Customs 

found  in  New  York  State.     Bulletin  Of  the  Delaware  Indians;"     the  Mus- 

32  contains   a  list  of  all   the   Indian  eum  Joumal  of  th(j  Museum  ()f  the 

village   and   camp    sites,    shell-heaps,  University    of   Pennsylvaniaj   Vol.    I, 

rock  and  cave  shelters,  and  cemeteries  No>    3;    and    «Vestiges  of    Material 

then  recorded  from  the   entire   State,  Culture    Amon,,  ^  Canadian  Dela. 

with  a  map  upon  which  the  locations  wareg/,      American     Anthropologist, 

ot   these   are   plotted.     This   series   is  N_  g>  Vd    1()  NQ_  ^  im>  APr(,lim_ 

invaluable  to  the  student,   especially  inary  gketch  of  L         ^  ^^   I))i(l 

to  one  engaged  in  research  work.  yoj    j^p   298 

Farranci,  Livingston,  Basis  of  Amer-  The    most    recent    account    of    the 

ican  History.     Harpers:  The  American  Delaware,     but     merely     preliminary 

Nation  Nation  Series;  Vol.  I.  sketches,  forerunners  of  a  much  larger 

"This  volume    contains    a    careful  work  based  on  personal  archaeological 

review    of    the    physical    features    of  research   about   New   York   City   and 

North  America,  which  is  exceedingly  ethnological  study  among  the  surviving 

helpful  to  the  student  in  understanding  Delaware   of  Canada  and  ( )klahoma, 

the  development  of  the  various  colo-  which,  when  given  to  the  public,  will 

nies.    This  is  supplemented  by  a  survey  be  the  dernier  mot  on  the  subject, 

of  the  principal  lines  of  communica-  Brinton,    D.    G.,  The    Lenape    and 

tion — Indian   trails,    portages,    water-  Their    Legends;    Philadelphia,     1885. 

ways,    and    mountain    passes — which  This  work  contains  the  Walum  (Mum 

have  been  of  the  utmost  importance  and  its  translation,   in  addition  to   a 

in   determining  the   course   of  events  mass    of    ethnological    material.     An 

in  American  history                              Of  excellent    treatise    on    the    Delaware 

particular  value  is  Professor  Farrand's  Indians. 

able    discussion     of     the     American  O'Callaghan,   E.    B.,    Documentary 

Indians.    Reasoning  from  a  great  mass  History  of  New  York.     Four  volumes ; 

of    collected    data,    he    reaches    sane  Albany    1863-7 

and     conservative     conclusions.     The  Contains,  as  its  name  implies,  many 

author  lias  made  a  point  of  condensa-  of  th(1  (,.irly  documents  relating  to  the 

tion,  and  has  supplied  the  want  of  a  settlement    of    New    York.     A    very 

thorough,    systematic    study    of    the  important   work   containing   many   of 

Indians  in   a  small   compass.'  tho    S0urces    of    the    present    volume. 

Heckwelder,  J.  G.  E.,  History,  Man-  De  VrieSj  />„,,>/  person,  Voyages 
ners,  and  Customs  of  the  Indian  from  Holland  to  America;  (trans- 
Nations  who  once  inhabited  Pennsyl-  lation) .  New  York,  1853.  A  rare  and 
vania.  Philadelphia,  1876.  valuable  work,  to  be  obtained  only  in 

At  the  present  writing  this  is  the  the  large  public  libraries.     This  is  the 

most  complete  source  of  information  personal  account  of  the  good  patroon's 

on    the    Delaware    Indians    from    the  own  experience  as  an  eye-witness  and 


54 


AMERICAN  MUSEUM  GUIDE  LEAFLETS 


participator  in  the  early  Indian  wars 
in  the  New  Netherlands.  Written  in 
a  naive,  fluent  and  interesting  manner. 

Morgan,  Lewis  H.,  The  League  of 
the  Iroquois.  In  several  editions. 

A  comprehensive  study  of  the  Five, 
later  Six  Nations,  especially  of  the 
Seneca.  One  of  the  first  careful  scien- 
tific studies  ever  made  of  any  tribe,  and 
still  a  classic. 

Parker,  A.  C.,  An  Erie  Indian 
Village  and  Cemetery,  Iroquois  Corn 
Foods,  and  other  publications  in  the 
Bulletins  of  the  New  York  State  Mu- 
seum, Albany, N.  Y.;  in  thesame  series 
as  those  of  Dr.  William  Beauchamp. 


The  first  of  the  works  mentioned  is 
the  best  published  account  of  the 
archaeological  work  on  any  one  site 
in  the  State,  and  should  be  read  by 
everyone  intending  to  do  research. 

The  second  gives  a  valuable  insight 
into  ancient  Indian  methods  of  cookery. 

All  of  Mr.  Parker's  works  are  val- 
uable because  of  his  deep  knowledge 
of  all  things  Indian  and  his  experience 
as  State  Archaeologist. 

Furman,  Gabriel,  Antiquities  of  Long 
Island,  N.  Y.  1874. 

Tooker,  W.  W.,  Indian  Place-Names 
on  Long  Island,  N.  Y.,  1911  (Knick- 
erbocker Press). 


THE  THUNDERBIRD 


Engraved  on  a  fragment  of  pottery  found  at  Shinnecock  Hills,  Long  Island.  The  thunder- 
birds  were  gods  and  patrons  of  warriors  and  it  is  one  of  their  duties  to  guard  mankind  from  ihe 
evil  horned  serpents  (page  10)  that  dwell  under  the  earth  or  beneath  the  waters. 


The  collection,  which  represents  about  500  falls,  numbering  some  2,000 
specimens,  includes  the  great  "Ahnighito"  meteorite,  weighing  36 J^  tons, 
brought  -from  Greenland  by  Peary,  the  strange  "Willamette"  meteorite 
and  the  "Canyon  Diablo"  which  contains  minute  diamonds. 

THE  HABITAT  GROUPS  OF  NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS.     By  FRANK  M.  CHAP- 
MAN, Curator  of  Ornithology.     February,  1809.     Price,  15  cents. 

These  celebrated  groups  are  designed  to  illustrate  not  only  the  habits 
but  also  the  haunts,  or  habitats,  of  the  species  shewn.  The  backgrounds 
are  careful  studies  from  nature  and  each  represents  some  definite  locality. 
Twenty-two  of  these  groups  are  shown  in  this  leaflet. 

THE  BATRACHIANS  OF  THE  VICINITY  OF  NEW  YORK  CITY.     By  RAYMOND 
•    L.  DITMARS,  Curator  of  Reptiles,  New  York  Zoological  Park.     October,  1905 
Price,  15  cents. 

THE  BIRDS  OF  THE  VICINITY  OF  NEW  YORK  CITY.     BY  FRANK  M.  CHAP- 
MAN, Curator  of  Ornithology.     April-July,  1906.     Price,  15  cents. 
THE  EVOLUTION  OF  THE  HORSE.     By    W.    D.    MATTHEW,    Ph.D.,    Curator, 
Departmant  of  Vertebrate  Palaeontology.     63  pages,  39  illustrations.      Price,  20 
cents. 

The  past  geologic  history  of  the  Horse  affords  the  most  complete  and 
convincing  illustration  of  evolution  among  mammals.  This  leaflet,  based 
upon  material  in  this  Museum,  describes  the  successive  stages  in  its  evolution 
from  the  four-toed  "Eohippus  no  bigger  than  a  fox"  to  the  single-toed  horse 
of  to-day. 

THE   INDIANS   OF   MANHATTAN -ISLAND   AND   VICINITY.     By   ALANSON. 
SKINNER,    Assistant    Curator,    Department    of    Anthropology.      April,     1915. 
Price,  20  cents. 

BRIEF,  HISTORY  OF  ANTARCTIC  EXPLORATION.      March,  1910.      Revised 
March, -1.915.     Price,  10  cents. 

A  summary  of  the  Exploration  of  Antarctic  Regions,  from  the  voyage  of 
Captain  Cook  in  176S-1777  down  tio  Mawson's  expedition  in  1913. 

PLANT  FORMS  IN  WAX.     By  E.   C.  B.  FASSETT.     November,   1911.     Price,   10 
cents 

Tells  how  reproductions  of  foliage  and  flowers,  such  as  are  used  in  the 
bird  groups,  are  made. 

HOW  TO  COLLECT  AND  PRESERVE  INSECTS.     By  FRANK  E.  Lurz.     Price, 

10  cents 
OUR  COMMON  BUTTERFLIES.     By  FRANK  E.  LUTZ  and  F.  E.  WATSON. 

Describes  and  figures  natural  size  about  40  species  of  our  more  common 
butterflies.  Price,  15  cents. 


GUIDE  TO  THE  COLLECTIONS 
ILLUSTRATED 

New    Edition   issued    December,    1914,    127    pages, 
65  illustrations,  many  full  page.       Price  25  cents. 


These  publications  may  be  purchased  in  the  Visitors'  Room,  near  the 
entrance,  from  the  Attendants  or  from  the  Librarian. 


AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 


FOR  THE  PEOPLE 


FOR  EDUCATION 


FOR  SCIENCE 


L