They never actually had Mohawk tribes living in what is now Schenectady.
Schenectady and the Great Flats were hunting grounds.
Arent Van Curler bought the entire area from the Mohawks, but the Mohawk Indians had no actual legal system or actual owner to buy the land from.
Additionally the Mohawk Indians had no actual understanding of sale and ownership of all the lands.
The Dutch (referred to by the natives as Swannekins, or salt water people) and the Wilden (as the Dutch called the natives) had vastly different conceptions of ownership and use of land, so much so that they did not understand each other at all.
The Dutch thought their proffer of gifts in the form of sewant(beads) or manufactured goods was a trade agreement and defense alliance, which gave them exclusive rights to farming, hunting, and fishing.
Often, the Indians did not vacate the property, or reappeared seasonally, according to their migration patterns.
They were willing to share the land with the Europeans, but the Indians did not intend to leave or give up access.
The Europeans thought otherwise.
This misunderstanding, and other differences, would later lead to violent conflict. At the same time, such differences marked the beginnings of a multicultural society.
It was the" use of force" of the laws that were the reason for the bloodshed and violence.
The Native Americans were pushed westward, resisting and being killed for standing their ground.
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