which be-affixes, the mark of the tribe or nation. Though thefe military and civil chiefs are confidered as the heads of the band, and the latter is ufualiy Ayled kings yet the American Indians confider themfelves as controlled by neither civil nor military authority: every individual regards himufelf as free and independent, and would never renounce that idea of liberty, therefore injunctions conveyed in the ftyle of a pofitive command, would be difregarded, and treated with contempt, Nor do their leaders affume an afcendancy repugnant to thefe fentiments, but merely advise what is neceffary to be done, which is fufficient to produce the most prompt and effectual execu

⚫tion.

Their great council is compofed of the heads of tribes and families, with fuch whole capacity has raifed them to the fame degree of confideration." They meet in a houfe, built in each of their towns for that purpose, and alfo receive ambaffadors, to deliver thein an anfwer, to fing their traditionary war fongs, or to commemorate their dead. In thefe councils they pro pofe all fuch matters as concern the ftate, and which have been already dis gefted in the fecret councils, at which none but the head men allift. The chiefs feldom fpeak much themselves at thefe general meetings, but intruft their fentiments with a person who is called their speaker, or orator, there being one of this profeffion in every tribe and town; and their manner of speaking is natural and eafy, their words ftrong and expreffive, their #tyle bold, figurative, and laconic, whatever is told tending either to form the judgment, or roule the paffions..

When any business of confequence is tranfacted, they appoint a feast upon the occafion, of which almoft the whole nation partakes. Before the entertainment is ready, the principal perfon begins a fong on the remarkable events of their history, and whatever may tend to their honour or infraction. The others fing in their turn. They alfo have dances, chiefly of a martial kind; and no folemnity or public bufinefs is carried on without fongs and dances.

As the Indians are high spirited and foon irritated, the moft trifling provocations frequently route them to arms, and prove the occafions of bloodfhed and murder. Their petty private quarrels are often decided this way, and expeditions undertaken without the knowledge or confent of a general council. These private expeditions are winked at; and excufed, as a means of keeping their young men in action, and inuring them to the exercifes of

war.

But when war becomes a national affair, it is entered upon with great deliberation. They firft call an affembly of the fachems or chief warriors, to deliberate upon the affair, and every thing relating to it. In this general congrefs among the Northern Indians and the Five Nations, the women have a voice as well as the men. When they are affembled, the chief fachem or prefident, propofes the affair they have met to confult upon, and taking up the tomahawk, which lies by him, fays, "Who among you will go and fight against fuch a nation? Who among you will bring captives from thence to replace our deceased friends, that our wrongs may be revenged, and our name and honour maintained, as long as the rivers flow, the grais grows, or the fun and moon fhall endure ?" Then one of the principal warriors rifing, harrangues the whole affembly, and afterward, addrelling himself to the young men, enquires who among them will go along with him, and fight their enemies? When they generally rife, one after an

*

other, and fall in behind him, while he walks round the circle, till he is. joined by a fufficient number.

On fuch occafions they have ufually a deer, or fome other beast roasted: whole; and each of them, as they confent to go to war, cuts off a piece and cats, faying, "Thus will I devour our enemies," mentioning the na-. tion they are going to attack, This ceremony being performed, the dance begins, and they ling the war fong, which has relation to their intended expedition and conqueft, or to their own skill, courage, and dexterity in fight ing, and the manner in which they will vanquish their enemies. Their ex-. prellions are frong and pathetic, uttered with a tone that infpires terror.

Such is the influence of their women in these confultations, that the iffue depends much upon them. If any one of them, in conjunction with the chiefs, has a mind to excite one, who does not immediately depend upon them, to take part in the war, fhe prefents, by the hands of fome trufty young warrior, a firing of wampum, to the perfon whofe help fhe folicits, which feldom fails of producing the effect. But when they folicit an of fenfive or defenfive alliance with a whole nation, they fend an embally with a large belt of wampum and a bloody hatchet, inviting them to come and drink the blood of their enemies.

The wampum ufed on thefe and other occafions, before their acquaintance, with Europeans, was only small shells, which they picked up by the feacoafts, and on the banks of the lakes. It now confifts of a kind of cylindrical beads, made of white and black fhells, which are esteemed among them as filver and gold are among us. The black they think the most valuable; both of them are their greatest riches and ornaments, answering all the ends of money among us. They have the art of ftringing, twisting, and interweaving them into their belts, collars, blankets, &c. in ten thousand different fizes, forms, and figures, to as not only to be ornaments for every part of drefs, but expreffive of all their important tranfactions. They dye the wampum of various colours and fhades; and as they are made fignificant of almoft any thing they pleafe, by these their records are kept, and their thoughts communicated to one another, as ours are by writing. Thus the belts that pafs from one nation to another, in all important tranfactions, are carefully preferved in the cabins of their chiefs, and ferve both as a kind of ecord or hiftory, and as a public treasure; hence they are never used on tri, dling occafions.

The calumet, or pipe of peace, is of no lefs importance, nor is it lefs re vered among them. The bowl of this pipe is made of a kind of foft, red flone, eafily wrought and hollowed out; the ftem is of cane, or a kind of light wood, painted with different colours, and adorned with the heads, tails, and feathers, of the most beautiful birds, &c. The ufe of the calumet, is to froke either tobacco, or fome other herb used inflead of it, when they en ter into an alliance or any folemn engagement; this being efteemed the most facred oath that can be taken, the violation of which is thought to be most infamous, and deferving fevere punishment in the other life. When they treat of war, the whole pipe, and all its ornaments are red; fometimes it is red only on one fide, and by the difpofuion of the feathers, &c. a perfon acquainted with their cufloms, knows at first fight the intentions or defires of the nation who prefents it. Smoking the calumet is alfo, upon fome occafions, and in all treaties, confidered as a facred oath, as a feal of their de crees, and a pledge of their performance of them. The fize and decorations of their calumets are commonly proportioned to the importance of the occa

hon, to the quality of the perfons to whom they are prefented, and to the efteem and regard they have for them.

Another inftrument of great importance among them, is the tomahawk. This is an ancient weapon, ufed by them in war, before they were taught the use of iron and steel, fince which, hatchets have been fubftituted in the room of than but fill it retains its ufe and importance in public tranfactions: and, like a pipe, is frequently very fignifcant. This inftrument is formed, in fome refpects, like an hatchet, having a long handle; the head, which is a round knob of folid wood, calculated to knock a man down, has on the other fide a point, bending a little toward the handle; and near the centre, where the handle pierces the head, another point projects forward, of a confiderable length, which ferves to thrust with like a fpear. The tomahawk is also ornamented with painting and feathers, difpofed and variegated in many fignificant forms, according to the occafion and end for which they are ufed; and on it is kept a kind of journal of their marches and moft important occurrences, in a fort of hieroglyphics. When the council is called to deliberate on war, the tomahawk is coloured red; and when the council fits, it is laid down by the chief; and ifwar be concluded upon, the captain of the young warriors takes it up, and holding it in his hand, dances and fings the war-fong. When the council is over, this or fome other of the fame kind, is fent by the hands of the fame warrior to every tribe concerned; who, with it prefents a belt of wampur, and delivers his meffage, throwing the tommahawk on the ground, which is taken up by one of the most expert warriors, if they chufe to join; if not, it is returned with a belt of their wampum, fituated to the occafion.

Each nation or tribe has its diftinet enfigns, generally confifting of fome beaft, bird, or fifh. Thus the Five Nations have the bear, otter, wolf, tortoife, and eagle; by these names the tribes are generally diftinguifhed, and the fhapes of thefe animals are pricked, and painted on feveral parts of their bodies. Generally, when they march through the woods, they, at every encampment, cut the figure of their arms on trees, efpecially when they have had a fuccessful campaign, that travellers may know they have been there; recording alfo in their way, the number of prifoners and fcalps they have taken.

Their military appearance is very odd and terrible. They cut off all their hair, except a spot on the crown of their head, and pluck of their eyebrows. The lock left upon the head is divided into feveral parcels, each of which is ftiffened, and intermixed with beads and feathers of various fhapes and colours, the whole twifted and connected together. They paint themfelves with a red pigment down the eyebrows, which they sprinkle over with white down. The grifles of their ears are flit almoft quite round, and hung with ornaments that have generally the figure of fome bird or beaft drawn upon them. Their nofes are likewife bored and hung with beads, and their faces painted with various colours. On their breafts are a gorget or medal of brafs, copper, or fome other metal; and by a string which goes round their Becks, is fufpended that horrid weapon called the fcalping-knife.

Thus equipped they march forth, finging their war-fong, till they lofe fight of their village; and are generally followed by their women, who aflift them in carrying their baggage, whether by land or water, but commonly return before they proceed to action.

They have generally one commander for every ten men; and if the num ber amounts to one hundred, a general is appointed over the others, not properly to command, but to give his opinion. They have no flated rules of

difcipline, or fixed methods of carrying on a war; but make their attacks in as many different ways as there are occafions, but generally in flying parties, ** equipped for that purpose.

The weapons ufed by those who trade with the English and French, are commonly a firelock, hatchet, and a scalping-knife; but the others ufe bows, tomahawks, and pikes. As the commander in chief governs only, by advice, it and can neither reward nor punish, every private man may return home whene he pleafes, without affigning any reason for it; or any number may leave the main body, and carry on a private expedition, in whatever manner they pleafe, without being called to account for their condu&t.

t.

When the Indians return from a fuccessful campaign, they contrive their march fo as not to approach their village till toward the evening. They then fend two or three forward to acquaint their chief, and the whole village, with the most material circumftances of the campaign. At day-light next morn-a ing, they give their prifoners new clothes, adorn their heads with feathers, paint their faces with various colours, and put into their hands a white staff, taffelled round with the tails of deer. This being done, the war-captain fers up a cry, and gives as many yells as he has taken prifoners and sealps; and the whole village affemble at the water fide. As foon as the warriors appear four or five of their young men, well clothed, get into a canoe, if they come by water, or otherwife march by land: the two firft, carrying each a calumet, go out finging, to fearch the prifoners, whom they lead in triumph to the cabbin. where they are to receive their doom. The owner of this cabbin has the power of determining their fate, though it is often left to fome woman who has loft her husband, brother, or fon in the war; and when this is the cafe, fhe generally adopts him into the place of the deceaf

The prifoner has victuals immediately given him, and while he is at this repaft, a confultation is held; and if it be refolved to fave his life, two young men untie him, and taking him by the hands, lead him to the cabbin of the perfon into whose family he is to be adopted, and there he is received with all imaginable marks of kindness. He is treated as a friend, as a brother, or as a husband; and they foon love him with the fame tendernefs as if he flood in one of thofe relations to them. In fhort, he has no other mark of captivity, but his not being fuffered to return to his own nation, for his attempting this would be punifhed with certain.

death.

But if the fentence be death, how different their condu&t! these people, who behave with fuch difinterested affection to each other, with fuch tendernefs to those whom they adopt, here fhew that they are truly favages; the dreadful fentence is no fooner paffed, than the whole village fet up the deathcry; and, as if there were no medium between the moft generous friendship and the most inhuman cruelty, for the execution of him whom they had juft before deliberated upon admitting into their tribe is no longer deferred, than whilst they can make the neceffary preparations for rioting in the most diabolical cruelty. They firft frip him, and fixing two polls in the ground, fatten to them two pieces from one to the other; one about two feet from the ground, the other about five or fix feet higher: then obliging the unhappy victim to mount upon the lower crofs piece, they tie his legs to it a little afunder his hands are extended and tied to the angles formed by the upper piece. In this pofture they burn him all over the body, fometimes firit daubing him with pitch. The whole village, men, women, and children, affemble round him, every one torturing him in what manner they

No. 22.

de, each friving to exceed the other in cruelty, as long as he has life. if one of the bye-ftanders are inclined to lengthen out his torments, he her hot to death, or inclosed with dry bark, to which they fet fire; den leave him on the frame, and in the evening run from cabbin to , fuperftitiouly Briking with fmall twigs, the furniture, walls, and , to prevent his fpirit from remaining there to take vengeance for the commised on his body. The remainder of the day and the night fol aug is fpept in rejoicing.

This the moft ufual method of murdering their prifoners; but fometimes en them to a fingle flake, and build a fire round them; at other they cruelly mangle their himbi, cut off their fingers and toes, joint by and fometimes foald them to death.

War is molt extraordinary, if the fufferer be an Indian, there feems, duge whole time of his execution, a conteft between him and his tormenwhich fhall outdo the other, they in inflicting the mofl horrid pains, or

during them: not a groan, not a figh, not a distortion of countenance tays him, in the midft of his torments. It is even faid, that he recounts hon exploits, informs them what cruelties he has inflicted upon their coun, and threatens with the revenge that will attend his death: that he reproaches them for their ignorance of the art of tormenting; points out iods of more exquifite torture, and more fenfible parts of the body to be.

ed.

The foalps, thofe dreadful proofs of the barbarity of thefe Indians, are ad, and hung up in their houfes as the trophies of their bravery; and ey are certain days when the young men gain a new name or tide of ho fr, according to the qualities of the perfons to whom thefe fcalps belonged. The name they think a fufficient reward for the dangers and fatigues of ma y campaigns, as it readers them refpected by their countrymen, and terri le to their enemies.

The moft favourable accounts of the Indians who inhabit this part of the Gamtinent is given by Charlevoix, father Hennepin, and other French wries: from their information Voltaire has been led to draw a captivating pic are of Indian manners. The Huron tribe, dwelling on the aftern fide of e great lake fo called, have been the fubject of his particular panegyric. heannet indeed be doubted that their intercourfe with Europeans has greatly faced the leading traits of the primitive character of the Americans, and til it has confirmed and increafed every malignant propenfity. In the de wars, in which thefe favages have been engaged as auxiliaries to EuroRas, they have been found infidious and daltardly in their mode of attack: thiefs in their alliances; their infatiable thirst for blood equalled only by beir avidity for fpoil: and dangerous confederates when neither malfacte nor under were to be effected.