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A Key Into the Language of America, or an Help to the Language of the Natives in That Part of America Called New-England: Together with Briefe Observations of the Customes, Manners, and Worships, &c. of the Aforesaid Natives, etc.Williams, Roger

History

A Key Into the Language of America, or an Help to the Language of the Natives in That Part of America Called New-England: Together with Briefe Observations of the Customes, Manners, and Worships, &c. of the Aforesaid Natives, etc.

Name: A Key Into the Language of America, or an Help to the Language of the Natives in That Part of America Called New-England: Together with Briefe Observations of the Customes, Manners, and Worships, &c. of the Aforesaid Natives, etc.
Author: Williams, Roger

Williams, Roger

Narragansett Indians; Narragansett language

Puchwhéganash and Múcksuck,          Awle blades.

  Papuckakiuash,                       Brittle or breaking,
                                         which they desire to be
                                         hardened to a brittle
                                         temper.

Obs: Before ever they had awle blades from Europe, they made shift to
bore this their shell money with stones, and to fell their trees with
stone set in a wooden staff, and used wooden howes; which some old
and poore women (fearfull to leave the old tradition) use to this day.

  Natouwúmpitea,                       A Coyner or Minter.

  Nnanatouwúmpiteem,                   I cannot coyne.

  Natouwómpitees,                      Make money or Coyne.

  Puckhûmmin,                          To bore through.

  Puckwhegonnaûtick,                   The awle blade sticks.

  Tutteputch anâwsin,                  To smooth them, which they
                                         doe on stones.

  Qussûck-anash,                       Stone, stones.

  Cauómpsk,                            A whetstone.

  Nickáutick,                          A kind of wooden Pincers
                                         or Vice.

  Enomphómmin,                         To thread or string.

  Aconaqúnnaûog,                       Thread the Beads.

  Enomphómmin,                         Thread, or string these.

  Enomphósachick,                      Strung ones.

  Sawhoog & Sawhósachick,              Loose Beads.

  Naumpacoûin,                         To hang about the necke.

Obs: They hang these strings of money about their necks and wrists;
as also upon the necks and wrists of their wives and children.

Máchequoce, a Girdle; which they make curiously of one, two, three,
foure and five inches thicknesse and more, of this money which
(sometimes to the value of ten pounds and more) they weare about
their middle and as a scarfe about their shoulders and breasts.

Yea, the Princes make rich Caps and Aprons (or small breeches) of
these Beads thus curiously strung into many formes and figures: their
blacke and white finely mixt together.


_Observations generall of their Coyne._

The sonnes of men having lost their Maker, the true and onely
Treasure, dig downe to the bowels of the earth for gold and silver;
yea, to the bottome of the sea, for shells of fishes, to make up a
Treasure, which can never truly enrich nor satisfie.


More particular.

      The Indians prize not English gold,
        Nor English, Indians shell:
      Each in his place shall passe for ought.
        What ere Men buy or sell.
      English and Indians all passe hence,
        To an eternall place,
      Where shels nor finest golds’ worth ought,
        Where noughts’ worth ought but Grace.
      This Coyne the Indians know not of,
        Who knowes how soone they may?
      The English knowing, prize it not,
        But fling’t like drosse away.




CHAP. XXV.

_Of their Buying and Selling._

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

History

A Key Into the Language of America, or an Help to the Language of the Natives in That Part of America Called New-England: Together with Briefe Observations of the Customes, Manners, and Worships, &c. of the Aforesaid Natives, etc.

Williams, Roger

Narragansett Indians; Narragansett language

Puchwhéganash and Múcksuck,          Awle blades.

  Papuckakiuash,                       Brittle or breaking,
                                         which they desire to be
                                         hardened to a brittle
                                         temper.

Obs: Before ever they had awle blades from Europe, they made shift to
bore this their shell money with stones, and to fell their trees with
stone set in a wooden staff, and used wooden howes; which some old
and poore women (fearfull to leave the old tradition) use to this day.

  Natouwúmpitea,                       A Coyner or Minter.

  Nnanatouwúmpiteem,                   I cannot coyne.

  Natouwómpitees,                      Make money or Coyne.

  Puckhûmmin,                          To bore through.

  Puckwhegonnaûtick,                   The awle blade sticks.

  Tutteputch anâwsin,                  To smooth them, which they
                                         doe on stones.

  Qussûck-anash,                       Stone, stones.

  Cauómpsk,                            A whetstone.

  Nickáutick,                          A kind of wooden Pincers
                                         or Vice.

  Enomphómmin,                         To thread or string.

  Aconaqúnnaûog,                       Thread the Beads.

  Enomphómmin,                         Thread, or string these.

  Enomphósachick,                      Strung ones.

  Sawhoog & Sawhósachick,              Loose Beads.

  Naumpacoûin,                         To hang about the necke.

Obs: They hang these strings of money about their necks and wrists;
as also upon the necks and wrists of their wives and children.

Máchequoce, a Girdle; which they make curiously of one, two, three,
foure and five inches thicknesse and more, of this money which
(sometimes to the value of ten pounds and more) they weare about
their middle and as a scarfe about their shoulders and breasts.

Yea, the Princes make rich Caps and Aprons (or small breeches) of
these Beads thus curiously strung into many formes and figures: their
blacke and white finely mixt together.


_Observations generall of their Coyne._

The sonnes of men having lost their Maker, the true and onely
Treasure, dig downe to the bowels of the earth for gold and silver;
yea, to the bottome of the sea, for shells of fishes, to make up a
Treasure, which can never truly enrich nor satisfie.


More particular.

      The Indians prize not English gold,
        Nor English, Indians shell:
      Each in his place shall passe for ought.
        What ere Men buy or sell.
      English and Indians all passe hence,
        To an eternall place,
      Where shels nor finest golds’ worth ought,
        Where noughts’ worth ought but Grace.
      This Coyne the Indians know not of,
        Who knowes how soone they may?
      The English knowing, prize it not,
        But fling’t like drosse away.




CHAP. XXV.

_Of their Buying and Selling._

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

A Key Into the Language of America, or an Help to the Language of the Natives in That Part of America Called New-England: Together with Briefe Observations of the Customes, Manners, and Worships, &c. of the Aforesaid Natives, etc.

A Key Into the Language of America, or an Help to the Language of the Natives in That Part of America Called New-England: Together with Briefe Observations of the Customes, Manners, and Worships, &c. of the Aforesaid Natives, etc.

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