Adventures of the Ojibbeway and Ioway Indians in England, France, and Belgium; Vol. 2 (of 2): being Notes of Eight Years' Travels and Residence in Europe with his North American Indian CollectionCatlin, George
History
Adventures of the Ojibbeway and Ioway Indians in England, France, and Belgium; Vol. 2 (of 2): being Notes of Eight Years' Travels and Residence in Europe with his North American Indian Collection
Catlin, George
England -- Description and travel; France -- Description and travel; Indians of North America
Several subsequent interviews were held with the Indians by these kind
people, who took them to their houses and schools, and bestowed upon
them many tangible proofs of their attachment to them, and anxiety
for their welfare. The Indians left Newcastle and these suddenly made
friends with great reluctance, and we paid a visit of a couple of days
to Sunderland. Here they found also many of the "good people" attending
their exhibitions, and received several warm and friendly invitations
to their houses. Amongst these kind attentions there was one which
they never will forget: they were invited to breakfast at the table
of Mr. T. Richardson, in his lovely mansion, with his kind family
and some friends, and after the breakfast was over all were invited
into his beautiful garden, where a spade was ready, and a small tree
prepared for each one to plant and attach his name to. This ceremony
amused them very much, and, when they had all done, there was one left
for _Chippehola_, who took the spade and completed the interesting
ceremony. This had been kindly designed for their amusement, and for
the pleasing recollections of his family, by this good man; and with
all it went off cheerfully, except with the Doctor, who refused for
some time, but was at length induced to take the spade and plant his
tree. I observed from the moment that he had done it that he was
contemplative, and evidently apprehensive that some bad luck was to
come from it--that there was _medicine_ in it, and he was alarmed.
He was silent during the rest of the interview, and after they had
returned to their rooms he still remained so for some time, when he
explained to me that "he feared some one would be sick--some one of
those trees would die, and he would much rather they had not been
planted." He said "it would be necessary to make a great feast the next
day," which I told him would be difficult, as we were to leave at an
early hour. This puzzled him very much, as it was so late that, "if
they were to try to give it that night, there would not be time for the
ducks to be well cooked." They all laughed at him for his superstition,
and he got the charm off as well as he could by throwing some tobacco,
as a sacrifice, into the fire.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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