Anecdotes of the American Indians, illustrating their eccentricities of character
History
Anecdotes of the American Indians, illustrating their eccentricities of character
Indians of North America -- Anecdotes
I can give, says Golden, in his history of the five Indian Nations, two
strong instances of the hospitality of the Mohawks, which fell under
my own observation; and which will show, that they have the very same
notion of hospitality which we find in the ancient poets. When I was
last in the Mohawk’s country, the sachems told me that they had an
Englishman among their people, a servant who had run away from his
master in New York. I immediately told them they must deliver him up.
‘No,’ they answered, ‘we never serve any man so, who puts himself under
our protection.’ On this I insisted on the injury they did thereby to
his master: they allowed it might be an injury, and replied, ‘Though
we will never deliver him up, we are willing to pay the value of the
servant to the master.’ Another man made his escape from the jail in
Albany, where he was in prison on an execution of debt: the Mohawks
received him, and, as they protected him against the sheriff and
officers they not only paid the debt for him, but gave him land over
and above, sufficient for a good farm, whereon he lived when I was last
there.
KINDNESS OF AN INDIAN HUSBAND.
There was a famine in the land, and a sick Indian woman expressed a
great desire for a mess of Indian corn. Her husband having heard that
a trader at Lower Sandusky had a little, set off on horseback for that
place, one hundred miles distant, and returned with as much corn as
filled the crown of his hat, for which he gave his horse in exchange,
and came home on foot, bringing his saddle back with him.
INDIAN RECORDS.
At certain seasons the Indians meet to study the meaning, and renew
their ideas of their strings and belts of wampum. On such occasions,
they sit down around the place in which they are deposited, and taking
out a string or belt, one after another, hand them to every person
present; and in order that they may all comprehend its meaning, repeat
the words pronounced on the delivery, in their whole connexion. By
these means they are enabled to remember the promises reciprocally
made; and, as they admit young boys who are related to the chiefs, they
become early acquainted with all their national concerns; and thus the
contents of their wampum documents are transmitted to their posterity.
The following instance may serve to show how well this mode of
communication answers the purpose of refreshing the memory:—A gentleman
in Philadelphia, once gave an Indian a string of wampum, saying, ‘I am
your friend, and will serve you to the utmost of my power.’ Forty years
after, the Indian returned the string, adding, ‘Brother, you gave me
this string of wampum, saying, I am your friend, and will serve you
to the utmost of my power.’ ‘I am now aged, infirm, and poor; do now
as you promised.’ The gentleman honourably redeemed his promise, and
generously assisted the old Indian.
BURNING OF BROOKFIELD.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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