Page:American Anthropologist NS vol. 22.djvu/309

 DISCUSSION AND CORRESPONDENCE 297

lize into the Neuter, Erie, and Seneca nations. The route of theMnigration of these nations at least seems to have been eastward from the head of Lake Erie, one band crossing the Detroit river and following the northern shore of Lake Erie, the other following the southern shore; and it is noteworthy that the characteristics of Iroquoian culture are as marked and constant at the most western and earliest of sites along this migration path as at the eastern and later end. From this we can only infer that this culture did not originate on either side of Lake Erie but was already fixed before the Iroquoian people had approached it.

The place of origin of these people is unknown. The movement of these nations however having been uniformly eastward so far as we know, and their peculiarities of culture having been fixed before they arrived at their historic seats in different parts of a wide stretch of country to which their eastward movement had brought them, it is fair to assume that there must have been an earlier movement which brought them to the head of Lake Erie, and that this movement must also have been from the westward. Their place of origin must then be looked for at some point to the westward of the Detroit river.

It is just at this stage of reasoning that the Kankakee site becomes of interest. It is west of the Detroit river, and therefore in a line with a possible eastward movement having that river as its eastern terminus. It is pre-European. It is undeniably of Iroquoian origin. There is then the possibility that it marks a stopping place of a band of some Iroquoian nation in its early eastward migration from its point of origin at some unknown western point.

Should this be true other similar sites may be expected to exist be- tween the Kankakee river and the Detroit river. None has been identi- fied, yet this may be due to the fact that northern Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio have never received any systematic study. An attempt to locate and identify any such possible sites would constitute a very definite piece of research work for archaeologists of that territory. This can be accomplished by an examination of existing local collections of Indian articles. Should this reveal any articles of the typical Iroquoian culture, triangular points, chevron designs on pottery, or an abundance of articles of bone and antler, the place of origin of these articles should be located and thoroughly examined and the results of the examination should be carefully compared with the constants of Iroquoian culture.

FREDERICK HOUGHTON BUFFALO,

NEW YORK

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