Footprints of the Red Men: Indian geographical names in the valley of Hudson's river, the valley of the Mohawk, and on the Delaware: their location and the probable meaning of some of them.Ruttenber, Edward Manning
History
Footprints of the Red Men: Indian geographical names in the valley of Hudson's river, the valley of the Mohawk, and on the Delaware: their location and the probable meaning of some of them.
Ruttenber, Edward Manning
Indians of North America -- New York (State); Names, Geographical -- New York (State); Names, Indian -- North America
[FN-3] State Historian Hastings writes me: "The map of which you
inquire, appeared originally in a pamphlet published at Middleburgh,
Holland, at the Hague, 1666. It was first reproduced by the late Hon.
Henry C. Murphy in his translation of the 'Vertoogh van Nieu Nederland,'
etc. His reproduction gives _Canagere,_ as the name of the second
castle, and _Caneray_ as the name of the first, precisely as they appear
in order in our reproduction in our Third Report."
[FN-4] _Oneongoure_ is a form of the name in Colonial History. In the
standard translation of Jesuit Relations it is _Oneugiouré._ _Oneon_ is
a clerical error. The letters _u_ and _ou_ represent a sound produced
by the Indian in the throat without motion of the lips. Bruyas wrote it
8{_sic_ ȣ?}; it is now read _w-Onew._ Adding an _a,_ we have very nearly
M. Cuoq's _Ohnawah,_ "current," "swift river"; with suffix _gowa,_
"great," the reference being to the great rapids near which the castle
was located. The omission of the locative participle shows that it was
not "at" or "on" the great rapids.
[FN-5] "Their three castles destroyed and themselves dispersed." (Col.
Hist. N. Y., iv, 20, 22.) The castles referred to Caughnawaga, Canagora,
and Tiononteogen. A castle on the south side of the Mohawk, said to have
been about two miles inland, escaped. Presumably it was the village of
the Beaver family, but we have nothing further concerning it. The attack
was made on the night of Feb. 16, 1693. The warriors of the first two
castles were absent, and the few old men and the women made little
resistance. At the third, the warriors fought bravely but unsuccessfully.
The three castles were burned; that at Caughnawaga was given to the
flames on the morning of February 20, 1693.
[FN-6] Journal of Arent van Curler, of a visit to the Seneca country,
1634-5 O. S., translated by General James Grant Wilson, printed in "The
Independent," N. Y., Oct. 5, 1895. Republished by National Historical
Society.
[FN-7] General Wilson wrote me that the Journal was translated for him
by a Hollander, now (1905) dead, and that the manuscript had passed out
of his hands. The question of hours and miles is not important here. On
his return travel he gave the distance from the little hunters' cabin
(which in the meantime had been burned), as "A long walk," which will
not be disputed. It may be added that it is not justifiable to count
his two days' travel as one, and count the two as thirty-two English
miles from Fort Orange. The two days' travel are very distinct in the
Journal.
[FN-8] Doc. Hist. N. Y., iii, 1087.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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