{Indians Charity To Widows.}
It Often Happens, That A Woman Is Destitute Of Her Husband,
And Has A Great Many
Children to maintain; such a Person they always help,
and make their young men plant, reap, and do every thing
That she is not capable of doing herself; yet they do not allow any one
to be idle, but to employ themselves in some Work or other.
{Indian Women no Scolds.}
They never fight with one another, unless drunk, nor do you ever hear
any Scolding amongst them. They say, the Europeans are always
rangling and uneasy, and wonder they do not go out of this World, since they
are so uneasy and discontented in it. All their Misfortunes and Losses
end in Laughter; for if their Cabins take Fire, and all their Goods
are burnt therein, (indeed, all will strive to prevent farther Damage,
whilst there is any Possibility) yet such a Misfortune ends
in a hearty Fitt of Laughter, unless some of their Kinsfolks and Friends
have lost their Lives; but then the Case is alter'd, and they become
very pensive, and go into deep Mourning, which is continued
for a considerable Time; sometimes longer, or shorter, according to
the Dignity of the Person, and the Number of Relations he had near him.
The Burial of their Dead is perform'd with a great deal of Ceremony,
in which one Nation differs, in some few Circumstances, from another,
yet not so much but we may, by a general Relation, pretty nearly account
for them all.
{Indian Burial of their Dead.}
When an Indian is dead, the greater Person he was, the more expensive
is his Funeral. The first thing which is done, is, to place
the nearest Relations near the Corps, who mourn and weep very much,
having their Hair hanging down their Shoulders, in a very forlorn manner.
After the dead Person has lain a Day and a Night, in one of their
Hurdles of Canes, commonly in some Out-House made for that purpose,
those that officiate about the Funeral, go into the Town, and the first
young Men they meet withal, that have Blankets or Match Coats on,
whom they think fit for their Turn, they strip them from their Backs,
who suffer them so to do, without any Resistance. In these
they wrap the dead Bodies, and cover them with two or three Mats,
which the Indians make of Rushes or Cane; and last of all,
they have a long Web of woven Reeds, or hollow Canes, which is
the Coffin of the Indians, and is brought round several times,
and tied fast at both ends, which indeed, looks very decent and well.
Then the Corps is brought out of the House, into the Orchard of Peach-Trees,
where another Hurdle is made to receive it, about which comes
all the Relations and Nation that the dead Person belong'd to,
besides several from other Nations in Alliance with them;
all which sit down on the Ground, upon Mats spread there, for that purpose;
where the Doctor or Conjurer appears; and, after some time,
makes a Sort of `O-yes', at which all are very silent; then he begins
to give an Account, who the dead Person was, and how stout a Man
he approv'd himself; how many Enemies and Captives he had kill'd and taken;
how strong, tall, and nimble he was; that he was a great Hunter,
a Lover of his Country, and possess'd of a great many beautiful
Wives and Children, esteem'd the greatest of Blessings among these Savages,
in which they have a true Notion.
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