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MoneminsCastle
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November 27 2008
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 Posted - November 27 2008 : 12:56:31 PM
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On or about the beginning of the 15th century, the Iroquois were driven out of the Ohio Valley and fell into New York and Pennsylvania. In New York the Iroquois were easily able to overtake the older roaving Alogonkin tribes and sieze their lands. No doubt the Iroquois thinking that the land was theirs for the taking continued eastward until they met the Muhhekunneuw, the Mahicans of the Hudson River. The Muhhekunneuw repulsed the invaders advance. The Iroquois invaders were pushed back to the west of the Schoharie Creek and north of the Mohawk River. I confine my interest and illustration to the area where the Mohawk and Hudson River's meet, the land of Bear tribe of the Muhhekunneuw, who council fire burned at Schodac.
You have to draw your own conclusions as to what exactly happend. To me it is quite clear. There is plenty of evidence that the Iroquois occupation of New York State is no older than 600 years and that there are many more ancient Algonkin sites in the state. Also, the Iroquois were agricultural and the lands along the Hudson were the most rich and fertal in the state. If the Iroquois could have taken them during their advance they would have. I don't think the Mahicans and their kin tribes had the resources to drive the Iroquois out of the state altogether so as long as they could keep them at bay to the west of the Schoharie and North of the Mohawk and out of their hunting or fishing grounds, they had no choice to be settle for a stale-mate.
From here I believe that the western trails that were used to trade with the older Algonkin tribes became war paths. The western most Iroquois tribe, the Mohawks, and the Mahicans became hereditary enemies and no doubt warred for much of the 15th century sending war parties up and down the Mohawk River. Although dangerous, the Mohawks posed no direct threat to the Mahican as a nation. The Iroquois of the state were busy fighting wars amongst themselves, butchering each other and obliterating and consuming entire tribes. Then about 1450 a funny thing happend. They united into a confederation. Their Iroquois threat to the Mahicans was greater than it ever was.
The Mahican sachem and his war chiefs at Schodac met to formulate a strategy of defense against invasion. Judge for yourself whether it was before or after the Iroquois confederation. It was decided to build a series of fortifications along the path of invasion and to setup a permanent military district there. Schodac was fortified, as it's name today is Castleton; a fortification on the eastern side of the Hudson was erected, referred to as Unwat's Castle; and a fortification was built on an island at the mouth of the Mohawk where it empties into the Hudson River, referred to as Monemin's Castle. Monemin's castle is the subject of my most intense fascination and interest, mainly because the huge mounds of earth that were moved there to erect the fortress on still exists. The Island is today called Peebles Island, but in colonial times it was called Haver Island.
The reason the base of Monemin's Castle still exists is because the island was used as a military base during the American Revolution and is preserved as a historical landmark. Thaddeus Kosciuszko, engineer mercinary for the colonial forces built three earthwork redoubts there to repulse the English invasion of New York by Gen. John Burgoyne. The western most redoubt was built right on the mound of earth that 15th century Mahicans used to build Menomins Castle. The trenches that connected the redoubts was the originally the trenches that held Moenomin's stockade fence. Kosciuszko also built Bemis Heights in Schylerville and Burgoyne was defeated there in the Battle of Saratoga. He never reached Haver Island and the earthworks are almost perfectly preserved. Of course they're still there because of their importance to American History. Had the island had only Mahican historical value it's lands would have been put to the plow years ago.
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MoneminsCastle
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Posted - November 27 2008 : 1:16:05 PM
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Monemin's Castle (Continued)
The downfall of the Mahican came after 1608. Until that time the Mahicans were never subjigated by the Mohawk or any other Iroquois tribe. In 1608 Henry Hudson's ship, the Half Moon, sailed up the Hudson River and eventually anchored at Castle Island off present day Albany. Here Hudson met the Mahican sachem and got him drunk. They later dined at Schodac and the proceedings were recorded by one of Hudson's mates, Robert Juet. Several days later Hudson's first mate went farther up river and was said to have stopped at Haver Island, site of Monemin's Castle. Hudson's mate was taking soundings, measuring the river's depth and found that the river at that point was not deep enough for a large ship. Hudson sailed away but the Dutch came back. With them they brought disease and alcohol. Disease all but wiped out the Mahicans by the 1620's. At that time there was a 90% mortality rate. The once powerful tribe was reduced from thousands to 500. Many of those left were taken to alcoholism. It was only then that the Mohawks over-ran Monemin's Castle and from there drove eastward into New England. European historians credit the Mohawks as the indiginous tribe who conquored the Mahicans but that is rubbish. The Mohawks were like buzzards circling the dead as scavangers.
The same fate befelled the Hurons, grandfathers to all Iroquois. Watch the Youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXHZp20uz7A |
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MoneminsCastle
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November 27 2008
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Posted - November 28 2008 : 10:05:15 AM
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| Correction on the 3rd paragraph, "The western most Iroquois tribe, the Mohawks,. . . " The Mohawks were the eastern most tribe. |
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Iroquois Invasion of New York- Monemin's Castle
