THE PRE-IROQUOIN OCCUPATIONS OF NEW YORK STATE

By William A. Ritchie Archaeologist Rochester Museum of Arts and Sciences

1944

Rochester Museum Memoir No. 1

Page 146 PRE-IROQUOIAN OCCUPATIONS OF NEW YORK

Rene Menard Bridge Component, No. 1 (Plate 53, site 6)

The prominent gravel terrace bordering the east bank of the Seneca River south of Ren‚ Menard Bridge, on highway U. S. 20, Cayuga County, is the locus of two small cemeteries of the culture we have been describing. In 1935 and again in 1938 digging was done here by Mr. Carl Armbruster, a local resident, from whom the data recorded below, amplified by a study of his collection, were obtained.

Component No. 1 occupied a low rise, about 40 rods east of the river shore and same 1,000 feet from the bridge, and consisted of at least 10 burials, all flexed, several multiple and nearly all with mortuary objects, like those pictured on plates 64-67.

Lack of adequate notes made during excavation renders a description of each burial impossible, but at least one, inhumed at a depth of approximately 4 feet, was covered with red paint and yielded the stained Marginella and tubular shell beads shown on Plate 66, figs.1, 5, and the harpoon seen as fig. 11 of Plate 65. From another grave came a hafted beaver incisor (Plate 65, fig. 12), 2 ground and perforated bear canines, with Hopewellian parallels (Plate 65, fig. 4), and 3 perforated lynx canines (fig. 5, same plate), all 5 stained from the copper beads accompanying them (Plate 67, fig. 1).

Still another is described as having been outlined along either side by a double row of thin cache blades, 81 in all (Plate 64, figs. 6-11).

Literally thousands of shell beads of the varieties pictured on Plates 66 and 67 were secured, a record number for a site of this culture.

A few skeletons were directly covered by large stone slabs and in some instances the grave goods occurred in a pocket in the wall.

Rene Menard Bridge, Component No. 2 (Plate 53, site 6)

Approximately 600 feet southwest of the first dug burial plot, a second, similarly situated on a slight rise, but on the slope to the river, was explored by Mr. Armbruster, who found therein 11 skeletons. A synopsis of his notes, clarified by interrogation, follows:

Burial 1. Adult, flexed, head south, face east, depth 22 inches. Covered with red paint, 3 inches thick on thorax. Bar amulet (Plate 68, fig. 37) near right hand, 2 unworked

Unio shells (Plate 68, fig. 39) on hands, 22 graphite paintstones1 (Plate 68, fig. 38), engraved haft for beaver tooth knife or engraver (Plate 68, fig. 41), and bone awl (Plate 68, fig. 40) near arm.

Burial 2. Extended adult, 43 inches deep.

¹These are thought by mineralogists to have come from St. Lawrence County, New York.

Page 148 PRE-IROQUOIAN OCCUPATIONS OF NEW YORK

Burial 3. Infant, in flexed position, head south, face east, poor condition. 253 Marginella shell beads (Plate 68, fig. 36) and a partially worked out conical antler arrowpoint Plate 68, fig. 35) lay on the chest.

Burial 4. Close to surface and partly destroyed by cultivation.

Burial 5. At 12 inches a flexed adult skeleton, facing southeast and heading north-

east, came to light. A foot deeper was uncovered a similar burial, facing west and heading north. The perforated wolf canine shown on Plate 68, fig. 34, was its only accompaniment. Two feet below lay 6 skulls upon a heap of long bones.

Burial 6. A child, flexed, headed southeast and facing northeast, at 35 inches from the surface. About 150 Olivella shell beads (Plate 68, fig. 33) and a copper awl (fig. 32) lay near the chest.

Burial 7. Flexed adult, heading southeast and facing northeast, at a depth of 21 inches. Light stain of red paint in grave. Antler harpoon (Plate 68, fig. 7), very like older specimens to be described; chert drill (Plate 68, fig. 15); splinter awl (Plate 68, fig. 14); and several unmodified or partially reduced pieces of antler (Plate 68, figs. 12, 16) lay near left hand.

Burial 8. Adult, extended position, head south, depth 27 inches. Chest and skull covered with red paint. Five conical antler points (Plate 68, figs. 23-26) at left hand, several hundred Marginella shell beads (Plate 68, fig. 17) over pelvic area and upper legs, several hundred small discoidal shell beads (Plate 68, fig. 9) near neck. Other artifacts comprise 4 splinter awls (Plate 68, figs. 20, 27-29); 3 worked beaver incisors (Plate 68, figs.19, 21, 22); 3 deer scapula scrapers (Plate 68, figs. 7, 8); one chert point (Plate 68, fig.11); one drill (Plate 68, fig. 10); 5 imperforate dog canines (Plate 68, fig. 18); numerous fish vertebrae, plastron fragments of the soft-shell turtle, and bird bones, probably food remains (Plate 68, fig. 6); and many long split sections of deer bone, evidently for the manufacture of implements.

Burial 9. Extended adult, head south, depth 30 inches. Along right femur lay the

pestle shown as fig. 30 (Plate 68) and one gouge-shaped beaver tooth (fig. 31, same plate).

Burial 10. Child, in extended position, head south, depth 19 inches.

Burial 11. A similar burial at 23 inches. Red paint on skull. Two chert points (Plate 68, figs. 4, 5) behind occiput. Scattered among the graves were several refuse pits

which yielded the articles shown as figs. 1-3 on same plate.