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Native Americans The Paleo-Indians were the first of many Indian groups that would pass through or use the Chemung Valley. They were followed by the Lamokas; the Genesee; the Laurentians; the Sus-quehannas, or Stonebowl peoples; the Algonquians; the Hopewellians, or Moundbuilders; the Owasco; and the mighty Iroquois, especially the Andaste. These first human inhabitants never appeared in great numbers, and the existed in relatively small social units widely scattered throughout the area. The Archaic Indians were the next inhabitants of the region and were a semi-nomadic culture. They were hunters, fishers and gatherers who had not yet developed the practice of agriculture. Eventually Archaic Indians inhabited most of the area that is now New York State. The earliest Archaic culture know to affect the Chemung Valley was the Lamoka Culture, named after a major site that was discovered on the inlet to what is now Lamoka Lake. Lamoka Indians' expanded economic base that included skillful hunting, gathering, and fishing, produced a noticeably organized culture. They were still somewhat nomadic; sites were moved whenever food sources became scarce and were always located near water. Archeological evidence indicated that acorns were a staple food source and that these people had developed the use of stone grinders which helped them produce meal, which was baked into a type of bread. A great variety of artifacts have been discovered at Lamoka sites, including small, narrow-bladed, side-notched or stemmed projectile points, rough almond shaped choppers; beveled stone adzes; bone awls and fishhooks; stone axes and some decorative items. The Lamokas did not use spears and, like all Archaic cultures, had not developed clay pottery. Other cultures of Archaic Indians came to inhabit the region. As these cultures made contact with each other the exchanging of ideas, skills and knowledge began. The process of cultural sharing eventually lead to the end of the Archaic stage of Indian development and lead to the beginning of the Woodland stage. Woodland Indians had two major advancements over earlier ancestors: (1) the making and using of pottery and (2) the use of domestic plant food or the beginnings of agriculture. The early Woodland Indians in the Steuben County area are known collectively as Algonkian. Less than 2,000 years ago Indians of southwestern New York were influenced by another great culture, the Hopewellain Culture. The Hopewellians were one of the most advanced groups of the time. Also known as the Mound Builders, as it was their custom to build elaborate burial mound for their dead. By 800 to 1,00 years ago the Owasco Culture had developed in central and western New York. The Owasco Indians had well-developed systems of agriculture and pottery making. These Indians took full advantage of agriculture, hunting and fishing. The Owasco Indians lived in rectangular shaped houses framed with poles and covered in bark. These houses were from twenty to ninety feet long and about twenty-two feet wide, with doors at each end connected by a central corridor dotted with fire pits. The last great Indian culture to occupy central New York State was the Iroquois Culture, which existed in Pre-Columbian period and bridged the gap of time continuing into the historic period. The Iroquois Nations habitat eventually spread north into Canada, and east and south into Ohio and Pennsylvania. This great nation of Indians had numerous tribes the Senecas, Algonkians, the Mohawks and Oniedas to name a few. The Iroquois called themselves the "Owanonhsioni" or the longhouse builders. Five Great Tribes occupied the territory from the Hudson Valley to the Genesee River. These were: the Mohawk or "Kanyengehaga," the people of the place of flint; the Oneida or "Oneyotdehaga, "the people of the Standing Stone; the Onondaga or "Onantage," the people on the mountain; the Cayuga or "Gayokwehonu," the people from were they land boats; and the Seneca or "Onondewagaono," the people of the great hills. Perhaps the best know achievement of the New York Iroquois was their political confederation. There is a great deal of debate about the actual time the New York Iroquoian tribes joined together in a league to become "Hodinonshiono" or the People of the Long House. Estimates for this event vary from 1450 to 1660. Early in Iroquoian times villages were small but by the 1600's some had grown to include as many as 1000 Indians. Size of the villages varied from a few longhouses to as many as 120. Their power remained unbroken until 1779 when under General George Washington's direct orders, armies led by American Generals Sullivan and Clinton swept through Western New York destroying the Iroquois and wiping out their threat American frontier settlements. Subsequently, in 1789, the first land in the area was sold to settlers.    
Prehabitation | Native Americans | Settlement | Canals | Railroads | Industry | The Flood | Post Flood
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