At that time, de Laet says, the Indians on the west side of the Bay and River were called " Sank/iicanni," or Sanhicans, and those on the east, " Makicanni," or Mahicans, Mohicans, or Mohegans' the latter being Connecticut spelling of the word* The Dutch termed them " Mahikanders," and the natives on both sides of the Hudson collectively, the " River Indians." The Dutch word, however in general use, when speaking or writing of them was, "the Wilden," literally the wild men, or the savages.

The Long Island Indians the Dutch called Matouwacks. They were Mohicans and were divided into twelve or thirteen sub-tribes or chieftaincies. All bore different names and possessed distinct, and different, localities. The ruling tribe were the Montauks who possessed the eastern extremity of the island. They owed their supremacy to the abundance of clams in their waters, from the shells of which they made the seawant or Indian money. This great abundance of the clam-shells enabled them to supply the Indians of all tribes westward almost to the great lakes with seawant, and thus Montauk became the seat of financial power, not only of Long Island, but of a region larger even than the Dutch Province of Xew Netherland.

All the natives of the main between the Hudson and the Connecticut, from the Sound on the south to the Green, and the White, mountains on the north, were Mohicans, and their great council fire was established on the Hudson, in the present town of (xreenbush, nearly opposite Albany. The name of the Hudson was " Mahicannituek," or River of the Mahicans; just as the Delaware was called by them " Lenape-u-hi-hi-fiirk-," or the rapid river of the Lenape; on the right bank of which, near where Philadelphia was afterward built, was the place of the Great Council Fire of the Lenni-Lenape confederacy.'