OliveTreeGenealogy.com logo for Olive Tree Genealogy and its free free genealogical resourcesYour link to the past since February 1996! Search for your ancestors in free Ships' Passenger lists, Naturalization Records, Palatine Genealogy, Canadian Genealogy, American Genealogy, Native American Genealogy, Huguenots, Mennonites, Almshouse Records, Orphan Records, church records, military muster rolls, census records, land records and more. Olive Tree Genealogy Free Genealogy Database marks FREE genealogy records.
Olive Tree Genealogy Blog was one of MyHeritage top 100 Genealogy blogs, one of the 25 Most Popular Genealogy Blogs by Technorati and one of the Top 40 Genealogy Blogs 2011 & 2012.

See the list of Ten People All Genealogists Should Follow On Twitter

FIRST NAME


LAST NAME


LOCALITY


Check out the Genealogy Books written by Olive Tree Genealogy!

The Van Slyke Family in America has been revised and is available. See all Family History books
 
Genealogy Spotlight
Genealogy Tips



Try an Ancestry.com Free Trial




Read my review of this amazing little scanner

Preserve memories with Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner
Spread the Word
Share with other genealogists! Tweet this page!

Google Plus Proilfe page for Olive Tree GenealogyFollow Olive Tree Genealogy on Google+

Genealogy Ideas
c
Your Name in History
Find out if your Surname is part of the Our Name in History Collection! Just type your surname into the search box
 
Get Started in Genealogy
Search Military Records with a Free Trial on  Fold3
Looking for a Miltary Ancestor? This is the place!



Google Custom Search
Search Olive Tree Genealogy Family of Websites

Mohawk History & Genealogy

Native American Overview
Native American Mailing Lists
Native American Links
Mohawk Family Names
Mohawk Government
Mohawk Food
Mohawk Clothing
Mohawk Shelter
Mohawk Cycles of Activity
Mohawk Warfare
Mohawk Ceremonies
Mohawk Dreams
Mohawk False Faces
Mohawk Resources & Addresses
Native American Books

Native American Overview
Native American Mailing Lists
Native American Links
Mohawk Family Names
Mohawk Government
Mohawk Food
Mohawk Clothing
Mohawk Shelter
Mohawk Cycles of Activity
Mohawk Warfare
Mohawk Ceremonies
Mohawk Dreams
Mohawk False Faces
Mohawk Resources & Addresses
Native American Books

My ninth great-grandmother, Ots-Toch or Alstock, who was born circa 1620 in the Mohawk village of Canajoharie, New York, was the reason for my delving into the culture and traditions of the Mohawk nation. Ots-Toch married a Dutch settler, Cornelis Van Slyke, but never left the Mohawk village. I became intrigued with her story and wanted to know more about her heritage and mine. Brian Brown generously shared his own research, much of which you can read on these pages.

Cycles
Food sources led to a definite annual cycle for the Iroquois.

November, December, January, February:

Everyone was cooped up in the village. This was the season for merry-making, games, story-telling, conversation, etc. People who wanted to make new tools or weapons might have put the materials aside in summer to have something to do in winter.

March:

Spawning season. Most of the Natives (except the young, sick, old, etc.) left the village and broke up into smaller fishing camps (perhaps 100-200 people). Fishing consisted primarily of netting the fish. Traps might also be constructed, by driving poles into the muddy bottom of a stream to create an enclosure with only a narrow entrance. Two rows of poles in a "v" shape, funneled fish swimming upstream to the entrance of the enclosure. Once inside, they were later collected.

Another fishing technique involved boys with "scare lines" - a cord with a weight on the end - forming a long line along one bank of the stream and then wading and swimming across the stream. The scare lines, dragged on the bottom beneath them, herded the fish into the shallows where they could be collected in baskets by waiting women. Considering the water temperature that far north in March, it is likely this technique much more popular with the boys in August than it was in March!

Everyone gorged themselves on fish at the fishing camp. Besides the actual work of fishing, thousands of fish had to be cleaned, then smoked. Wood had to be gathered for the smoking. Periodically, small groups of people would leave the fishing camps with baskets of smoked fish, walkback to the village (20 miles or so carrying 40-50 pounds...the people were used to physical exertion), spend the night at home, then come back to the fishing area. When the fishing camp broke up around the first of April, almost everyone might have to make several round trips to take all the smoked fish home. Judging from archeological finds, fish may have been as important to their diet as venison.

April, May, June, July, August, September:

The need to plant and tend the crops kept the women and girls close to home. Men and boys brought in a trickle of fresh fish or fresh meat from short (1 to several days) hunting and fishing expeditions. This was also the season for commerce with other tribes with which the Mohawks were at peace and for war with everybody else.

Hunting was in small groups, stalking deer, rabbit, squirrel or other small game. Occasionally, men went after moose or bear. Fishing involved hook and line (when just a few fish were needed for supper, they didn't need mass production using a trap) or else was done by wading into the river and spearing the fish (which required considerable skill and an ability to hold still for quite a while).

October:

Deer are fat and their fur is best before winter. This was the main hunting season. Most of the population left the main village to go to temporary hunting camps. Deer were herded toward waiting archers by lines of women and children beating the brush with sticks. This was done once every day or two, with the rest of the time devoted to gathering wood, dressing and smoking the meat. By about November 1, everyone was back in the village before the real cold weather set in.

The Mohawk and other Indian peoples had fished for Atlantic Salmon for centuries. Within one century, whites virtually obliterated the species and its numbers have never returned.



Google Custom Search
Search Olive Tree Genealogy Family of Websites
Family Tree Maker 2010
Your Name in History
Find out if your Surname is part of the Our Name in History Collection! Just type your surname into the search box
 

Olive Tree Genealogy Picks this genealogy databaseThe Van Slyke Family in America A Genealogy of Cornelise Antonissen Van Slyke, 1604-1676 and his Mohawk Wife Ots-Toch, including the story of Jacques Hertel, 1603-1651, Father of Ots-Toch and Interpreter to Samuel de Champlain
Olive Tree Genealogy Picks this genealogy database Dawes Commission Index, 1896 records of Five Civilized Tribes: Cherokee, Choctaw, Seminole, Creek and Chickasaw
Olive Tree Genealogy Picks this genealogy databaseDawes Commission Index, 1898-1914 Index of tribal enrollment applications for Cherokee, Choctaw, Seminole, Creek and Chickasaw


 
 

Don't leave without searching for your ancestors on Olive Tree Genealogy! Free Ships' Passenger lists, orphan records, almshouse records, JJ Cooke Shipping Lists, Irish Famine immigrants, family surnames, church records, military muster rolls, census records, land records and more are free to help you find your brick-wall ancestor. Build your family tree quickly with Olive Tree Genealogy free records

URL: http://olivetreegenealogy.com/           All rights reserved          Copyright © 1996-present
These pages may be freely linked to but not duplicated in any fashion without my written consent.

Home Philosophy Helping FAQ Link to Olive Tree Make Olive Tree Your Homepage Library Friends Search Store About Lorine Awards, Interviews About OliveTreeGenealogy


Contact Lorine at Contact Lorine of Olive Tree Genealogy