John Eliot's First Indian Teacher and Interpreter Cockenoe-de-Long Island and The Story of His Career from the Early RecordsTooker, William Wallace
History
John Eliot's First Indian Teacher and Interpreter Cockenoe-de-Long Island and The Story of His Career from the Early Records
Tooker, William Wallace
Cockenoe-de-Long Island, active 1649-1687; Eliot, John, 1604-1690; Indians of North America -- New York (State) -- Long Island
[83] It is to be regretted that we have left us so little relating to
the Rev. Thomas James and his knowledge of the Indians of Montauk. The
few depositions and letters he left show that his knowledge of Indian
traditions and customs must have been quite extensive. In September,
1660, he informed the Commissioners of the United Colonies, then in
session at New Haven, that he was "willing to apply himself, to
instruct the Indians" of Long Island, "in the knowledge of the true
God." An allowance of L10 was therefore made for him "towards the
hiering of an Interpreter and other Charges." In 1662 he was paid L20
"for Instructing the Indians on Long Island," and the same allowance
was continued for the two following years. In a letter from Governor
Lovelace to Mr. James (Colonial History of New York, vol. xiv. pp.
610-11), we find: "I very much approve of yor composure of a
Catechisme.... That wch I shall desire from you at p'sent is the
Catachisme with some few select chapters & Lauditory Psalms fairly
transcribed in the Indian Language wch I will send over to England &
have quantityes of them printed & if you thinke it necessary I
conceive a small book such as shal only seme to the instructing ye
Indians to read may likewise be compiled & sent with them," etc. The
Catechism referred to above was probably never printed (Pilling's
Algonquian Bibliography, p. 569). It cannot be possible that James
neglected to avail himself of _Cockenoe's_ knowledge. The facts
presented in this paper would indicate, from James' reference to him,
that he found him a valuable assistant for many years.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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