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This map was made by Karonhí:io Delaronde and Jordan Engel in 2015. It depicts Kanonshionni’onwè:ke tsi ionhwéntsare, Haudenosaunee country, in Mohawk terms. The name “Adirondacks'' was anglicized from the Mohawk name Ratirón:taks. The purpose of anglicization is to make foreign words or names easier to pronounce and spell for english speakers. While this is more convenient to english speakers, it can undermine the cultural significance of traditional names. The name Ratirón:taks refers to the Algonquins who were in the area and translates to “ they eat trees.” Although anglicized names can sometimes preserve the native origin of the place names by means of similar pronunciation, this alteration still contributes to the erasure of traditional names.
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The Six Nation Indian Museum was created in 1954 in order to educate the general public on Haudenosaunee culture. Ray, Christine, and John Fadden achieve this goal by providing information through the museum on Native American history and by offering summer programs to educate kids. The Fadden’s do this in order to create a better understanding of past, present, and future Haudenosaunee life as well as Haudenosaunee Land Ethic and environmental sensitivities. This museum works to combat the erasure of Native American culture and history in the Adirondacks by providing a space and the tools to facilitate learning.
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This 1798 map of the town of Alexandria is one of the earliest maps in the Kelly Adirondack Center Map Collection. The names of all of the locations on this map have European origins. The earliest maps with these types of alterations contribute to the erasure of Haudenosaunee culture because these maps become the basis for newer maps. Since these names were changed so early on, the European names remain today.
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Although this is not a map of the Adirondacks, Marc Lescarbot’s map of Canada is the first to include Native American names. The Haudenosaunee were called Iroquois at the time, however this term can be offensive, as it was a name given by the Algonquains to mean “murderers” during a time of conflict between the two tribes. Since this derogatory term was the first to be recorded, rather than the preferred name “Haudenosaunee,” it has unfortunately become a more common name. The name Haudenosaunee means “people of the long house.” This name honors the culture of the tribe while the term Iroquois can be considered insulting. This misrepresentation contributes to the erasure of Haudenosaunee culture.
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Avacal is the earliest recorded place name for the Adirondack region. This name was first recorded on a map titled: Americae Sive Quartae Orbis Partis Nova Et Exactissima Descriptio. A collaboration by Spanish cartographer Diego Guitérrez and Belgian engraver Hieronymous Cock, this 1562 map depicts what was then called the fourth part of the world. This map of America labels the Adirondacks as Avacal. This means that the very first time that the region was mapped, it was given a new name. Instead of preserving the original name, the invention of a new name erases the cultural significance of the native name.
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According to the Adirondack Chronology, the Haudenosaunee and the colonists agreed to a treaty in 1640 that would regulate the use of fire in hunting. Haudenosaunee hunting practices included burning large areas to divert big game such as deer, elk, and bison into unburned areas. Unburned areas, like impoundments, narrow chutes, rivers or lakes, and cliff edges, were much smaller open prairies or meadows, making it easier to catch the game. Additionally, these controlled fires promoted growth and restored nutrients for plant life. In 1640, the cultural practice of using fire in hunting became restricted because a treaty was enacted to regulate it.
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The Haudenosaunee had been trading fur amongst themselves and other neighboring tribes long before European arrival. The trading of fur, in addition to foods, tobacco, and quahog shells, had been a part of Haudenosaunee culture prior to the early 1600s when Europeans began participating in the trade. From a European perspective, the Haudenosaunee were trying to monopolize the fur trade. This conflict began the Beaver Wars which lasted 70 years and resulted in the regulation of the fur trade to grant the Haudenosaunee trade rights in specific regions. In 1677, the Albany Indian Commission organized to regulate fur trade with the Haudenosaunee. What was once a cultural practice for the Haudenosaunee on their land became a regulated activity that was only permitted in certain areas.
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André de Thévet, a French explorer and historian, claimed the discovery of sap in sugar maple trees. In André Thévet’s North America: A Sixteenth Century View, Thévet credits himself for the discovery of the sweet tasting sap in 1557, however the Haudenosaunee had already been processing the sap as a sweetener. This false account by Thévet is an example of how Europeans adopted Haudenosaunee practices without acknowledging them as such. The Haudenosaunee and other Native Americans had already been tapping sugar maple trees for sap and refining the sap into a more concentrated product for years. The lack of credit given to the Haudenosaunee for creating this practice reduces their impact on Adirondack culture today.
