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Page 25
On the other hand objects which historically belong to the
inhabitants of the places declared to have been visited, and
characterize them distinctly from those previously discovered, and
which were of such a marked character as to have commanded
attention, are not mentioned at all. Of this class perhaps the most
prominent is the wampum, a commodity of such value and use among
them that, like gold among the Europeans, it served the double
purpose of money and personal adornment. The region of the harbor
where the voyagers spent, according to the letter, fifteen days in
familiar intercourse with the inhabitants, was its greatest mart,
from which it was spread among the tribes, both north and east.
Wood, describing the Narragansets in 1634, says they "are the most
curious minters of the wampompeage and mowhakes which they forme out
of the inmost wreaths of periwinkle shels. The northerne, easterne,
and westerne Indians fetch all their coyne from these southern mint-
masters. From hence they have most of their curious pendants and
bracelets; hence they have their great stone pipes which will hold a
quarter of an ounce of tobacco." And in regard to their practice of
ornamentation, he remarks again: "although they be poore, yet is
there in them the sparkes of naturall pride which appeares in their
longing desire after many kinde of ornaments, wearing pendants in
their eares, as formes of birds, beasts and fishes, carved out of
bone, shels, and stone, with long bracelets of their curious wrought
wampompeage and mowhackees which they put about their necks and
loynes; which they count a rare kinde of decking." The same writer
adds a description of an Indian king of this country in his attire,
which is somewhat less fanciful than that in the letter. "A sagamore
with a humberd (humming-bird) in his eare for a pendant, a
blackhawke in his occiput for his plume, mowhackees for his gold
chaine, good store of wampompeage begirting his loynes, his bow in
his hand, his quiver at his back, with six naked Indian
spatterlashes at his heeles for his guard, thinkes himselfe little
inferiour to the great Cham. [Footnote: New England Prospect, pp.
61, 65-6.] Roger Williams confirms this account of the importance of
the wampum among these same Indians. "They hang," he states "these
strings of money about their necks and wrists, as also about the
necks and wrists of their wives and children. Machequoce, a girdle,
which they make curiously of one, two, three, four and five inches
thickness and more, of this money, which sometimes to the value of
tenpounds and more, they weare about their middle, and a scarfe
about their shoulders and breasts.
The Indians prize not English gold,
Nor English, Indians shell:
Each in his place will passe for ought,
What ere men buy or sell."
[Footnote: Key into the Language of America, pp. 149-50.]
Another important article in universal use among the Indians of the
main land, north and south, was the tobacco pipe. Tobacco was used
by the natives of the West India islands, made up in rolls or
cigars; but by the Indians of the continent it was broken up,
carried in small bags attached to a girdle round the body, and
smoked through clay, stone or copper pipes, sometimes of very
elaborate workmanship. Smoking the pipe was of universal use among
them, both on ordinary and extraordinary occasions. It was a tender
of hospitality to strangers; and a sign of peace and friendship
between the nations. [Footnote: For a full and interesting account
of the importance of the tobacco-pipe among the Indians of North
America, upon cited authorities, we refer the reader to Antiquities
of the Southern Indians. By Charles C. Jones Jr., p. 382. (New York,
1873.)] When Captain Waymouth ran along the coast of the great bay
of Massachusetts, in 1605, he repeatedly encountered this custom. On
one occasion the natives came from the shore in three canoes, and
Rosier remarks of them: "they came directly aboord us and brought us
tobacco, which we tooke with them IN THEIR PIPE which was made of
earth very strong, but blacke and short, containing a great
quantity. When we came at shoare they all most kindely entertained
us, taking us by the hands, as they had observed we did to them
aboord in token of welcome, and brought us to sit downe by their
fire, where sat together thirteene of them. They filled their
tobacco pipe, which was then the short claw of a lobster, which will
hold ten of our pipes full and we dranke of their excellent tobacco,
as much as we would with them." [Footnote: Purchas, IV. 1662.] No
notice is taken of this custom, either of tobacco or the pipe in the
Verrazzano letter.
The most remarkable omission of all is of the bark canoe. This light
and beautiful fabric was peculiar to the Algonkin tribes. It was not
found among the southern Indians, much less in the West India
islands. Its buoyancy and the beauty of its form were such as to
render it an object of particular observation. Though so light as to
be capable of being borne on a man's shoulders, it would sometimes
carry nine men, and ride with safety over the most stormy sea. It
was always from the first a great object of interest with the
discoverers of the northerly parts of the coast, which they
manifested by taking them back to Europe, as curiosities. Aubert
carried one of them to Dieppe in 1508, and Captain Martin Fringe,
who was one of the first to visit the shores of Cape Cod, took one,
in 1603, thence to Bristol, which he thus describes, as if he saw no
other kind.
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