Nearly 400 years ago, a thriving Seneca Iroquois village stood on the ridge just west of here, set in a clearing within the forest and surrounded by agricultural fields. An estimated 800 to 1000 people carried out daily life in this densely packed settlement, which was one of two year-round villages occupied by the Seneca between about 1620 and 1640. The Seneca were one of five nations in present-day New York State collectively known as the Haudenosaunee, or People of the Longhouse, a name reflecting the kin-like relationships that joined them in the powerful Iroquois Confederacy. Cultivation of the Three Sisters—corn, beans, and squash—provided the basic food supply, while hunting parties traveling farther afield brought back meat and skins for clothing, moccasins, and blankets. During this period, the Senecas became increasingly involved in exchanging furs for European trade goods, bringing significant changes to their lifestyle and culture. Bark longhouses sheltered multiple families headed by maternally related women, and Iroquois villages were typically abandoned and relocated every 15 to 20 years as structures decayed and wood supplies and soils were depleted.