The Hair Of Their Heads Is Made Into A Long Roll Like A Horses Tail,
And Bound Round With Ronoak Or Porcelan, Which Is A Sort Of Beads
They Make Of The Conk-Shells.
Others that have not this,
make a Leather-String serve.
{Indian Mens Habit.}
The Indian Men have a Match-Coat of Hair, Furs, Feathers, or Cloth,
as the Women have. Their Hair is roll'd up, on each Ear, as the Womens,
only much shorter, and oftentimes a Roll on the Crown of the Head, or Temples,
which is just as they fancy; there being no Strictness in their Dress.
Betwixt their Legs comes a Piece of Cloth, that is tuck'd in by a Belt
both before and behind. This is to hide their Nakedness,
of which Decency they are very strict Observers, although never practised
before the Christians came amongst them. They wear Shooes,
of Bucks, and sometimes Bears Skin, which they tan in an Hour or two;
with the Bark of Trees boil'd, wherein they put the Leather whilst hot,
and let it remain a little while, whereby it becomes so qualify'd,
as to endure Water and Dirt, without growing hard. These have no Heels,
and are made as fit for the Feet, as a Glove is for the Hand,
and are very easie to travel in, when one is a little us'd to them.
{Indians washing in the River.} When these Savages live near the Water,
they frequent the Rivers in Summer-time very much, where both Men and Women
very often in a day go in naked to wash themselves, though not
both Sexes together.
{Match-Coats how made.}
Their Feather Match-Coats are very pretty, especially some of them,
which are made extraordinary charming, containing several pretty Figures
wrought in Feathers, making them seem like a fine Flower Silk-Shag;
and when new and fresh, they become a Bed very well, instead of a Quilt.
Some of another sort are made of Hare, Raccoon, Bever, or Squirrel-Skins,
which are very warm. Others again are made of the green Part
of the Skin of a Mallard's Head, which they sew perfectly well together,
their Thread being either the Sinews of a Deer divided very small,
or Silk-Grass. When these are finish'd, they look very finely,
though they must needs be very troublesome to make. Some of their great Men,
as Rulers and such, that have Plenty of Deer Skins by them,
will often buy the English-made Coats, which they wear
on Festivals and other Days of Visiting. Yet none ever buy any Breeches,
saying, that they are too much confin'd in them, which prevents their Speed
in running, &c.
We have some Indians, that are more civilized than the rest,
which wear Hats, Shooes, Stockings, and Breeches, with very tolerable
Linnen Shirts, which is not common amongst these Heathens.
The Paspitank Indians did formerly keep Cattle, and make Butter.
{Civiliz'd Indians. Hatteras Indians.}
These are them that wear the English Dress. Whether they
have Cattle now or no, I am not certain; but I am of the Opinion,
that such Inclinations in the Savages should meet with Encouragement,
and every Englishman ought to do them Justice, and not defraud them
of their Land, which has been allotted them formerly by the Government;
for if we do not shew them Examples of Justice and Vertue,
we can never bring them to believe us to be a worthier Race of Men
than themselves.
The Dresses of these People are so different, according to
the Nation that they belong to, that it is impossible to recount
all the whimsical Figures that they sometimes make by their Antick Dresses.
Besides, Carolina is a warm Country, and very mild in its Winters,
to what Virginia, Maryland, Pensylvania, New-York, the Jerseys,
and New-England are; wherefore, our Indians Habit very much differs
from the Dresses that appear amongst the Savages who inhabit
those cold Countries; in regard their chiefest Cloathing for the Winter-Season
is made of the Furs of Bever, Raccoon, and other Northern Furs,
that our Climate is not acquainted withal, they producing some Furs,
as the Monack, Moor, Marten, Black Fox, and others to us unknown.
{Painting for War.}
Their Dress in Peace and War, is quite different. Besides,
when they go to War, their Hair is comb'd out by the Women,
and done over very much with Bears Grease, and red Root;
with Feathers, Wings, Rings, Copper, and Peak, or Wampum in their Ears.
Moreover, they buy Vermillion of the Indian Traders, wherewith they paint
their Faces all over red, and commonly make a Circle of Black about one Eye,
and another Circle of White about the other, whilst others bedawb their Faces
with Tobacco-Pipe Clay, Lamp-black, black Lead, and divers other Colours,
which they make with the several sorts of Minerals and Earths
that they get in different Parts of the Country, where they hunt and travel.
When these Creatures are thus painted, they make the most frightful Figures
that can be imitated by Men, and seem more like Devils than Humane Creatures.
You may be sure, that they are about some Mischief, when you see them
thus painted; for in all the Hostilities which have ever been acted
against the English at any time, in several of the Plantations of America,
the Savages always appear'd in this Disguize, whereby they might never after
be discover'd, or known by any of the Christians that should happen
to see them after they had made their Escape; for it is impossible,
ever to know an Indian under these Colours, although he has been
at your House a thousand times, and you know him, at other times,
as well as you do any Person living. As for their Women, they never use
any Paint on their Faces; neither do they ever carry them along with them
into the Field, when they intend any Expedition, leaving them at home
with the old Men and Children.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 77 of 106
Words from 78910 to 79912
of 110081
