32 New England Indians (1642)
They are of body tall, proper, and straight. Seldom they are abroad in extremity of Winter, but keep in their wigwams till necessity drives them forth. And then they wrap themselves in skins or some of our English coarse cloth. And for the Winter they have boots or a kind of laced tanned-leather stockings. They are naturally proud and idle, given much to singing, dancing, and plays. They are governed by Sachems, Kings, and Sagamores, petty Lords, by an absolute tyranny.
Their women are of comely feature, industrious, and do most of the labor in planting and carrying of burdens. Their husbands hold them in great slavery, yet never knowing other, it is the less grievous to them. They say Englishman much fool for spoiling good working creatures, meaning women. And when they see any of our English women sewing with their needles or working coifes [caps] or such things, they will cry out, Lazy squaws! But they are much the kinder to their wives by the example of the English. Their children they will not part with upon any terms, to be taught. They are of complexion swarthy and tawny. Their children are borne white but they bedawb them with oil and colors, presently. They have all black hair, that I saw.
In times of mourning they paint their faces with black lead, black all about the eyebrows and part of their cheeks. In time of rejoicing they paint red with a kind of vermilion. They cut their hair of diverse forms according to their Nation or people, so that you may know a people by their cut. And ever they have a long lock on one side of their heads and wear feathers of Peacocks and such like, and red cloth or ribbons at their locks. Beads of wampompeag about their necks and a girdle of the same wrought with blue and white wampom after the manner of checker work, two fingers broad, about their loins. Some of their chief men go so, and pendants of wampom, and such toys in their ears. And their women, some of the chief, have fair bracelets and chains of wampom.
Men and women of them come confidently among the English. Since the Pequot war, they are kept in very good subjection and held to strict points of Justice so that the English may travel safely among them. But the French in the East and the Dutch in the South sell them guns, powder, and shot. They have Powahes or Priests, which are Witches and a kind of Chirurgions [surgeons]. But some of them notwithstanding are fain to be beholding to the English Chirurgions. They will have their times of powaheing which they will of late have called Prayers according to the English word. The Powahe labors himself in his incantations to extreme sweating and weariness, even to ecstasy. The Powahes cannot work their witchcrafts if any of the English be [near]by. Neither can any of their incantations lay hold on or do any harm to the English, as I have been credibly informed. The Powahe is next the King or Sachem and commonly when he dies, the Powahe marries the Squaw Sachem, that is the queen. They have marriages among them. They have many wives, they say. They commit much filthiness among themselves. But for every marriage, the Sagamore has a fathom of wampom which is about seven or eight shillings value. Some of them will diligently attend to anything they can understand by any of our Religion and are very willing to teach their language to any English. They live much the better and peaceably for the English, and themselves know it. Or at least their Sachems and Sagamores know so much, for before they did nothing but spoil and destroy one another.
They live in Wigwams or houses made of mats like little huts, the fire in the midst of the house. They cut down a tree with axes and hatchets bought of the English, Dutch, or French and bring in the butt-end into the wigwam upon the hearth, and so burn it by degrees. They live upon parched corn (of late, they grind at our English mills), Venison, Beavers, Otters, Oysters, Clams, Lobsters and other fish, Groundnuts, Acorns. They boil all together in a kettle. Their riches are their wampom, bowls, trays, kettles, and spoons, beaver, furs, and canoes. He is a Sachem whose wife has her clean spoons in a chest for some chief English men, when they come on guest-wise to the wigwam. They lie upon a mat with a stone or a piece of wood under their heads. They will give the best entertainment they can make to any English coming amongst them. They will not taste sweet things nor alter their habit willingly; only [when] they are taken with tobacco, wine, and strong waters. And I have seen some of them in English or French clothes. Their ordinary weapons are bows and arrows, and long staves or half pikes with pieces of swords, daggers, or knives in the ends of them.
They have Captains and are very good at a short mark and nimble of foot to run away. Their manner of fighting is most commonly, all in one file. They are many in number and worship Kitan, their good god or Hobbamocco, their evil god. But more fear Hobbamocco because he does them most harm. Some of their Kings’ names are Canonicus, Meantinomy, Owshamequin, Cushamequin, Webbacawitts, and Squaw Sachem his wife. She is the Queen and he is Powahe and King in right of his wife. Among some of these Nations their policy is to have two Kings at a time. But I think, of one family. The one aged for counsel, the other younger for action. Their Kings succeed by inheritance. Master Henry Dunster, Schoolmaster of Cambridge, deserves commendations above many. He has the platform and way of conversion of the Natives and much studies the same, wherein yet he wants not opposition as some other also have met with. He will without doubt prove an instrument of much good in the Country, being a good Scholar and having skill in the Tongues. He will make it good, that the way to instruct the Indians must be in their own language, not English; and that their language may be perfected.
Source: “Account of the New England Indians” in Thomas Lechford, Plain Dealing: or, News from New-England (London, 1642), 49-53. https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.45493/page/n337/mode/2up
