Reading the American Past: Printed Page 61
DOCUMENT 4–2
Observations of New England Indians
Puritan minister Roger Williams arrived in Boston in 1631 and preached there, in Salem, and in Plymouth before being banished from Massachusetts in 1635 and taking up residence in what would become Providence, Rhode Island. In both Plymouth and Providence, Williams spent considerable time among Indians. While sailing back to England in 1643, he wrote a dictionary of New England Indian words, including numerous observations — excerpted here — of Indian customs and beliefs. An unusually perceptive observer, Williams noted Native American traits that caught his eye, revealing his Puritan viewpoint as well as the intricacies of the encounters between Indians and English colonists. Most colonists were far less willing than Williams to try to learn Indians' languages or to understand their cultures.
Roger Williams
A Key into the Language of America, 1643
The Natives are of two sorts, (as the English are.) Some more Rude and Clownish, who are not so apt to Salute, but upon Salutation resalute lovingly. Others, and the generall, are sober and grave, and yet chearfull in a meane, and as ready to begin a Salutation as to Resalute, which yet the English generally begin, out of desire to Civilize them. ... There is a savour of civility and courtesie even amongst these wild Americans, both amongst themselves and towards strangers. . . .
Whomsoever commeth in when they are eating, they offer them to eat of that which they have, though but little enough prepar'd for themselves. If any provision of fish or flesh come in, they make their neighbours partakers with them.
If any stranger come in, they presently give him to eate of what they have; many a time, and at all times of the night (as I have fallen in travell upon their houses) when nothing hath been ready, have themselves and their wives, risen to prepare me some refreshing. ... It is a strange truth, that a man shall generally finde more free entertainment and refreshing amongst these Barbarians, then amongst thousands that call themselves Christians. . . .
Having no Letter nor Arts, 'tis admirable how quick they are in casting [tallying] up great numbers, with the helpe of graines of Corne, instead of Europes pens or counters. ...
Their affections, especially to their children, are very strong; so that I have knowne a Father take so grievously the losse of his childe, that hee hath cut and stob'd himselfe with griefe and rage.
This extreme affection, together with want of learning, makes ther children sawcie, bold, and undutifull.
I once came into a house, and requested some water to drinke; the father bid his sonne (of some 8. yeeres of age) to fetch some water: the boy refused, and would not stir; I told the father, that I would correct my child, if he should so disobey me, &c. Upon this the father took up a sticke, the boy another, and flew at his father: upon my perswasion, the poore father made him smart a little, throw down his stick, and run for water, and the father confessed the benefit of correction, and the evill of their too indugent affections. . . .
They are as full of businesse, and as impatient of hinderance (in their kind) as any Merchant in Europe. . . .
Whence they call English-
It is almost incredible what burthens the poore women carry of Corne, of Fish, of Beanes, of Mats, and a childe besides. ...
Yet some cut their haire round, and some as low and as short as the sober English; yet I never saw any so to forget nature it selfe in such excessive length and monstrous fashion, as to the shame of the English Nation, I now (with griefe) see my Country-
Mowêsu, & Sukêsu, [their words for] Blacke, or swarfish. . . . Hence they call a Blackamore (themselves are tawnie, by the Sunne and their annoyntings, yet they are borne white:)
Suckáutacone, [their word for] A cole blacke man. For, Sucki is black, and Waûtacone, one that weares clothes, whence English, Dutch, French, Scotch, they call Wautaconâuog, or Coatmen. . . .
Nature knowes no difference between Europe and Americans in blood, birth, bodies, &c. God having of one blood made all mankind . . . and all by nature being children of wrath. ...
Their desire of, and delight in newes, is great, as the Athenians, and all men, more or lesse; a stranger that can relate newes in their owne language, they will stile him Manittó o, a God. ...
Their manner is upon any tidings to sit round, double or treble, or more, as their numbers be; I have seene neer a thousand in a round, where English could not well neere halfe so many have sitten: Every man hath his pipe of their Tobacco, and a depe silence they make, and attention give to him that speaketh; and many of them will deliver themselves, either in a relation of news, or in a consultation, with very emphaticall speech and great action, commonly an houre, and sometimes two houres together. ...
As one answered me when I had discoursed about many points of God, of the creation, of the soule, of the danger of it, and the saving of it, he assented; but when I spake of the rising againe of the body, he cryed out, I shall never believe this. ...
Canounicus, the old high Sachim of the Nariganset Bay (a wise and peacable Prince) once in a solemne Oration to my selfe, in a solemne assembly . . . said, I have never suffered any wrong to be offered to the English since they landed; nor never will: he often repeated this . . . if the Englishman speake true, if hee meane truly, then shall I goe to my grave in peace, and hope that the English and my posteritie shall live in love and peace together. I replied, that he had no cause (as I hoped) to question Englishmans . . . faithfulnesse, he having had long experience of their friendlinesse and trustinesse. He tooke a sticke, and broke it into ten pieces, and related ten instances (laying downe a sticke to every instance) which gave him cause thus to feare and say; I satisfied him in some presently, and presented the rest to the Governours of the English, who, I hope, will be far from giving just cause to have Barbarians to question their . . . faithfulnesse. ...
This question they oft put to me: Why come the Englishmen hither? and measuring others by themselves; they say, It is because you want firing for they, having burnt up the wood in one place, (wanting draughts to bring wood to them) they are faine [willing] to follow the wood; and so to remove to a fresh new place for the woods sake. ...
I have heard of many English lost, and have oft been lost my selfe, and my selfe and others have often been found, and succoured by the Indians. . . .
They are joyfull in meeting of any in travell, and will strike fire either with stones or sticks, to take Tobacco, and discourse a little together. ...
The Indians having abundance of these sorts of Foule [ducks] upon their waters, take great pains to kill any of them with their Bow and Arrowes; and are marvellous desirous of our English Guns, powder, and shot (though they are wisely and generally denied by the English) yet with those which they get from the French, and some others (Dutch and English) they kill abundance of Fowle, being naturally excellent marks-
I once saw an exercise of training of the English, when all the English had mist the mark set up to shoot at, an Indian with his owne Peece (desiring leave to shoot) onely hit it. ...
The Natives are very exact and punctuall in the bounds of their Lands, belonging to this or that Prince or People, (even to a River, Brooke &c.) And I have knowne them make bargaine and sale amongst themselves for a small piece, or quanitity of Ground: notwithstanding a sinfull opinion amongst many that Christians have right to Heathens Lands. ...
The Women set or plant, weede, and hill, and gather and barne [store] all the corne, and Fruites of the field: Yet sometimes the man himselfe, (either out of love to his Wife, or care for his Children, or being an old man) will help the Woman which (by the custome of the Countrey) they are not bound to.
When a field is to be broken up, they have a very loving sociable speedy way to dispatch it: All the neighbours men and Women forty, fifty, a hundred &c, joyne, and come in to help freely.
With friendly joyning they breake up their fields, build their Forts, hunt the Woods, stop and kill fish in the Rivers, it being true with them as in all the World in the Affaires of Earth or Heaven: By concord little things grow great, by discord the greatest come to nothing. ...
They have a two-
First ordinary and constant, when although they have a Beasts skin, or an English mantle on, yet that covers ordinarily but their hinder parts and all the foreparts from top to toe, (except their secret parts, covered with a little Apron, after the patterne of their and our first Parents) I say all else open and naked.
Their male children goe starke naked, and have no Apron untill they come to ten or twelve yeeres of age; their Female they, in a modest blush cover with a little Apron of an hand breadth from their very birth.
Their second nakednesse is when their men often abroad, and both men and women within doores, leave off their beasts skin, or English cloth, and so (excepting their little Apron) are wholly naked; yet but few of the women but will keepe their skin or cloth (though loose) neare to them ready to gather it up about them.
Custome hath used their minds and bodies to it, and in such a freedom from any wantonesse, that I have never seen that wantonesses amongst them, as, (with griefe) I have heard of in Europe. . . .
Our English clothes are so strange unto them, and their bodies inured so to indure the weather, that when (upon gift &c.) some of them have had English cloathes, yet in a showre of raine, I have seen them rather expose their skins to the wet then their cloaths, and therefore pull them off, and keep them drie. ...
While they are amongst the English they keep on the English apparell, but pull of all, as soone as they come againe into their owne Houses, and Company. ... He that questions whether God made the World, the Indians will teach him. I must acknowledge I have received in my converse with them many Confirmations of those two great points. ...
They will generally confesse that God made all: but then in speciall, although they deny not that English-
But herein is their Misery.
First they branch their God-
Secondly, attribute it to Creatures. ...
Even as the Papists have their He and Shee Saint Protectors as St. George, St. Patrick, St. Denis, Virgin Mary, &c. ...
I confesse to have most of these their customes by their owne Relation, for after once being in their Houses and beholding what their Worship was, I durst never bee an eye witnesse, Spectatour, or looker on, least I should have been partaker of Sathans Inventions and Worships. ...
After I had (as farre as my language would reach) discoursed (upon a time) before the chiefe Sachim or Prince of the Countrey, with his Archpriests, and many others in a full Assembly; and being night, wearied with travell and discourse, I lay downe to rest; and before I slept, I heard this passage:
A[n] . . . Indian (who had heard our discourse) told the Sachim. . . . that soules went [not] up to Heaven, or downe to Hell; For, saith he, Our fathers have told us, that our soules goe to the Southwest.
The Sachim answered, But how doe you know your selfe, that your soules goe to the Southwest; did you ever see a soule goe thither?
The Native replyed; when did he (naming my selfe) see a soule goe to Heaven or Hell?
The Sachim agine replied: He hath books and writings, and one which God himselfe made, concerning mens soules, and therefore may well know more then wee that have none, but take all upon trust from our forefathers. ...
I could never discerne that excesse of scandalous sins amongst them, which Europe aboundeth with. Drunkennesse and gluttony, generally they know not what sinnes they be; and although they have not so much to restraine them (both in respect of knowledge of God and Lawes of Men) as the English have, yet a man shall never heare of such crimes amongst them of robberies, murthers, adulteries, &c as amongst the English. . . .
The Indians bring downe all their sorts of Furs, which they take in the Countrey, both to the Indians and to the English for this Indian Money: this Money the English, French, and Dutch, trade to the Indians, six hundred miles in severall parts (North and South from New-
This one fathom of this their stringed money, now worth of the English but five shillings (sometimes more) some few yeeres since was worth nine, and sometimes ten shillings per Fathome: the fall is occasioned by the fall of Beaver in England: the Natives are very impatient, when for English commodities they pay so much more of their money, and not understanding the cause of it; and many say the English cheat and deceive them, though I have laboured to make them understand the reason of it. ...
Who ever deale or trade with them, had need of Wisedom, Patience, and Faithfulnesse in dealing: for they frequently say . . . you lye . . . you deceive me. ...
O the infinite wisedome of the most holy wise God, who hath so advanced Europe, above America, that there is not a sorry Howe, Hatchet, Knife, nor a rag of cloth in all America, but what comes over the dreadfull Atlantick Ocean from Europe: and yet that Europe be not proud, nor America discouraged. What treasures are hid in some parts of America, and in our New-
From Roger Williams, A Key into the Language of America (London: Gregory Dexter, 1643), eds. John J. Teunissen and Evelyn J. Hinz (Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1973).
Questions for Reading and Discussion