although it is the same thing to the unfortunate victims, what form
their butcherers use. They are generally sacrificed before their
conquerors set off for war with their ark and supposed holy things. And
sometimes the Indians devote every one they meet in certain woods or
paths, to be killed there, except their own people; this occasioned the
cowardly Cheerake in the year 1753, to kill two white men on the
Chikkasah war-path, which leads from the country of the Muskohge. And
the Shawànoh Indians who {155} settled between the _Ooe-Asa_ and
_Koosah-towns_,[58] told us that their people to the northward had
devoted the English to death for the space of six years; but when that
time was expired and not before, they would live in friendship as
formerly. If the English had at that time executed their own law against
them, and demanded equal blood from the Cheeràke, and stopt all trade
with them before they dipt themselves too deep in blood, they would soon
have had a firm peace with all the Indian nations. This is the only way
of treating them now, for when they have not the fear of offending, they
will shed innocent blood, and proceed in the end to lay all restraint
aside.
The late conduct of the Chikkasah war-council, in condemning two
pretended friends to death, who came with a view of shedding blood;
shews their knowledge of that equal law of divine appointment to the
Jews, “he shall be dealt with exactly as he intended to do to his
neighbour.”
It ought to be remarked, that they are careful of their youth, and fail
not to punish them when they transgress. Anno 1766, I saw an old head
man, called the _Dog-King_ (from the nature of his office) correct
several young persons—some for supposed faults, and others by way of
prevention. He began with a lusty young fellow, who was charged with
being more effeminate than became a warrior; and with acting contrary to
their old religious rites and customs, particularly, because he lived
nearer than any of the rest to an opulent and helpless German, by whom
they supposed he might have been corrupted. He bastinadoed the young
sinner severely, with a thick whip, about a foot and a half long,
composed of plaited silk grass, and the fibres of the button snake-root
stalks, tapering to the point, which was secured with a knot. He
reasoned with him, as he corrected him: he told him that he was
_Chehakse Kanèha-He_, literally, “you are as one who is wicked, and
almost lost[XXXIV].” The grey-hair’d corrector said, he treated him in
that manner according to ancient custom, through an effect of love, to
induce him to shun vice, and to imitate the virtues of {156} his
illustrious fore-fathers, which he endeavoured to enumerate largely:
when the young sinner had received his supposed due, he went off
seemingly well pleased.
Footnote XXXIV:
As _Chin-Kanehah_ signifies, “you have lost,” and _Che-Kanehah_, “you
are lost,” it seems to point at the method the Hebrews used in
correcting their criminals in Canaan, and to imply a similarity of
manners. The word they use to express “forgetfulness,” looks the very
same way, _Ish Al Kanehah_, “you forget,” meaning that _Ish_ and
_Canaan_ are forgotten by _Ale_.
This Indian correction lessens gradually in its severity, according to
the age of the pupils. While the _Dog-King_ was catechising the little
ones, he said _Che Haksianna_, “do not become vicious.” And when they
wept, he said _Che-Abela Awa_, “I shall not kill you,” or “I shall not
put you into the state of bleeding _Abéle_[XXXV].”
Footnote XXXV:
The Indians use the word _Hakse_, to convey the idea of a person’s
being criminal in any thing whatsoever. If they mention not the
particular crime, they add, _Kakset Kanehah_, pointing as it were to
those who were punished in Canaan. Such unfortunate persons as are
mad, deaf, dumb or blind, are called by no other name than _Hakse_. In
like manner _Kallakse_ signifies “contemptible, unsteady, light, or
easily thrown aside,”—it is a diminutive of קלל, of the same meaning.
And they say such an one is _Kallaks’-Ishto_, “execrated, or accursed
to God,” because found light in the divine balance. As the American
Aborigines used no weights, the parity of language here with the
Hebrew, seems to assure us, they originally derived this method of
expression from the Israelites, who took the same idea from the poise
of a balance, which divine writ frequently mentions. Job, chap. xxi,
describes justice with a pair of scales, “Let me be weighed in an even
balance, that I may know my perfection.” And they call weighing, or
giving a preference, _Tekále_, according to the same figure of speech:
and it agrees both in expression and meaning, with the Chaldean
_Tekel_, if written with Hebrew characters, as in that extraordinary
appearance on the wall of the Babylonish monarch, interpreted by the
prophet Daniel. When they prefer one person and would lessen another,
they say _Eeàpa Wéhke Tekále_, “this one weighs heavy,” and _Eeàko
Kallakse_, or _Kall’aks’ooshe Tekále_, “that one weighs light, very
light.” When any of their people are killed on any of the hunting
paths, they frequently say, _Heenna tungga Tannip Tekále_, “right on
the path, he was weighed for the enemy, or the opposite party,” for
_Tannip_ is the only word they have to express the words _enemy_ and
the _opposite_; as _Ook’heenna Tannip_, “the opposite side of the
water path:” hence it is probable, they borrowed that notable Assyrian
expression while in their supposed captivity, brought it with them to
America, and introduced it into their language, to commemorate so
surprising an event.
Like the present Jews, their old men are tenacious of their ancient
rites and customs; imagining them to be the sure channel through which
all temporal good things flow to them, and by which the opposite evils
are averted. No wonder therefore, that they still retain a multiplicity
of Hebrew words, which were repeated often with great reverence in the
temple; and adhere to many of their ancient rules and methods of
punishment. {157}
ARGUMENT XV.
The Israelites had CITIES OF REFUGE, or places of safety, for those who
killed a person unawares, and without design; to shelter them from the
blood-thirsty relations of the deceased, or the revenger of blood, who
always pursued or watched the unfortunate person, like a ravenous wolf:
but after the death of the high-priest the man-slayer could safely
return home, and nobody durst molest him.
According to the same particular divine law of mercy, each of these
Indian nations have either a house or town of refuge, which is a sure
asylum to protect a man-slayer, or the unfortunate captive, if they can
once enter into it.[59] The Cheerake, though now exceedingly corrupt,
still observe that law so inviolably, as to allow their beloved town the
privilege of protecting a wilful murtherer: but they seldom allow him to
return home afterwards in safety—they will revenge blood for blood,
unless in some very particular case when the eldest can redeem. However,
if he should accept of the price of blood to wipe away its stains, and
dry up the tears of the rest of the nearest kindred of the deceased, it
is generally productive of future ills; either when they are drinking
spirituous liquors, or dancing their enthusiastic war dances, a tomohawk
is likely to be sunk into the head of some of his relations.
Formerly, when one of the Cheerake murdered an English trader he
immediately ran off for the town of refuge; but as soon as he got in
view of it, the inhabitants discovered him by the close pursuit of the
shrill war-whoo-whoop; and for fear of irritating the English, they
instantly answered the war cry, ran to arms, intercepted, and drove him
off into Tennàse river (where he escaped, though mortally wounded) lest
he should have entered the reputed holy ground, and thus it had been
stained with the blood of their friend; or he had obtained sanctuary to
the danger of the community, and the foreign contempt of their sacred
altars. {158}
This town of refuge called _Choate_,[60] is situated on a large stream
of the Missisippi, five miles above the late unfortunate
_Fort-Loudon_,[61]—where some years ago, a brave Englishman was
protected after killing an Indian warrior in defense of his property.
The gentleman told me, that as his trading house was near to that town
of refuge, he had resolved with himself, after some months stay in it,
to return home; but the head-man assured him, that though he was then
safe, it would prove fatal if he removed thence; so he continued in his
asylum still longer, till the affair was by time more obliterated, and
he had wiped off all their tears with various presents. In the upper or
most western part of the country of the Muskóhge, there was an old
beloved town, now reduced to a small ruinous village, called
_Koosah_,[62] which is still a place of safety for those who kill
undesignedly. It stands on commanding ground, over-looking a bold river,
which after running about forty leagues, sweeps close by the late
mischievous French garrison _Alebámah_, and down to _Mobille-Sound_, 200
leagues distance, and so into the gulph of Florida.
In almost every Indian nation, there are several _peaceable towns_,
which are called “old-beloved,” “ancient, holy, or white towns[XXXVI];”
they seem to have been formerly “towns of refuge,” for it is not in the
memory of their oldest people, that ever human blood was shed in them;
although they often force persons from thence, and put them to death
elsewhere.
Footnote XXXVI:
WHITE is their fixt emblem of peace, friendship, happiness,
prosperity, purity, holiness, &c. as with the Israelites.
ARGUMENT XVI.
Before the Indians go to WAR, they have many preparatory ceremonies of
_purification_ and _fasting_, like what is recorded of the Israelites.
In the first commencement of a war, a party of the injured tribe turns
out first, to revenge the innocent crying blood of their own bone and
flesh, as they term it. When the leader begins to beat up for
volunteers, he goes three times round his dark winter-house, contrary to
the course of the sun, sounding the war-whoop, singing the war-song, and
beating the drum. {159} Then he speaks to the listening crowd with very
rapid language, short pauses, and an awful commanding voice, tells them
of the continued friendly offices they have done the enemy, but which
have been ungratefully returned with the blood of his kinsmen; therefore
as the white paths have changed their beloved colour, his heart burns
within him with eagerness to tincture them all along, and even to make
them flow over with the hateful blood of the base contemptible enemy.
Then he strongly persuades his kindred warriors and others, who are not
afraid of the enemies bullets and arrows, to come and join him with
manly cheerful hearts: he assures them, he is fully convinced, as they
are all bound by the love-knot, so they are ready to hazard their lives
to revenge the blood of their kindred and country-men; that the love of
order, and the necessity of complying with the old religious customs of
their country, had hitherto checked their daring generous hearts, but
now, those hindrances are removed: he proceeds to whoop again for the
warriors to come and join him, and sanctify themselves for success
against the common enemy, according to their ancient religious law.
By his eloquence, but chiefly by their own greedy thirst of revenge, and
intense love of martial glory, on which they conceive their liberty and
happiness depend, and which they constantly instil into the minds of
their youth—a number soon join him in his winter-house, where they live
separate from all others, and purify themselves for the space of three
days and nights, exclusive of the first broken day. In each of those
days they observe a strict fast[63] till sun-set, watching the young men
very narrowly who have not been initiated in war-titles, lest unusual
hunger should tempt them to violate it, to the supposed danger of all
their lives in war, by destroying the power of their purifying beloved
physic, which they drink plentifully during that time. This purifying
physic, is warm water highly imbittered with button-rattle-snake-root,
which as hath been before observed, they apply only to religious
purposes. Sometimes after bathing they drink a decoction made of the
said root—and in like manner the leader applies aspersions, or
sprinklings, both at home and when out at war. They are such strict
observers of the law of purification, and think it so essential in
obtaining health and success in war, as not to allow the best beloved
trader that ever lived among them, even to enter the beloved ground,
appropriated to the religious duty of being sanctified {160} for war;
much less to associate with the camp in the woods, though he went (as I
have known it to happen) on the same war design;[64] —they oblige him to
walk and encamp separate by himself, as an impure dangerous animal, till
the leader hath purified him, according to their usual time and method,
with the consecrated things of the ark. With the Hebrews, the ark of
_Berith_, “the purifier,” was a small wooden chest, of three feet nine
inches in length, two feet three inches broad, and two feet three inches
in height. It contained the golden pot that had manna in it, Aaron’s
rod, and the tables of the law. The INDIAN ARK[65] is of a very simple
construction, and it is only the intention and application of it, that
makes it worthy of notice; for it is made with pieces of wood securely
fastened together in the form of a square. The middle of three of the
sides extend a little out, but one side is flat, for the conveniency of
the person’s back who carries it. Their ark has a cover, and the whole
is made impenetrably close with hiccory-splinters; it is about half the
dimensions of the divine Jewish ark, and may very properly be called the
red Hebrew ark of the purifier, imitated. The leader, and a beloved
waiter, carry it by turns. It contains several consecrated vessels, made
by beloved superannuated women, and of such various antiquated forms, as
would have puzzled Adam to have given significant names to each. The
leader and his attendant, are purified longer than the rest of the
company, that the first may be fit to act in the religious office of a
priest of war, and the other to carry the awful sacred ark. All the
while they are at war, the _Hetissu_, or “beloved waiter,” feeds each of
the warriors by an exact stated rule, giving them even the water they
drink, out of his own hands, lest by intemperance they should spoil the
supposed communicative power of their holy things, and occasion fatal
disasters to the war camp.
The ark, mercy-seat, and cherubim, were the very essence of the
levitical law, and often called “the testimonies of _Yohewah_.” The ark
of the temple was termed his throne, and David calls it his foot-stool.
In speaking of the Indian places of refuge for the unfortunate, I
observed, that if a captive taken by the reputed power of the beloved
things of the ark, should be able to make his escape into one of these
towns,—or even into the winter-house of the Archi-magus, he is delivered
from the fiery torture, otherwise inevitable. This when joined to the
rest of the faint images of the Mosaic customs they still retain, seems
to point at the mercy-seat in the sanctuary. It is also highly worthy of
notice, that they {161} never place the ark on the ground, nor sit on
the bare earth while they are carrying it against the enemy. On hilly
ground where stones are plenty, they place it on them: but in level land
upon short logs, always resting themselves on the like materials.
Formerly, when this tract was the Indian Flanders of America, as the
French and all their red Canadian confederates were bitter enemies to
the inhabitants, we often saw the woods full of such religious
war-reliques. The former is a strong imitation of the pedestal, on which
the Jewish ark was placed, a stone rising three fingers breadth above
the floor. And when we consider—in what a surprising manner the Indians
copy after the ceremonial law of the Hebrews, and their strict purity in
their war camps; that _Opae_, “the leader,” obliges all during the first
campaign they make with the beloved ark, to stand, every day they lie
by, from sun-rise to sun-set—and after a fatiguing day’s march, and
scanty allowance, to drink warm water imbittered with rattle-snake-root
very plentifully, in order to be purified—that they have also as strong
a faith of the power and holiness of their ark, as ever the Israelites
retained of their’s, ascribing the superior success of the party, to
their stricter adherence to the law than the other; and after they
return home, hang it on the leader’s red-painted war pole—we have strong
reason to conclude their origin is Hebrew. From the Jewish ark of the
tabernacle and the temple, the ancient heathens derived their arks,
their _cistæ_ or religious chests, their Teraphim or Dii Lares, and
their tabernacles and temples. But their modes and objects of worship,
differed very widely from those of the Americans.
The Indian ark is deemed so sacred and dangerous to be touched, either
by their own sanctified warriors, or the spoiling enemy, that they durst
not touch it upon any account[XXXVII]. It is not to be meddled with by
any, except the war chieftain and his waiter, under the penalty of
incurring great evil. {162} Nor would the most inveterate enemy touch it
in the woods for the very same reason; which is agreeable to the
religious opinion and customs of the Hebrews, respecting the sacredness
of their ark, witness what befel Uzzah, for touching it, though with a
religious view, and the Philistines for carrying it away, so that they
soon thought proper to return it, with presents.
Footnote XXXVII:
A gentleman who was at the Ohio, in the year 1756, assured me he saw a
stranger there very importunate to view the inside of the Cheerake
ark, which was covered with a drest deer-skin, and placed on a couple
of short blocks. An Indian centinel watched it, armed with a hiccory
bow, and brass-pointed barbed arrows, and he was faithful to his
trust; for finding the stranger obtruding to pollute the supposed
sacred vehicle, he drew an arrow to the head, and would have shot him
through the body, had he not suddenly withdrawn; the interpreter, when
asked by the gentleman what it contained, told him there was nothing
in it but a bundle of conjuring traps. This shews what conjurers our
common interpreters are, and how much the learned world have really
profited by their informations. The Indians have an old tradition,
that when they left their own native land, they brought with them a
_sanctified rod_ by order of an oracle, which they fixed every night
in the ground; and were to remove from place to place on the continent
towards the sun-rising, till it budded in one night’s time; that they
obeyed the sacred mandate, and the miracle took place after they
arrived to this side of the Missisippi, on the present land they
possess. This, they say, was the sole cause of their settling here—of
fighting so firmly for their reputed holy land and holy things—and
that they may be buried with their beloved fore-fathers. I have seen
other Indians who pretend to the like miraculous direction, and I
think it plainly to refer to Aaron’s rod, which was a branch of an
almond-tree, and that budded and blossomed in one night. (A) The
Overhill Cherokees under Ostenaco (Outasite, another name) were on the
campaign of 1756, in aid of the British and American forces. Dinwiddie
Papers, II, 446 _et seq._ (W)
The leader virtually acts the part of a priest of war,[66] _pro
tempore_, in imitation of the Israelites fighting under the divine
military banner. If they obtain the victory, and get some of the enemies
scalps, they sanctify themselves when they make their triumphal
entrance, in the manner they observed before they set off to war; but,
if their expedition proves unfortunate, they only mourn over their loss,
ascribing it to the vicious conduct of some of the followers of the
beloved ark. What blushes should this savage virtue raise in the faces
of nominal christians, who ridicule the unerring divine wisdom, for the
effects of their own imprudent or vicious conduct. May they learn from
the rude uncivilized Americans, that vice necessarily brings evil—and
virtue, happiness.
The Indians will not cohabit with women while they are out at war;[67]
they religiously abstain from every kind of intercourse even with their
own wives, for the space of three days and nights before they go to war,
and so after they return home, because they are to sanctify themselves.
This religious war custom, especially in so savage a generation, seems
to be derived from the Hebrews, who thus sanctified themselves, to gain
the divine protection, and victory over their common enemies: as in the
precept of Moses to the war camp when he ascended Mount Sinai; and in
Joshua’s prohibition to the Israelites[XXXVIII]; and in the case of
Uriah. The warriors consider themselves as devoted to God apart from the
rest of the {163} people, while they are at war accompanying the sacred
ark with the supposed holy things it contains.
Footnote XXXVIII:
Joshua commanded the Israelites the night before they marched, to
sanctify themselves by washing their clothes, avoiding all impurities,
and abstaining from matrimonial intercourse.
The French Indians are said not to have deflowered any of our young
women they captivated, while at war with us;[68] and unless the black
tribe, the French Canadian priests, corrupted their traditions, they
would think such actions defiling, and what must bring fatal
consequences on their own heads. We have an attested narrative of an
English prisoner, who made his escape from the Shawanoh Indians, which
was printed at Philadelphia, anno 1757, by which we were assured, that
even that blood-thirsty villain, Capt. Jacob, did not attempt the virtue
of his female captives, lest (as he told one of them) it should offend
the Indian’s God; though at the same time his pleasures heightened in
proportion to the shrieks and groans of our people of different ages and
both sexes, while they were under his tortures.
Although the Choktah are libidinous, and lose their customs apace, yet I
have known them to take several female prisoners without offering the
least violence to their virtue, till the time of purgation was
expired;—then some of them forced their captives, notwithstanding their
pressing entreaties and tears. As the aforesaid Shawanoh renegado
professed himself so observant of this law of purity, so the other
northern nations of Indians, who are free from adulteration by their
far-distance from foreigners, do not neglect so great a duty: and it is
highly probable, notwithstanding the silence of our writers, that as
purity was strictly observed by the Hebrews in the temple, field and
wilderness, the religious rites and customs of the northern Indians,
differ no farther from those of the nations near our southern
settlements than reason will admit, allowing for their distant situation
from Peru and Mexico, whence they seem to have travelled.
When they return home victorious over the enemy, they sing the triumphal
song to YO-HE-WAH, ascribing the victory to him, according to a
religious custom of the Israelites, who were commanded always to
attribute their success in war to Jehovah, and not to their swords and
arrows.
In the year 1765,[69] when the Chikkasah returned with two French
scalps, from the Illinois, (while the British troops were on the
Missisippi, about 170 leagues below the Illinois) as my trading house
was near the Chikkasah {164} leader, I had a good opportunity of
observing his conduct, as far as it was exposed to public view.[70]