A PROPOSED SITE MUSEUM: ONONDAGA BY PROFESSER ETHEL HOFFMAN FINE B. A. Syracuse University, 1957

ABSTRACT OF THESIS Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Anthropology in the Graduate School of Syracuse University, January, 1962

ABSTRACT This thesis is concerned with the problem of proposing an Onondaga County site museum devoted to the Iroquois Period. In Central New York the Seventeenth Century is considered as being the Iroquois Period because of an important role played by the Iroquois Confederacy. During that century the Iroquois were known to distant Indian groups, as well as to many nations of Europe, because of the Iroquois wars and the accounts of traders, missionaries, and soldiers. The Iroquois not only represent the culmination of approximately five thousand years of Indian occupation in Central New York, but the constitution of the League of the Five Nations represents the epitome of Woodland Democracy.

Onondaga One aspect of this thesis is to suggest that the last major Iroquois capital city site, Onondaga , could easily be developed into a well co-coordinated site museum program in Onondaga County. This capital site was selected in preference to other existing Iroquois sites because of at least three contributing factors. First, it is close to Syracuse University, where scholars and students could develop it as a research center. Second, because of its proximity with the Onondaga Indian Reservation, it could serve as an ethnological field station, as well as become the first step in the development of an Iroquois Studies Center. Third, because of the proximity of land owned by Onondaga County, a site museum at Onondaga could have the financial backing, tourist attraction, and community support, which have been exhibited at other county museums.

FURTHER ARCHAELOLGICAL EXCAVATIONS In addition to presenting the preliminary finding of the 1957 excavation at Onondaga , the thesis suggests that further archaeological excavations be undertaken at this site. Another aspect of the thesis is to point out that the first phase of a well co-coordinated site museum program devoted to the Seventeenth Century has been undertaken and completed. This was uniquely accomplished in 1933, when Onondaga County built the replica of Fort Sainte Marie de Gannentaha at Liverpool, New York. It represents the non-Indian intrusion of Onondaga Territory. In 1656, when the Iroquois can be said to have been at their zenith, and when the population of the Onondaga Nation has been estimated as being at its greatest, a French fort seems to have been built within the territory of the Onondagas.

Points of Details The thesis points out the details of fort-museum construction which are to be commended. It also attempts to criticize the site museum’s lack of research and basic museum techniques. The thesis also suggest where and how the fort-museum could comply with the site museum. This thesis attempts to present the archaeological situation of the Pre-Iroquois and Iroquois Periods in Central New York. The approach, however, is to begin with a review of newly termed concept of the site museum. After presenting some of the available literature of site museums, development is traced on an international, national, and local level. When site museums in New York State are reviewed, attention is drawn to the Historic Site Program. It was hoped that members of this program would become aware of how well an Onondaga site museum would further efforts to restore and rehabilitate places of historic interest in New York State. While pointing out the Historic Marker Program in New York State, the thesis shows the great inadequacy in presenting the Iroquois Period in Onondaga County.

Possible Site Museum The thesis states that when Onondaga is thought of as a possible site museum, it should be considered synonymous with a proposed research center. The site museum should serve as a field school in archaeology, as well as ethnology. Possibly this is the missing link between the “amateur” and the professional archaeologist. Regardless, the site museum at Onondaga should serve as the clearing house of Iroquois Studies.