Native American Influence

"In the morning we went together to the castle over the ice that had frozen in the waterway during the night. When we had gone one half-mile, we came into their first castle that stood on a high hill. . . . None of the chiefs was at home, except for the most principal one called ADRIOCHTEN, who was living one-quarter mile from the fort in a small cabin because many Indians here in the castle had died of smallpox. . . ."

-Entry from the 1634-35 journals of Dutchman Harmen Meyndertsz van den Bogaert and first-known description of a Mohawk Indian village. The village was probably located near Fultonville.

From A Journey into Mohawk and Oneida Country, 1634-1635. The Journal of Harmen Meyndertsz van den Bogaert, translated and edited by Charles T. Gehring and William A. Starna.


*Joseph Brant-Thayendanegea*, brilliant but infamous Mohawk chieftain whose powerful sister, Molly, headed the household of Sir William Johnson. His Mohawk name means two-wooden-sticks-bound-together, denoting strength	The Noteworthy Indian Museum features a minutely detailed model of a Mohawk longhouse, depicted in the Month of the Cold Moon. Longhouses were large structures housing many Mohawk families. Each family group had a personal space for sleeping and storage and shared a common fire with one other family.

Attractions

Indian Castle Church
Built by order of Sir William Johnson in 1769 at the region's largest pre-Revolutionary Mohawk settlement, then part of Canajoharie. Route 5S, German Flats, Memorial Day-Labor Day, 9 am-dusk.

Kanatsiohareke at the Mohawk Indian Bed and Breakfast
Kanatsiohareke (the Mohawk word means "the clean pot") is a gift shop of Native American crafts, apparel and books at a traditional community of Mohawk families. Native American conferences, powwows, and annual gatherings are held on the grounds. 4934 Route 5, Fonda, 518-673-5092, open daily, 9 am-5 pm.

National Kateri Tekakwitha Shrine and Mohawk Caughnawaga Indian Museum
The Lily of the Mohawks, Kateri Tekakwitha, was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1980. Kateri lived her teenage years at the site of her shrine, which includes a rustic chapel in an 18th-century Dutch barn and displays of artifacts from an on-site archeological excavation of an entire Mohawk village. Route 5, Fonda, 518-853-3646, May-October, daily, 10 am-4 pm. Groups by appointment.

National Shrine of North American Martyrs
The site of the Mohawk Indian village of Ossernenon, the Martyrs' Shrine at Auriesville was established in 1885 as a monument to martyred Jesuit missionaries. Route 5S, Auriesville, 518-853-3033, May - October, daily, dawn to dusk.

Noteworthy Indian Museum
Fine collection of Native American artifacts. An illustrated timeline and three rooms of exhibits tell the story of life in the Mohawk Valley before the Revolutionary War. Poetry and paintings by contemporary artists add a human voice and modern perspective. 100 Church Street, Amsterdam, 518-843-4761. Open July & August and year-round by appointment; call for hours.

Walter Elwood Museum
One of only two public school-operated museums in New York. Exhibits on life in the Mohawk Valley, with special emphasis on the activities of children. 300 Guy Park Avenue, Amsterdam, 518-843-5151, year round, call for hours.

The unique Coliseum Church (1931) at the Martyrs' Shrine in Auriesville is one of the first circular churches in the United States; its vast interior accommodates 6500 worshippers. Its altar was built to resemble the palisaded barriers that usually surrounded Mohawk villages. The Martyrs' Shrine, on the site of the Mohawk Indians' palisaded village of Ossernenon, was established in 1885 as a monument to three 17th century Jesuit missionaries martyred at the site. Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha was born at Auriesville.

The recently established Mohawk Indian Bed and Breakfast lies between Fonda and Canajoharie on Route 5 and is the site of the last Mohawk Indian village in the county, which existed from 1700-1776. The Mohawk families that live here observe a traditional life. A bed-and-breakfast and shop (Kanatsiohareke) draw visitors from all over.