on none of the other parts of the body, usually covered with it amongst
us, is the smallest sign of hair visible, except, indeed, on the chins
of old men, where a few slender straggling hairs are sometimes seen, not
different from what may be occasionally seen on women of a certain age
in Europe. Many persons have supposed that the Indians have been created
without hair on those parts of the body where it appears wanting;
others, on the contrary, are of opinion, that nature has not been less
bountiful to them than to us; and that this apparent deficiency of hair
is wholly owing to their plucking it out themselves by the roots, as
soon as it appears above the skin. It is well known, indeed, that the
Indians have a great dislike to hair, and that such of the men as are
ambitious of appearing gayer than the rest, pluck it not only from their
eye-brows and eye-lashes, but also from every part of the head, except
one spot on the back part of the crown, where they leave a long lock.
For my own part, from every thing I have seen and heard, I am fully
persuaded, that if an Indian were to lay aside this custom of plucking
out the hair, he would not only have a beard, but likewise hair on the
same parts of the body as white people have; I think, however, at the
same time, that this hair would be much finer, and not grow as thickly
as upon our bodies, notwithstanding that the hair of their heads is so
much thicker than ours. The few hairs that are seen on the faces of old
men are to be attributed to the carelessness of old people about their
external appearance.
To pluck out their hair, all such as have any connection with the
traders make use of a pliable worm, formed of flattened brass wire. This
instrument is closely applied, in its open state, to the surface of the
body where the hair grows; it is then compressed by the finger and
thumb; a great number of hairs are caught at once between the spiral
evolutions of the wire, and by a sudden twitch they are all drawn out by
the roots. An old squaw, with one of these instruments, would deprive
you of your beard in a very few minutes, and a slight application of the
worm two or three times in the year would be sufficient to keep your
chin smooth ever afterwards. A very great number of the white people, in
the neighbourhood of Malden and Detroit, from having submitted to this
operation, appear at first sight as little indebted to nature for beards
as the Indians. The operation is very painful, but it is soon over, and
when one considers how much time and trouble is saved and ease gained by
it in the end, it is only surprising that more people do not summon up
resolution, and patiently submit to it.
[Sidenote: OF THE INDIANS.]
The long lock of hair on the top of the head, with the skin on which it
grows, constitutes the true scalp; and in scalping a person that has a
full head of hair, an experienced warrior never thinks of taking off
more of the skin than a bit of about the size of a crown piece, from the
part of the head where this lock is usually left. They ornament this
solitary lock of hair with beads, silver trinkets, &c. and on grand
occasions with feathers. The women do not pluck any of the hair from off
their heads, and pride themselves upon having it as long as possible.
They commonly wear it neatly platted up behind, and divided in front on
the middle of the forehead. When they wish to appear finer than usual,
they paint the small part of the skin, which appears on the separation
of the hair, with a streak of vermilion; when neatly done, it looks
extremely well, and forms a pleasing contrast to the jetty black of
their hair.
[Sidenote: OF THE INDIANS.]
The Indians, who have any dealings with the English or American traders,
and all of them have that live in the neighbourhood, and to the east of
the Mississippi, and in the neighbourhood of the great lakes to the
north-west, have now totally laid aside the use of furs and skins in
their dress, except for their shoes or moccasins, and sometimes for
their leggings, as they find they can exchange them to advantage for
blankets and woollen cloths, &c. which they consider likewise as much
more agreeable and commodious materials for wearing apparel. The
moccasin is made of the skin of the deer, elk, or buffalo, which is
commonly dressed without the hair, and rendered of a deep brown colour
by being exposed to the smoke of a wood fire. It is formed of a single
piece of leather, with a seam from the toe to the instep, and another
behind, similar to that in a common shoe; by means of a thong, it is
fastened round the instep, just under the ankle-bone, and is thus made
to fit very close to the foot. Round that part where the foot is put in,
a flap of the depth of an inch or two is left, which hangs loosely down
over the string by which the moccasin is fastened; and this flap, as
also the seam, are tastefully ornamented with porcupine quills and
beads: the flap is edged with tin or copper tags filled with scarlet
hair, if the moccasin be intended for a man, and with ribands if for a
woman. An ornamented moccasin of this sort is only worn in dress, as the
ornaments are expensive, and the leather soon wears out; one of plain
leather answers for ordinary use. Many of the white people on the Indian
frontiers wear this kind of shoe; but a person not accustomed to walk in
it, or to walk barefoot, cannot wear it abroad, on a rough road, without
great inconvenience, as every unevenness of surface is felt through the
leather, which is soft and pliable: in a house it is the most agreeable
sort of shoe that can be imagined: the Indians wear it universally.
Above the moccasin all the Indians wear what are called leggings, which
reach from the instep to the middle of the thigh. They are commonly made
of blue or scarlet cloth, and are formed so as to fit close to the
limbs, like the modern pantaloons; but the edges of the cloth annexed to
the seam, instead of being turned in, are left on the outside, and are
ornamented with beads, ribands, &c. when the leggings are intended for
dress. Many of the young warriors are so desirous that their leggings
should fit them neatly, that they make the squaws, who are the tailors,
and really very good ones, sow them tight on their limbs, so that they
cannot be taken off, and they continue to wear them constantly till they
are reduced to rags. The leggings are kept up by means of two strings,
one on the outside of each thigh, which are fastened to a third, that is
tied round the waist.
They also wear round the waist another string, from which are suspended
two little aprons, somewhat more than a foot square, one hanging down
before and the other behind, and under these a piece of cloth, drawn
close up to the body between the legs, forming a sort of truss. The
aprons and this piece of cloth, which are all fastened together, are
called the breech cloth. The utmost ingenuity of the squaws is exerted
in adorning the little aprons with beads, ribands, &c.
The moccasins, leggings, and breech cloth constitute the whole of the
dress which they wear when they enter upon a campaign, except indeed it
be a girdle, from which hangs their tobacco pouch and scalping knife,
&c.; nor do they wear any thing more when the weather is very warm; but
when it is cool, or when they dress themselves to visit their friends,
they put on a short shirt, loose at the neck and wrists, generally made
of coarse figured cotton or callico of some gaudy pattern, not unlike
what would be used for window or bed curtains at a common inn in
England. Over the shirt they wear either a blanket, large piece of broad
cloth, or else a loose coat made somewhat similarly to a common riding
frock; a blanket is more commonly worn than any thing else. They tie one
end of it round their waist with a girdle, and then drawing it over
their shoulders, either fasten it across their breasts with a skewer, or
hold the corners of it together in the left hand. One would imagine that
this last mode of wearing it could not but be highly inconvenient to
them, as it must deprive them in a great measure of the use of one hand;
yet it is the mode in which it is commonly worn, even when they are
shooting in the woods; they generally, however, keep the right arm
disengaged when they carry a gun, and draw the blanket over the left
shoulder.
[Sidenote: OF THE INDIANS.]
The dress of the women differs but very little from that of the men.
They wear moccasins, leggings, and loose short shirts, and like them
they throw over their shoulders, occasionally, a blanket or piece of
broad cloth, but most generally the latter; they do not tie it round
their waist, however, but suffer it to hang down so as to hide their
legs; instead also of the breech cloth, they wear a piece of cloth
folded closely round their middle, which reaches from the waist to the
knees. Dark blue or green cloths in general are preferred to those of
any other colour; a few of the men are fond of wearing scarlet.
The women in warm weather appear in the villages without any other
covering above their waists than these shirts, or shifts if you please
so to call them, though they differ in no respect from the shirts of the
men; they usually, however, fasten them with a broach round the neck. In
full dress they also appear in these shirts, but then they are covered
entirely over with silver broaches, about the size of a sixpenny piece.
In full dress they likewise fasten pieces of ribands of various colours
to their hair behind, which are suffered to hang down to their very
heels. I have seen a young squaw, that has been a favourite with the
men, come forth at a dance with upwards of five guineas worth of ribands
streaming from her hair.
[Sidenote: OF THE INDIANS.]
On their wrists the women wear silver bracelets when they can procure
them; they also wear silver ear-rings; the latter are in general of a
very small size; but it is not merely one pair which they wear, but
several. To admit them, they bore a number of holes in their ears,
sometimes entirely round the edges. The men wear ear-rings likewise, but
of a sort totally different from those worn by the women; they mostly
consist of round flat thin pieces of silver, about the size of a dollar,
perforated with holes in different patterns; others, however, equally
large, are made in a triangular form. Some of the tribes are very select
in the choice of the pattern, and will not wear any but the one sort of
pendants. Instead of boring their ears, the men slit them along the
outward edge from top to bottom, and as soon as the gash is healed hang
heavy weights to them in order to stretch the rim thus separated as low
down as possible; Some of them are so successful in this operation, that
they contrive to draw the rims of the ear in form of a bow, down to
their very shoulders, and their large ear-rings hang dangling on their
breasts. To prevent the rim thus extended from breaking, they bind it
with brass wire; however, I observed that there was not one in six that
had his ears perfect; the least touch, indeed, is sufficient to break
the skin, and it would be most wonderful if they were able to preserve
it entire, engaged so often as they are in drunken quarrels, and so
often liable to be entangled in thickets whilst pursuing their game.
Some of the men wear pendants in their noses, but these are not so
common as ear-rings. The chiefs and principal warriors wear breast
plates, consisting of large pieces of silver, sea shells, or the like.
Silver gorgets, such as are usually worn by officers, please them
extremely, and to favourite chiefs they are given out, amongst other
presents, on the part of government. Another sort of ornament is
likewise worn by the men, consisting of a large silver clasp or
bracelet, to which is attached a bunch of hair dyed of a scarlet colour,
usually taken from the knee of the buffalo. This is worn on the narrow
part of the arm above the elbow, and it is deemed very ornamental, and
also a badge of honour, for no person wears it that has not
distinguished himself in the field. Silver ornaments are universally
preferred to those of any other metal.
The Indians not only paint themselves when they go to war, but likewise
when they wish to appear full dressed. Red and black are their favourite
colours, and they daub themselves in the most fantastic manner. I have
seen some with their faces entirely covered with black, except a round
spot in the center, which included the upper lip and end of the nose,
which was painted red; others again I have seen with their heads
entirely black, except a large red round spot on each ear; others with
one eye black and the other red, &c.; but the most common style of
painting I observed, was to black their faces entirely over with
charcoal, and then wetting their nails, to draw parallel undulating
lines on their cheeks. They generally carry a little looking glass about
them to enable them to dispose of their colours judiciously. When they
go to war they rub in the paint with grease, and are much more
particular about their appearance, which they study to render as
horrible as possible; they then cover their whole body with red, white,
and black paint, and seem more like devils than human beings. Different
tribes have different methods of painting themselves.
[Sidenote: OF THE INDIANS.]
Though the Indians spend so much of their time in adorning their
persons, yet they take no pains to ornament their habitations, which for
the most part are wretched indeed. Some of them are formed of logs, in a
style somewhat similar to the common houses in the United States; but
the greater part of them are of a moveable nature, and formed of bark.
The bark of the birch tree is deemed preferable to every other sort, and
where it is to be had is always made use of; but in this part of the
country not being often met with, the bark of the elm tree is used in
its stead. The Indians are very expert in stripping it from a tree; and
frequently take the entire bark from off the trunk in one piece. The
skeletons of their huts consist of slender poles, and on them the bark
is fastened with strips of the tough rind of some young tree: this, if
sound, proves a very effectual defence against the weather. The huts are
built in various forms: some of them have walls on every side, doors,
and also a chimney in the middle of the roof; others are open on one
side, and are nothing better than sheds. When built in this last style,
four of them are commonly placed together, so as to form a quadrangle,
with the open parts towards the inside, and a fire common to them all is
kindled in the middle. In fine weather these huts are agreeable
dwellings; but in the depth of winter they must be dreadfully
uncomfortable. Others of their huts are built in a conical shape. The
Nandowessies, Mr. Carver tells us, live entirely in tents formed of
skins. A great many of the families that were encamped on the island of
Bois Blanc, I observed, lived in the canvas tents which they had taken
from St. Clair’s army. Many of the Indian nations have no permanent
place of residence, but move about from one spot to another, and in the
hunting season they all have moveable encampments, which last are in
general very rude, and insufficient to give them even tolerable shelter
from a fall of rain or snow. The hunting season commences on the fall of
the leaf, and continues till the snow dissolves.
[Sidenote: SOAP STONE.]
In the depth of winter, when the snow is frozen on the ground, they form
their hunting sheds of the snow itself; a few twigs platted together
being simply placed overhead to prevent the snow which forms the roof
from falling down. These snowy habitations are much more comfortable,
and warmer in winter time than any others that can be erected, as they
effectually screen you from the keen piercing blasts of the wind, and a
bed of snow is far from being uncomfortable. To accustom the troops to
encamp in this style, in case of a winter campaign, a party of them,
headed by some of the young officers, used regularly to be sent from
Quebec by the late governor, into the woods, there to shift for
themselves during the month of February. Care was always taken, however,
to send with them two or three experienced persons, to shew them how to
build the huts, otherwise death might have been the consequence to many.
In these encampments they always sleep with their feet to the fire; and
indeed in the Indian encampments in general, during cold weather, they
sleep on the ground with their feet to the fire; during mild weather,
many of them sleep on benches of bark in their huts, which are raised
from two to four feet from the ground.
The utensils in an Indian hut are very few; one or two brass or iron
kettles procured from the traders, or, if they live removed from them,
pots formed of stone, together with a few wooden spoons and dishes made
by themselves constitute in general the whole of them. A stone of a very
soft texture, called the _soap stone_, is very commonly found in the
back parts of North America, particularly suited for Indian workmanship.
It receives its name from appearing to the touch as soft and smooth as a
bit of soap; and indeed it may be cut with a knife almost equally
easily. In Virginia they use it powdered for the boxes of their wheels
instead of grease. Soft, however, as is this stone, it will resist fire
equally with iron. The soap stone is of a dove colour; others nearly of
the same quality, are found in the country, of a black and red colour,
which are still commonly used by the Indians for the bowls of their
pipes.
The bark canoes, which the Indians use in this part of the country, are
by no means so neatly formed as those made in the country upon, and to
the north of, the River St. Lawrence: they are commonly formed of one
entire piece of elm bark, taken from the trunk of the tree, which is
bound on ribs formed of slender rods of tough wood. There are no ribs,
however, at the ends of these canoes, but merely at the middle part,
where alone it is that passengers ever sit. It is only the center,
indeed, which rests upon the water; the ends are generally raised some
feet above the surface, the canoes being of a curved form. They bring
them into this shape by cutting, nearly midway between the stem and
stern, two deep slits, one on each side, in the back, and by lapping the
disjointed edges one over the other. No pains are taken to make the ends
of the canoes water tight, since they never touch the water.
[Sidenote: INDIAN DEXTERITY.]
On first inspection you would imagine, from its miserable appearance,
that an elm bark canoe, thus constructed, were not calculated to carry
even a single person safely across a smooth piece of water; it is
nevertheless a remarkably safe sort of boat, and the Indians will
resolutely embark in one of them during very rough weather. They are so
light that they ride securely over every wave, and the only precaution
necessary in navigating them is to sit steady. I have seen a dozen
people go securely in one, which might be easily carried by a single
able-bodied man. When an Indian takes his family to any distance in a
canoe, the women, the girls, and boys, are furnished each with a paddle,
and are kept busily at work; the father of the family gives himself no
trouble but in steering the vessel.
The Indians that are connected with the traders have now, very
generally, laid aside bows and arrows, and seldom take them into their
hands, except it be to amuse themselves for a few hours, when they have
expended their powder and shot: their boys, however, still use them
universally, and some of them shoot with wonderful dexterity. I saw a
young Shawnese chief, apparently not more than ten years old, fix three
arrows running in the body of a small black squirrel, on the top of a
very tall tree, and during an hour or two that I followed him through
the woods, he scarcely missed his mark half a dozen times. It is
astonishing to see with what accuracy, and at the same time with what
readiness, they mark the spot where their arrows fall. They will shoot
away a dozen arrows or more, seemingly quite careless about what becomes
of them, and as inattentive to the spot where they fall as if they never
expected to find them again, yet afterwards they will run and pick them
every one up without hesitation. The southern Indians are much more
expert at the use of the bow than those near the lakes, as they make
much greater use of it.
With the gun, it seems to be generally allowed, that the Indians are by
no means so good marksmen as the white people. I have often taken them
out shooting with me, and I always found them very slow in taking aim;
and though they generally hit an object that was still, yet they
scarcely ever touched a bird on the wing, or a squirrel that was leaping
about from tree to tree.
The expertness of the Indians in throwing the tomahawk is well known. At
the distance of ten yards they will fix the sharp edge of it in an
object nearly to a certainty. I have been told, however, that they are
not fond of letting it out of their hands in action, and that they never
attempt to throw it but when they are on the point of overtaking a
flying foe, or are certain of recovering it. Some of them will fasten a
string of the length of a few feet to the handle of the tomahawk, and
will launch it forth, and draw it back again into their hand with great
dexterity; they will also parry the thrust or cuts of a sword with the
tomahawk very dexterously.
[Sidenote: TOMAHAWKS.]
The common tomahawk is nothing more than a light hatchet, but the most
approved sort has on the back part of the hatchet, and connected with it
in one piece, the bowl of a pipe, so that when the handle is perforated,
the tomahawk answers every purpose of a pipe: the Indians, indeed, are
fonder of smoking out of a tomahawk than out of any other sort of pipe.
That formerly given to the Indians by the French traders, instead of a
pipe, had a large spike on the back part of the hatchet; very few of
these instruments are now to be found amongst them; I never saw but one.
The tomahawk is commonly worn by the left side, stuck in a belt.
For the favourite chiefs, very elegant pipe-tomahawks, inlaid with
silver, are manufactured by the armourers in the Indian department.
Captain E—— has given me one of this kind, which he had made for
himself; it is so much admired by the Indians, that when they have seen
it with me, they have frequently asked me to lend it to them for an hour
or so to smoke out of, just as children would ask for a pretty
plaything; they have never failed to return it very punctually.
The armourers here alluded to are persons kept at the expence of
government to repair the arms of the Indians when they happen to break,
which is very commonly the case.
[Sidenote: REMARKS.]
An Indian child, soon after it is born, is swathed with cloths or skins,
and being then laid on its back, is bound down on a piece of thick
board, spread over with soft moss. The board is left somewhat longer and
broader than the child, and bent pieces of wood, like pieces of hoops,
are placed over its face to protect it, so that if the machine were
suffered to fall the child would not probably be injured. The women,
when they go abroad, carry their children thus tied down on their backs,
the board being suspended by a broad band, which they wear round their
foreheads. When they have any business to transact at home, they hang
the board on a tree, if there be one at hand, and set them a swinging
from side to side, like a pendulum, in order to exercise the children;
sometimes also, I observed, they unloosened the children from the
boards, and putting them each into a sort of little hammock, fastened
them between two trees, and there suffered them to swing about. As soon
as they are strong enough to crawl about on their hands and feet they
are liberated from all confinement, and suffered, like young puppies, to
run about, stark naked, into water, into mud, into snow, and, in short,
to go wheresoever their choice leads them; hence they derive that vigour
of constitution which enables them to support the greatest fatigue, and
that indifference to the changes of the weather which they possess in
common with the brute creation. The girls are covered with a loose
garment as soon as they have attained four or five years of age, but the
boys go naked till they are considerably older.