History of the settlement of Upper Canada (Ontario,): with special reference to the Bay QuintéCanniff, William
History
History of the settlement of Upper Canada (Ontario,): with special reference to the Bay Quinté
Canniff, William
Ontario -- History; Quinte, Bay of (Ont.)
Descendants of the bravest of all the brave Indian warriors of America,
we find them peaceable and in most respects imbibing the spirit of the
day. Ever since the party settled on the bay, they have manifested no
turbulent spirit, none of those wild attributes natural to the
wild-woods Indian, toward their white neighbors. Among themselves there
has been one occasion of disturbance. This arose from the quarrelsome
nature of one Captain Isaac Hill. This Chief, with his people, formed a
part of Brant’s company that settled on the Grand River. After a few
years, having disagreed with his nation, and become exceedingly
disagreeable from his officious and selfish conduct, he removed to the
bay, and united himself with Captain John’s party, which received him.
But he failed to live peaceably with them. Eventually the disagreement
resulted in a serious hostile engagement between the two branches, who
fought with tomahawks and knives. But one person was killed, a chief of
Captain John’s party, Powles Claus, who was stabbed in the abdomen. But
subsequently Captain Isaac Hill became a worthy inhabitant. His house
still standing, then considered large, was frequently open to the more
festive, across the Bay in Sophiasburgh.
Out of the six hundred Indians, now living upon the Reserve, there is
only one with pure Indian blood. His name is David Smart. It has been
elsewhere stated, that the custom prevailed among the Mohawk nation, to
maintain the number of the tribe, by taking captive a sufficient number
to fill the vacancies caused by death of their people. The result was,
that these captives marrying with Indians, they gradually underwent a
change, and the original appearance of the Mohawk has lost its
characteristic features. The circumstances of the Indians during the
revolutionary war, and subsequently in settling in Canada, led to
frequent unions between the white men of different nationalities and the
Indian women. Therefore, at the present day there remains but little
more than a trace of the primal Indian who lorded it, a hundred years
ago, over no inconsiderable portion of the North American Continent.
When visiting the Indians, on our way, we met some eight or ten sleighs
laden with them, returning from a funeral. We were much struck with the
appearance of solid, farmer-like comfort which their horses and
conveyances exhibited, as well as they themselves did in their half
Canadian dress.
While drunkenness has prevailed among the older Indians, it is pleasing
to know that the younger ones are far more regular in their habits. For
this, much credit is due to the Christian oversight of their former and
present pastors. They have 1800 acres of land. They number 630, and are
increasing yearly.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account