Anne Dyjak and I represented the Chenango Chapter of the New York State Archaeological Association at the annual South Otselic Fishing Heritage Day, Saturday 19 May 2012.
Monday, May 21, 2012
SOUTH OTSELIC FISHING HERITAGE DAY SATURDAY 19 MAY 2012
A. Gail Merian
Anne Dyjak and I represented the Chenango Chapter of the New York State Archaeological Association at the annual South Otselic Fishing Heritage Day, Saturday 19 May 2012.
Anne Dyjak and I represented the Chenango Chapter of the New York State Archaeological Association at the annual South Otselic Fishing Heritage Day, Saturday 19 May 2012.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
PROJECTILE POINT NEAR AFTON STONE PILES
Donald A. Windsor
No evidence connecting Native Americans with stone piles in Chenango County has been found. Until now. Kathy Klopchin found a projectile point within a half-mile of the stone pile site in the Melondy Hill State Forest in the Town of Afton on Sunday 25 March 2012. I described this site in my book cited below.
Our Bullthistle Hiking Club was plodding along a very muddy logging road that was sloshed by a large vehicle. Kathy noticed the point on the side of the rut where it was splashed out. She marked the location on her GPS.
The point seems to be made of rhyolite, according to several of my colleagues in our Chenango Chapter of the New York State Archaeological Association. Rhyolite is a volcanic rock. Volcanic rocks range from the very hard glass-like obsidian to the fluffy pumice. Rhyolite is gritty and does have a purple form. The nearest natural source of rhyolite is a well-known site near Gettysburg in south central Pennsylvania.
The identity of the point remains elusive because it seems to match illustrations of several types. I narrowed it down to being either a Lamoka or a Susquehanna Broad.
Lamoka points are found more often west of here in the Finger Lakes region and beyond. Susquehanna points are more apt to be found here in the Susquehanna River watershed. Although a Google search of { Lamoka rhyolite } turns up several photos matching this point, Ritchie does not associate the two terms. On the other hand, Googling { Susquehanna rhyolite } turns up many hits and Ritchie does associate those two terms. In fact, on page 54 he states that, "In Pennsylvania, nearly all points of this type are said to be made of purplish rhyolite derived from outcrops of this metamorphosed volcanic rock in Franklin and Adams Counties, near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. This material also composes a large number of the New York specimens ..." Both point types are from the Archaic Period, Susquehanna (1200BC - 700BC), pages 53-54, are from the Transitional and Late Archaic; whereas Lamoka (3500BC - 2500BC), pages 29-30, are from the Early Archaic, page 10.
Therefore, the evidence cited above seems to favor the identity of this Afton point to be a narrow version of a Susquehanna Broad point made of purplish rhyolite.
Of course, finding a single point a half-mile away does not actually connect the stone piles to the Native Americans. However, it is our closest connection so far and does inspire us to keep searching.
References cited:
Ritchie, William A. A Typology and Nomenclature for New York Projectile Points. Albany, NY: State Museum Bulletin 384. 1961, revised 1971, reprinted 1989.
Windsor, Donald A. The mysterious stone piles. In: Souvenirs of Yesteryear. Exploring Chenango County, New York. Norwich, NY: Self-published. 2009. Pages 12-14.
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No evidence connecting Native Americans with stone piles in Chenango County has been found. Until now. Kathy Klopchin found a projectile point within a half-mile of the stone pile site in the Melondy Hill State Forest in the Town of Afton on Sunday 25 March 2012. I described this site in my book cited below.
Our Bullthistle Hiking Club was plodding along a very muddy logging road that was sloshed by a large vehicle. Kathy noticed the point on the side of the rut where it was splashed out. She marked the location on her GPS.
The point seems to be made of rhyolite, according to several of my colleagues in our Chenango Chapter of the New York State Archaeological Association. Rhyolite is a volcanic rock. Volcanic rocks range from the very hard glass-like obsidian to the fluffy pumice. Rhyolite is gritty and does have a purple form. The nearest natural source of rhyolite is a well-known site near Gettysburg in south central Pennsylvania.
The identity of the point remains elusive because it seems to match illustrations of several types. I narrowed it down to being either a Lamoka or a Susquehanna Broad.
Lamoka points are found more often west of here in the Finger Lakes region and beyond. Susquehanna points are more apt to be found here in the Susquehanna River watershed. Although a Google search of { Lamoka rhyolite } turns up several photos matching this point, Ritchie does not associate the two terms. On the other hand, Googling { Susquehanna rhyolite } turns up many hits and Ritchie does associate those two terms. In fact, on page 54 he states that, "In Pennsylvania, nearly all points of this type are said to be made of purplish rhyolite derived from outcrops of this metamorphosed volcanic rock in Franklin and Adams Counties, near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. This material also composes a large number of the New York specimens ..." Both point types are from the Archaic Period, Susquehanna (1200BC - 700BC), pages 53-54, are from the Transitional and Late Archaic; whereas Lamoka (3500BC - 2500BC), pages 29-30, are from the Early Archaic, page 10.
Therefore, the evidence cited above seems to favor the identity of this Afton point to be a narrow version of a Susquehanna Broad point made of purplish rhyolite.
Of course, finding a single point a half-mile away does not actually connect the stone piles to the Native Americans. However, it is our closest connection so far and does inspire us to keep searching.
References cited:
Ritchie, William A. A Typology and Nomenclature for New York Projectile Points. Albany, NY: State Museum Bulletin 384. 1961, revised 1971, reprinted 1989.
Windsor, Donald A. The mysterious stone piles. In: Souvenirs of Yesteryear. Exploring Chenango County, New York. Norwich, NY: Self-published. 2009. Pages 12-14.
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Wednesday, May 2, 2012
BOOK REVIEW: WATER MAN ... MCELLIGOTT
Donald A. Windsor
McElligott, Corey C. ; McElligott, Darren, C. ; McElligott, Patrick R.
Water Man. A Native People's History of the Northeast.
Guilford, NY: Waterfalls Press. 2011. Unpaginated [354 pages]
This is truly a wonderful book and I thank the authors for publishing it. Now this information resides in the public domain and is available to all who seek it.
Actually, I envy Pat -- and you will too, when you read it. Why? Because Pat had the privilege of carrying on all these fascinating conversations with Onondaga Chief Paul Water Man (=Waterman). However, you can rejoice, because Pat's sons, Corey and Darren, described them for you.
Whereas this book provides interesting (hard to put down!) reading, it does have several pesky drawbacks which, unfortunately, will hinder its use as a reference. It lacks the standard book features: verso, contents, cited references, and index. The most distressing omission was the absence of page numbers. Consequently, I recommend that readers do what I did, write in their own page numbers and construct their own index. Admittedly, these are not tasks that someone paying $30.00 for a book should have to do. But, for me, it was worth the trouble.
Over the years, I learned many concepts from Pat. Now, I have a document to back them up. For example, the use of burial mounds is based on the idea that a person springs from the womb and should return to the womb when life is over. Burial mounds resemble the bellies of pregnant women in the supine position. Up to now, I have not been able to document that concept. Now I can, on page 106. I still remember when Pat first told me that, because it made me look at landscapes differently from then on. Chenango County is richly endowed with possible burial mounds.
This book is full of remarkable information and I strongly urge you to read it.
================================================
McElligott, Corey C. ; McElligott, Darren, C. ; McElligott, Patrick R.
Water Man. A Native People's History of the Northeast.
Guilford, NY: Waterfalls Press. 2011. Unpaginated [354 pages]
This is truly a wonderful book and I thank the authors for publishing it. Now this information resides in the public domain and is available to all who seek it.
Actually, I envy Pat -- and you will too, when you read it. Why? Because Pat had the privilege of carrying on all these fascinating conversations with Onondaga Chief Paul Water Man (=Waterman). However, you can rejoice, because Pat's sons, Corey and Darren, described them for you.
Whereas this book provides interesting (hard to put down!) reading, it does have several pesky drawbacks which, unfortunately, will hinder its use as a reference. It lacks the standard book features: verso, contents, cited references, and index. The most distressing omission was the absence of page numbers. Consequently, I recommend that readers do what I did, write in their own page numbers and construct their own index. Admittedly, these are not tasks that someone paying $30.00 for a book should have to do. But, for me, it was worth the trouble.
Over the years, I learned many concepts from Pat. Now, I have a document to back them up. For example, the use of burial mounds is based on the idea that a person springs from the womb and should return to the womb when life is over. Burial mounds resemble the bellies of pregnant women in the supine position. Up to now, I have not been able to document that concept. Now I can, on page 106. I still remember when Pat first told me that, because it made me look at landscapes differently from then on. Chenango County is richly endowed with possible burial mounds.
This book is full of remarkable information and I strongly urge you to read it.
================================================
Monday, April 23, 2012
NATIVE AMERICAN DOLLS
Gail Merian
On Thursday April 19,2012 there was a presentation showing various types and styles of Native American dolls at the Chenango County Historical Society meeting. We explored a bit of American history and we found that dolls were more than playthings and more than objects that collected dust.
Did you ever think about getting into a time capsule and going back through time? Doll collecting can do this for you. Whether you collect dolls from the Victorian age or action figures of the 20th and 21st century, one can glean information from a bygone era. Investigate dolls and become involved not only in history but in geography, ethnology, anthropology, crafts, and interacting with other collectors.
People collect dolls for various reasons. Reasons include souvenirs from vacation, dolls for investment, or because a particular doll struck their fancy.
Native American lore and culture have fascinated people for years, so collecting Native American dolls evolved from this. Media has portrayed Native Americans as savages, a dying and noble race, romantic and in tune with the environment. As such, when Disney promoted the film Pocahontas, Pocahontas dolls became popular. Native American dolls also became popular after the movies Dances with Wolves, Windtalker, and The Last of the Mohicans.
Native American dolls can also be subdivided into categories such as souvenir dolls, handmade dolls, native crafted dolls, action figures and dolls by a particular company.
Each category has a story. Some Native American dolls speak of religion and teaching, such as the Kachina dolls, some tell of tribal tradition and some tell of historical progression of a company.
All this and more were covered during the presentation.
===============================================================
On Thursday April 19,2012 there was a presentation showing various types and styles of Native American dolls at the Chenango County Historical Society meeting. We explored a bit of American history and we found that dolls were more than playthings and more than objects that collected dust.
Did you ever think about getting into a time capsule and going back through time? Doll collecting can do this for you. Whether you collect dolls from the Victorian age or action figures of the 20th and 21st century, one can glean information from a bygone era. Investigate dolls and become involved not only in history but in geography, ethnology, anthropology, crafts, and interacting with other collectors.
People collect dolls for various reasons. Reasons include souvenirs from vacation, dolls for investment, or because a particular doll struck their fancy.
Native American lore and culture have fascinated people for years, so collecting Native American dolls evolved from this. Media has portrayed Native Americans as savages, a dying and noble race, romantic and in tune with the environment. As such, when Disney promoted the film Pocahontas, Pocahontas dolls became popular. Native American dolls also became popular after the movies Dances with Wolves, Windtalker, and The Last of the Mohicans.
Native American dolls can also be subdivided into categories such as souvenir dolls, handmade dolls, native crafted dolls, action figures and dolls by a particular company.
Each category has a story. Some Native American dolls speak of religion and teaching, such as the Kachina dolls, some tell of tribal tradition and some tell of historical progression of a company.
All this and more were covered during the presentation.
===============================================================
Sunday, April 15, 2012
LARGEST BLACK ASH IN CHENANGO COUNTY
Samaras under the large black ash on the south east corner of Johnson Street and Elmer Jackson Road were found on Sunday 15 April 2012, during a Bullthistle Hike in the Pharsalia Wildlife Management Area. For many years I have been looking for them and finally found some, confirming the identification of this tree. I measured it with my arms at about 5.5 feet circumference (1.75 feet diameter). It is the largest found so far but is dying on its north side.
Photo by Jonathan Bogardus.
The dugout canoe in the Chenango County Museum in Norwich was made of black ash and is about 2 feet in diameter and was dated at 1720-25 AD. This canoe was found by Dave Walker in 1946 in Deer Pond, about 3 miles southwest.
For more information, check posts on this blog for 11 July 2011 and 16 August 2011.
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Tuesday, April 10, 2012
CONFLUENCE OF JOHNSON CREEK AND THE CHENANGO RIVER
Donald A. Windsor
The famous White Site (1) is on Johnson Creek, about 3.7 miles (as the creek flows) from the Chenango River (2). Surely the residents of that site had traversed the entire stretch of the Johnson Creek. In fact, the "Iroquois Trail" (now County Road 33 + White Store Road) ran between the Chenango River and the Unadilla (= Tianaderha) River. Its western terminus was near this confluence (3).
I have been trying to explore the confluence for several years. However, it was always too wet. Fortunately, this spring has been dry and so, on 3 April 2012, I ventured over and was able to walk around in it.
The confluence is not a single stream emptying into the river. Johnson Creek forms a fan of small streams covering about a quarter mile of riverfront. The entire riverside area is a wetland. Some of the larger washouts indicate that several feet of mud covers whatever is under it. It does not look like any place that I would pitch a tent.
But lo, looking southeasterly a veritable peninsula stretches out perhaps a furlong from the higher spot the barn and house are on. This would be the site for a dig. It is very close to what I think is The Castle (4).
The Johnson Creek has been controlled in the historic past to try to confine it within artificial berms. The futility of this approach is seen in the field adjacent to the creek. Stones have repeatedly been sprawled over the field by the rushing waters. One of these washouts stretches for about 300 feet.
References cited:
1. Whitney, Theodore ; Gibson, Stanford. The White Site, Nbn 2-3 [Bulletin] Chenango Chapter NYSAA 1987 Aug; 22(2): x-21+plates 1-10.
2. USGS Topographic 7.5 minute maps Norwich and Holmesville, 1943.
3. Survey map of the Twenty Townships. 1789.
4. Clark, Hiram C. History of Chenango County ... Norwich, NY: Thompson & Pratt. 1850. Page 8
The famous White Site (1) is on Johnson Creek, about 3.7 miles (as the creek flows) from the Chenango River (2). Surely the residents of that site had traversed the entire stretch of the Johnson Creek. In fact, the "Iroquois Trail" (now County Road 33 + White Store Road) ran between the Chenango River and the Unadilla (= Tianaderha) River. Its western terminus was near this confluence (3).
I have been trying to explore the confluence for several years. However, it was always too wet. Fortunately, this spring has been dry and so, on 3 April 2012, I ventured over and was able to walk around in it.
The confluence is not a single stream emptying into the river. Johnson Creek forms a fan of small streams covering about a quarter mile of riverfront. The entire riverside area is a wetland. Some of the larger washouts indicate that several feet of mud covers whatever is under it. It does not look like any place that I would pitch a tent.
But lo, looking southeasterly a veritable peninsula stretches out perhaps a furlong from the higher spot the barn and house are on. This would be the site for a dig. It is very close to what I think is The Castle (4).
The Johnson Creek has been controlled in the historic past to try to confine it within artificial berms. The futility of this approach is seen in the field adjacent to the creek. Stones have repeatedly been sprawled over the field by the rushing waters. One of these washouts stretches for about 300 feet.
References cited:
1. Whitney, Theodore ; Gibson, Stanford. The White Site, Nbn 2-3 [Bulletin] Chenango Chapter NYSAA 1987 Aug; 22(2): x-21+plates 1-10.
2. USGS Topographic 7.5 minute maps Norwich and Holmesville, 1943.
3. Survey map of the Twenty Townships. 1789.
4. Clark, Hiram C. History of Chenango County ... Norwich, NY: Thompson & Pratt. 1850. Page 8
Friday, March 16, 2012
ANNE DYJAK RECEIVES MERITORIOUS SERVICE AWARD
Donald A. Windsor
Anne Dyjak served as our Chapter Secretary from 2000 through 2010. She has also been the driving force for the refreshments provided at our monthly meetings.
The award was presented by President David Moyer at our March 10, 2012, meeting.
Congratulations Anne!
Anne Dyjak served as our Chapter Secretary from 2000 through 2010. She has also been the driving force for the refreshments provided at our monthly meetings.
The award was presented by President David Moyer at our March 10, 2012, meeting.
Congratulations Anne!
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