Tuskeruro. Woccon.
Yesterday Oousotto Yottoha
How Many Ut-Tewots Tontarinte
How Far Untateawa
Will You Go Along With Me Unta
Hah Quauke
Go you Its warko Yuppa me
Give it me Cotshau Mothei
That's all Ut chat Cuttaune
A Cubit
Length Kihoosocca Ishewounaup
Dead Whaharia Caure
A Gourd or Bottle Utchaawa Wattape
A lazy Fellow Wattattoo watse Tontaunete
Englishman is thirsty Oukwockaninniwock
I will sell you Goods very cheap Wausthanocha Nau hou hoore-ene
All the Indians are drunk Connaugh jost twane Nonnupper
Have you got any thing to eat Utta-ana-wox Noccoo Eraute
I am sick Connauwox Waurepa
A Fish-Hook Oos-skinna
Don't lose it Oon est nonne it quost
A Tobacco-pipe Oosquaana Intom
I remember it Oonutsauka Aucummato
Let it alone Tnotsaurauweek (Tout?) Sauhau
Peaches Roo-ooe Yonne
Walnuts Rootau-ooe
Hickery Nuts Rootau Nimmia
A Jew's-Harp Ooratsa Wottiyau
I forget it Merrauka
Northwest-Wind Hothooka
Snow. Acaunque. Wawawa.
{Indian Speech.}
To repeat more of this Indian Jargon, would be to trouble the Reader;
and as an Account how imperfect they are in their Moods and Tenses,
has been given by several already, I shall only add, that their
Languages or Tongues are so deficient, that you cannot suppose
the Indians ever could express themselves in such a Flight of Stile,
as Authors would have you believe. They are so far from it,
that they are but just able to make one another understand readily
what they talk about. As for the two Consonants `L' and `F',
I never knew them in any Indian Speech I have met withal;
yet I must tell you, that they have such a Way of abbreviating their Speech,
when in their great Councils and Debates, that the young Men do not understand
what they treat about, when they hear them argue. It is wonderful,
what has occasion'd so many different Speeches as the Savages have.
{Tartarian Hurds.} The three Nations I now mention'd,
do not live above ten Leagues distant, and two of them,
viz. the Tuskeruro's and the Woccon, are not two Leagues asunder;
yet their Speech differs in every Word thereof, except one,
which is Tsaure, Cockles, which is in both Tongues the same,
and nothing else. Now this Difference of Speech causes
Jealousies and Fears amongst them, which bring Wars, wherein they destroy
one another; otherwise the Christians had not (in all Probability)
settled America so easily, as they have done, had these Tribes of Savages
united themselves into one People or general Interest, or were they so
but every hundred Miles. In short, they are an odd sort of People
under the Circumstances they are at present, and have some such uncouth Ways
in their Management and Course of Living, that it seems a Miracle to us,
how they bring about their Designs, as they do, when their Ways
are commonly quite contrary to ours. I believe, they are (as to this Life)
a very happy People; and were it not for the Feuds amongst themselves,
they would enjoy the happiest State (in this World) of all Mankind.
They met with Enemies when we came amongst them; for they are
no nearer Christianity now, than they were at the first Discovery,
to all Appearance. {Indians learn of the Europeans.}
They have learnt several Vices of the Europeans, but not one Vertue,
as I know of. Drunkenness was a Stranger, when we found them out,
and Swearing their Speech cannot express; yet those that speak English,
learn to swear the first thing they talk of. It's true,
they have some Vertues and some Vices; but how the Christians
can bring these People into the Bosom of the Church, is a Proposal
that ought to be form'd and follow'd by the wisest Heads and best Christians.
After I have given one Remark or two farther, of some of their
strange Practices and Notions, I will give my Opinion, how I think,
in probability, it may be (if possible) effected, and so shall conclude
this Treatise of Carolina.
They are a very craving People, and if a Man give them any thing of a Present,
they think it obliges him to give them another; and so on,
till he has given them all he has; for they have no Bounds of Satisfaction
in that way; and if they give you any thing, it is to receive
twice the Value of it. They have no Consideration that you will want
what you give them; for their way of Living is so contrary to ours,
that neither we nor they can fathom one anothers Designs and Methods.
They call Rum and Physick by one Name, which implies that Rum
make People sick, as when they have taken any poisonous Plant;
yet they cannot forbear Rum. They make Offerings of their First-Fruits,
and the more serious sort of them throw into the Ashes, near the Fire,
the first Bit or Spoonful of every Meal they sit down to, which, they say,
is the same to them, as the pulling off our Hats, and talking,
when we go to Victuals, is to us. They name the Months very agreeably,
as one is the Herring-Month, another the Strawberry-Month,
another the Mulberry-Month. Others name them by the Trees that blossom;
especially, the Dogwood-Tree; or they say, we will return
when Turkey-Cocks gobble, that is in March and April. The Age of the Moon
they understand, but know no different Name for Sun and Moon.
They can guess well at the time of the Day, by the Sun's Height.
Their Age they number by Winters, and say, such a Man or Woman
is so many Winters old. They have no Sabbath, or Day of Rest.
Their Slaves are not over-burden'd with Work, and so not driven by Severity
to seek for that Relief. Those that are acquainted with the English,
and speak the Tongue, know when Sunday comes; besides, the Indians have
a distinct Name for Christmas which they call Winnick Keshuse,
or the Englishmans Gods Moon.
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