INDIAN ACCOUNT OF THE FIRST ARRIVAL OF THE DUTCH AT NEW YORK ISLAND.
The Lenni Lenape claim the honour of having received and welcomed the
Europeans on their first arrival in the country, situated between New
England and Virginia. It is probable, however, that the Mahicanni or
Mohicans, who then inhabited the banks of the Hudson, concurred in the
hospitable act. The relation I am going to make was taken down many
years since from the mouth of an intelligent Delaware Indian, and may
be considered as a correct account of the tradition existing among them
of this momentous event. I give it as much as possible in their own
language.
A great many years ago, when men with a white skin had never yet been
seen in this land, some Indians who were out a fishing, at a place
where the sea widens, espied at a great distance something remarkably
large floating on the water, and such as they had never seen before.
These Indians immediately returning to the shore, apprised their
countrymen of what they had observed, and pressed them to go out with
them and discover what it might be. They hurried out together, and saw
with astonishment the phenomenon which now appeared to their sight, but
could not agree upon what it was; some believed it to be an uncommonly
large fish or animal, while others were of opinion it must be a very
big house floating on the sea. At length the spectators concluded that
this wonderful object was moving towards the land, and that it must be
an animal or something else that had life in it; it would therefore
be proper to inform all the Indians on the inhabited islands of what
they had seen, and put them on their guard. Accordingly they sent off
a number of runners and watermen to carry the news to their scattered
chiefs, that they might send off in every direction for the warriors,
with a message that they should come on immediately. These arriving
in numbers, and having themselves viewed the strange appearance, and
observing that it was actually moving towards the entrance of the
river or bay; concluded it to be a remarkably large house in which the
Mannitto (the Great or Supreme Being) himself was present, and that he
probably was coming to visit them.[56] By this time the chiefs were
assembled at York island, and deliberating in what manner in which[57]
they should receive their Mannitto on his arrival. Every measure was
taken to be well provided with plenty of meat for a sacrifice. The
women were desired to prepare the best victuals. All the idols or
images were examined and put in order, and a grand dance was supposed
not only to be an agreeable entertainment for the Great Being, but
it was believed that it might, with the addition of a sacrifice,
contribute to appease him if he was angry with them. The conjurers were
also set to work, to determine what this phenomenon portended, and
what the possible result of it might be. To these and to the chiefs
and wise men of the nations, men, women, and children were looking up
for advice and protection. Distracted between hope and fear, they were
at a loss what to do; a dance, however, commenced in great confusion.
While in this situation, fresh runners arrive declaring it to be a
large house of various colours, and crowded with living creatures. It
appears now to be certain, that it is the great Mannitto, bringing them
some kind of game, such as he had not given them before, but other
runners soon after arriving declare that it is positively a house full
of human beings, of quite a different colour from that of the Indians,
and dressed differently from them; that in particular one of them was
dressed entirely in red, who must be the Mannitto himself. They are
hailed from the vessel in a language they do not understand, yet they
shout or yell in return by way of answer, according to the custom of
their country; many are for running off to the woods, but are pressed
by others to stay, in order not to give offence to their visitor, who
might find them out and destroy them. The house, some say, large canoe,
at last stops, and a canoe of a smaller size comes on shore with the
red man, and some others in it; some stay with his canoe to guard it.
The chiefs and wise men, assembled in council, form themselves into a
large circle, towards which the man in red clothes approaches with two
others. He salutes them with a friendly countenance, and they return
the salute after their manner. They are lost in admiration; the dress,
the manners, the whole appearance of the unknown strangers is to them
a subject of wonder; but they are particularly struck with him who
wore the red coat all glittering with gold lace, which they could in
no manner account for. He, surely, must be the great Mannitto, but
why should he have a white skin? Meanwhile, a large _Hackhack_[58]
is brought by one of his servants, from which an unknown substance
is poured out into a small cup or glass, and handed to the supposed
Mannitto. He drinks--has the glass filled again, and hands it to the
chief standing next to him. The chief receives it, but only smells
the contents and passes it on to the next chief, who does the same.
The glass or cup thus passes through the circle, without the liquor
being tasted by any one, and is upon the point of being returned to
the red clothed Mannitto, when one of the Indians, a brave man and a
great warrior, suddenly jumps up and harangues the assembly on the
impropriety of returning the cup with its contents. It was handed to
them, says he, by the Mannitto, that they should drink out of it, as
he himself had done. To follow his example would be pleasing to him;
but to return what he had given them might provoke his wrath, and
bring destruction on them. And since the orator believed it for the
good of the nation that the contents offered them should be drunk,
and as no one else would do it, he would drink it himself, let the
consequence be what it might; it was better for one man to die, than
that a whole nation should be destroyed. He then took the glass, and
bidding the assembly a solemn farewell, at once drank up its whole
contents. Every eye was fixed on the resolute chief, to see what effect
the unknown liquor would produce. He soon began to stagger, and at
last fell prostrate on the ground. His companions now bemoan his fate,
he falls into a sound sleep, and they think he has expired. He wakes
again, jumps up and declares, that he has enjoyed the most delicious
sensations, and that he never before felt himself so happy as after he
had drunk the cup. He asks for more, his wish is granted; the whole
assembly then imitate him, and all become intoxicated.
After this general intoxication had ceased, for they say that while
it lasted the whites had confined themselves to their vessel, the man
with the red clothes returned again, and distributed presents among
them, consisting of beads, axes, hoes, and stockings such as the white
people wear. They soon became familiar with each other, and began to
converse by signs. The Dutch made them understand that they would
not stay here, that they would return home again, but would pay them
another visit the next year, when they would bring them more presents,
and stay with them awhile; but as they could not live without eating,
they should want a little land of them to sow seeds, in order to raise
herbs and vegetables to put into their broth. They went away as they
had said, and returned in the following season, when both parties were
much rejoiced to see each other; but the whites laughed at the Indians,
seeing that they knew not the use of the axes and hoes they had given
them the year before; for they had these hanging to their breasts as
ornaments, and the stockings were made use of as tobacco pouches. The
whites now put handles to the former for them, and cut trees down
before their eyes, hoed up the ground, and put the stockings on their
legs. Here, they say, a general laughter ensued among the Indians, that
they had remained ignorant of the use of such valuable implements,
and had borne the weight of such heavy metal hanging to their necks,
for such a length of time. They took every white man they saw for an
inferior Mannitto attendant upon the supreme Deity who shone superior
in the red and laced clothes. As the whites became daily more familiar
with the Indians, they at last proposed to stay with them, and asked
only for so much ground for a garden spot as, they said, the hide of a
bullock would cover or encompass, which hide was spread before them.
The Indians readily granted this apparently reasonable request; but
the whites then took a knife, and beginning at one end of the hide,
cut it up to a long rope, not thicker than a child’s finger, so that
by the time the whole was cut up, it made a great heap; they then took
the rope at one end, and drew it gently along, carefully avoiding its
breaking. It was drawn out into a circular form, and being closed
at its ends, encompassed a large piece of ground. The Indians were
surprised at the superior wit of the whites,[59] but did not wish
to contend with them about a little land, as they had still enough
themselves. The white and red men lived contentedly together for a long
time, though the former from time to time asked for more land, which
was readily obtained, and thus they gradually proceeded higher up the
Mahicannittuck, until the Indians began to believe that they would soon
want all their country, which in the end proved true.