THE

ABORIGINES OR INDIAN NATIVES

OF NEW ENGLAND.

THE various tribes of American Indians differed but little from each other in manners and customs, and they all formed a striking picture of the remotest antiquity. In studying the character and manners of the natives of our country, we recognize in some measure the antiquity of all nations, and from which some light is thrown upon many parts of ancient authors both sacred and profane. In their persons, the American Indians were from five to six feet in height, straight in their limbs, formed in muscle for great strength and activity, and capable of enduring astonishing privations and hardships. Their features were regular, but their countenance peculiarly fierce; of a reddish, and not unpleasant complexion, their eyes black, their hair long, black, lank and strong. It was their constant practice to oil their bodies and face with fat of bears and eagles, and to paint the face with various fantastic colors, as red, black and white. The dress of the men, was the skin of a deer or wolf, though generally they were naked, except a slight covering about the waist. Their moccasins were made of skins, and their snow-shoes were ingeniously constructed to walk on the Their women were commonly attired in beaver skins. They entertained the idea that cultivating the earth is degrading to man, who they say was made for war and hunting, and holding council, and that "squaws and hedge hogs were made to scratch the ground." Their women therefore were held in perfect slavery, being put to all out-door drudgery as planting and weeding corn and carrying burdens, &c. while the men were indulging themselves in idleness. They called the white people "much fool to spoil their women by keeping them from out-door labor and making them lazy squaws. They manifested on all occasions a strong attachment and affection for their children. Their invariable rule for planting corn was when the leaves of the oak were of the size of a mouse's ear. They used large clam shells, or the shoulder bone of a moose

snow.

or deer fixed to a handle, to dig the earth and weed the corn. Their wigwams were constructed with poles or young saplings set into the ground, and covered with bark and mats, the smoke passing out at the top. Their food was extremely simple; besides that procured by hunting and fishing, they obtained from the earth, acorns, ground nuts, Indian corn, beans, pumpkins, and squashes. Whortleberries, gooseberries and strawberries, were plenty in their season. Their mode of cooking although very imperfect, afforded them some variety of food. Indian corn broken and boiled, they called nausamp or samp; corn when parched and reduced to powder resembling snuff, they called Nokekike or Nokake; this article they always carried with them when travelling abroad, a little of which mixed with water would serve them for many days' support when hunting. Corn pounded to meal, and boiled, was called hominy, and corn and beans boiled together, they called succatash, and this is even now a favorite dish at our anniversary festivals and among antiquarians. The education of the natives from their infancy, was solely directed to fit their bodies for the endurance of the greatest hardships and privations, and to form their minds to inflict, and to suffer the most appalling evils. It is really wonderful that the human constitution should be capable of sustaining such severe discipline as was on some occasions put in practice. Their infants were from the birth corded down to a board and confined in one position for months in succession, and their young men who were educated for powows were forced to swallow some nauseous draught as an emetic, and when the contents of the stomach were thrown up they were obliged to swallow the same again and again till the stomach itself was almost inverted. Their chief occupations were hunting and war. When their hunting season was over, they generally loitered in their cabins in entire indolence, and ate and drank with unbounded excess while their stores lasted. After the introduction of spirituous liquors among them they suffered inexpressible miseries; they would drink without restraint, so long as they could procure liquor, and in their drunkenness they would lie exposed to the weather and perish in rivers, swamps, or tumble into the fire. They would quarrel, and frequently murder each other when intoxicated.

Their war weapons were, bows, arrows and tomahawks. With their strong elastic bows they could throw an arrow to a great distance, and strike an object with surprising precision. Their arrows were feathered with the quills of eagles and pointed with a long sharp stone, or with bones, or eagle's claws. Their tomahawks were made of flat stone sharpened to an edge

and fixed to a handle, they knew not the use of iron. But soon after the arrival of the English settlers, the natives were supplied with iron tomahawks, and even with fire arms, by the French and some others, and taught to use them with dexterity. When prepared for war the appearance of a company of Indians was truly formidable; their faces were painted in a manner to give them a fierce aspect, all the hair on each side of the head was plucked out to the raked skin, and a single narrow tuft tied up on the crown, extending from the forehead to the occiput, resembling a cock's comb. After they learnt the use of fire arms, powder horns and shot bags at their backs were among their war implements. The war dance and the ceremony of smoking in brotherly concord, the pipe passing from one to another, always preceded the war engagements, and was their bond of sacred obligation. Their mode of warfare was stratagem and ambush, taking their enemy by sudden surprise, accompanied by the most horrific savage yells. In their assaults upon defenceless houses for conflagration and slaughter, their indiscriminate butchery was marked by savage cruelty without the least regard to humanity or mercy; and the wretched inhabitants that were captured and carried into the wilderness suffered a fate little less dreadful than death. Those who were too feeble to travel were murdered on their way, others when arrived at their wigwams were put into Indian families as servants and a master and mistress assigned them, unless indeed they were destined to be tormented for the amusement of their savage captors. When prisoners were taken in battle they were treated differently according to existing circumstances. Had one of the tribe been slain or captured, a prisoner either Indian or white man might have the good fortune to be adopted in his place. But otherwise, the prisoner was condemned to suffer the most cruel torment by being roasted alive, while the savages danced around the fire with awful yells; or the prisoner's body was tortured by tearing or biting off the flesh, or cutting off the fingers and limbs by pieces, tearing out the finger nails and protracting life as long as possible that the torment may be increased and lengthened. The Indian victim suffered the most exquisite torture with a fortitude almost beyond human nature; often in defiance pointing out to his tormenters means of greater torture.

It seems not to have been ascertained at what era the horrid practice of scalping victims was first introduced among the several tribes of North American Indians. It has been supposed by some that scalping was unknown prior to the arrival of the white settlers; but so early as 1608, according to Capt.

Smith's history of the Virginia settlement, the Indians at one time killed 24 men-took off their scalps, and with the women and children prisoners returned to their village. The scalps they exhibited upon a line between two trees as a trophy. It appears that the good people of Massachusetts were not backward in adopting this savage custom. It is recorded that, the cruel and barbarous murders daily committed by the Indians upon the defenceless frontier inhabitants (about 1725) caused the general court of Massachusetts to offer a bounty of £100 for every Indian's scalp. In an excursion with 40 men, Capt. Lovewell fell in with a company of ten Indians who were asleep, and killed all of them. After taking off their scalps, these 40 warriors marched to Boston in great triumph, with ten scalps extended upon hoops, displayed in a formal manner, and for which they received £1000.* At subsequent periods, the practice of scalping was common in various parts of our country, as well also as that of torture by burning alive.

In the colonies, during the war between England and France in 1760, the tomahawk and scalping knife were employed by the savages in the colonies to all their victims indiscriminately of age or sex. In 1763, the natives actually "boiled and ate the body of Sir Robert Devers;" and these barbarians of the forest were known to scoop up the blood of their victims and drink it in savage triumph. No language indeed can paint the horrors of Indian warfare, nor can one listen to even a feeble detail of their cruelties, without a blood-boiling shuulder. Their adroitness in taking off the scalp is almost incredible; having inflicted the mortal wound with the tomahawk, the savage takes the dying body between his knees, and with his scalping knife makes a circular incision round the head, then seizing hold of the skin with his teeth, he strips off the entire scalp to the naked skull in an instant. Numerous instances of recovery after this dreadful operation, can be adduced.† The scalping Indians have a singular method of drying the scalps, and of painting on them different figures and colors designating the sex and age of the victim, and also the manner and circumstances of the murder. But the brighter shade of the Indian character is peculiarly striking. They were remarkable for gravity in their deportment upon all serious occasions; of a temper

* Drake's Indian biography, page 237: and it is noticed that one Indian was scalped by the Chaplain.

See a remarkable example of this in Capt. Greg related by the author, in his military journal, page 113, of this volume.

cool and deliberate, never in haste to speak before they have thought well on the subject and are sure the person who spoke before them has finished all he had to say. They had therefore, the greatest contempt for the vivacity of the Europeans who interrupted each other, and frequently speak altogether. It was edifying to observe their behavior in their public councils and assemblies. Every one there was heard in his turn according to his years, his wisdom, or his services to his country had ranked him. Their language was lofty, their sentences short, and abounding with metaphor. Not a word, not a whisper, nor murmur was heard from the rest while one was speaking. No indecent contradiction, no ill-timed applause. Here the younger class were present to learn the history of their nation, and hear the songs of those who celebrate the war-like actions of their ancestors; and here they were taught what belonged to the interest of their country, and the most proper means of contributing to its welfare. We know of no people amongst whom the laws of hospitality were more sacred, or executed with more generosity and good will. Has any one of them succeeded ill in his hunting? has his harvest failed? or is his wigwam burnt? He feels no other effect of his misfortune, than that it gives him an opportunity of experiencing the benevolence and regard of his brethren. The stranger was always welcomed to the cabin of the savage and permitted to share in all the comforts which it afforded even to the last morsel of food, and an act of kindness received is never forgotten. Instances have been known of prisoners being set free on recollection of benefits received. The native Indians discovered a peculiar propensity to the indulgence of smoking tobacco. The Rev. Roger Williams says, Generally, all the men throughout the country have a tobacco bag with a pipe in it hanging at his back." In their social intercourse, it was as much a mark of friendship to offer the pipe and tobacco as in our polite circles to present a glass of wine. But to the enemies of his country or tribe, or to those who have privately offended, the Indian is implacable. He conceals his intentions, he appears reconciled, until by some treachery, or surprise, he finds an opportunity of executing an horrible revenge. He is capable of disguising his feelings, and concealing his designs, at the moment, even when he is about to plunge the dagger into the heart of his victim. No length of time is sufficient to allay his resentment; no distance of place great enough to protect the object; he crosses the steepest mountains, he penetrates the most impracticable forests, and traverses the most hideous swamps and deserts for hundreds of

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