More CulturesOwasco was a culture that inhabited the New York state area prior to the Iroquois. The earliest dates attached to Owasco sites date the culture to approximately 1000-1300 A.D., which places them in the Oak Hill Phase. The name Owasco was derived from the area near a lake, presently known as Owasco Lake, where they primarily lived. They also tended not to have large villages, but rather camps located either on higher ground or near alluvial fans and marshes for hunting and fishing purposes. They are known for their distinct pottery style, which was designed in the cord-on-cord technique.They were one of the earliest cultures in the New York area to begin cultivating crops such as corn, beans and squash.The Owasco also practiced hunting, fishing and the gathering of wild vegetable foods. Their culture and practices were eventually absorbed into both Algonkian and Iroquoian cultures.