The Mohocks were formerly the most numerous tribe amongst them, but now they are the smallest; however, they still preserve a superiority and authority over the rest, as the most honourable nation, and are consulted and appealed to by the others in all great emergencies. About 100 years ago they destroyed the greatest part of the Hurons, who then lived on the south-side of Lake Ontario, and the remains fled to the French in Canada for protection; but the greatest part have since returned to their own country again, and live, by permission from the Five Nations, on the lands at the west-end of Lake Erie. They also took prisoners the whole nation of the Sawanees, who lived upon the Wabach, and afterwards, by the mediation of Mr. Penn, at the first settlement of Pensylvania, gave them liberty to settle in the westerly parts of that province; but obliged them, as a badge of their cowardice, to wear petticoats for a long time: they gave them, however, the appellation of cousins, and allowed them to claim kindred with the Five Nations, as their uncles. They conquered the Delawares about the same time, and brought them into the like subjection; and also the Mickanders, or Mohegons, that lived on the banks of Hudson’s River. They suffered the two last mentioned nations to live in any uninhabited part of their southern territory but the latter, upon condition of paying them an annual tribute. They also conquered several tribes upon the frontiers of New England. Some nations to this day are not allowed to appear ornamented with paint at any general meeting or congress where the Five Nations attend, that being an express article in the capitulations. They have been inveterate enemies to the French ever since their first settling in Canada, and are almost the only Indians within many hundred miles, that have been proof against the solicitations of the French to turn against us; but the greatest part of them have maintained their integrity, and been our stedfast friends and faithful allies.
They once burnt great part of the city of Montreal, and put the French into great consternation; they have also conquered most of the Abnaques, or eastern Indians. They now maintain a constant war with the Cherokees, Creeks, and Chickesaws, and many of their young men are annually employed that way; others of them go against the Misauri; and in short, they sometimes carry their hostilities almost as far south as the isthmus of Darien; but they have long lived in peace with the Indians on the lakes, and with the Tweeghtwees, those two nations being too near, and well provided to retaliate any affront they may offer them.
The Indians do not want for natural good sense and ingenuity, many of them discovering a great capacity for art or science, liberal or mechanical. Their imaginations are so strong, and their memories so retentive, that when they have once been at a place, let it be ever so distant, or obscure, they will readily find it again. The Indians about Nova Scotia and the Gulf of St. Lawrence have frequently passed over to the Labrador, which is thirty or forty leagues, without a compass, and have landed at the very spot they at first intended: and even in dark cloudy weather they will direct their course by land with great exactness; but this they do by observing the bark and boughs of trees, the north-side, in this country, being always mossy, and the boughs on the south-side the largest.
It is also observable, that you will rarely find among the Indians a person that is in any way deformed, or that is deprived of any sense, or decrepid in any limb, notwithstanding the little care taken about the mother in the time of her pregnancy, the neglect the infant is treated with when born, and the fatigues the youth is obliged to suffer; yet generally they are of a hale, robust, and firm constitution; but spiritous liquors, of which they are insatiably fond, and the women as well as the men, have already surprizingly lessened their numbers, and will, in all probability, in one century more nearly clear the country of them.
Indeed the mothers, in their way, take great care of their children, and are extremely fond of them. They seldom wean them till they are two years old, or more, and carry them on their backs till the burden grows quite insupportable to them. When they leave the cradle they are very much at liberty to go when and where they please; they are however careful to instruct them early in the use of arms, especially the bow, and are often recounting to them the exploits and great atchievements of their ancestors, in order to inspire them with great and noble sentiments, and lead them on to brave and heroic actions. They introduce them very young into their public councils, and make them acquainted with the most important affairs and transactions, which accustoms them to secresy, gives them a composed and manly air, inspires them with emulation, and makes them bold and enterprising. They seldom chastise their children; when they are young, they say, because they are not endued with reason to guide them right, otherwise they would not do wrong; when they are more advanced in life, they say, because they are capable of judging, and ought to be masters of their own actions, and are not accountable to any one. These maxims are carried so far that parents sometimes suffer themselves to be abused by their children; and in the same way they will excuse any ill treatment they meet with from a drunken man: Should we blame or punish him, say they, when he does not know what he does, or has not his reason? When a mother sees her daughter act amiss, she falls into tears, and upon the other’s taking notice of it, and enquiring the cause, she replies, because you so and so dishonour me; which kind of admonition seldom fails of the desired effect. The Indians do not always enter into a formal obligation of marriage, but take companions for a longer or shorter time, as they please; the children which spring from hence lie under no disgrace, but enjoy all the privileges of lawfully begotten children.
The Indian men are remarkable for their idleness, upon which they seem to value themselves, saying, that to labour would be degrading them, and belongs only to the women; that they are formed only for war, hunting, and fishing; tho’ it is their province to make and prepare every thing requisite for these exercises, as their arms for hunting, lines for fishing, and to make canoes, to build and repair their houses; but so profoundly lazy are they, that they often make their women assist even in these, besides attending all domestic affairs, and agriculture.
Most of the Indians are possessed of a surprising patience and equanimity of mind, and a command of every passion, except revenge, beyond what philosophers or Christian usually attain to. You may see them bearing the most sudden and unexpected misfortunes with calmness and composure of mind, without a word, or change of countenance; even a prisoner, who knows not where his captivity may end, or whether he may not in a few hours be put to a most cruel death, never loses a moment’s sleep on this account, and eats and drinks with as much chearfulness as those into whose hands he has fallen.
Their resolution and courage under sickness and pain is truly surprising. A young woman will be in labour a whole day without uttering one groan or cry; should she betray such a weakness, they would immediately say, that she was unworthy to be a mother, and that her offspring could not fail of being cowards. Nothing is more common that to see persons, young and old of both sexes, supporting themselves with such constancy even under the greatest pains and calamities, that even when under those shocking tortures which prisoners are frequently put to, they will not only make themselves chearful, but provoke and irritate their tormentors with most cutting reproaches.
Another thing remarkable among these people, who put on at all times a savage, cruel appearance, is, that those of the same nation, or that are in alliance, behave to each other with an high degree of complaisance and good nature.
Those advanced in years are rarely treated disrespectfully by the younger; and if any quarrels happen, they never make use of oaths, or any indecent expressions, or call one another by hard names; but, at the same time, no duration can put a period to their revenge; it is often a legacy transferred from generation to generation, and left as a bequest from father to son, till an opportunity offers of taking ample satisfaction, perhaps in the third or fourth generation from those who first did the injury. They are not, however, strangers to the utility and pleasures of friendship, for each of them, at a certain age, makes choice of some one near about
their own age, to be their most intimate and bosom friend; and these two enter into mutual engagements, and are obliged to brave any danger, and run any risk to assist and support each other; and this attachment is carried so far, as even to overcome the fears of death, as they look upon it to be only a temporary separation, and that they shall meet and be united in friendship in the other world, never to be separated more, and imagine they shall need one another’s assistance there as well as here.
There is no nation of Indian but seem to have some sense of a Deity, and a kind of religion among them; but this is so various, so perplexed and confused, that it is difficult to describe it very minutely. Their ideas of the nature and attributes of the Deity are very obscure, and some of them absurd; but they all acknowledge him to be the creator and master of the world; but how the world was created they know not, and of course have various conjectures about it. Some of them imagine that men were first rained down from the clouds, and that brute animals descended with them. They seem to have some idea of angels, or spirits of an higher and more excellent nature than man; to these they attribute a kind of immensity, supposing them to be every where present, and are frequently invoking them, imagining they hear them, and act, or endeavour to act, agreeable to their desires. They likewise hold of an evil spirit, or demon, who, say they, is always inclined to mischief, and bears great sway in the creation; and it is this latter that is the principal objects of their adorations and devotions; they generally address him by way of deprecation, most heartily beseeching him to do them no harm, but avert evils from them: the other they address by way of petition, supposing him to be propitious, and ever inclined to do them good; that he would bestow blessings upon them, and prevent the demon or evil spirit from hurting them; and to merit or procure the protection of the good spirit, they imagine it necessary to distinguish themselves; and that, in the first place, they must become good warriors, expert hunters, and steady marksmen.
The Indians depend much upon their dreams, and really believe that they dream the whole history of their future life, or what it may be collected from their youth, for which reason they make dreaming a kind of religious ceremony when they come to sufficient years, which is thus performed: They besmear their faces all over with black paint, and fast for several days, in which time they expect the good genius, or propitious spirit, will appear, or manifest himself to him in some shape or other in his dreams. The effect which this long fast must naturally occasion in the brain of a young person, must without doubt be considerable; and the parents, and other old people, take care, during the operation, that the dreams they have in the night be faithfully reported next morning. In favour to particular constitutions, they sometimes curtail this fast to a shorter term than is generally judged necessary; and this good genius, or propitious spirit, being the subject of the person’s waking thoughts, becomes also the subject of his dreams, and every phantom of their sleep is regarded as a figure of the genius, whether it be bird, beast, fish, or tree, or any thing else, animate of inanimate, and is particularly respected by them all their lives after. When any person of more distinguished parts than ordinary rises up among them, they suppose him naturally inspired, or actuated by this propitious spirit, and have an uncommon regard and veneration for him on that account, supposing him to receive intimations and intelligences from the good genius, or some of his agents. Religious impostures are not less frequent among the Indians of America, than among the Christians of Europe; and some of them are very successful in persuading the multitude that they are filled with a divine enthusiasm, and a kind of inspiration, few knowing better how to act their part in this sacred juggle than they. They often persuade the people that they have revelations of future events, and that they are authorised to command them to pursue such and such measures. They not only prescribe laws and rules, and persuade the populace to believe them; but undertake to unfold the mysteries of religion and a future state, to solve and interpret all their dreams and visions, &c. They represent the other world as a place abounding with an inexhaustible plenty of every thing desirable, and that they shall enjoy the most full and exquisite gratification of all their senses: and hence it is, no doubt, that the Indians meet death with such indifference and composure of mind, no Indian being in the least dismayed at the news that he has but a few hours or minutes to live; but with the greatest intrepidity sees himself upon the brink of being separated from terrestrial things, and with spirit and composure harangues those who are round him; and thus a father leaves his dying advice to his children, and takes a formal leave of all his friends.
The Indians generally bury their dead with great decency, and erect monuments over their graves. They deposit in the grave such things as the deceased had made the greatest use of, and been most attached to; as pipes, tobacco, bows, arrows, &c. that he may not be in want of any thing when he comes to the other country. The mothers mourn for their children a long time; and the neighbours make presents to the bereaved father, which he retaliates by giving them a feast.
The Indian feasts, whether at a funeral, a triumph, a visit, or whatever the occasion be, are very simple and inartful. The savage does not mortify his friend with a splendid appearance, but makes him chearful by dividing his riches with him, and values not spending the fruits of a whole season’s toil, to convince him that he is welcome; nay, thinks himself happy in having such an opportunity to oblige him. The guest is sure to be treated with an unaffected gravity and complaisance, and that he shall not be the subject of whispering ridicule and banter while present, nor of cruel remarks when departed; which certainly is a privilege they do not always enjoy among more civilized nations. Nor is a servile regard paid to the distinctions of high and low, rich and poor, noble and ignoble, so as to lessen the spirit and pleasure of conversation, when the company happens to be made up of a mixture of these.
The Indians being both of a very active and revengeful disposition, they are easily induced at any time to make wars, and seldom refuse to engage when solicited by their allies; very often the most trifling provocations rouse them to arms, and prove the occasions of bloodshed and murder; their petty private quarrels being often decided this way, and expeditions of this kind may be undertaken without the knowledge or consent of a general council, or any formal declarations of war. These private excursions are winked at, excused, and encouraged, as a means of keeping their young men alert, and of acquainting them with the discipline and exercises of war. And indeed these petty wars seem necessary, since their laws and penalties are insufficient to restrain them within the bounds of reason and common justice, and are a poor security of private property against the insults and depredations of any one; but when war becomes a national affair, it is entered upon with great deliberation and solemnity, and prosecuted with the utmost secrecy, diligence and attention, both in making preparations and in carrying their schemes into execution. Their method of declaring war is very solemn and pompous, attended with many ceremonies of terror. In the first place, they call an assembly of the Sachems and Chief Warriors, to deliberate upon the affair, and determine upon matters, how, when, and in what manner it shall be entered upon and prosecuted, &c. In which general congress, among the northern Indians and the Five Nations, the women have a voice as well as the men. When they are assembled, the President or chief Sachem proposes the affair they have met to consult upon, and, taking up the hatchet (which lies by him) says, Who among you will go and fight against such a nation? Who among you will go and bring captives from thence, to replace our deceased friends, that our wrongs may be avenged, and our name and honour maintained as long as rivers flow, grass grows, or the sun and moon endure? He having thus said, one of the principal warriors rises, and harangues the whole assembly; and then addresses himself to the young men, and inquires, who among them will go along with him and fight their enemies? when they generally rise, one after another, and fall in behind him, while he walks round the circle or parade, till he is joined by a sufficient number. Generally at such a congress they ha
ve a deer or some beast roasted whole; and each of them, as they consent to go to war, cuts off a piece and eats, saying, this way will I devour our enemies, naming the nation they are going to attack. All that chuse, having performed this ceremony, and thereby solemnly engaged to behave with fidelity and as a good warrior, the dance begins, and they sing the war-song; the matter of which relates to their intended expedition and conquest, or to their own skill, courage and dexterity in fighting, and to the manner in which they will vanquish and extirpate their enemies; all which is expressed in the strongest and most pathetic manner, and with a tone of terror. So great is the eloquence or influence of their women in these consultations, that the final result very much depends upon them. If any one of these nations, in conjunction with the Chiefs, has a mind to excite one, who does not immediately depend upon them, to take part in the war, either to appease the names of her husband, son, or near relations, or to take prisoners, to supply the place of such as have died in her family, or are in captivity, she presents, by the hands of some trusty young warrior, a string of wampum to the person whose help she solicits; which invitation seldom fails of its desired effect. And when they solicit the alliance, offensive or defensive, of a whole nation, the send an embassy with a large belt of wampum, and a bloody hatchet, inviting them to come and drink the blood of their enemies. The wampum made use of upon these and other occasions, before their acquaintance with the Europeans, was nothing but small shells, which they picked up by the sea-coasts and on the banks of the lakes; and now it is nothing but a kind of cylindrical beads, made of shells white and black, which are esteemed among them as silver and gold are among us. The black they call the most valuable, and both together are their greatest riches and ornaments; these among them answering all the ends that money does among us. They have the art of stringing, twisting, and interweaving these into their belts, collars, blankets, mogasons, &c. in ten thousand different sizes, forms and figures, so as to be ornaments for every part of dress, and expressive to them of all their important transactions. They dye the wampum of various colours and shades, and mix and dispose them with great ingenuity and order, and so as to be significant among themselves of almost any thing they please; so that by these their records are kept, and their thoughts communicated to one another, as our’s are by writing. The belts that pass from one nation to another, in all treaties, declarations, and important transactions, are carefully preserved in the palaces or cabbins of their Chiefs, and serve, not only as a kind of record or history, but as a public treasure. It must, however, be an affair of national importance in which they use collars or belts, it being looked upon as a very great abuse and absurdity to use them on trifling occasions. Nor is the calumet or pipe of peace of less importance, or less revered among them in many transactions, relative both to war and peace. The bowl of this pipe is made of a kind of soft red stone, which is easily wrought and hollowed out; the stem is of cane, elder, or some kind of light wood, painted with different colours, and decorated with the heads, tails, and feathers of the most beautiful birds, &c. The use of the calumet is, to smoak either tobacco, or some bark-leaf, or herb, which they often use instead of it, when they enter into an allegiance, or on any serious occasion, or solemn engagement; this being among them the most sacred oath that can be taken, the violation of which is esteemed most infamous, and deserving of severe punishment from heaven. When they treat of war, the whole pipe and all its ornaments are red; sometimes it is red only on one side, and by the disposition of the feathers, &c. one acquainted with their customs will know, at first sight, what the nation who presents it intends or desires. Smoaking the calumet is also a religious ceremony upon some occasions, and in all treaties is considered as a witness between the parties; or rather as an instrument by which they invoke the sun and moon to witness their sincerity, and to be, as it were, guarantees of the treaty between them. This custom of the Indians, tho’ to appearance somewhat ridiculous, is not without its reasons; for, they finding smoaking tended to disperse the vapours of the brain, to raise the spirits and qualify them for thinking and judging properly, introduced it into their councils, where, after their resolves, the pipe was considered as a seal of their decrees, and, as a pledge of their performance thereof, it was sent to those they were consulting an alliance or treaty with: so that smoaking among them in the same pipe is equivalent to our drinking together and out of the same cup.
Ponteach, or the Savages of America Page 18