A Character of the Province of Maryland: Described in four distinct parts; also a small Treatise on the Wild and Naked Indians (or Susquehanokes) of Maryland, their customs, manners, absurdities, and religion; together with a collection of historical letters.Alsop, George
History
A Character of the Province of Maryland: Described in four distinct parts; also a small Treatise on the Wild and Naked Indians (or Susquehanokes) of Maryland, their customs, manners, absurdities, and religion; together with a collection of historical letters.
Alsop, George
Maryland -- Description and travel -- Early works to 1800; Susquehanna Indians
Smith thus describes them: “Sixty of those Sasquesahanocks came to vs
with skins, Bowes, Arrows, Targets, Beads, swords and Tobacco pipes for
presents. Such great and well proportioned men are seldome seene, for
they seemed like Giants to the English; yea and to the neighbours, yet
seemed of an honest and simple disposition, with much adoe restrained
from adoring vs as Gods. Those are the strangest people of all those
Countries, both in language and attire; for their language it may well
beseeme their proportions, sounding from them as a voyce in a vault.
Their attire is the skinnes of Beares, and Woolues, some have Cassacks
made of Beares heads and skinnes, that a mans head goes through the
skinnes neck, and the eares of the Beare fastened to his shoulders,
the nose and teeth hanging downe his breast, another Beares face split
behind him, and at the end of the Nose hung a Pawe, the halfe sleeues
comming to the elbowes were the neckes of Beares and the armes through
the mouth with the pawes hanging at their noses. One had the head of a
Wolfe hanging in a chaine for a Iewell, his tobacco pipe three-quarters
of a yard long, prettily carued with a Bird, a Deere or some such
devise at the great end, sufficient to beat out ones braines; with
Bowes, Arrowes and Clubs, suitable to their greatnesse. They are scarce
known to Powhatan. They can make near 600 able men, and are palisadoed
in their Townes to defend them from the Massawomekes, their mortal
enemies. Five of their chief Werowances came aboord vs and crossed the
Bay in their Barge. The picture of the greatest of them is signified in
the Mappe. The calfe of whose leg was three-quarters of a yard about,
and all the rest of his limbes so answerable to that proportion, that
he seemed the goodliest man we ever beheld. His hayre, the one side
was long, the other shore close with a ridge over his crowue like a
cocks combe. His arrowes were five-quarters long, headed with the
splinters of a White christall-like stone, in form of a heart, an inch
broad, and an inch and a halfe or more long. These he wore in a Woolues
skinne at his backe for his quiver, his bow in one hand and his club in
the other, as described.”—_Smith’s Voyages_ (Am. ed.), I, p. 119–20.
Tattooing referred to by our author, was an ancient Egyptian custom,
and is still retained by the women. See _Lane’s Modern Egyptians_, etc.
It was forbidden to the Jews in _Leviticus_, 19: 28.
_Note_ 49, _page_ 74.
“_Purchas, his Pilgrimage_, or Relations of the World, and the
Religions observed in all Ages and Places discovered, from the Creation
unto this present,” 1 vol., folio, 1613. In spite of Alsop, Purchas is
still highly esteemed. {123}
_Note_ 50, _page_ 75.
As to their treatment of prisoners, see _Lafitau, Moeurs des Sauvages_,
II, p. 260.
_Note_ 51, _page_ 75.
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