This article relates an archaeological “culture” of northern New York to the Eastern Iroquois nations through the evidence of ceramic smoking pipes that are about 500 years old. After categorizing the objects on the basis of distinctive but thematically related imagery, I observe that their distribution is suggestive of an interaction sphere linking the St. Lawrence Iroquoians of Jefferson County with the Mohawks, Oneidas, and Onondagas elsewhere in present Upstate New York. Later historic descriptions imply that these pipes were connected with diplomatic ritual conducted by male representatives of those communities. The resulting geographical occurrence might be the archaeological footprint of alliances antedating the famous League of the Iroquois. Bearing remarkably elaborate designs, these objects are among the most iconographically complex compositions preserved in the Northeast. All depict themes of emergence, and some may illustrate a more extensive myth asserting the common origins of several groups. Fragments of similar stories survive to this day and are among the oldest oral narratives documented among the Iroquois. My interpretations of both the behavioral/social correlates and the meaning(s) of these pipes derive from applications of the direct historical method, an approach tapping the unsurpassed richness of the Iroquoian ethnographic and historic record.

Cornell University investigations in the Valle de Naco, NW Honduras, are producing new insights into cultural relationships in the eastern Maya frontier zone. Since 1975, survey, mapping, and excavation have produced new data which modify the traditional view of the valley's culture history. By the Late Preclassic period, the Valle de Naco had at least one centerSanto Domingo -with sizable public architecture. During the Late Classic period, La Sierra, a large Maya center, dominated the valley. Naco was the largest Late Post classic settlement in the region and one of the major conquestperiod centers in NW Honduras. Both La Sierra and Naco maintained extensive economic relationships with distant regions. External connections included interaction with other sectors of the Maya area as well as strong ties with non-Maya Central America.

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