The Winslow mail., 1897-04-24
NEW YORk'S REDSKINS
Tribes of Indians Living on Reserve
tions Within the state

Tribes of Indians Living on Reservs-
tions Within the State.
There are 1900 Indians living on res.
ervations within the boundaries of the
State of New York. During the last
forty years there has been little change
either by gain or loss. on the Indian
reservations of New York except on
what is known as the St Regis reserva-
ton, in Franklin County. fronting on
the Hudson River. The st. Regis tract
covers 14.O00 acres and is owned by
the State, the Indians ENJOYING what is
called the right of occupancy. rent
free there is no such right of occu-
pancy, rent free, under the laws of the
State of New York for persons who are
not lndianSl. and in addition the st.
Regis tribe receives an annuity from
the State-preSumabl for not going
over to Canada. The populat ton of the
st. Regis reservation has tripled in for
ty years-having increased from 400 to
200, and it is the only one of the In
dian reserva tions which has increased
materially in population in the last half
century.
The Onondagas with reservation
near the city of Syracuse. have 1900
acres of land and number at present
about 500. They get an annuity from
the United States government and one
from the State government. and in aG-
ditiOn to this receive a yearly gift from
the salt lands belonging to the State in
the neighborhOod. 1t has been said
sometimes that Il few bottles of fire.
water would he accepted at any time
by some of the OnOndaga Indians as
fair substitute for the salt, there being
Il preference for the quencher of thirst
over the promoter of thirst. The Tus-
ca arOras, whose reservation is in the
county of Niagara, have 5000 acres.
and number about 450 The Tonawan-
das have Il reservation partly in Gene
see and partly in Erie County 1t COW
ers 1900 acres. There are 600 Tona-
wandas. In 1855 there were 602. They
get an annuity from the United States
government and an annuity from the
State, too. but no salt. The Shinnecock
Indians, whose reserva ton is near
Southampton, on Long Island, have
about 400 acres. They number about
100, and are of three tribes, the MOhe-
gans, the Montauks and the PoOSepa-
miles south of Oneida station on the
Central road, there are $50 Indians Oc-
cupying 400 acres of land. They are
the last survivors in this part of the
country of the Oneida tribe-a tribe
once as famous as the SeminOles or the
Cherokees. Many more in number
than the Oneidas are the Senecas, Of
whom there are more than 2,000 who
have two reseryatiOnS-One in Allegany
County along the Allegany River and
extending over 10000 acres, and the
other in Cattaragus County along the
Cattaraugus creek, and having terri
tory of p 900 acres. The two divisions
of the Seneca nation of Indians. as they
are officially called, own the lands of
these reservations in common and they
receive in addition an annuity from the
National and one from the State gov
ernment
1t is fact not generally known that
prior to the revolutionary war there
was a regular Indian department in
New York, with commissioners of In
dian affairs. who exercised many Of
the powers and prerogatives which af-
terward devOlved upon the interior de-
partment in Washington. The Indians
of New York are protected by special
laws and are exempted from taxation.
New York Sun.