.<,* 'o, '..7' A el* *" ^ 0- '>■( ,'l<: ^0 5^ .•^9(E VETROMILE, MISSIONARY OF TUE ETCHEjriXS, C0RKE8P0NDIXG MEMBER OF THE MAINE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, ETC. NEW YORK: JAMES B. KIRKER, 599 BKOADWAY, UP STAIRS. Sold for the benefit of the Vidians. 1866. ^ Entered according to Act of Congress, in tlie year 1866, By EUGENE YETROMILE, Jn tb« Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of New York. E. CRAIGHEAD, PRINTER, 81, 83, and 85 Coitre st. K Y. i INDEX, PAGE. N Preface vii CHAPTER I. North American Indians 11 CHAPTER II. Division of the North American Indians 14 CHAPTER III. The Abnakis, a proper and distinct nation 11 CHAPTER lY. The Abnakis, original people 25 CHAPTER Y. Manners and language of the Abnakis 34 CHAPTER YI. Abuaki hand-writing 40 CHAPTER YII. Acadia — Analysis and meaning of the word — Its limits and aborigines of Acadia — Remarks on Aggmicia, the original name of the Penobscot River 44 CHAPTER YIII. Indian villages in Acadia — On the Penobscot — On the St, Croix, and on St. John's Rivers — In the rest of New Brunswick \ — On Nova Scotia 52 CHAPTER IX. n Religion and superstition » « GO % IV INDEX. PAGE CHAPTER X. Public life 71 CHAPTER XL Astronomy and division of time 75 CHAPTER XII. Domestic life 88 CHAPTER XIII. Present condition of the Indians 95 CHAPTER XIV. Division of parties amongst the Indians of Maine — Indians of the British Provinces t 104 CHAPTER XV. Character of the Indians 125 CHAPTER XVI. Vindication of the character of the Indians — Imputation of cruel- ty 128 CHAPTER XVII. The same subject continued. Charge of treachery 133 CHAPTER XVIII. Present treatment of the Indians east and west of the Mississippi. Hanging of thirty-nine Minnesota Indians 147 CHAPTER XIX. Treatment of the California Indians. Reservation system adopted by the Government like that of the Catholic missions in Ame- rica 151 CHAPTER XX. Conclusion. , . , 161 Appendix 165 TO THE RT. KEY. DAVID ^Y. .BACON, D.D., Bishop of Portland or Yixeland. My Lord : — In dedicating and humbly submitting this small volume to your lordship, I beg leave to state that I have not been actuated by its merit, it being nothing more than a collection of a few historical facts compiled with care, and presented in these pages ; but I have been determined by motives too powerful for me to look elsewhere than in your person for a protector of this work. Amongst the many reasons, two are the principal ; First. That part of Acadia, which is com- prehended in the State of Maine, belongs to the diocese of Portland, of which you are the first Bishop, whom Divine Providence announced seventy years ago, when tlie good Bishop John Carroll from Baltimore pro- mised to the Etchemins, now a portion of your flock, a pastor to remain with them. And, indeed, since your ac- cession to the See of Portland, the diocese has received new life, not only in the erection of many churches, con- vents. Catholic schools and asylums, and in carrying the light of the Gospel to the far distant T\'ilderness of Maine VI DEDICATION. and New Hpimpshire, which you have provided with pastors, but also in the reformation of tlie morals of Catholics, who are grown in piety and fervor, as the practice of the Sacraments, the pious Associations, and other works of devotion testify. The other reason is, that those Aborigines of Acadia entrusted to your spiritual charge are the first Catholics, and the harbingers of Christianity in the United States. For before Lord Baltimore in the Ark and Dove enter- ed Chesapeake Bay and planted the Catholic religion on the shores of the Potomac in Maryland, the mission at St. Saviour had been established in your diocese by Father Peter Biard at Mount Desert, where a Catholic chapel was erected, and the Catholic religion acquired the right of first occupation in the State of Maine, a right which was sealed with the blood of Brother Du Thet. From the Indian villages of Mount Desert the Etchemins saluted the Catholic missionaries, and asked to be regenerated in the salutary waters of baptism, seven years before Samoset from the rock of Plymouth welcomed the Pilgrims of the Mayflower. Before George Popham stepped on an island of the Kennebec River, the shores of that river and of the St. Croix had been dedicated to the Catholic religion by Father Biard and other missionaries from Franco, and by French settle- ments under De Monts on Boon Island. These are, my Lord, some of the motives Avhicli have actuated me to offer you this small volume ; and I flatter myself that you will accept it as a token of respect and attachmei^.t from the least v.orth.y of your servants. Eugene Veteoivole, Missionary of the Etchemins. PREFACE. The history of Acadia is strictly connected with the histoi-y of the Christian Church in New England, and to preserve its fi-agments is to give a contribution to the history of the Catholic Church in America. The Abo- rigines of Acadia were the first native Americans that received ih.e light of tlie Gospel and embraced the Chris- tian reliulon. This fact has never been denied. The CD Etchemins and Micmacs to this day hear witness of the permanence of the fruit produced by the labors of Ca- tholic missionaries. The same would have been the case with the Abnakis, if they had not had the misfortune of being brought in contact with the colonists of Eng- land, who succeeded in nearly extinguishing that nob'e and kind nation, but never in extirj^ating their religion. While all admit that the Aborigines of Acadia were the first Christians of New England, yet there are per- sons who endeavor to rob the Catholic religion of tlie claim which she has acquired of being the first religion ever practised not only in New England, but also in the whole continent of America. The Puritans claim to be the first who have exercised the Christian religion in New England, because they landed in Massachusetts in the year 1620, but the Episcopalians dispute it on ac- count of George Popliam, who about f )urteen years previously Lad landed on "an island of the Kennebec Kiver in Maine, where a nieetii'g was held, which is Vm rREFACE. claimed by tliem to have been a religions meeting ac- cording to the ritual of ihe Church of England. The Catholic settlements are not mentioned, and the religious exercises ot' the Catholic Church in the State of Maine are ignored. Documentary proofs ostablish the fact that Northmen from Norway and Irei ind had established themselves in Iceland and Greenland before a. d. 1000. About that year they coasted the North American shores as far south as 41° 30' north latitude,* and the well attested narratives of their voyages and discovery of this country justify the conclusion that they had given the name of Vineland to the Atlantic coast of New England. The remark, made in the course of this volume, that the sun remained eight hours visible during the shortest day of the year, and that the land must have been Newfound- land^ proves only, that either they spent the winter in Neiofoundland^ or that they had not yet proceeded fur ther south to the 41° 30' north latitude, which seems to be an established fact.f The Abnakis and Etchemin In- dians preserve amongst them the word 3Iadocoicando as a personal name. Owando means devil^ but Madoc is acknowledged by them to be a foreign word whose meaning they do not know. It is found preserved in the Scandinavian annals, that Madoc was the name of the leader of a Welsh voyage and colony to this coun- try in A. D. 1178. Leif, son of Eric the Red, was baptized in Norway by St. Olaus, then king of that country, and in 1000, he bore with him priests to convert the colonies in Ameri- * Antiquitates Americante. Trausactiuns of the Royal Society of Kortliprn Antiquaries. \ American Archseology, by Samuel F. Haven. PKEFACE. IX ca. Eric,* the most celebrate! of these missionaries, in 1120 retm'ned to Europe to procure the establishment of a bishopric. The Scandinavian bishops deemed him the most suitable person, and he was consecrated at Lund, in Denmark, in 1121 by Archbishop Adzer. He soon re- turned to Greenland with a nun.ber of clergy, and thus the first American See was founded, and the organization of the Catholic Church was properly established in this country in a. d. 1121. After the discoveries of Christopher Columbus, Ameri- cus Vespucci, and Cabot, the French kings felt the duty of converting the natives to the true religion. Cartier's commission authorized him to explore, " in order the bet- ter to do what is pleasing to God, our Creator and Re- deemer, and what may be for the increase of His holy and sacred name, and of our Holy Mother the Church." De Monts, the founder of Acadia, although a Calvinist, was expressly required in his charter to have the Indi- ans instructed, and invited to a knowledge of God and the light of faith and Christianity. It is clear it is to be the true faith, and not the Calvinist. Although some Hugue- nots were amongst the Colonists, yet the Colony was Catholic, and Lescarbot makes express mention of a church being built on Boon Island, at the mouth of the St. Croix River, as early as 1604, which was attended by a chaplain. The King of France would have never re- quired De Monts to establish the Calvinist religion. We know that every vessel belonging to the French Govern- ment was always provided with a Catholic chaplain. We are not aware of any exception to this rule, even in the time of Henry IV. Poutrincourt, who succeeded De Monts in the work of colonization, addressed a touching I ' — — ■ — ■ * Not to be confounded with Eric the Red. :^ PREFACE. letter to the Pope, and obtained his benediction on his labors. This circumstance is sufficient to prove that the colony was Catholic. It is true that it was removed to Port Royal in Nova Scotia, yet the missionaries continued to work amongst the Indians of Maine. Father Biard, be- fore leaving Port Royal to establish the mission of St. Saviour in Maine in 1613, had ab-eady visited the shores of the Kennebec, and spoken very highly of it to the Marchioness de Guercheville, the patroness of the mis- sions. She had chosen the Kennebec as the spot des" tined for a new mission ; a patent from the King, and a grant or release from De Monts, a former patentee, were obtained for this object. It w^as through a mistake of the pilot that they landed on the east side of Mount Desert Island. The Episcopalians say that Boon Island was not then a part of New England. At that time there was no New England, hence the spot where George Popham landed v^as not in it ; the whole country was called North America. In 1606, James I. divided the portion of North America lying between the 34th and 45th de- grees of latitude into two parts, and called it North and South Virginia, Avhich were granted to two companies. It was only in 1614, that Prince Charles changed the name of North Virginia to that of New England. There was no mention made of the degree of longi- tude. In 1620, a new patent was granted to the Ply- mouth Company, comprehending that part of the country lying 40 and 48 degrees from North to South, and ex- tending throughout the mainland from sea to sea, under the name of New England in America. At all events, the i^lace of the first settlement by De Monts w^as in the land now called New England. France claimed the same PREFACE. xi country from the 36tli to the 52d degree of latitude, under the name of JSTew France. This estabhshes the fact that the first settlement in New England was CathoHc; the first religious service performed, was Cathohc; the first religion preached to the natives of America, was Catholic ; and the first converts were Catholics. If any part of the early history of this country re- quires more light and illustration, it is that which re- gards the Abnakis and the Aborigines of Acadia. It is with this view that the author has collected all the historical documents, that he has met with not only in printed works, as Charlevoix, Bressani, Letters of Learn- ed Travellers, etc. ; but in several manuscripts left by Father Maillard, Demilier, and by others whose name is not known, which he has found amongst the Indians. He has also made a sober and critical use of all traditions yet remaining amongst the natives of Acadia. A few remarks have been added on the character of the Indians, in order to vindicate them from some accusations, which are brought up against them, as a pretext to dispossess them of their land. With the hope that his labors will not be found entire- ly useless to the student and general reader, he submits it to the public judgment. BiDDEFORD, Me. Jan. 10, 1865. THE ABNAKIS AND THE ABORIGINES OF ACADIA CHAPTER I. NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. ^HE disparity between the inhabitants of Eu- rope and of America is so striking that it has moved some to venture on the ill-founded, erroneous, and infidel oj)inion that they cannot derive their origin from one common source with the other races. Philosophers, however, who have studied the character of the Indians, and persons acquainted with their manners and language, now feel no hesitation in adopting the well grounded hypo- 12 THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. thesis, that the aborigines of this continent first came from Asia by the Bhering's Straits. It was an opinion of Buffon and other European philo- sophers, that the Northern and Arctic regions had formerly enjoyed a milder state of atmosphere than they do at present, and that the climate is slowly but gradually changing to a colder temperature. They adduce many good reasons, which can be found in the works of Buifon and other writers, who have treated this subject at length. This well-known theory has been confirmed by discoveries made by Captain Parry on Melville Island, by Captain Ross, Captain McClnre on Banks Island, by the immortal but ill-fated Sir John Franklin, and by the oflicers of the Resolute^^ who in 1853 were in search of him and of his crew, which shared the same fate with him. An extensive coal formation has been found on the banks of the Mackenzie river, where the beds of lignite are subject to spontaneous combustion. At Melville Island and in old Greenland f there has been discovered bituminous coal, which by several geolo- gists is conceived to belong only to temperate latitudes. Admitting this nearly certain theory, the desolate ^Russian America, the unexplored region west of Mackenzie's river, the inhospitable Labrador, Prince William's Land, and the region north-west of Hud- son's Bay, enjoyed once a milder climate, which corroborates the always favorite and well supported * ThiB is the same Resolute abandoned by her crew and found by some Yankee whaler. It was refitted and presented by the United States to the British Government. f Capt. Parry's third voyage. THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. 13 opinion of a former intercourse and commerce with Asia by the Straits of Bhering. Captain Eay, of the whale-ship Superior^ testifies, that while lie was fishing in Bhering's Straits he saw canoes going from one continent to the other. The origin of the native Americans is thus evidently explained. It has been also observed that ]^orth Americans have habits and manners similar to the Tchuktchians, Kamtschatkans, Yakoutsks, and Koriaks of Asia. A gimilarity in the language has been discovered ; and the Americans have been found to have designated the months in the calendar with names of animals, as in Japan and Kalmuchia. To an European or Anglo-American all Indians look alike, but persons accustomed to them can very easily discern even one tribe from another. The dif- ference, however, is not such as to infer that all tribes do not descend from the same stock. Even the hardy Esquimaux race of Greenland, so remark- able for their dwarfishness, and a propensity of select- ing for their abode the most desolate and inhospi- table regions, and wlio differ most from the rest of Indians in physical characteristics, manners, and language, attain along the shores of America the same stature as other races of men, and after cross- ing the mouth of the Mackenzie river they blend with the rest of the Indians in every respect. As low down on the Pacific Ocean as Vancouver's Island, the natives have some characteristics of the Esquimaux race, so that it would be impossible to tell where the Indians became Esquimaux, or where the Esquimaux became Indians. CHAPTER IL DIVISION OF THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. >F, from the identity of language and manners, we infer that of nations, we can divide the natives of l!^orth America east of the Missis- sippi into four large families, the Esquimaux, the Algic, the Dahcota, and the Muscolgee or Mobi- lian. The Esquimaux occupies Greenland, Prince William's Land, Labrador, and the l^orth-western Continent round Hudson's Bay and as far west as Russian America, along the coasts of the Polar Sea, round Icy Cape, Bhering's Strait, and Bhering Sea, to the Peninsula Alaska, to the Pacific Ocean. The mouth of the Mackenzie's River is one of the several mustering points at which they assemble at certain stated times. The Algic family, or Algon- quin, tlie largest of all, is bounded north by the Es- quimaux family, and as far west as the Great Slave n bo CD 1^ ^-b r-> *-? o d^ bd t^ 1 — ' ■ 1^ tc i-j Ci_- tJ ■^-^ ' CD ( — ; ^ 03 !=! CO f=^ ■-i tc i-^ 1 — i tr: P^ ( — ' ^ Tj Co ^ !=i OO *-i i-i-i >> i — ■ • o 1=: s t^ o ?^ ^ P- l>:i > « THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. 15 Lake. They occupied once the whole Atlantic shore, from Newfoundland to Virginia, then westward, striking the Mississippi, whose western shore they possessed to its source ; then the Red River and the Saskachawan to the Ahabaska. They are sub-divided in four nations, Lenni-Lenapi, Abnaki, Iroquois, and Chipeways. The Mobilian or Muscolgee family embraces the Cherokees, Creeks, E^atchez, and all the tribes south-east of the Mississippi, bounded on the north by the great Algonquin nation. The Daco- tah family comprehends the Sioux and all the tribes of the western shore of the Mississippi. The Indians west of the Rocky Mountains are not yet well known. The Algic family, with the exception of the Iro- quois, and of the Tuscarora tribe which left North Carolina and joined the five Iroquois nations, were not of a cruel disposition, and we do not read of them those cruelties and barbarities which are reported as common to the Iroquois and other Indians. If they were at times hostile to the Europeans it was due mainly to ill treatment received. The European settlers were w^elcomed by the Indians. When in December, 1620, the passengers of the Mayflower landed among the snows of Plymouth, they heard the voice of Samo- set crying, " AYelcome, Englishmen ! welcome, Eng- lishmen ! " The Indians ofiered a cordial hospi- tality to the white race. It is true that they w^ere in what the Europeans call a barbarism, yet it was a state of an honest independence and noble simplicity. It is true, that the natives of the North had no cities, and none of the European arts : 16 ' THE ABNAKIS : AND THEIE HISTOEY. agriculture itself was hardly known, or practised yery sparingly ; but the requirements of life were not so numerous as in civilized nations. They lived by hunting the wild animals, which their mountains and forests supplied in great abundance. The natives seeing the white race so rapidly increase in this country, and invading their land and rivers, were startled w^ith a serious apprehension of losing their hunting grounds, and after several acts of hostility from the part of the whites, took up arms ao:ainst them. Their fears have been realized. The Puritans massacred in a single day the entire nation of the Pequods residing in ]S[ew England, and this wholesale slaughter was so complete that it has been said bv an eminent historian that there did not remain a sannup or squaw or a child of the Pequod name. Many other tribes afterwards shared the same fate. Entire nations have been continually driven backwards, others have lost their hunting grounds, and may soon expect to find not a corner to pitch their wigwams on that land, of which they were once the only masters, CHAPTEK III, THE ABNAKIS, A PROPER AND DISTINCT NATION. LTHOUGH the Abnakis were once a pow- erful nation, and occupied from the shores of the great St. Lawrence down to the Atlantic Ocean, and from the mouth of the Kenne- bec river to the eastern part of New Hampshire, yet the kind and gentle Abnaki has almost dis- appeared from Maine. The few of that ancient and noble nation that remain — mixed with other tribes of Canada— will soon share the same fate. It is true that the deep mosses of Maine shall no more be imprinted with the moccasin of its ancient mas- ter, yet no man shall ever be able to efface the name of the Abnaki from this extensive land. Every hill and valley, every river and brook, every lake and pond, every bay and promontory, bears witness of that nation. True ! the Abnaki disappeared from 18 THE ABNAKIS : AND T:IHEIR HISTORY. this soil, but not before having marked every nook, stream, and pond with the name of their owner. The granite monument on the left shore of the Kennebec river, near Norridgewock, points out the lonely spot of the last Abnaki village in this State — the only spot east of the Mississippi marked with a monument to perpetuate the memory of an Indian village of the last century, to which so many historical recollections remain attached— a monument which is the pride of the antiquarian, and the target of vandalic hands. The aborigines that once lived on the banks of the Kennebec river, in the State of Maine, w^ere visited earlier than any other Indian nation of New France and Acadia, if we except the Souriquois or Mic- macs. Before Father Biard, in 1613, sailed from Port Royal in I^ova Scotia for Mount Desert, near the mouth of the Penobscot river, he had already visited the shores of the Kennebec, and the people of that country.''^ He speaks very highly of them, as of a powerful nation living in settled villages. Yet it is to be lamented that so little is known of them, as even to render their very existence doubtful to some antiquarians of the present age. That eminent scho- lar, Baron William von Humboldt, in one of his let- ters, urged the publication of the dictionary of Father E-asles, on the ground that very little was known of the dialect of the Abnakis, and its publi- cation would preserve that language from per^^etual oblivion.f * Shea: Catholic Miss, in the U. S., p. 131. f John Pickering's Notes on Jonathan Edwards, D. D. Mohegan Indians. THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. 19 It is a fact well known, that very often the same tribe or nation has received different names from various persons or nations ; so the Abnakis were called Taranteens by the l^ew Englanders,^ and Owenagun- gas by the New Yorkers. This fact has led several persons to think that the number of the Indian tribes was larger than it was in reality. Travellers, meeting the same tribe, or a part of it, encamped in different places, have often been misled in tak- ing them for different nations. The Indians are a roving people, and it is a frequent occurrence to find the same tribe now at one place, now at another ; in this manner the same tribe may have been reckoned several times. I can give an illustration of it in the Indians who live in Maine. The Passamaquoddy tribe at present dwells at four places. One part at Pleasant Point, near Perry, another part at Calais, another on the Schoodic lakes, and another on the British shore of the St. Croix river. Travellers not acquainted with this fact would make four tribes 'out of this nation, which forms only one tribe. We must admit that a large portion of the North American Indians were called Abnakis, if not by themselves, at least by others. This word Ahiaki is found spelt Ahenaques, Ahenaki, Wapanachki^ and WabenaJcies^ by different writers of various nations, each adopting a manner of spelling according to the rules of pronunciation of his respective native languages. This, however, is of no consequence. The word generally received is spelled thus, AhnaM^ but it should be Wcuihdnaghi^ from the Indian word * Shea : Hist, of the CathoHc Miss. 20 THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. wdnhdnhan^ designating the people of the Aurora Borealis, or in general, of the place where the sky commences to appear white at the breaking of the day, from wdiihighen^ it is white. I shall give a fuller and more satisfactory translation of the word Abnaki in the progress of this work. It has been difficult for different writers to deter- mine the number of nations or tribes comprehended under this word AbnaTci. It being a general word, by itself designates the people of the east or north- east. We follow the most of the authors who have treated this subject, to embrace under this name all the tribes of the Algic family who occupy, or have occupied the east or north-east shore of North Ame- rica ; thus, all the Indians of the sea shores, from Virginia to Nova Scotia, were Ahiahi/^ We include also the aborigines of Newfoundland, and of the northern shore of the St. Lawrence river as far as Labrador, because they also belong to the same family. We find that the word Ahiaki was applied in general, more or less, to all the Indians of the East, by persons who were not much acquainted with the aborigines of the country. On the contrary, the early writers, and others well acquainted with the natives of New France and Acadia, and the Indians themselves, by Ahnakis always pointed out a particu- lar nation existing north-west to the mouth of the Kennebec river, and they never designated any other people of the Atlantic shore, from Cape Hat- teras to Newfoundland. * See Encyol. Amer. vol. vi. THE ABNAKIS : AND THEIR HISTORY. 21 In an ancient map published in 1660, in the his- tory of Canada, written by E-ev. Father Du Creux, the Abnakis (Abnaquioii) are located between the Kennebec (Kinibekius flavins) and Lake Charnplain (Lacus Champlenius), occupying the headwaters of the Kennehec^ of the Androscoggin (fluvius Amirga- canius), of the Saco (Choacatius fluvius), and of another river marked in the map without name, which is, perhaps, the Presiunjpscot river. The same author does not put any other nation north of New England, except the Etchimins (Etecheminii) north and east of the Penobscot river (Pentegoitius flumen), and the Souriquois (Soricoi) in Xew Bruns- wick and Nova Scotia {Acadia). No other nation is marked in New England (Nova Anglia), except the two following. The SoJcoqicis (Soquoquioii) between Boston (Bostonium Londini), Plymouth (Plimutium), Ca^e Cod (Promontorium Malabarreum), and the Connecticut river. The other nation is that of the Mokegans (Natio Luporum), between the Connecti- cut river and the North river (fluvius borealis sen merau). These are all the nations which occupied the area of New England and Acadia in 1660. Every nation, no doubt, was subdivided into dif- ferent tribes. This is confirmed by Father Bressani, Father Easles, and other early missionaries, who spent a great number of years amongst the Indians, whose language and manners they possessed to some per- fection. The difi*erent names given to nations located in New England and Acadia were generally from strangers. The number of tribes has been either too 22 THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. much exaggerated or over reckoned. The same tribe may have been counted several times under different names, according to the various residences in which a tribe, or a part of it, had encamped for some war, hunting, or fishing party. These names were generally taken from some river, pond, etc., in whose vicinity they had pitched their camps. This must have been the cause of much confusion. We say at present the Penobscot, the Passamaquoddy, the Old- town, the Pleasant Point, the Calais, the Louis Island, the Moosehead Lake, the Lincoln, the Matti- nacook, the Passadumkeag, the Ollemon Indians, jet they are only one nation, the J^tchi7ms, divided in two small tribes, the Penobscot and Passamaquoddy^ This might have been the case in ancient times. Only five nations are reckoned in New England and Acadia, namely, the Mohegans, the Sokoquis, the Abnakis, the Etchimis, and the Micmacs, La Hontan confirms it by putting the same nations and no others.* He mentions the Openangos, who are the Penobscots,t and I would rather believe them to be the Abnakis, by spelling the word dif- ferently, and the Canihas^ who are the same Abna- Ms called by the French Canibas^ or Kanibals^ from the Kennebec river.J La Hontan, however, is inac- curate in locating them all in the ancient Acadia. This error is not uncommon to old writers not well acquainted with geography. Dr, Jonathan Edwards * Transactions of the Hist and I^it. Com. of the Amer. Philos. Soc. of Philad , V. I p. 107. f Father Demiher's manuscripts, X Father Rasles' Let. Lettres edif., vol. vi. THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. 23 does not mention any other tribe in 'New England,* and he falls into error of geography in locating the Penobscots in Xova Scotia. The classification of Gookinf may be reduced to the following: The Peqiiods are the Mohegan nation — the Narragan- setts and the Massachusetts must be the Sohoqids. The Pawkunnawkuts or Wampanoags are the Ahna- Ms^ and under this name he comprehends also the Etchhnis and Micmacs. Father Bressani does not mention any other nation. In a letter written by a French gentleman to a Father of the Society of Jesus,:]: there is mention of the Micmacs and Mare- schites (the Etchimis being called also Mareschites) in Acadia. On the St. George river, which divides New France from New England, he puts the Abna- kis and Kanihas. Towards Quebec, the Pajpinacliois^ the Baquenets^ the Algonquins^ the Iroquois^ the Hurons^ the Wolves and SokoHs. Of these only the Wolves and SokoMs are in New England. It is to be remarked that the SokoMs are put near the Wolves and not near the Ahnakis, just as they are in the map of Father Du Creux, Now leaving these tribes, we return to the Ahnakis. The Ahnakis had five great villages,! two amongst the French colonies, which must be the village of St. Joseph or Sillery, and that of St, Francis de Sales, || * Observations on the Language of the Muhhekaneen Ind., with Notes by J. Pickering. f Transactions of the Amer. Antiq. Soc. at Cambridge, vol. iv. p. 33. X The travels of several learned missionaries of the Society of Jesus, p. 316. § Father Rasles' Let. Lettres Edif., vol. vi. p. 159. II Shea: Hist, of the Catholic Miss., p. 135-142. 24 THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. both in Canada, three on the head waters, or along three rivers, between Acadia and New England. These three rivers are the Kennebec,'^ the Androscog- gin,f and the Saco,:j: as it appears from the map of Father Du Creux, and from the words of Father Hasles, who says that these three rivers enter into the sea south of Canada, between ISTew England and Aca- dia.§ The names of these villages must be those given by Father Rasles in his dictionary,! namely, Nanmntswak (where the river falls again), Anraes- sukkantti (where there is an abundance of large hsli), Pannawanhskek (it forks on the white rocks). These three villages are those of this State. The names of the two Abnaki villages of Canada are Nessawa- kamighe (where the river is barricaded with osier to fish, or where the fish is dried by smoke), and it is the present village of St. Francis of Sales. The other Canadian Abnaki village is St. Joseph or Sil- lery, called formerly by the Indians Kamiskwawan- gachit (where they catch salmon with the spear). T * Kennebec means Long water. It denotes a stream coming from the Long-water, the long ponds in "Winthrop. \ Androscoggin means Andros coming. Andros is the name of a Governor of Maine ; coggin is an Indian word, and it means coming. Andros, or a family of that name, must have settled near that river. The same river is also called Ammoscoggin, and it means fish coming in the spring. \ Its original name was Almuchicoit, corrupted in Chacoit, and af- terwards in Saco. It means the land of the Utile dog. The river took its name from the Sagamore of the tribe of that name, who was also called Almuchicois, or Almushiquois, residing on the Saco river. § Lettres Edif., vol. vi. p. 104. II Abnakis' diet., p. 544. Father Bigot's letters. See Les Yoeux des Hurons et des Abnaquis. Cl.artres, 1854. ^ Notes on Father Bressani's Relation, p. 329. CIIAPTEE lY. THE ABNAKIS ORIGINAL PEOPLE. ^^r^HE Abnakis bear evident marks of an ori- j|L ginal people in name, manners, and lan- guage. They show a civilization which must be the effect of antiquity and of a past flou- rishing age. The origin and meaning of the word Ahiaki has been always the subject of investi- gation amongst historians and philologists. It seems that they were satisfied in finding that it meant peo- ple of the east^ without inquiring further into the analysis of the word. Rev. John Heckewelder spells it Wapanachk^'^ saying that the French had soft- ened it to suit the analogy of their own tongue ; yet he does not give the pronunciation of the word to see in what the French did soften it. Williamson, f in * Transactions of the Hist, and Philos, Soc. of Pbila., vol. i. p. 109. f Hist, of Maine, vol. i. p. 463. 26 THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. a note, gives the autliority of Kendall, who resolves it into wabamo or wabemo (light, east) and asM (land), from which it follows that ch in Wapanachki was soft, hence there was no need for the French to soften it, it being French to pronounce ch soft like sh. This word then would have been Abnasque — very appropriate for the French pronunciation. Moreover, in the comparative vocabulary of fifty-three nations, published in the ArchcBologia America7ia by the American Antiquarian Society at Worcester,* in no language the word ashi means land, except in that of the Knistinaux Indians ; but light in that same lan- guage is Tcisigostagoo, and not wabamo. If it comes from wabisea or wapishkawo (white), it is very diffi- cult to make wapanachki out of those two Knistinaicx words. Then it remains to be proved when and how the Knistinaux Indians could call the aborigines of the Kennebec Eastlanders. It is certain that the word Abnaki was not that by which the natives of the Kennebec Kiver called themselves, but that by which they were called by others. I find in all the languages of Acadia and New England, that the word Abnahi^ spelt as is found in the most ancient manuscripts,t Abanaquis^ Abnaquois, Wabanahi^ means our an- cients or OUT ancestors of the east. This word is to be resolved into wanb-naghi. WanbX means * Transactions of the Amer. Antiq. Soc, vol. ii. f Father Bressani's notes at the word Abnaki. X Wdiib may be spelt luah, then the a must have a strong nasal pro- nunciation, like that of the Portuguese language in the words mao (hand), Allemao (German). THE ABNAKIS : AND THEIR HISTORY. 27 wliite, hence wdnhighen^ it is white (the breaking of the day), and wanbanban^ aurora borealis. All authors agree in this word, yet they never remarked the meaning of naghi^ which means ancestors in all the dialects of JSTew England and Acadia. Father Rasles says that neganni arendnbak means the anci- ents ofiyast timeJ^ Ogfian in Mohegan means/«z5A^^, to which adding n it would mean our fathem.\ There is no Sokoki vocabulary of my knowledge, but if the Sokoki language be the Massachusetts, noosh in that dialect means my father. X_ In Micmac, nakan has the signification of old, ancient, and it was also the meaning at an earlier time, as it ap- pears from the manuscript of Father Mainard. Nhani in the Etchimi tongue means our ancients.% It is quite natural that this word Abnahi (our ances- tors of the East) should have been given by other tribes, and not by themselves, as they could not call themselves with that word before it had been given by others. This is confirmed by the Abnakis them- selves, who never called themselves by that name. It seems that they called themselves men. The Abnaki villages were called by them in general nardnlcamigdoh ejpitsik arenanbak\ men living on the high shores of the river. I speak the Abnaki language — nedarenandivl (I speak man, from are- nanbe). I speak the Iroquois language — nemehwa- * Abnaki Diet., p. 384. f Archseol. Amer., vol. ii., and Dr. J. Edwards' observation. X Transactions of the Amer. Antiq. Soc, vol. ii. § Father Demaher's MS. Diet. II Abnaki Diet,, p. 542. 28 THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. andiial (I speak mequa, a name with which the Mo- hawks were called by the Algonquins living on the Atlantic shores).* "We are aware that this interpretation of the word Abnaki at first may appear to be too studied, and rather strained to give a forced meaning, in order to defend an opinion which may be false. But it is not go. We have no system to defend. What we have asserted is nothing else but the result of long and diligent investigations, which for many years we have made on the different dialects of the Algonquin lano^uao-e, of consultations held with Indians of dif- ferent tribes, and a close examination of printed works and manuscripts treating on this matter. We have no other view except to draw light on this very obscure subject, which we consider to be the duty of every historian and antiquarian, rather than to adopt favorite systems, which have no support on history and truth; and we are ready to abandon our opi- nion on the word Ahiahi whenever any other person will give a better translation, and throw ilhistration on this point. For many years we adopted the commonly received interpretation, that Abnaki meant men of the East ; it was satisfactory, and appeared to be natural. Further investigation on the Abnaki language generated at first a doubt in our mind about the true meaning of that word. For many months we endeavored to defend it against what appeared to show that it was not its real trans- lation. This brought us into deeper consideration * Transactions of the Am. Ant. Soc. , vol, ii. p. 34. THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. 29 and analysis of the word AbnaJci^ till we were forced from evidence to admit that the word Abnahi does not merely mean men of the East^ but out ancestors of the East, Here we submit a part of the investi- gations which brought us to this conclusion. It is granted by all that the word AhnaM should be wanhanahi^ or wanbanaghi^ it being the origi- nal word in the Indian language. If it would mean only men of the East^ it sh(^ild have been Wanhahi and not wanbanaM. The syllable na is radical in this word, and not a grammatical increment. We find that the only Delaioare tribe could make ivapa- naki (people of the morning), that is, of the Aurora, East, but this word could not have originated from the Delaware tribes, but from those of Kew England and New York, who were in contact with the Abnaki, and in reality east of them ; whereas they were not east of the Delaware but north of them. The word having originated in IS^ew Eng- land and New York, spread through the Southern tribes. In old Algonquin language white is wdbi^ and land is aquin / hence it would make waha- quin, wdbahl. In the New England Indian dialect, white is womjp% and land okhi / hence it would be wanpohM, In Narraganset, white is womrpesu^ land ohi^ it would be womhesohL In the other dia- lects, as Mohegan^ Long Island^ etc., it is still more unlike. In the Abnaki dialect, wanhighen^ it is white^ comes from the roat wanbi^ and land is Tci, Father Eale, in his dictionary, gives many modifica- tions of the Word wanbighen, in which the syllable na or the letter n never enters. This and other 30 THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. considerations oblige us to resolve the word loanba- naghi in wanb-naghi, whicli means, our ancestors of the East inhere it commences to he white of the aurora). This is confirmed by tradition. I am aware that Hecke welder's narrative is looked upon with some distrust by critics, who accuse him of too much cre- dulity in listening to and believing the narrations of the Indians. However, this accusation has not yet been satisfactorily proved. Heckewelder, in the introduction to the account of the history, manners, and customs of the Indian nations,* says the Lenni- Lenapis are acknowledged by near forty Indian tribes, whom he calls nations, as being their grand- fathers. Yet by perusing the text of Heckewel- der with attention, it is not the Lenni-Lenapis that were called grandfathers, but the Abnakis. This word is extended by him to the Lenni-Lenapis, and by a personal preference, he concluded that the Lenni-Lenapis were the grandfathers of the forty nations ; yet from the text it is clear that they were the Abnakis. l!^o tribe ever called the Lenni-Lenapis, Abnahis, but if sometimes they may have been called so, it was in a general sense — extended to all the tribes from Virginia to I^ew- foundland. I cannot see how Lenni-Lenajpi means original men. Lenajpi is man^ and it is the same word alnambe in Abna'ki.\ If Lenni means also man^X * Transactions of the Hist, and Amer. Pliilos. Soc. of Phila,, vol. i. p. 25, f John Pickering's notes on Father Rasles' Diet. X Transactions of the Amer. Antiq. Soc, Cambridge, vol ii. p. 308. THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. 81 it must be an abbreviation of the word Lenapi^ and it would mean man-man^ that is, man hy excellence, and not original man. In the historical account of the Indian nations,* in relating the treachery of the Mengwe Indians against the Lenni-Lenapis, Rev. J. Heckewelder seems to explain what the Indians meant iovpure man. He relates how the Lenni-Lena- pis did not consider the Mengwe Indians as a pure race, or as rational beings, but as a mixture of the human and brutal kinds. Father Easles, who had been a missionary amongst the Illinois, relates, that to be a real man, true man, amongst the Indians, means to be a great hunter, or a great warrior.f It is true the Indians have given the name of father, grandfather, uncle, etc., to several persons only for compliment, yet it was through respect and acknowledgment of a superiority. Hence we have to admit, that if it was through mere compliment that those forty nations called the Abnakis their gi-andfathers, they acknowledged in them, at least, some preference and superiority. We have a regular nomenclature of degrees of relationship amongst them. The Delaware Indians call the Wyandots (the Hurons) their uncles \X and we know that the Hurons are, more than any other nation, like the Abnakis, in manners and language. The Lenapis call the Mohegans their grandchildren ;§ * Philad. Philos. Trans., vol. i. p. 37. f Lettres Edif., vol. vi. p. 144. X Narrative of the Mission of the United Brethren by Rev. J. Heckewelder, p. 115. § Williamson's Hist, of Maine, vol. i. p. 455. 32 THE ABISTAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. the Shaivanoes and Mohegans acknowledged the Lenapis their grandfathers. The Bliavmnoes call the Moliegans their elder brothers, and the latter call the former their young brothers.* Hence it appears that both Mohegans and Shavjanoes were descendants of the Lenajpis^ and that the Lenapis being nephews to the Hurons^ tliey were not original people, but thej recognized some common ancestors with the Hurons. We find these common ancestors to be the AbnaMs. The Abnakis never acknowledged any ancestral tribe, which is a proof of their antiquity. An early Abnaki missionary, giving the cosmogony of that tribe, says they claim to have been created where they were, and that the Great Spirit, having made them and their land as a chef cfoeuvre^ made the rest carelessly.f Having observed how the name and tradition show that the Abnahis are an original people, let us consider a few^ more remarks drawn from their man- ners and language, to prove the same subject. One of the characters of the Algic family is to be errant and roving in the woods. The Hurons had some fixed villages, yet they were not described to be of that order and neatness as those of the Abna- kis.:j: The mound existing on the Kennebec Kiver of Maine proves that only the Abnakis had villages of some consideration. Xo other mound of any ele- vation can be found in New England, with the exception of some vestiges of enclosures at Sanborn- * Philad. Philos. Transactions, vol. i. p. 69. f John G. Shea : Letter. X Father Bressaui's Relation abr., p. 66. THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. 33 ton and near Concord, 'New Hampsliire.^^ Father Rasles mentions three considerable villages in the State of Maine,t besides the two amongst the French colonies. In the one at jS'orridgewock, he sajs the cottages were distribnted with an order very near like the houses in the cities. This village was sur- roanded by a kind of wall of poles or stakes, high and so thick as to protect them against the incursions of the enemies. The cottages, although built of poles and covered with large bark, yet were elegant and convenient. Their dress was modest, and orna- mented with a great variety of rings, necklaces, bracelets, belts, etc, made out of shells and stones, worked with great skill. It was not so with the other surrounding tribes of the Algic family ; they were negligent in their dress or entirely naked. Although at seasons they went hunting the wild ani- mals of the forests, and fishing on their numerous lakes and rivers, yet this was not the only method on which they depended for acquiring the necessa- ries of life. They practised also agriculture. Their fields of sJcamunar (corn) were very luxuriant. As Boon as the snows had disappeared, they prepared the land with great care, and at the commencement of June they planted the corn, by making holes with the fingers or with a stick, and having dropped eight or nine grains of corn, they covered them with earth. Their harvest was at the end of August. * Samuel F. Haven: Archaaology of the U. S., p. 153. f Lettres Edi£, vol vi. 3 CHAPTEE Y. MANNERS AND LANGUAGE OF THE ABNAKIS. Abnakis had an amenity of manners and a docility, which distinguished them by far from the other Algonquin tribes, which cannot but be the effect of education. Their morals were pure, and they have never been charged with any kind of cruelty, even in time of wan When Father Druil- lettes* proposed them, as a condition precedent to baptism, that they should first give up intoxicating liquors, live in peace with their neighbors, and aban- don their medicine bags, drums, and other superstitious objects, they all agreed without difficulty. On the other hand, we find that this was one of the greatest obstacles which missionaries encountered in planting the gospel amongst the other tribes. We know the * Shea: Cath. Miss., p. 130. ^ — W; THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. 85 troubles, dangers, and persecutions which Fathers Marquette, Brebeuf, and others endured from the medicine men of those tribes to which they preached the gospeh Their affection for their children was very striking. Soon after their birth, they were wrapped in a bearskin, and they were raised with much care, and as soon as they were able to walk, they were taught how to manage the bow and arrows. They were remarkably hospitable, and their attachment to the family w^as such as we do not read of in other tribes of the Algic family. Their cou- rage and valor as warriors, even against European troops, were unsurpassed. Twenty Abnakis once entered an English trading-house, either to rest or to traffic, when they were surrounded by two hundred British soldiers, to capture them, when one Abnaki gave the alarm of war, crying, " We are dead, let us sell our lives dearly." They prepared to fall upon the British soldiers, who had great difficulty to pacify them.* Another time, during the wars be- tween England and France, while thirty Abnaki warriors, returning from a military expedition against the British, were asleep at night, they were sur- prised by a party of British soldiers, headed by a colonel, who had been on their track. The sol- diers, six hundred in number, surrounded them, certain of their capture, when an Abnaki awoke and cried to the others, " We are dead, let us sell our lives dearly." They arose instantly, formed six divisions of five men each, and with the toma- hawk in one hand and a knife in the other, they fell * Lettres Edif., vol. vi. 36 THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. upon the British soldiers with such force and impetu- osity, that they killed sixty soldiers, including the colonel, and dispersed the rest. In a later war between England and France, the Abnakis joined the latter, on account of their allegiance to this nation, and during the war, they spread desolation in every part of the land occupied by the English. They ravaged their villages, forts, farms, took away a large quantity of cattle, and made six hundred prisoners.* Their sentiments and principles of justice had no parallel amongst the other tribes. We never read of their having been treacherous, nor wanting in honor or conscience in fulfilling their word given either in private or in a public treaty. We have a very remarkable example of the fidelity with which they retained their allegiance to France.f In the time that the war was about to break out between the European countries, the British governor, lately arrived at Boston, required a conference with the Abnaki Indians, to be held on an island. He endea- vored to induce the Abnakis to remain neutral, and to let the French and English settle their matter amongst themselves, w^ho were equally strong ; and he promised to furnish the Indians with everything they wanted, and to buy their peltry. This was the great answer given by the Indians, after a consulta- >. tion held amongst themselves, and delivered by one of their orators : — "Great Captain, you say to us not to join our- * Lettres Edif., vol. vi. f Ibid. THE AiiiNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. 37 selves to the French, supposing that you are going to declare war against him. Let it be known to you that the French is my brother, he and I have the same prayer, and we both live in the same wigwam, at two fires — he has one fire and I the other. If I see you enter the wigwam on the side of the fire where the French my brother is seated, I shall observe you from my mat where I am seated, at the other fire. In observing you, if I see that you have a tomahawk, I will think to myself, ' What does the English intend to do with that tomahawk ? ' I will rise from my mat to see what he intends to do. If he raise the tomahawk to strike the French my bro- ther, I shall take my tomahawk, and I will run to the English and strike him. Can I see my brother struck in my own wigwam, and I remain quiet, seated upon my mat ? I^o, no ! I love my brother too much, that I should not protect him. I tell you, Great Captain, do nothing against my brother, and I will do nothing against you ; stay quiet upon your mat and I will stay quiet upon mine." I could bring other proofs of the noble sentiments of this nation, to show that the heart and mind of the Abnakis were not savage and uncultivated, like many of the other tribes of the Algic family, but they were grand, pure, and refined, to scorn even the most civilized nations of both continents. A primitive language in a state of infancy is mono- syllabic, like the Chinese and others in Asia, but the Indian languages, being composed of words formed by an agglutination of other words, or parts of them, cannot be a language in a state of infancy. How- 88 THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. ever, as this is common to all the Indian dialects, it proves nothing in this case. At present I am not pre- pared to give a comparative view between the lan- guage of the Abnakis and those of the other tribes, to show the superiority and cultivation of the former above the latter.* I will only make some remarks upon two points, namely, upon a traditional superi- ority of the Abnaki language, and upon the manner of writing it. Baron La Hontanf puts only two mother lan- guages in the whole ej^tent of Canada ; the Huron and the Algonquin. Speaking of the Algonquin lan^ guage, he asserts that it was a language very much esteemed amongst the savages, in the same manner as the Greek and Latin languages are esteemed in Europe. From this it follows that it must have been a cultivated mother language, and, as it were, a clas- sic tongue amongst them. In the transactions of the historical and literary committee of the American Philosophical Society of Philadelphia,:t ^^ ^^ agreed that what the Baron La Hontan remarked of this language was very correct, but they do not allow to him to call it Algonquin, but they want it to be called Abnaki, that is to say, this quality of being a classic language belongs to the Abnaki nation, and not to the Algonquin, which is a small, miserable, wandering tribe. We fully agree with this remark of the learned Society of Philadelphia, and espe- cially in observing that La Hontan puts the Abnakis * The author is preparing a comparative dictionary of the Abnaki dialects, in three volumes in folio. f Yol. i. p. 109. X Ibid. THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. 39 at the head of the tribes inhabiting Nova Scotia, whom he calls also Abnakis. Rev. J. Heckewelder, who appears to be the author of these remarks, reflects further * that La Hontan probably did not understand sufficiently the Abnaki language, other- wise the Indians would have informed him that they derived their origin from a powerful nation, whom they revered as their grandfather. I know that He v. J. Heckewelder alludes to the Lenni-Lenapis, but I have already proved how the Lenni-Lenapis must be referred to the Abnakis, because the Lenni-Lenapis were not Abnakis, except in a general sense, called 60 only by authors not much acquainted with the Abnakis. * Phila. Transactions, vol, i. p. 109. CHAPTER YI. ABNAKI HAND-WRITING, fT has been an oLiect of research amoim^t the anti- qnarians to find whether the aborigines of this continent possessed any manner of writing. With the exception of the Mexicans and Peruvians, it has been denied. All, however, agree that they had a kind of hieroglyphics, or rather pictures, with some conventional signs to transmit an event, battle, hunt- ing party, etc. The celebrated Dighton rock, the other at a place in Connecticut, called by the Indi- ans Scaticoolc^ and many others collected by Di% H. R. Schoolcraft,* show that they had an imperfect manner of engraving pictures, with a few signs, which could not be reduced to a regular system of writing with hieroglyphics, like the people of Asia. Yet it was because they were not familiar enough * Hist , Cond., aud Prpsp. of the Indian Tribes. THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. 41 with tlie Indians of the N^orth. The Abnakis and neighboring tribes had a regular method of writing in the same manner as the Chinese, Japanese, and other Asiatic nations, although with different cha- racters. This kind of writing is yet used amongst the Micmacs, and I am surprised that no writer has yet made any mention of this manner of scripture. This S3^stem is so perfect that there are in exist- ;^|._ ence three regular books, one containing prayers, ^'I'f another the mass, and another a catechism ; two of these, written by an Indian, are in my possession. A specimen of this hand-writing, with the English version, is appended at the end of this volume, as also some parts of the Abnaki and Micmac Ian- « guages. It reads running from the left to the right. Old Indians, however, at Oldtown, informed me of having seen this kind of books written by running in a vertical line from the top to the bottom, and, if I am not mistaken, others running from the right to the left. I close the present subject by giving a short his- tory of this manner of writing, such as it exists by tradition amongst the Indians, confirmed by their missionaries,* and especially by the Rt. Rev. Bishop Colin Frs : MacKinnon, D.D., Bishop of Arichat, a native of Nova Scotia, and a scholar of great talents and high education, who was for many years amongst the Micmac Indians. When the French first arrived in Acadia, the Indians used to write on bark, trees, and stones, engraving signs with arrows, sharp stones, or * Letter of Rev. Christian Kauder, a missionary amongst the Micmacs. 3* 42 THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. otlier instruments. They were accustomed to send pieces of bark, marked with these signs, to other Indians of other tribes, and to receive back answers written in the same manner, just as we do with letters and notes. Their chiefs used to send circulars, made in the same manner, to all their men in time of war to ask their advice and to give directions. Several Indians possessed in their wig- wams a kind of library composed of stones and pieces of bark, and the medicine men had large manuscripts of these peculiar characters, which they read over the sick persons. Inscriptions of this kind were made by Indians on standing trees, in the woods, to inform others about some extraordinary event. The Indians assert that by these signs they could express any idea with every modification, just as we do with our writings. When the French mis- sionaries arrived in that country (they generally refer to Fathers Mainard and Le Loutre), they made use of these signs, as they found them, in order to instruct the Indians. They improved them, and others were added in order to express the doctrine and mysteries of the Christian religion. This kind of writing does not exist, nor do we know that it has existed amongst other nations of the Algonquin family. All the researches made by missionaries and learned antiquarians, could never find any of these characters to have been used by other Indians, such as we find at present amongst the Micmacs, and which formerly were common amongst all the Indians of Acadia and of a portion of 'New France. The Micmacs, the Montagnais, the THE LORD'S PRAYER IN MICMAG HIEROGLTPHICS. *, f-z/ I Dushinen "Wajok Our Father in heaven ebin seated tehiptook may dehvigin ' thy name fl& ff I i/z^ megaidedemek Wajok n'telidanen tehiptook ignemwiek ula be respected in heaven to us may grant theo icv:> H> 3rl ^ «c=a ci^ nemulek uledechinen. Natel wajok dell chkcdoolk to see iQ staying. There in heaven as thou art obeyed tehiptook deli may be chkedulek obeyed makimiguek eimek on earth where wc are h^-c:^: A. no Delamukubenigual echemieguel apch As thou hast given it to us in the same manner also neguech kichkook now to-day ti-C:^! 9,-l/_ delamooktech peneguunenwin nilunen ; give it our nourishment to us ; ^•— -■«-'<— ^ c deli abikchiktakachik we forsrive those f£ ikj 1 J> A d ^^l^ ^T^=<3 wegaiwinametnik elp kel nixkam who have offended us so thou O God abikchiktwin forgive H melkeninrec^. hold us strong winnchudil by the hand mu not k'tygalinen to fall elweultick our faults £cnc keginukamkel keep far from us i^^ 311 biff 2:z winnchigueHV, sufferingB twaktwin. evils. N'delietch. Amen. THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTOEY. 43 Etchimis, and the Abnakis melt in one same nation and language; and these must be the tribes that, according to the tradition of the Hicmacs, kept cor- respondence amongst themselves by this kind of hand- writing. A few of these hieroglyphics can yet be seen amongst the writings of Father Kasles, which is a confirmation of what I assert. The Abna- kis have disappeared, with the exception of a few left in Canada, The Etchiniis are vanishing away very rapidly. The Montagnais are in the same condition. The Micmacs are at present the only standing nation that can represent the red man of the northeast ; hence no wonder that we find the remains of this manner of writing, preserved espe- cially by the care of their missionaries. I hope that this system of hand-writing will not be suffered to be buried in silence amongst the ruins of time, but that the memory of this kind of scripture shall be transmitted to future ages, to show the antiquity and education of the noble and gentle, but ill-fated Abnaki.* * Sir^ce we wrote this, a pmyer-book ia the Micmac hieroglyphics has been published by the learned Rev. Christian Kauder— a zealous and indefatigable missionary among the Micmacs of Nova Scotia. CHAPTEE VII. ACADIA ANALYSIS AND MEANING OF THE WOED ITS LIMITS AND ABORIGINES OF ACADIA REMARKS ON AGGUNCIA, THE ORIGINAL NAME OF THE PENOBSCOT RIVER. '^^EFOEE entering into the description of the ^J^^ aborigines of that part of !N"orth America for- merly known under the name of Acadia, it seems proper to lay down a few remarks in regard to its name and boundaries. The w^ord Acadia, w^ritten sometimes La Cadie and Acadie, is Indian, The origin of this word, and its meaning, has always been a sab- ject of investigation among the antiquarians, who generally admit it to be an Indian word, though they THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. 45 do not ^x its meaning. Some of them have ventured interpretations, which, however, they abandoned after further consideration. I was at one time led to resolve Acadie into the two Abnaki words AH-adie (land of dogs). Yet, after more recent investigation, I con- sider it more natural to trace it to the Micmac word academ (we dwell), or tedlacadem (where we dwell), that is, our village. We have yet in J^ova Scotia a place called Tracadie, which must be the Indian word tedlacadem, or f dlacadem, where we dwells and perhaps it is the original word of Acadie. The principal river in Xova Scotia is called Shiiben-aca- die, river where we dwell, or village-river. The limits of Acadia are not clearly established, and they vary according to different writers. It is certain, however, that Acadia was divided in four parts, and it had four distinct proprietors.* The first part was from the Penobscot river in Maine to the St. John^s river in New Brunswick, and it was called by the French the Province of the Etchemins, but its former name was Nohirabeha (succession of falls and still-water), the Indian name for the Penob- scot river, or rather for some parts of it. A part of it had also been named Wew Ireland, from the first settlers, who were Irish. The second was from the St. John's river to Cape Salle, and it was called by the French Baye Franqaise. This bay at present is called Bay of Fundy {¥od\i\2a'\xm, bay of the mines). The third from Cape Sahle to Canzeaux (Cause, the name of a French navigator), and it was called Aca- * Charlevoix, liv. iii. 46 THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. dia by the French,* I^ova Scotia by the English. The fourth from Canzeaux to Cap des Hosiers (from a fish of that name, phoxinas squamosus, or as others assert, from the French navigator I^osier)^ and it was called Gaspesie^ from the Indian name Gachepe or KecKpi (the end), very appropriately to signify the extreme North-east end of the Micmac territory, and the last promontory lying betweeu the mouth of the great St. Lawrence river and the Bay of Chalevirs.f All this vast extension of territory was possessed only by two Indian nations, the Etchimins and the Miomacs. The JEtchimins occupied the waters of the Penobscot^ St. Croix., and St. John's rivers, and the most part of both shores of the Bay of Fundy as far east as Port Poyal^ near Annapolis, The Mic- macs dwelt on the rest of ISTova Scotia, on the south? eastern part of ^New Brunswick, on the southern shore of the mouth and Bay of St. Lawrence, and also on the adjoining islands. It is doubtful whether Newfoundland was inhabited. It is, however, cer- tain that its northern part was frequented by the Esquimaux ; the western and southern parts by the Micmacs. There is, however, good ground to believe that it was settled by the Micmacs. Maps are found in which Micmac settlements are marked north-west of Fortune Bay. It is asserted that in the interior of Newfoundland there existed a tribe of Aborigines who shunned all intercourse with the Europeans, * That is, the Indian word Acadia was appUed by the French to that part of the country. f If Gaspesie comes from Eespasse, it means smoked food, v. g. fish. THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIK HISTORY. 47 and who are supposed to have perished of starva- tion. In the earlj part of this century, five or six Indians came in one of the settlements in extreme want, wlio were said to be the only remnant of the race. They represented that they, with their breth- ren, had been forced by the severity of the winter and depth of the snow to abandon the camp for want of food, hoping to be able to reach the shore, but they had perished in the way. Two of this remnant only lived to reach St. John's, where the last died in 1828. But I have been informed by some missionaries of the French islands St. Pierre and Miquelon, that in former times, nearly every spring, canoes were ob- served coming from the shores of Newfoundland, and many dead were buried on the French islands. This happened because the Indians of ^Newfoundland being Catholic, refused to bury their dead on Eng- lish territory, which was Protestant, but they carried them to be interred in French land, because it was Catholic. It is asserted"^ that there existed a very harmless tribe of Aborigines, to whom the Euro- peans gave the name of red men^ but who called themselves Beoths^ and that they were diflferent from the rest of the North American Indians. They must have been the Esquimaux^ and by Beoths the Esqui- maux Indians must not have meant themselves, but the Micmacs^ who also lived on the same island. Baatu in some of the Esquimaux dialects means canoe^ and we know that the Micmacs were called canoe-men. If we can rely on the assertionf that * Encyclopaedia Americana, v. ix. f Transactions of the American Antiquarian Society. 48 THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. in the conntiy called Yinland^ settled by an Ice- landish colony, the sun remained eight hours visible during the shortest day of the year, that country must have been Newfoundland, It is positively asserted, that there existed Indians who, from their description and name, Shroellings^ given them by the I^ormans, and which in the Icelandic language means dwarfs^ must have been the Esquimaux. The origin of the word Etchimin is Indian, and it means men from tchinern^ man. To describe the Etcliimins by tribes, would be a fruitless attempt, as we have no certain records of them, and it would scarcely throw any necessary light on their history. But we have historical documents that they had three principal settlements on the three largest rivers, the Penobscot^ the -6'i!^. Croix^ and the aS'^^. Jolin^s. The first Etchimin settlement was on the river Penobscot^ or rather Penaubsket^ which means, it flows on rocks — a characteristic very well appropri- ated to that river, on account of its shallowness and the many rocks on which it runs. In dry sea- sons I have known the waters of that river to be so low that I could hardly go from MaUanacookf^ to Oldtown in a canoe. Some writers have been of opinion that the Penobscot river was formerly called JVolumbega, and Pentagwet^ or Boamtuquaitooh / but these names expressed only some localities of that river. Nolunibega means a still-wdter between falls, of which there are several in that river. At dif- ji * Mattanacook, or Martinacook, is an island in the Penobscot river near Lincoln. The name means long and high. THE ABNAKIS : AND THER HISTORY. 49 ferent times, travelling in a canoe along tlie Penob- scot, I have heard the Indians calling those localities Nolumlega. Fentagioet^ or Boamtuquet means Iroad- water, and it expresses a locality after the narrows of Bucksport up towards Bangor. Before proceeding further with the historical de- scription of these Indians, I deem proper to make a brief digression, not altogether foreign to tlie subject. I wish to remark, that the real and ancient name given by the aborigines to the Penobscot is Aggimcia,^' a word which cannot be traced to any language, ex- cept to the Abhaki, and it means our nephews, from u'hhun and tsis. This leads us to the important his- torical discovery tliat the inhabitants of the Penob- scot river, the EtcMmins, were descendants of the Ahnahis. The great and famous Algio family de- rives its name from the river Agguncia. There is no difficulty to explain how the letter I is found in the word Algic and not m^'Aggimcia. The root of the word Agguiioia is u'kum, with an aspiration be- tween the two first letters, it'lc. This aspiration by some tribes is sounded with a kind of crash in the throat, by others it is sounded as r, by others it is replaced by an I. We have innumerable exam- ples of this rule in the Indian languages. The change of the u in a is grammatical. G and h being convertible letters, u'huncia makes Alguncia, or A'guneia, from which the word Algonquin, or Algic, is derived. This explains why the whole Algonquin nation call the natives of the Kennebec river Ahia- * Pronounced Agkuntcliia. 50 THE ABISTAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. his^ that is, our ancestors of the East^^ because the Algonquins deriving their origin from the Agguncia (the Penobscot) who were nephews to the inhabitants of the Kennebec, they naturally call these Indians 4-bnakis, that is, our ancestors of the East. This is confirmed by the fact that the name with which the Etchimins call the Algonquins, is Ussaghen, pi, Us- ^aghenicJi^jf our nearest ancesio7's, because they im^ mediately descended from the inhabitants of the Ag- guncia, who were the first Algonquins, nephews to the Abnakis, and fathers to the Etchimi?is. These children of the Ahiakis, aud fathers of the Agguncia, inust have been the Alrnauchicois on the Saco river, and the inhabitants of the Androscoggin, who very probably were the Amelingas, One of the names of the Androscoggin was Amingdnkin. Ifow, the AhnaJcis never called the Algonquins by the name of Ussaghenich, our nearest ancestors, and they could not, because the Algonquins were nephews to the Ahnaltis. The Ahnakis called the Algonqidns our nephews, or descendants, Fr. Basics informs usj: that w^hen an Abnaki says, I speak the Algonquin lan- guage, he expresses himself thus : nesangnanandwe, I speak the language of our nephews, either from the root u'kun, nephews, or dankawinum, descent. The word must be resolved so, ne-sangnan-nandwe / the first syllable ne, and the two last, nandwe, mean, I speak I and sangnan comes either from u'kun, nephew, or dankawinum, descent, of which both words u^kum * See the Collections of the Maine Hist. Society, v. vi., Abnakis. f Fr. Demilier, MS. Dictionary. \ Rasles' Dictionary, p. 499. THE ABNAKIS : AND THEIR HISTORY. 61 is always the root. The d is changed into s for euphony's sake. In the same manqer they say ne- mekuandwe^ I speak Iroquois. This solves several other historical questions. It explains why the Penobscot Indians were called Taranteens ; it was because they were living on the Agguncia river, which, was the cradle of the AlgoU' quins, who were called Adirontak^ eaters of trees^ by the Iroquois^ to ridicule their unskilfulness in hunt-? ing. It explains why the Penobscot dialect is so mucb more like the Algonquin than many other dialects of the same nation ; they being more nearly related to them than the others, excepting the Almou- chicois. Finally, it explains why the entire Algio family call the inhabitants of the Kennebec AbnaMsy our ancestors of the East^ while we do not read that the Etchimins and Micmacs were named Abnahis^ although living east of the Algonquins ; at least not called so until the word Abnakis became a generic name, and employed to point out the entire Algio family. i CHAPTEE YIII. INDIAN VILLAGES IN ACADIA — ON THE PENOBSCOT — ON THE ST. CROIX, AND ON ST. JOHn's KIVEES IN THE REST OF NEW BRUNSWICK ON NOVA SCOTIA. jHE Indians living on tlie Penobscot river were called Penobscot, and sometimes Openangos^ a corruption for Abnakis. The principal Pe- nobscot village was, as I learn from the Indians, about Mattawaiikeag-jpoint {a har of gravel divides the river in two"^). There are vet remains of Indian articles to * It is a general custom with the Indians* that whenever they speak of a river, or describe it, they always allude upward to the origin, and not downward to its mouth ; v. g. they say the river forks, when two rivers join into one. Ik OC3 > o c^ THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. 53 be found in that locality. There was a graveyard, and the old Indians remember yet some remains of the settlement. Besides the present village at Oldtown, it is difficult to trace others with certainty. We are sure that there was no Indian village at Castine, called at present Bagaduce^ a corruption for matchi- higwaduseh^ water had to drink. In the autumn of the year 1863, Mr. W. H. Weeks, while at work on the road leading to the battery which the government was erecting at the mouth of the harbor of Castine, found an ancient relic near the old brick battery, known as the '' Lower Fort," not far from the mouth of the harbor. It is a piece of sheet copper, about eight inches by ten, with the following inscription, whose letters appear to have been scratched or written with some pointed instru- ment : — 1648. 8. lYK. F. LEO PAEISIN CAPYC. MISS. POSYI HOC FY- , NDTM IK HNE- EM KKJE DM^ SAlSrCT^ SPEI. 1648. 8. Junii. Frater Leo Parisinus Missiona- rius posui hoc fundamentum in honorem Kostrse Dominse Sanct^e Spei. 1648, 8th of June. I, Brother Leo, of Paris, Capuchin, Missionary, laid this foundation in honor of Our Lady of the Holy Hope. "We know that Capuchins were stationed on the 54 THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. coast of Maine as chaplains to French posts. Tliey had a monastery on the Penobscot and an hospice on the Kennebec. From this inscription it appears that the convent must have been near Castine ; and from that place they may have attended the missions of the Penobscot Indians, but it does not prove that the Indians had any settlement at or near Castine. We cannot give any estimate of the number of the Penobscot Indians, but they are believed to have been about twenty-four hundred men, women, and children. The grand settlement of the Etchimins was on the St. Croix river, and on the Schoodic Lakes on both branches of the river. The Indians of this river have always been called Etchimins^ and the St.' Croix river was called the river of the Etchimins. Its real Indian name is P eskadaTniuk'kanti^^ it goes iijp into the open fields. This river is at present called St. Croix river, because it runs in the form of a cross ; one branch goes up northeast to the Schoodic lakes, that bound the State of Maine and l^ew Brunswick ; the other branch runs westward to the Schoodic lakes towards the Passadurtikeag river, point where it falls on gravel. The eastern branch is called by the Indians CheputnaticooJc^ low land near the river / the western branch is named Peshadamiukkanty., it goes up into the open fields / hence Schoodic-lahes^ open-field-lakes.^ The Indian villages on this river were few and small. At pre- sent there is yet a small tribe called Passamaquoddy^ * Charlevoix, vol. i., liv. iii., p. 133. f Open by fire. Schooie mesLnsJire. THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. 55 a corruption of the word Peslcamaquontik^ deriving the name from the river Pe8kadaraiukkant\ and not from the word Quoddy, haddock^ as it is erroneously believed. It is true that they at present call them- selves Quoddy Indians, but I have been informed by very old Indians that their name was PesTcama- quonty. We know from ancient writers that the Micmacs did not know the cod-fish, and this was probably the case with the Etchimins. I feel nearly certain that there was no village at Indian island^ between Bear island and Camjpo- lyeUo island in Passamaquoddy Bay. The natives have occupied that island since the time of De- Monts^ and from thence they moved to their present village at Syhaih^ Pleasant-point. Their ancient village was Gunasqiiamehooh^ long-gravel-har-joining- the-island, on the British side, where now stands the city of St. Andrew. There they leased some land to certain Englishmen for a few years, but at the expi- ration of the time, when they asked their land back, they were not onl}^ refused, but they were forced to leave their native place ; hence they were obliged to move to an island in the bay, now called Indian island. They remained there for a few years, when that island was either given or sold by the Bri- tish government, and the Indians again compelled to-^move away. They wandered for several years about Eastport, when they were allowed by the government of the State of Maine to have a few acres of land at Pleasant-point as a permanent settle- ment, where they at present reside on a dry and sandy beach. There was also another village where 56 THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. Peinbroke is, called Imnar'^lcuan^ where we make maple'Sugar. The other settlement was on the St. John's river, and there they had several large villages. The In- dians of this river are said to have been numerous and powerful. This river was called St. John by the French, because they entered it on the day of the festival of this saint, but it was called Onigundi by its inhabitants, and TJlasteku by the western Etchimins and Abnakis. The Indians on this river were called accordingly Onigundieh and Ulastehu- hiek. The name in both dialects signifies good river^ that is, clear of obstructions for navigation. We do not know of any particular name of the Indian vil- lages on this river, except that the place of the pre- sent city of St. John was called by the natives Me- narhwesse^ the weather is inconstant^ that is, now clear and on a sudden cloudy and foggy. They had a village near Frederick-town^ and another on the river Tohic {alder-trees). The opinion of those who assert that the abori- gines of St. John's river were numerous and pow- erful, must be incorrect. "We have no monument to support it. This error must have originated by confounding the Etchimins with the Micmacs^ who were powerful and very numerous. This is con- firmed by the fact that those writers call the Etchi- mins Mareschites^ and they say that Etchimins means canoe-men. N'ow Mareschites indicates the in- habitants of the Ifiramichi river in ISTew Brunswick, and the inhabitants of the Miramichi river were and are Micmacs, and not Etchimins. Moreover, Etchimin THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. 57 does not mean canoe-men^ but simply onen^ whereas Souriquois (the Micmacs) means good canoe-Qnen^'^ resolving the word thus, so-uli-quoit^ which are roots of these three words, tchim^ man^ pronounced by the Micmacs shiin and swi^ which in union of the word uri (for uli, c/ood)^ for euphony's sake, makes so-uri, or s-uri, and aguiten, canoe, which in composition drops the a, making s-uli-quit, pronounced by the French souriquoas. Moreover, the MlramicJii river is called by Quartier canoe, or hoat-river, not that it was the meaning of the word Miramichi, but from the inhabitants of that river. The French after- wards called the Souriquois by the nickname of Mic- nnacs, that is, secrets-])7xcctising-7nen, on account of their medicine-men and jugglers, who were nume- rous and famous amongst them. Mareschite comes from Malike, which in old Abnaki, and also in Dela- ware, means witchcraft ; hence the French name Micmac is a substitute for Mareschite. The Micmacs were a large and powerful nation, occupying the present Nova Scotia, the Atlantic coast of New Brunswick, the southern shore of the mouth of the great St. Lawrence, the islands on the gulf of the same river as far east as Weiofoiindland. They were valiant and powerful, and numbered several thousands. In 1760, when Fr. Maynard made his submission to the British, he said that the Micmacs were three thousand, yet their number at that time was verv much reduced. The number of the Indian * The word Micmac is a nickname given by the French to the natives of Nova Scotia. 4 58 THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. villages in the territory of the Micmacs must have been large. A French gentleman, in a letter writ- ten in 1710, giving an account of the country of Acadia, or rather of the present JS^ova Scotia, says that in the whole Peninsula there were only three towns, namely, Port Moyal, the present Annapolis^ in the Bay of Fundy ; Les Mines^ which must be either the present Minadie^ in the Bay of Chignecto- strait {wogogueguetum\^ or some place in the Mines- strait, or basin ; the other, Beaubassin, good hasiuj must be the present Port Joli, in Queen's county, on the Atlantic shore. But this French gentleman could not have been acquainted with the other vil- lages of IS^ova Scotia. From a map of Ducreux, drawn in 1660, half a century earlier than the above- mentioned letter, we know that there existed also the village of Canzo (Campseium), named after a French navigator named Canse,t Halifax (Portus S. Helen 8e), Margaret's Bay (Sinus S. Margaritse), Yar- mouth (Portum), and Egerton (Wegogueguets). Besides these villages in Nova Scotia, there were several others in New Brunswick, towards the Gulf of St. Lawrence, namely, Pigihiicto, or Elagihucto, the prayer fire / another at the right of the mouth of the Mira'inicM river, called Miramichi villagey from the name of the river, which means, river of the jugglers, riviere des MicmacsJ^ Its location must have been the present Nelson village, at the * Ducreux's map. \ Thevet. \ The Penobscot Indians translate the word Miramichi, it has wad- ding. They give this translation, because they have lost the word maliku (witchcraft). THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. 59 confluence of the Miramiclii river and the southwest branch of the same. Another, called Nijpigiqxdt (nepegequitius pagus), trees good for canoes^ at the left of the mouth of the Nipisiguit river, where Bathurst now stands. Another at the left of the mouth of the HistigoucJi river, on Chaleurs Bay^^ in Bonaventure count}^, Canada E. The name of this Indian village was Papechigtinach {place for spring amusements^ pipechigunatius), but now it is improperly called Bistigutch. Another on the Grand Cascapediac river, in the counties of BirriQuski and Gaspe^ Lower Canada. The correct name of the village and river was Kigicapigiak^ the great establishment^ or Great Harbor. We are not aware that there was any Indian settlement on the Island of Anticosti, or rather Natiskotis (open fields, that is, opened by being burned), nor that there was any in Prince Edward^s island, or on the Magdalen islands, but they had a settlement in Newfound- land. There is yet a place there called Indian vil- lage, near lake Badger in Fogo county, between the river of Exploits and N'otre-Bame bay. There are two rivers in that part of the island which still bear the name of Indian rivers. These two rivers enter HalVs hay. There is also another river called Indian river., and it enters the eastern part of the Bathurst., or Victoria lake, which river may be considered as the commencement of the river of the Exploits, the largest and longest river existing in Newfoundland. * This bay was discovered by Jacques Cartier, in his first voyage, 1531. He gave to it the name of Bay des Chaleurs (of heat), on account of the excessive heat which existed there when he entered it on the 3d of July. CHAPTEE IX. RELIGION AXD SUPEKSTITION. >T is certain that the inhabitants of Acadia were not idolaters, nor imbued with the errors of the Manicheans, as they have been wrongfully accused. It is true, that they in some manner wor- shipped the Sun, offering sacrifices to it, but the In- dians explain, that that material luminary was not the object of their worship, but it only represented ano- ther luminary invisible to our eyes ; and as the sun, illuminating the whole earth, gives life and light to every object, so it was representing an invisible Be- ing, who gives light, animation, life, and support to the whole world. It is true, that they believed in an evil spirit called by them Matcliiniioesky or Mat- chi-Nixkani^ to whom they also offered sacrifices, yet THE ABNAKIS : AND THEIR -HISTORY. 61 it was not to them an object of worship, but only they thought thus to appease him that he should not hurt them in their hunting and fishing excursions, or in their battles. They believed only in one Su- preme Being, Creator of all things, whom they call- ed the Great Spirit, Ketchiniwesk^ or K'' cM-Nixkam^ who was the master and ruler of all, and superior to all Spirits both good and evil, and this Being is what we call God. The evil Spirit was never called by them Great Spirity but only, evil Spirit. They had a confused idea of the Creation of man, and of the deluge, but they possessed a distinct knowledge of a future reward for the just, who were to be intro- duced in a good land full of game and hunting and fishing grounds; and in a future punishment for the wicked, who were to be scalped and otherwise tormented by the hands of their enemies. They had also a knowledge of a middle state, where they in some manner could be assisted and relieved by their living friends. Hence, they thought to do some good to the souls of the dead by setting tire to the wigwams where they had died, by killing the best dog, by burying or hanging to some tree the bow and arrows belonging to the deceased, by carry- ing victuals to the graves, by singing, dancing, and crying, by cutting their flesh, and such like Indian practices. They performed these things with a great and strict scrupulosity, not by a mere custom or ceremony, but because they were truly impressed with the idea of doing some good to their departed friends and relations. In their conversion to Catho- licity, they found the doctrine of purgatory very 62 THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. reasonable and conformable to their ancient tradition of a middle state, and they had a contempt for Pro- testantism for their negligence in assisting the dead, and in refusing to offer prayers for the repose of their souls. Their superstition was extreme, and so much inter- mixed with acts of religion, that it has given strong motives to accuse them of idolatry. The Penobscot Indians believed that an evil spirit, called Pamola (he curses on the mountain) — resided, during the summer season, on the top of Mount Katahdin — (the greatest of mountains.) They offered sacrifices to him to appease him, so that he should not curse them, or otherwise injure them. Although they hunted and fished in the woods and lakes around Mount Katahdin, yet they never attempted to go on the top of that mountain, in the assurance that they would never be able to return from that place, but be either killed or devoured by the evil spirit Pamola. They pretended to have seen this spirit on the top of the mountain on several occasions while hunting or fishing around it. It was but till late, that they have attempted to ascend that mountain. It is not long since that a party of white people desired to go on the top of Mount Katahdin, and took some Indians to accompany them as guides. The Indians escorted them to the foot of the mountain, but they refused to go further, fearing to be either killed or devoured by Pamola. No persuasion from the party could induce them to proceed further; on the contrary, the Indians tried to dissuade the party from ascending the mountain, speaking to them of THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. 63 this evil spirit, and how many Indians had been killed or devoured by him, and that no man ever re- turned, who dared to go on Mount Katahdin. The Indians, however, were prevailed upon to wait for the descent of the party, who, in spite of the remon- strance of the Indians, ascended the mountain by themselves, without guides. They were quite sur- prised to see the party back, as they entertained no hope of their return, believing with certainty that they had been killed or devoured by Pamola. It would not be improper to give here a brief episode of the Indian tradition concerning this evil spirit Pamola^ residing upon Mount Katahdin — a mountain famous amongst the Indians of Maine — a tradition, which is believed by the Indians unto this very day. They relate that several hundred years ago, while a Penobscot Indian was encamped east- ward of Mount Katahdin on the autumn hunting season, a severe and unexpected fall of snow covered the whole land to the depth of several feet. Being unprovided with snow shoes, he found himself una- ble to return home. After remaining several days in the camp, blocked up with drifts of snow, and seeing no means of escape, he thought that he was doomed to perish ; hence, as it were through despair, he called with loud voice on Pamola for several times. Finally, Pamola made his appear- ance on the top of the mountain. The Indian took courage, and offered to him a sacrifice of oil and fat, which he poured and consumed upon burning coals out of the camp. As the smoke was ascending, Pamola was descending. The sacrifice was con- 6i THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. sumed when this spirit got only half way down the mountain. Here the Indian took more oil and fat, and repeated the sacrifice, till Pamola arrived at the camp, and the Indian welcomed him, say- ing : " You are welcome, partner," Pamola re- j)lied : " You have done well to call me partner ; because you have called me by that name, you are saved, otherwise you w^ould have been killed by me. Ko Indian has ever called on me and lived, having always being devoured by me. ISTow I will take you on the mountain, and you shall be happy with me." Pamola put the Indian on his shoulders, bid him close the eyes, and in few moments, with a noise like the whistling of a powerful wind, they were inside of the mountain. The Indian describes the interior of Mount Katahdin as containino^ a good, comfortable wigwam, furnished with abun- dance of venison, and with all the luxuries of life, and that Pamola had wife and children living: in the mountain. Pamola gave him his daughter to wife, and told him that after one year he could re- turn to his friends on the Penobscot, and that he might go back to the mountain to see his wife any time he pleased, and remain as long as he wished. He w^as warned that he could not marry again, but if he should marry again, he would be at once trans- ported to Mount Katahdin, with no hope of ever more going out of it. After one year the Indian re- turned to Oldtown and related all that had happened to him in Mount Katahdin, and the circumstances through w^hich he got into it. The Indians persuaded him to marry again, which he at first refused, but THE ABKAKIS: AIN'D THEIR HISTORY. 65 they at last prevailed on him to marry, but the morning after his marriage, he disappeared, and nothing more was heard of him ; they felt sure that he had been taken by Pamola into Mount Katahdin, as he had told them. This fact filled the Indians with consternation, and they conceived a great fear for this evil spirit, yet a young Indian woman constantly persisted in refusing to believe even in the existence of Pamola, unless she saw him with her own eyes. It happened one day, that while she was on the shores of the lake Amboctictus^'^ Pamola appeared to her and re- proached her with her incredulity. He took her by force, put her on his shoulders, and after a few mo- ments' flight, with a great whistling of wind, they were in the interior of the mountain. There she remained for one year, and was well treated, but was got with child by Pamola. A few months before her confinement, Pamola told her to go back to her relations, saying that the child that was to be born of her would be great, and would perform such wonders as to amaze the nation. He would have the power to kill any person or animal by simply pointing out at the object with the fore finger of his right hand. Hence, that the child was to be watched very closely till the age of manhood, because many evils might follow from that power. * Amboctictus is a lake near Mount Katahdin, on the south-west side. It appears that this lake was consecrated to Pamola. Am- boctictus means the Phallus. It is called so after a rock in that lake, that has the form of that part of the body when viewed at a dis- tance. Some Indians pronounce it Ambochictus. 4.* 6Q THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. But when the child grew up he would save his own nation from the hands of its enemies, and would confer many benefits to the people. If she should be in need of any assistance, she had nothing to do but to call on Pamola in any place she might be, and he would appear to her. He warned her not to marry again ; because if she should marry asain, both she and the child would at once be transported into Mount Katahdin for ever. He then put her on his shoulders in the same man- ner as he had done in taking her up to the moun- tain, and left her on the shore of the lake Amboctic- tus. She returned to Old-town, where she related all that had happened to her, and also that she had seen, in the mountain, that Indian, of whom I have made mention above. The child was born, and she took great care of him. She called several times on Pamola, who always made his appearance to her. When she wanted any venison, either into the woods or in the river, she had but to take the child, and holding his right hand, she stretched out his fore finger, and made it point out to a deer, or moose, and it at once fell dead. So, also, in a flock of ducks, she made the child's first finger single one out of the flock, which likewise fell dead. The child grew, and he was the admiration and pride of all. It happened one day, that while he was stand- ing at the door of the wigwam, he saw a friend of his mother coming. He announced it to her, and at the same time, with the first finger of his right hand, he pointed at him, and the man immediately THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. 67 dropped dead. This fact caused great consterna- tion, not only in the mother of the chikl, but also in the entire tribe, who looked on him as a very- dangerous subject among them. Everybody fled from his company, and even from his sight. The mother called on Pamola, and related to him what had happened, and also the fear and consternation in which she and the entire tribe were. Pamola told her that he had already warned her to watch the child, because the power conferred on the child might produce serious evils. He now advised her to keep the child altogether apart from society till the age of manhood, as he might be fatal with many others. The Indians wanted her to marry, but she refused on the ground of it being forbidden by Pamola, who was her husband, and in case of mar- riage, she and child both would be taken up Mount Katahdin. However, the Indians prevailed upon her, and she married, but in the evening of the mar- riage-day, while all the Indians w^ere gathered together in dancing and feasting for the celebration of the marriage, both she and the child disappeared for ever. This is, of course, a superstitious tale, made up by the prolific imagination of some Indians, yet we can perceive in it some vestiges of the fall of the first man, in having transgressed the command of God, and how it could be repaired only by God. We can also trace some ideas of the mystery of the Incarna- tion of the Son of God in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, mixed with fables, superstitions, and pagan errors. The appearance of God to Moses in 68 THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. a burning busli upon Mount Iloreb, may be glimpsed in Pamola appearing to the Indian on Mount Ka- tahdin, and so forth; yet these are but conjec- tures. Even at present they have several superstitious ideas ; for instance, they have never consented to en- large the graveyard at Old-town, which is over full of corpses, or to have a new one, because the old Indians persuade the young that if they enlarge it, or if they will have a new one, they would soon die to fill it. One evening I went to their settlement at Old- town to stop with them for a few days. I found the Indians in a great consternation, and in inquiring the cause of it, they related to me that since the death of an Indian, wdiich had happened a few days since, they had always found the door of the church open in the morning, although it had been very carefully locked in the evening. That they had watched dur- ing the night to see lest any person would open it ; that they had searched the church, yet, notwith- standing all this, the door of the church was found open every morning, which they attributed to the ghost of the late deceased Indian. I laughed at it, but they were serious. As my dwelling was con- nected with the church, the Indians felt uneasy for my safety during the night. About 11 o'clock p.m., four Indians came to me with a large dog, and I was entreated to accept that dog for the night, and to keep it in my bed-room in order to protect me against the ghost of the Indian. Of course, I re- fused it, assuring them there was no need of it. But THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. 69 it was of no use ; I was obliged to consent to have that clofT in another room between the house and the Church, in order to satisfy them. In the morning I showed to them that the door of the church was closed, and that nothing had happened during the night. I tried to persuade them that if the church door had in reality been found opened in the morn- ing, some person had opened it to frighten them. They, however, were not satisfied by this explana- tion. They have yet the practice of building a large fire and dancing around it at midsummer-day, and they generally do it on the day of St. John the Baptist. Hence, they call the day of St. John, edutsi pesha- mek skute^ it comes the sparhling fire. This is an old Phenician custom, by which the Phenicians wor- shipped the Sun. This custom is found, even at present, amongst some inhabitants of Ireland, who build bonfires called Baaltinne. The Indians of St. John^ gave a kind of worship to a dead tree, standing up at the fall of St. John's river in a basin of four hundred feet of circumfer- ence. This tree appeared floating, and never leaves the place, notwithstanding the current. Sometimes it appeared covered by the water, and going around like a pivot. They attached to it skins of beavers and other animals. In undertaking a voyage, if they could not see that tree, it was considered to be a bad omen for that voyage. Many and wonderful things are related of the superstition and witchcrafts of the Micmacs, and * Charlevoix, vol. 1, liv. iii. 70 THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. especially of their conjurors, medicine-men, and jugglers, which was the cause why these Indians were called Micmacs by the French. A French gentleman, in a printed relation on the Micmacs, and Charlevoix, quote eye-witnesses of the wonders ope- rated by the Micmac enchanters and jugglers in the thick and solitary woods, whither they used to resort for enchantments. They testify to have seen the woods trembling and shaking under their feet by their enchantments ; of having observed contortions and forms taken by the Indians, not possible to mere men ; of having heard voices, not human, and many other wonderful things. If a maid, during her monthly periods, happened to step on an unmarried man, he believed that he would be disabled in all his limbs, and he did not move a step, till the imaginary distemper (the month) was over. So if she touched a firelock, it was believed to be enchanted, and no game was killed with it any more. Before a battle, the warriors had a fight with the women ; if these had the best, it was considered a good sign, but if the women had the worst, it was taken as a bad omen. o 8 ■< Q CHAPTER X. PUBLIC LIFE. ^f^HE Etchemins, Micmacs, and Abnakis, are often considered as one nation, not only on account of the similarity of their language, customs, suavity of manner, religion, and attachment to the French, but also on account of their league in defending themselves against the English. Although the Micmacs are generally somewhat smaller in size than the other Indians of Acadia and New France, yet they are equally brave. They have long made war against the Esquimaux (eaters of raw flesh)^ whom they have followed and attacked in their caverns and rocks of Labrador. Newfoundland must have several times been the field of hard bat- 72 THE ABNAKIS : AND THEIR HISTORY. ties between the Micmacs and the Esquimaux ; the latter were always defeated by the former. Their Chief was, and is yet called Saghem by some tribes, and Sangman by others, which is the same word, but pronounced differently, and it means over the whole world. The wife or wives of the Chief, take the title of Sdngindnsque^ but they had no power. The same is at present with the wife of the Governor of the tribe. The sons are called Sangmansis^ the daughters, Sangnnanskwessis^ the relations, Sangmanhwagodeh. The office of the Chief has never been hereditary amongst the In- dians, but the Supreme Magistrate was elected gene- rally from amongst those who had larger families. All, especially the youth, obeyed the Saghem with great submission and respect. The Chiefs of entire nations had other subordinate Chiefs, who presided over small tribes, and settled their difficulties. Dur- ing the summer season, all the Chiefs assembled in a designated spot in order to transact the affairs of the whole nation. Small quarrels were settled in the camp, and often finished in a fight, without, however, their doing each other much injury. When the Chiefs thought that they had received any wrong, they assembled all their people in some fixed places, and to encourage them, they made a speech, in which they displayed great eloquence. Then lifting up their axes, the question was proposed, whether they would not all agree to take the inju- ries into their hands. If the whole company con- sented, they made a mock skirmish among them- selves, as if they were in earnest. They also had THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. 73 recourse to their conjurers and fortune-tellers, who consulted the devil. Their bravery in war was great. As an instance of it, I may relate their battles in the war against the English in the year 1682. There was a French fort on the Penobscot river, commanded by the Che- valier de Grandfontaine, in 1673, and another on the St. John's river commanded by Mr. Marion. In 1674, Mr. de Chambly succeeded the Chevalier de Grandfontaine."^ A short time after, in the same year, he was surprised on the 10th of August, by an English man-of-war with a crew of a Flemish pri- vateer, one hundred men strong, which had lain in disguise there for four days. Mr. de Cham- bly was not prepared to fight, he had only thirty persons in the fort, yet they defended it bravely for one hour, when Mr. de Chambly received a musket- ball through his body, and was obliged to retire ; then his men and the fort, both badly armed, sur- rendered at discretion. They took, also, the fort at St. John's, which was afterwards destroyed by the Dutch. Mr. de Chambly was surprised at this action, both countries being then in peace, and the author of this outrage had no commission, but he had been instigated by the Bostonians, who could not bear the French to be in possession of the Pe- nobscot. In 1689, the French complained of this act perpetrated by the English and Bostonians, but in vain, hence a war ensued. The Indians joined the French. The Etchemins and Abnakis made an * Charlevoix, vol. 1, liv. x. 74 THE ABITAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. expedition against the English fort Pemkwit (it is crooked) — a very strong fort between the Penobscot and Kennebec rivers. The fort was defended by twenty cannons. The Indians took it by surprise, breaking down the gate. The English retired to some houses, carrying with them ten cannons, the others being taken by the Indians. The English opened a terrible fire upon the fort, but to no ef- fect. Daring the night the Indians summoned the English to go away from those houses, but their com- mander laughed, saying, that he was tired and wanted to sleep. During the night the Indians pre- pared to attack the English in the morning, and they did so at daybreak. A sharp fire was kept up on both sides, but the English w^ere obliged to capi- tulate, and the Indians let them depart without any outrage. It is worth mentioning, that the Indians found in the fort a barrel of brandy, which they spilled out without touching it. The English retired to an island, not far from the coast. The Indians desired to drive them away from that place, but they desisted and went back to the Penobscot in the sloops which they had taken from the English, having killed the crew. CHAPTEE XL ASTKONOMY AND DIVISION OF TIME. ^HE Indians possessing no astronomical instru- ments, no observatories, no celestial globes, and no maps, are not expected to have made such progress in astronomy as exclusively seems to belong to civilized nations. Yet to think that the Aborigines of this continent were, and are altogether destitute of it, it would be an error. True, they have no astronomical instruments, and whether they ever had any is a question at present involved in darkness. Yet nature seems to have endowed them with very acute senses, and they use them with much skill and accuracy. Many small things, little circumstances, which generally 76 THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. pass unobserved by the whites, are closely investi- gated and examined by them. They can discover the approaching of the enemies, their number and distance ; they can tell whether they have passed through a certain locality, wdiat direction they have followed, the place from which they came, etc., by observing their footsteps, by examining the bending of the grass and bushes, by putting their ears close to the earth, and by their scent, which faculty is very powerful in the Indians. It is r-elated that once a Micmac Indian entered a Frenchman's house in Nova Scotia, and after a little while he asked for some brandy. The Frenchman denied having any, but the Indian said that it was not true, and by the smell he discovered the place where it was kept. Except the religious ideas attached to the Sun, we do not know that it was an object of astronomical observations to the Indians ; but the Moon and Stars were and are closely examined. They can tell with great ease the part of day and night, corresponding very nigh to our astronomical manner of counting the time. They can indicate with great precision the rising and setting of the Sun, Moon, and principal Stars, the degrees of their elevation above the hori- zon, their zenith, etc. They had and have yet a kind of -sun-dial by observing their own shadow and that of the trees. They can travel without difficulty or danger of being lost through the thickest woods, even by night, and when they can see neither the Moon nor the Stars. They observe the bark of the trees, and they can find some difference between that part of the tree turned to the south and that THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. 77 exposed to the north. The shape of the tree re- veals to the Indian the south from the north — the south side being more hixurious, and the limbs larger and in better condition. They knew the constellation Hyades called by them Menejpessunh {our rain is falling in ahundance) ; its setting, rising, elevation, zenith, etc., was closely ob- served. They looked on the rising of the Hyades as an indication of wet weather. Yet they could not tell that they were at the head of Taurus. They were acquainted with the Pleiades, although they do not know that those stars were on the neck of the same Taurus. They were familiar with the Lyre, the Head of Medusa, and many other groups of stars. They could point out Orion, Sirius, and several other stars of first magnitude. They had the know- ledge of the Milky-way, of which they related many curious and fabulous stories. They knew the pUnet Yenus, called by them ^fsarHo, it goes in advance (from maassa and otto), and its movements were close- ly examined. They considered it to be the morning star, but we do not know that they identified it with the evening star. It is worth observing that this was the only planet known to the ancients before the historical times. Homer and Hesiod were acquaint- ed with it, but they considered the morning and evening star as two different bodies. Further inves- tigations may decide whether the Indians had any idea of the movement of the earth round the Sun. We know that Copernicus had found in the writings of the ancients, that Nicetas, Heraclites, and Ecphantus had thought of the possibility of the motion of the 78 THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. earth, and that Aristarchus of Samos had a strong idea that the earth revolved in an oblique circle around the Sun, and that also revolved daily on its own axis. It is related that amongst the Egyptian ruins a stone was found representing the Copernic system ages before the time of the immortal astrono- mer ; there is therefore a possibility that the natives of this Continent had an idea of the movement of the earth round the Sun. It cannot be said with cer- tainty that they knew the polar star, but they could with great precision point out the seven Stars of Ursa Minor which never set ; they could describe the circle performed by the Star at the end of the tail of this constellation. The present Indians pre- serve by tradition the knowledge of all these astrono- mical observations. But the great object, from which they depend in their astronomical observa- tions-,* is the moon. It is from the moon that they can tell the kind of weather which they expect to have. From the moon they can foresee the approach- ing of a storm. If the moon appears pale, it is for them a sign of rain or'snow ; if red, it is a prognos- tic of wind. If the aspect of the new moon is such as to appear bent on the earth, it is a sign of a stormy month ; but if it appears standing upright on the earth, it is an indication of fair weather during its course. The moon regulates the months and the year. Every month commences from the new moon and terminates with it. They distinguish the four seasons, the opening of the leaves of the trees and breaking of the ice, the warm weather and fish- ing season, the hunting season, frosts and falling of THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. 79 the leaves, the closing of the rivers by ice, and the deep snow season. The new year commences from the longest moon, that is, when the nights are the longest. The nights are the object of their calcula- tions, no consideration being taken from the length of the day. But the Indians had no almanac, at least there is no indication of their having had any. The one used by them is of recent date introduced by me for their convenience, because it has not been possible to make them understand our alma- nac according to their astronomical ideas. To this object I have held several conferences with the old- est and most intelligent Indians about their astro- nomy, and there we agreed to fix the commence- ment of the new year permanently on the new moon preceding Christmas. This will facilitate to them the intelligence of the movable festivals of Chris- tianity. They count twelve months or rather moons in the year, but their months cannot correspond with ours, as ours are based upon the revolution of the earth around the Sun, whereas those of the Indians are regu- lated by the motion of the Moon around the earth, beginning in the time of its conjunction with the Sun. Here is the table of the seasons and months. Spring. Summer. Autumn. "Winter. Siquan. Niben. Nekiiongo. Peboon. Months. January — Onglusamwessit j it is hard to get a living. 80 THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIK HISTOEY. Febrnaiy — Taquaslc'niTcizoos ; moon in which there is crust on the snow. March — Pnhodamwikizoos ; moon in which the hens lay. April — Amiosswilcizoos / moon in which we catch fish. Maj — KihkaiMzoos / moon in which we soio. June — MushosMkizoos / moon in which we catch young seals. July — Atchittaihizoos / 'inoon in which the hemes are rijpe. ** August — WiMaihizoos ; moon in which there is a heap of eels on the sand. September — MantcheicaclokliiMzoos ; moon in which there are herds of mooses^ hears^ etc. October — Assehaskioats / there is ice on the hanks. ITovember — AhonomhsswiJcizoos j moon in which the frost fish comes. December — Ketchihizoos / the long moon» Onglusaimcessit, the name for the month of Janu- ary, is of late date. The former name for this month or moon was Mehv:)as'' que^ the cold is great ^ but after their village near Norridgewock was destroyed by the Bostonians and Mohawks, and the Indians were deprived of their rich land, and hunting-ground, on the Kennebec river without any compensation, and thus obliged to rove for a living ;- they found very * The Abnakis Indians, after the destruction of their last village near Norridgewock, found an asylum amongst the St. Francis, Penob- scot, and Passamaquoddy Indians. Many, however, soon left St. Francis in Canada and returned to Maine. COKPTIS CHRIS TrS MY AT OLD-TO^^^ imiAN VIIilAGE, 0^ THE PENOBSCOT PvIYER. THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. 81 difficult to obtain it especially on the month of Janu- ary, that is on the moon which generally falls be- tween January and February ; hence they called it Oiiglusamwessit, on account of their difficulty to ob- tain a subsistence. They have sufiered and do yet suffer extremely in the winter, especially those In- dians who at present dwell at Pleasant Point, in this State. It is in this moon that the red man remem- bers tlie dense forests and the extensive hunting grounds of the Kennebec, when in a cold and stormy night he gazes on his dying fire, having burned the last stick, which the benevolent tide has drifted on the shore with charitable bnt sparing hand.* Be- numbed and half starved he falls asleep on his mat, and dreams of the Mekwas'que moon on the shores of the Kennebec. When there are thirteen moons in a year the Indians count thirteen months, or moons, putting one moon between Atchittaikizoos and Wikkaikizoos, that is between the moons of July and August, which they call AbonarawiJcizoos, let this moon go^ thus having an intercalary month between July and August. In this case the month of July of the Indians, that is, the moon Atchittaikizoos, begins in our month of June, then in our month July be- gins the Indian month Abonamwikizoos, and the Indian month of August Wikkaikizoos will com- mence from the new moon w^hich falls in our Au- gust. This coiTection in their astronomical compu- * The Indians at Pleasant Point have no fire-wood, except what they pick up on the shore drifted by the tide from the mills of Calais. 5 82 THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. tation of the moons will make the year finish at the new moon of Ketchikizoos — the new moon in Decem- ber before Christmas. As in some years there are two new moons in December, and in some others there is none before Christmas, in both cases the new moon of Ketchikizoos, the commencement of the new year, is always the new moon preceding Christmas, whether it falls in December or in No- vember. It is to be observed, that before the pub- lication of the present Indian Almanack they could not find out that our year had thirteen moons till they arrived to the long moon (Ketchikizoos), or near to it ; it was only then and not before that time, that they discovered it, and then in their backward calculations, they skipped the moon after that in which the berries were ripe, saying Abonamwihizoos, let this moon go. The reason why they skip that moon rather than any other in the year, is because in that month, the nights being very short, they can dispense with it easier than with other months hav- ing longer nights. They had no idea of the division of time in weeks, nor of the division of the week in seven days, hence they have no corresponding name for the word week. The division which they use at present has been in- troduced by the Europeans, and it is not generally nnderstood by them even in our days. Their present division of the days of the week is the following. THE ABNAKIS : AND THEIR HISTORY. 83 Table. Sunday, — Sande^ Sunday"^. Monday — T'^kissande^ after Sunday^ or AmiJcawa- salokke^ first working day. Tuesday — Nisidaalohha^ second working day. Wednesday — N '' setaalokka^ third working day. Thursday — leotaalokka^ fourth working day. Friday — Skehewatook^ the day of the cross. Saturday — Katausande^ the day before Sunday. A week, — Etsi tanbawanikessughenakMwighis' sant^ from seven to seven days it is the festival of Sunday, ad verhiim^ it is holy. Although they had no division of the month in weeks, and of the week in seven days, yet their months or moons are divided in nine parts, not of the same length ; or I would rather say that in each moon they count nine phases of unequal distance from each other. They are the following. 1. Nangusa., she is born (the new moon). 2. Nenaghil^ she grows (from the fifth to the sixth day of the moon). 3. Kegan-demeghil, soonfidl (from the eleventh to the twelfth day). 4. Wemeghil^ she isfxdl. 5. Pekinem^ after heing full (the sixteenth, seven- teenth, and eighteenth day). 6. Utsine^ she commences to die (the twenty-second and twenty-third day). ♦ From the French word Saint. 84 THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. 7. Pebassine^ she is half dead. 8. Metchina v. Sesemina^ she is entirely dead {when nearly disappearing). 9. Nepa^ she is dead (no moon). Tbej liave no standing numerical computation, yet they count by decades with great correctness. If a calculation is extensive, after a certain number of decades, they put a stone or piece of wood for a mark and commence counting again. They repeat it as often as they need it. Their great events are record- ed by a stone or by a pictorial inscription, but they cannot mark the date, because, as we have stated above, they possess no standing numerical computa- tion. The date is kept by tradition, but after a num- ber of generations, it is lost in the darkness of time. They do not divide the day by hours, and very few even now understand our division of the day into twenty-four hours. Some of them have clocks and even watches, yet very few of them can tell the time. On several occasions they have brought me a watch sometimes going, but generally stopped, and asked me to tell the time of the day by that watch. I gave them the time from my watch, yet they did not appear to understand it. They go by the rising, elevation, and setting of the sun, moon, and stars. When I wanted an Indian at any particular time, I was obliged to express it by pointing with my hand the elevation of the sun from the horizon, corresponding to the hour of the day. They now reckon two mornings, whicli they call Awinotz-spanswi^ morning of the whites^ and Alna- THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. 85 Imj-spanswi, morning of the Indians, The former is from day-light to after sun-rising, the hitter is about eight or nine o'clock a.m. making an average between summer and winter. In the night they ob- serve the different phases of the moon in order to make an allowance for the change of the time of her rising. Like us they divide the astronomical day in day and night, but differently from us they do not distribute it into equal parts. They enumerate in the day as well as in the night six unequal portions, or I may say hours, which however are longer or shorter accord- ing to the season. They are the following. Division of the Day. 1— Uspanswiwi, the Ireahing of the day. 2 — Tse^hioat^ it is day. 3 — Paskwe, it is noon. 4:—Pedagusse, it crosses the line and goes on the other side. o — Nehile, it sets. Q—Maglangwrile, v. Icegan jMsed^, the tiuilight [evening). Divisio:n" of the J^ight. 1 — PisJde, it is night. 2 — Agwa7ietej)oket, it is after night. ^—Amawitepokei, it is hefore midnight. 4 — Epassietepohet, it is midnight. ^—Agwamitepohet, it is after midnight. ^ — Pitsetepoket, the night loill soon he over. These are the few Astronomical notices which I 3Q THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. have collected from manuscripts and from the tra- dition of the Indians. I feel confident that in past generations the Indians had a better acquaintance with the science of Astronomy, but since their inter- course with the Europeans, they have undergone a material deterioration in their physical as well as in their mental faculties. Each of them could and can yet, in some degree, rise and make in public a speech with such solidity and natural eloquence as to sur- prise even our orators, who require study and pre- paration in order to appear in public. In former times they could converse amongst themselves by mere signs, and gesticulations without articulated sounds. They could send messages and speeches to absent persons in small pieces of wood or in strings prepared with knots and folded, in a bundle, which the messenger or orator could deliver by unfolding the string from the bundle and read the speech or message, as if it were in a book. We have yet a more striking evidence of this deterioration, in the art of writing and reading. At the time of the discovery of the American continent, the natives had a thorough system of hand-writing by hieroglyphics, very much like that of the Chinese and Japanese. The Hie- roglyphics of the Mexican Indians are well known to the literary world, but those of the North-Eastern native Americans, although familiar to the Catho- lic Missionaries, yet had never been noticed by the antiquarian and scientiiic men. A specimen of them was presented by me to Samuel F. Haven, Esq., the learned librarian of the American Anti- quarian Society, which he noticed in his report at THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. 87 the annual meeting, held at Worcester Oct. 12, 1858. Another specimen also I have exhibited to the Maine Historical Society, which was inserted in the sixth volume of the Collections of the same Society. But lately the Hev. Charles Kauder, Missionary of the Micmacs at Tracadie, Nova Scotia, zealous of the salvation of the souls of the poor Micmac Indians, has with indefatigable labor, not only learned this North-Eastern Hierogl3^phic language, but also has succeeded, through his friends in Europe, in induc- ing the Austrian Government to print an edition of the Prayer-book and Catechism, written with hiero- glyphics in the Micmac language. The same Gov- ernment further presented him all the type and plates, expressly cut and cast, for his use in future editions. The Government of this State has made some efforts to teach the Indians to read and write English. But the teacher being a foreigner,* teach- ing in a foreign language, and not able to speak or understand a word of the native American language, has proved a great failure. I have seen Indians not able to read, after having been at school for four years, if we can call going to school the fashion of the Indians in frequenting it for two or three days, sometimes weeks, then growing tired, and fly- ing into the woods to hunt and set traps for wild animals. Another obstacle is the natural distrust of the Indians in the regard to the white. * The English language is foreign to the Indians, and the white or black people, although born in America, are foreigners, to them. CHAPTEE XIT. DOMESTIC LIFE. >N their domestic life the Indians were kind and very hospitable. They most willingly divi- ded their game with their relations and friends. The stranger Avas always welcome to their table. Their charity was not selfish, but sincere and true, which in a particular manner was practised towards the old people. If an old man had a son killed in war another young man was procured for him from amongst the nation that killed him. They were strono; and well built, but like the rest of the Indians they did not work much, nor did they like it, and even at present they have no relish for labor. Their necessities, however, at that time being very few, were abundantly and easily supplied by hunting and fish- ing at proper seasons. They did not know the cod- THE ABNAKIS : AND THEIR HISTORY. 89 fish, altliongh it was veiy abundant on their shores. They were frugal and sober. They had a kind of liquor made of the tops of the fir-tree, well boiled and put into casks with leaven or molasses, where it fermented for two or three days. After the fermen- tation was over, it was left to settle, and then it was good for use. They made and still make sugar from the inaple-trees, and it is one of their principal occu- pations and occasions of merrymaking durino- the spring. I Althongli at present their manner of dressing is pretty decent, yet formerly both men and women went nearly bare-footed and naked. The only garment which they wore was the mokkasin, and a kind of gown to the knees for the men, and some- what longer for the women. They did not wear any- thing on their head./ 'They have never been canni- bals, but they were docile and afifable in their man- ners. The modesty and decency observed in their families was great. Sisters and brothers behaved towards each other with propriety and respect. The brother abstained from any improper act* in the presence of the sister. A French traveller of more than a century and a half ago, to illustrate the great reserve and modesty existing in the Indian families, gives an instance, that in J^ova Scotia two Micmacs, brother and sister, went into the woods, and the bro- ther retired into the inner part of it for some natu- ral act. On his return to the sister, he had on his person some stain of excrement, of which he was * Viz : a crepitu ventris, eructatione, etc. 5* 90 THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. unaware. When he was made acquainted with it by the sister, he felt so ashamed and confused, that he returned into the woods and hung himself. When a young man wanted to marry a girl, he went to her father and said, "I would willingly be admitted into your family." The lather would answer that he was to speak to her mother. If the young man was a good hunter, the courtship was soon over. Sometimes it cost him much to gain the mistress, for he was obliged to maintain the whole family during a certain period of time, and if the girl was very deserving, he had to purchase her with presents. The ceremony was thus ; the father would say to the girl " follow that young man, he is your husband," and all was over. They would go away together into the woods. After some days they would return and they would invite all the neighbors, who would feast together. Here the fa- ther commended his son-in-law, and recounted tlie exploits of his forefathers, and all the company ap- plauded his choice. After their conversion to the Catholic religion, the marriage was celebrated in the face of the church, if a priest was near; otherwise the marriage was renewed again, when they had an occasion to meet with the priest. When a woman was with child, she informed her husband, and he generally abstained from commerce with her till after the delivery. This was a common thing. When her menstruation began, she also in- formed her husband, and avoided approaching him. She retired into the woods accompanied by another woman to give birth to a child, and the midwife re- THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. 91 ceived for her trouble the knife which cut the navel string. No pains were suffered in childbirth. The new babe was immediately washed, either in sum- mer or winter. For the first nourishment it took the oil of some fish, or melted tallow of some beast. The infant was made to swallow it, and afterwards it took nothing but the mother's milk, till it was grown large enough to feed like other children. However Lescarbat relates, that the children were forced to swallow grease and oil as soon as they were taken from sucking the mother's breast. If the child was a boy, there was a great rejoicing; but they were rather displeased if it was a girl. When an Indian passing by went into the hut, and seeing the new-born infant, would take it up and make much of it, the parents would make a present to that person. Should the child wet the party that held him, they would make another present for reparation. If a woman while nursing became preg- nant, she would cause an abortion by taking a po- tion, saying that they could not nurse two children at the same time. The women were very fruitful. Few houses were without five or six children. Some couples had eighteen children, while still of age to have more. The women were treated hard, and like servants. They were seldom known to be false to their husbands, but if a woman was taken in adultery she was in danger of her life. Single wo- men, however, were not much noticed in criminal intercourse. Young people were chaste. They were equally entitled to the estate of the parents. Only merit raised a man to honor. There was no inheri- 92 THE ABNAKIS : AND THEIR HISTORY. tance or birthright, and when one was once raised to honor, he was never removed, unless it were for some heinous offence. They never had nor have even at present, family names, hence the difficulty of tracing their families. The eldest son took the name of the father with the addition of the syllable sis, which means son, v. g. if the father was called JPiol (Peter), the first son was called Piolsis (son of Peter). The second son took another name. The third took the name of the second with the addi- tion of a syllable to the end of it, and so forth with the others. The first daughter took the name of the mother with the addition of the syllable sis in the same manner as with the sons. The second daughter took another name. The third took the name of the second w^ith the addition of a syllable and so forth. It is to be observed, that the particle sis afiixed to a name is nothing but a diminutive, viz. Saksis, little James, Ifaliesis, little Mary. But if this particle be affixed to a first born, then it means son or daughter. If there are two names, and this particle be found affixed to the se- cond name, it also means son. In this case this par- ticle is alwa^'s affixed to the name of the lather and not to that of the son, viz. Plansoa Mizelsis, Fran- cis, son of Michael ; Sabatis Etiensis, John Bap- tist, son of Stephen. The particle que, affixed to a name, means wife, and it is always affixed to the nanae of the husband and not to that of the wife ; thus, Malie Thomawisqiie, Mary the wife of Tho- nias (the syllable wi is for the sake of euphony). "When the particle sis is added to que, thus quests, it THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. 93 means daughter, viz. Sesil Etiennisquesis^ Cecilia the daughter of Stephen. If instead of sis^ they place the particle peun^ thus quepeun^ it means wid- ow, viz., Malie KHchi Nicolawisquepeiin^ Mary the widow of old Nicolas. The first time that the son killed any game, they had an entertainment for the whole family and neigh- boring savages. If they were into the woods, they w^aited for their return, and dried the meat to pre- serve it. The young hunter and his parents did not taste the game, hut they thought honorable to dis- tribute it to the company. They had a parti- cular ceremony for this occasion. They shouted and sang in honor of the young hunter. All that he killed w^hilst very young, was given away to others, to show his dexterity and courage. They made a feast also, when the child cut the first tooth. At their feasts, they always killed the best and most valuable hunting-dog, and they spared no- thing to make the entertainment good and agreeable. Yery often, however, the feast w^as mingled with weeping. Some old doting Indian woman in the midst of the rejoicing called to mind, that some twenty or thirty years before, she had a son killed. Then some of the guests would take compassion, and promise revenge, and never to give up, till he had killed some of that nation, to which the murderer belonged. He then would bring his head to her for her to eat. As soon as a father of family expired, he was taken from the wigwam, which was immediately 94 THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. set to fire together with all the contents, wliich prac- tice of burning the contents of the wigwam belong- ing to the deceased, exists yet to some extent amongst them. Then every person gave the corpse a present of the best things that they had, and which were used to ornament the grave inside and outside. They em- balmed the bodies of the dead, after extracting the bowels. Mourning consisted in painting themselves black and in uttering great lamentations. Their tombs resembled those of other Indian nations. We know that the tomb of a priest who died in the year 1716 was covered with a kind of arbor, and instead of a tombstone, they put a heap of pebbles, placed in decent order. Whether this manner of covering the graves was used for all persons of great distinc- tion, or only for the priest, we cannot be certain. It might have been a case only for the interment of this priest, as we do not read that it had been prac- tised with others. 4^ — ^y their religion. The Catholics of Bangor in time of need have several times been assisted b}' the Indians of Oldtown. When the old St. Michael's Church at THE ABJSTAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. 99 Bangor,* was built, a set of bigoted fanatics of that city threatened to pull it down, and the day had been appointed to perform this disgraceful and profane ac- tion. At that time the Catholics were too few in that city, and they were not able, to protect the church, but the Indians came from Old-Town, armed with guns, clubs, and tomahawks, paraded on the front of the church in the street, and defied the rioters to touch it. This firmness of the Indians prevented the mob from gathering and doing any harm to the church, and saved Bangor from a dis- grace which would have tarnished for ever the an- nals of that city, which has never been stained by a disgraceful act of bigotry, but has always contributed to the fame and pride of the children of the Pine State. The Indians used to go from Old-Town to Bangor, to sing on Sunday at old St. Michael's, and the first leader ot the choir was an Indian, who took great care and interest in instruct- ing the singers. There are people yet living in Bangor, who have been instructed by Salomon Swassin^ the Indian above mentioned. He died four years ago and lies buried at Old-town. The reason why some of the Indians are not as good as the rest of the tribe, is owing to their mix- ing too much with the white people, and the gene- ral misfortune of the Indians in coming in contact with them is that they contract all tlie vices of the whites, without learning any of their virtues. This * This was the first Catholic church at Bangor, in Court street. It was sold last year, because it was in a dilapidated condition, and no more needed. A large new church has been built on York street. 100 THE ABNAKIS : AND THEIR HISTORY. fact has always been observed and acknowledged by all persons familiar with the native Americans, al- though they are at a loss to account for it. Yet I do not wonder in reflecting, what class of white peo- ple the unfortunate Indians come in contact with. When the Indians first met with the Catholic missionaries, they divested themselves of many sav- age customs and vices, and learned many moral and Christian virtues. They improved their condition, and learned some civilization under the standard of the Cross. But these missionaries were virtuous peo- ple, and the proper persons to teach them good moral habits. Afterwards these Indians unluckilv came in contact with the worst class of society, and with people of the loosest habits, of no manners, without reli^-ion, or dis2:racino- the relio-ion which they professed. From these they have learned swearing, cui'sing,^'' stealing, drinking, licentiousness, disrespect and contempt for God, his ministers, and for religion, thereby their faith becomes weak. We s.ee the truth of it, when we reflect that the worst In- dians are those Avho go wandering about the country and mix with people of the above mentioned charac- ter. To this adding that they are neither scholars nor theologians, hence incapable of discerning be- tween an argument and a sophism. Several In- dians who pass for Protestant, and who themselves profess to be such, in reality are not Protestants, but Catholics, and sometimes very good Catholics also. * It is worth noticing that the Indian language has no word or expression to swear or curse. Wiien the Indians swear or curse tliey do it in English. THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. lOi According to their notions they do not deem it to be a falsehood on some occasions not to tell the truth nor to deny the faith by saying they are Protes- tants, when asked by persons who have no light to question them. I give an instance of it. When they go around the country selling baskets, mats, and such-like articles, they enter the house of some bigoted man, who objects to purchase baskets from them on account of their religion ; then ensues the folio win o; dialoo^ue between them : Protestant, — "You are a Catholic, I do not want to buy baskets from you." Indian. — "Me no Catholic." Protestant, — " Yes, you are Catholic, you belong to the Old-Town Indians." Indian. — "Yes me Old-Town Indian, but me no Catholic, me once Catholic, but now Protes- tant." The bargain being concluded, on leaving the house or store, the Indians (who generally are two together in selling) laugh amongst themselves, and say " me cheat white folks, he think me Protestant, me no Protestant, me always Catholic, here my beads (they pull the beads or a medal and show it to each other)." The difficulty of learning the Indian language, makes it difficult for missionaries to in- struct them, hence they are not well grounded in their catechism, and we cannot reasonably expect from them, what we deem proper to require from the wdiite people, whose language is possessed fully bv their missionaries. The schools introduced amongst them by direction 102 THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. of the government are a complete failure, not only because a foreigner altogether ignorant of the native American languages teaches the Indians, but also because the teacher selected by the government be- ing generally an American Protestant does not en- joy their confidence, all Americans being looked upon by them with great distrust. On several occa- sions I have been obliged to go from house to house to take the children to school. There are children, who have frequented the school for years, who are not capable of spelling a word of two syl- lables. Yet there are Indians who know how to read well, and some are capable of writing. But the credit of it is due to the late Yirgil Barber, — a missionary who resided amongst them for ten years, and whose memory remains in benediction amongst them. He w^as formerly an Episcopal Minister, became a convert to the Catholic Church — was ordained Priest, and sent to Old-Town to take charge of the Penobscot Indians. He worked amongst them with great zeal and perseverance, taught their school, and his labors were crowned with success. Those Indians taught by him are all well instructed. Bev. John Bapst also deserves credit for having instructed them, but unfortunately he was not encouraged by the Government. The scanty annual salary of fifty dollars allowed by the Government from the Indian funds for the support of the Pastor was withdrawn from him, as also the payment for teaching school*. Against the wishes * I am informed by an honest agent of the Indians, that the salary of the schoohnaster and of the agent of the Indians should be taken. THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. 103 of the most of the Tribe a Protestant teacher was forced upon the Indians. The division of parties stimulated by some malicious person to make prose- lytes of them, all concurred to check this effort in teaching them. not from the fund belonging to the Indians, but from the State, yet both schoolmaster and agent are paid with money belonging to the Indians. CHAPTEE XIY. DIVISION OF PARTIES AMONGST THE INDIANS OF MAINE INDIANS OF THE BRITISH PROVINCES. ^T is not improper here to relate the origin of the division of parties amongst the Indians at Old- Town, which has been the cause of many cala- mities amongst them, of their decline and ruin, and it will continue to work their utter destruction, if an end shall not be put to their childish dissensions. The commencement of the division of the Penob- scot Tribe was caused by the scandalous conduct of their chief Atien Swassin. He was accused of drunkenness, adultery, and other crimes. He was called to an account in public council. There he was convinced of the truths of these accusations, he was removed from office, and another Indian was elected C/a THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. 105 to be the Sangman of the Tribe. The friends and relatives of the old Governor stood by him, so the tribe became divided, having two Governors and two sets of officers. Those who had elected a new Sachem called themselves New Party / the others who stood by the old Governor were called Old Party. This was the original cause of their division, althongh other things were added afterwards to dis- tingnish one party from the other. They raised two liberty poles near each other, and two flags in oppo- sition. This division naturally was the source of many animosities amongst them. Quarrels, dissensions, and fights became very common. Finally they sent mes- sengers to the Passamaquoddy, St. John, Caughna- waga, St. Francis, and other tribes of Canada and other British possessions, inviting them to come to Old-Town and assist them in a fight which was to take place on the island. AVith the exception of a few wicked Indians, who joined the Old Party, all the tribes not only refused to give them assistance in the fight, but advised them to desist from this evil de- sign and to make peace. Six confederate tribes of Canada held a council in Caughnawaga, called the Great-fire Council from the name of the tribes, and the disturbances at Old-Town were the subject of the discussion. The Greatfire Council censured the Old Party^ notwithstanding the fiery remon- strances of Governor Francis of the Passama- (^uoddy Indians at Pleasant Point, who denounced the New Party^ abused them, and made every eff'ort to bend the decision of the assembly in favor of the 106 T'HE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. Old Party. The Great-fire Council sent two mes- sengers from Canada with a letter to the Penobscot tribe, complaining of the many scandals and evils perpetrated by them, of the disgrace which they had brought not only upon themselves and their children, but also \ipon th^ six confederate tribes of the Great- fire, They advised them to make peace amongst them- selves, to treat each other like brothers and to be docile to the voice of their Pastor, who was for peace and brotlierly love. The influence of the council and of their priest, Pev. John Ba^pst, induced them to agree to abolish both parties. Both governors consented to resign, both liberty poles were to be cut down, and they were to elect a new governor. All Indians for the sake of peace agreed to it, and a day was appointed for this general reconciliation. The Pt. Pev. John B. Fitzpa- trick, Bishop of Boston, whose jurisdiction at that time extended over the State of Maine, was invited to per- form this ceremony. The leaders of the Kew Party were honest and sincere, but the three leaders of the Old Party were not so. Piel Sakkis and the leaders of the Old Party had agreed to let the New Party first cut down their liberty pole, and then prevent any one touching theirs. The day appointed arrived. The Bishop of Boston and Eev. Mr. Bapst w^ere there on the island. They erected, a large cross near the church with the inscription, Pogo ut omnes unum sint^ 1 pray tlioi they all may he one^ St. John xvii. Indians w^ere appointed to demolish both liber- ty poles. They first cut dow^n the pole of the New Party, but when they were about striking with the THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. 107 axe into the pole of the Old Party, the three leaders rushed to the pole, and clasped it in their arms, crying that they would not let it Le cut down. The Indians appointed endeavored to demolish this pole, but they could not strike it without cutting the arms of the three Indians who held it. They w^ere ready to strike, hut this would have resulted in a bloody fight, and even in loss of life. Hence the Bishop and Pastor thought prudent to stop the Indians from going further. They denounced the duplicity of the leaders of the Old Party, who were excommunicated on the spot. The Bishop advised the 'New Party to keep quiet and peaceful and to have patience. He gave directions to the pastor to see what he could do with them, and if he thought proper, even to quit them, and he left in disgust.* On this the Old Party people became bold and in- solent. The New Party could not live in peace any longer on the island, and it was even unsafe for a well disposed and peaceful person to go to the Indian is- land. The priest himself could not live pleasantly amongst them. He was considered by the Old Party Indians to side with the New Party, hence he was treated by them with suspicion and distrust. The Rev. James Moore returning from his mission of the Passamaquoddy Indians, was accompanied by some canoes manned by Indians of that tribe, and while * One of the excommsnicated repeni«3, and having written a letter of repentance and apology to the Bishop, was absolved from the excommunication. Piel Sakkis followed his exaniple. The third is yet excommunicated. 108 THE ABNAKIS : AND THEIR HISTORY. they were approaching the shores of the Penobscot Indians' island, some of the Old Party saw these canoes with strange Indians, and Father Moore with tliem, wlio was not aware of their recent troubles, and they thought that he was coming with those Indians to as- sist the 'New Party to fight the old one. They went to the shore and disputed their landing till they had signed a paper in favor of the Old Party. Pev. J. Moore, liowever, had already landed, saying to them that he would not trouble himself about their party quarrels. Things were rendered still worse by the instigations o'f some Sectarians who availed themselves of this opportunity to fill the ears of the poor Old Party Indians with malicious stories, saying that the priest was against them, preventing their progress, enlightenment, and education ; that they should have a Portestant teacher, who would be the only one fit to instruct them, and all such things which found believers amongst the ignorant Old- Party. AfiPairs having reached the highest pitch of disorder, the pastor advised the New Part}^, who were peaceful and well disposed, to quit Old- Town, and to go to Canada and to live amongst the Caughnawaga and St. Francis Indians, where they could be in peace and quiet, could practise their reli- gion, and their children could be better instructed. They followed this advice, and left for Canada. Eev. Mr. Bapst also quitted Old-Town, and retired to East- port, where he took charge of the Passamaquoddy tribe. Tlieir village now was deserted by half of the tribe, the church and priest's house were closed, and no THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. 109 more service was held on the isLand. This was a favorable opportunity for some of the Protestants, who desired to proselytize the Indians, and who had for several years made useless attempts for this object. Protestant ministers now went to the island several times to preach to them, but they could not persuade a single Indian to listen to them. They insinuated to them, that since the priest had left them and that since they could no longer perform the Catholic reli- gion, and in conscience being bound to attend a re- ligion, they might join the Protestant denomination, which was as good as the Catholic, if not better, be- cause they could not please the Great Spirit without professing a religion. He promised that their minis- ter would go on the island to preach to them, and the Indians were requested to open the church, so that the service might take place in their church. But they were very much disappointed. The Old Party Indians, bad as they were, would not listen to the preacher, they refused to open the church, and they told plainly, that they would rather set the church on fire, than to see it occupied by a Protestant minis- ter; ''even if we were to open it," they said, "he would have only the benches to preach at, as no In- dian would ever go to listen to him." These gen- tlemen, however, continued devising means to in- duce the Indians to abandon the Catholic religion. They fancied to have a better success, if they would send a preacher of a native-American race. They found an apostate belonging to the remains of the Iroquois tribes in the western part of the State of l^ew York. This they sent to Old-Town to preach to 110 THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. the Penobscot Indians, but it was another complete failure, because the Indians threatened him to throw him into the Penobscot river, if he would put again a foot on the island. The Indians remained without a priest for the space of three or four years, and although they had been occasionally visited, especially in case of sickness, by Pev. James Moore, Rev. J. Force and other mission- aries, yet no service had been held on the island. During this time not only none of them changed their religion, but also none of them was even seen putting a foot into any of the Protestant churches which are numerous in Old-Town. They went now and then across the river to attend Mass at the Canadian church of that place. It was about this time that I was sent to attend the Eastern Missions of the State of Maine, and espe- cially to visit the Indians. I did not desire to go di- rectly to them, but I was seeking for a favorable op- portunity to see them, which was presented to me while I was at Old-Town. One Sunday after Mass, while I was yet in the church of the Irish and Cana- dians, some Indian women requested me to go across to their island in order to baptize some children. At first I refused, saying that I would not pat a foot on an island, which was so much defiled by so many crimes perpetrated by the Indians, who were in re- bellion against God and His church, and who had been abandoned by the priest. They apologized, pro- testing that they had given no cause for it, and that they were sorry for what had taken place. After this explanation I consented to go on the afternoon. THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. Ill When on the island, I walked directly to the vacant house of the priest. I examined every thing both at the house and church, and I found that nothing had been disturbed, but every thing was at its own place. After having baptized the children I prepared my- self to recross the river, but the Indians insisted that I should spend the night with them, which invitation I accepted after some objections. In the evening I gathered them at the church, and I gave them an exhortation, exposing to them their miserable condition, and in a particular manner I de- scribed their degeneration from their ancestors. I appealed strongly to their feelings, to bring them to a change of life. This exhortation had the desired effect. In the evening I was visited by several Indi- ans, who with a cool slyness — their great character- istic, questioned me, or rather I underwent a thorough examination about my politics in regard to the par- ties, about school matters, and such like, for which I was well prepared. During the night they held a council, and in the morning they sent me a delega- tion, which I received by an interpreter. The object of this delegation was, that they were anxious to change, and would if I consented to remain amongst them. This I could not promise, but told them, that if they were truly determined to live as good Catho- lics, and in peace with the rest of the Indians, I would consent to visit them regularly every month, until better provisions could be made in order to have a permanent residence amongst them. They agreed to it, and I commenced to visit them regularly every month. The other half tribe, in learning these arrange- 112 THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. ments between the priest and the Indians at Old-Town, then returned from Canada, yet there has not been since, any good feehng between the two parties, look- ing on each other with distrust. The year before last, however, they agreed to give up all parties, and to form only one body, yet the party feel- ing still remains. With the exception of a few, wdio work either in cultivating the land or in driving logs in the river, they are sluggish and have a natu- ral dislike for working, except hunting, where they endure hardships above description. This natural dislike for working arises from a false impression that work is a servile and mean thing, unworthy of the dignity of man, hence it was left to be performed by the women. Hunting and fighting are the only actions considered by them deserving the attention of man. The State Government had made efforts to encourage agriculture, but without success. The Government had directed the Indian Agent to plough at the expense of the Indian funds, one acre of land for each Indian, leaving to them the choice and labor of planting what they pleased, giving besides a bounty on what they would raise, excepting corn and cabbage ; yet the most of the Indians would let the ploughed land run into weeds rather than to trouble themselves to plant it. This Government order has been repealed in order to avoid wasting money without any profit. The squaws generally cultivate a kitchen garden near their houses, while the men smoke their pipes sitting on the threshold in idleness. Once I made them plant potatoes in the garden attached to the church, which they did be- TRAVELING ON SNOW SilOt;:i. THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. 113 cause I was there present personally, but being obliged to be absent in the fall, the potatoes were allowed to freeze in the ground, and remain there during the winter in order to avoid the trouble of digging them up. They have over one hundred is- lands belonging to them, from Old-Town up to the river. The land is generall}^ very good, but many- islands are small for a proper cultivation. The diffi- culty of landing horses or oxen to cultivate them in- creases the natural objections which they have for agriculture, especially in the spring of the year, when it is even dangerous on account of the ice and logs, which float in the river. Their morals are generally good, though they are prone to intoxication, for which the whites are more to blame than the Indians. They do not swear or curse. 'No Indian language has words for it, but the Indians have learned from the lowest class of the white people, who are famous for profane language, swearing, cursing, abusing the holy name of God, and of our Saviour, how to curse and swear in English. They form a nation distinct from the United States, and as such they are recognised by the Government. Yet it can be said to be only a nominal distinction, as in reality they are bound by the laws of the United States, although they do not vote, nor pay taxes. At the meeting of the legislature of the State of Maine each tribe has a right to send an Indian to Augusta to represent them, but without voice either active or passive. They are allowed one day to make a speech, in which they expose the necessities of the tribe, their grievances, and also 6* 114 THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. present petitions in the name of the tribe or of individuals. The tribe has a Governor, Lieutenant Governor, two Captains, four Counsellors, and three or four Deacons, or rather Sextons. The Governor is elect- ed for life, and although they for the last few years have elected him every second year, yet they do not generally like it ; lately they have chosen the eldest son of the old Governor Etien to be their Sangman for life. Tliese officers, however, are only nominal, as at present they have no power. The Deacons keep order in the Church, attend to the Yestry, town-hall, dancing, and wait on the Priest. They have in the hands of the State Government a capital amounting to lifty-three thousand dollars, — the price for a large tract of land sold many years ago, and for which they receive an annual interest of six per cent, through an agent. This capital was over seventy thousand dollars, but it has been reduced, because the agent very often drew not only the interest, but also a part of the principal. When the tribe became acquainted with this proceeding, they petitioned the Government not to allow any part of the principal to be drawn for the future, but to direct the agent to limit the annual ex- penses within the amount without touching the prin- cipal. Out of this money they make an appropria- tion for the sick and aged Indians, and bury the dead. The public buildings, that is, the Church, Priest's house, town-hall and school-house, are kept in I'epair from the common funds. Lately they appro- priate every year the sum of twenty dollars to be THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. 115 given to their Governor., The Pastor -was used to draw annually fifty dollars for his labors in attending them. This scanty sum, however, not even sufficient to cover his travelling expenses, has been for many years withdrawn from the Pastor; the Indians say by the bigotry of the Agent, the Agent says for the fault of the Government, and I believe the fault of both. Two years agoPev. M. Murphy, the Pastor of Eastport, who attended also the Indians at Pleasant- Point and Lewis Island, petitioned the Government for his fifty dollars to defray the expenses incurred by him in attending the Indians. The petition was referred to the Agent, who objected to it, on the ground that Pev. Mr. Murphy was not in need of if, because he had been observed giving money to the Indians. The fact was that Pev. Mr. Murphy had given some change to the Indians who had brought him in a canoe for four miles, across the lakes to Lew^is Island. This reason was sufficient for the Government to refuse the petition. Notwith- standing this, however the Pastor has always conti- nued to visit the Indians at his own exj)ense, and he has never failed to attend as usually without any compensation in this world, expecting an abundant one in the world to come. After deducting all these appropriations the balance of the interest is equally divided amongst them. The Agent who ahvays keeps a store gives them their dividend chiefly in provisions, but the Indians complain very much of it, because they are charged with the highest prices for the most common articles, which they could procure elsewhere with better sat- 116 THE ABNAKIS; AND THEIR HISTORY. isfaction in price and quality. It is generally the case, that their dividend amounts to a trifle. I re- member one year, when their share was only one dollar a head. By old treaties the Agent, school- master, and the bounty for what they raise, were to be paid by Government, but I am informed by the Agents, that at present they are paid from the funds of the Indians. The Government will pay the interest of this money as long as the In- dians remain as a nation ; that is, if they de- crease in such a manner as not to form a nation they lose any claim both to interest and principal. Hence the extinction of the Indians is of interest to the Government, and it does not appear to be at a great distance. The State forbids under great pen- alty the marriage of an Indian with a person of dif- ferent color, and even at this time when this country by a terrible war gives freedom to the degraded descendants of Ham, cursed by ISToe to be the servants of their brethren ; the Government denies freedom to a noble race once the only masters and lords of this country, who, though stripped of their lands, have never been robbed of their liberty. The Indians are not allowed by the Government to marry whom they please, even in their own inde- pendent land, although they are recognised as a dis- tinct and free nation. As there exist here only two small tribes^ the rest living at a great distance front them^ they have heen ohliged for many years to intermarry continually amongst relations^ hence they are degenerating and disappearing very fast A number of them are feeble, consumptive, and di§- THE ABNAKIS : AND THEIR HISTORY. 117 eased. I have myself represented this evil to the Governor of the State at Angnsta, but to no use, the law prohibiting the marriages of the Indians with persons of a different color, has not been repealed, and is in full vigor. Several years ago the self-sacrificing and zealous Pastor of the Passamaquoddy Indians at Pleasant Point, Rev. Ed. Demillier, was forced throngh motives of conscience to marry an Indian with a per- son of different color. The marriage was performed at Pleasant Point, an Indian independent territory, yet it was a great crime against the State. Pev. Edmond Demillier was prosecuted, and would have been taken to jail, if he had not been bailed by the Catholics of Eastport, he and his Indians being too poor to give security for his appearance to court ; but before his trial at the tribunal of this State, he was summoned to appear before the High Tribunal of the Author of Marriage, who had put no restriction on account of color; there he received the reward of his labors in behalf of the Indians. He died in the month of July of the year 1813, and was buried in their church at Pleasant Point, into the Sanctuary at the side of the Epistle. The Indians to this day pray on his grave, because he was their true friend on this earth, and thev should have reason to believe that he is also their patron in heaven. "What I have related of the Penobscot tribe, may also be generally said of the Passamaquoddy and Micmac Indians in reo:ard to their customs and man- ners. The Passamaquoddy tribe also split in two, but from a different cause, and the character of the 118 THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. two parties is dissimilar. In the Penobscot the new party, with some exceptions, is composed of the best and most honest of the Indians ; whereas in the Passa- maquoddy, the new party was formed of the worst of them, with the exception of a few, of which num- ber is Piel Mitchel, and the Governor Francis, who in every respect are honest, peaceful, and good Ca- tholic Indians. At present, however, the new party at Denis's Island are by far better than the old par- ty at Pleasant Point, with some exceptions. The cause of this change is, that the new party live on the Schoodic lakes at a distance from the white peo- ple, and they cannot obtain liquor, whereas the old party living at Pleasant Point can obtain abundance of it at Eastport and Perry. The divisions amongst them arose in the following manner. In 1836, two years after the decease of their Gov- ernor Francis Joseph Neptune, they elected as his successor his son John Francis, who is their pre- sent chief. Sabatis Keptune, with a strong party, has opposed him, expecting to be the Governor of the tribe. On the 4th of July of 1842 they tried to settle their disputes. Sabatis was accused of owing allegiance to Queen Victoria of England. He in re- ality was not considered to be honest. They tried to settle this trouble by a fight, in which Sabatis' party was worsted. They pulled down the American flag, cut down the liberty pole, and committed other outrages. In 1844, Newell Neptune, the Sachem next in rank, was elected to displace the Governor. Sixty- THE ABNAKIS : AND THEIR HISTORY. 119 eio-ht votes were cast, and Kewell Neptune was elect- ed nnanimouslj. Yet the old party adhered to John Francis. Hence the tribe divided in two. The new party elected a Governor in the person of Francis, brother of the Governor bf the other party, and of the whole tribe. They elected also other offi- cers. In 1848, the Penobscot and St. John Indians settled the question by allowing two parties and two Governors. Both parties, however, could not dwell in peace at the same place. The new party commenced to ram- ble along both shores of the St. Croix river, but tired of this manner of living by roving without a fixed settlement thev returned to Pleasant Point, and agreed to petition the Government to build a village for the new party on the northern shore of the Schoo- dic lakes in the township belonging to that tribe. A few houses were built, a church, a house for the priest, and a small town-hall. Before moving to Denis Is- land they met together at Pleasant Point, promised a mutual friendship, apologized for past offences and forgave mutually what they had said and done against each other, at the same time agreeing that the delegate which was to be sent to Augusta every year, should be elected by turn once from Pleasant Point, and another year from Denis Island. Here each half tribe legally recognised the other half and their respective officers. Then they entered the church and confirmed all these agreements by taking an oath on the missal upon the altar and separa- ted in peace. All the Indians of the new party, how- ever, did not remain at Denis Island for a long time. 120 THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. Many of them soon became tired of the new settle- ment, and left and roved along both shores of the St. Croix river. Some of them established their residence at Calais, others at Robinston, and others returned to Pleasant Point. Their manners are the same as those of the Penob- scot Indians, except that they are somewhat more affable. They are poorer than those at Old-Town. The only possession they have is a few acres of sandy and barren beach at Pleasant Point, and a township of very good land at Lewis Island. They have leased for fifteen years this township for lumber, and the price of it is in the hands of the State, which pays to them an annual interest of six per cent, through an agent in the same manner as with the Penob- scot Indians, and it is appropriated to the same use as with them. Pleasant Point is a lovely and romantic spot on the right shore of the Passamaquoddy bay opposite to Deer Island, and eight miles north of Eastport, but it is poor and barren, being nothing else but sand. They have no wood, hence their great suffering during the winter season. They generally live by hunting seals around the Grand Manahan* island. They make oil and sell it at Eastport. They are all Ca- tholics, and they have strong faith, of which tliey have given evident proof in several occasions. They obliged Mr. Kellogg, a Protestant teacher and mis- sionary, to decamp, because he tried to pervert them from their religion. He had been sent to the Passamaquoddies as a schoolmaster by the Gov- * Manahan means sea island. THE ABNAEIS: AND THEIR HISTOHTi 121 ernment of Maino, and as a missionary by the Mis- sionary Society in Massachnsetts. He did work enongli to enable liim to draw his pay from both He made no converts, and none of liis pupils could spell a word of two syllables. Their village at Pleasant Point is composed of a couple of dozen of houses, generally scattered alonjr the shore. The church with the priest's house at- tached to It is on the top and at the extremity of the pmnt, which is washed by the sea ; the water at high tide ,s only a few yards from the priest's house, which was built only a few years ago, the former dwelling, which had been occupied by the late Eev Mmund Demillier, being too old, has been demo- lished. There is a town-hall with the liberty pole a cannon to fire salutes, and a school-honse built in the year 1861 near the church, and on the spot where the old priest's house was. There is a graveyard in a very good location on the top of a hill The church, which is dedicated to St. Anne, has a belfry and bell in it, and it looks very neat from the outside and from the sea it has a romantic appearance, but the inside is simple and has nothing interesting, ex- cept that It is ornamented after the Indian taste. Ihis church was built from the proceeds of timber cut on the Indian township, and was completed in 1835. The other village at Lewis Island is smaller but It looks well from the lakes. The church is very much like the one at Pleasant Point, but instead of the belfiy it has a spire with a bell, it is also dedi- cated to St. Anne, and it is likewise ornamented after the Indian taste. The priest's house and school 122 THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. are located near the cliurch. They have a liberty- pole by the side of the townhall, and a can- non to fire salutes. The village is located in their own township, which, besides being very good land, is stocked with fire wood. The Indians of this village deserve credit for having improved in their manners, which is due to their being at a dis- tance from the white people. Many of them culti- vate land, and some of them possess very good farms. What has been said of the Indians residing in the State of Maine, may also be applied to those of the British Provinces. The principal village of the Et- chemins of I^ew Brunswick is on the St. John's river near Frederickton. The village is neat, and it has a small church dedicated to St. Anne, and it is ornamented after the Indian taste. There is a resi- dence for the priest, who generally stays amongst them. The tribe is as large as those in the State of Maine. The Indians do not confine themselves to that vil- lage, but they rove along the St. John's river and around the Bay of Fundy. They have another small village on the north-west part of New Brunswick, about the Tobic river, from which they derive their name. There is also another village, near Burned Churchy which name was derived from an Indian Catholic church burned by the English over a cen- tury ago. It was rebuilt, but about fifty years ago w^as burned down again by an English captain. The Micmacs of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia are somewhat smaller than the restyl>\it they are stronger and in better condition than those of Maine. THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. 123 This is owing to the fact that they are not obliged to intermarry amongst themselves. There is no pro- hibition for them to marry whom they like. Their principal settlements in New Brunswick are on the Mirainichi river, and on the Bay of Chaleurs. Tlie Micinacs deserve the credit of being the first amongst whom the cross was planted. The first act of reli- gious service held in North America, if we except the Icelandic settlements, was performed by the Catholics. Jacques Cartier, in the summer of 1534:, after visiting the Bay of Chaleurs, which name he gave to it on account of the excessive heat, went to Gaspe Bay. There he planted the cross amongst the Micmacs, and secured North ximerica to Christianity. He took two natives on board, Talguragny and Doma- gaya, sons of the chief, and carried them to France, and whom he fetched back on his voyage of 1535. In Nova Scotia their principal settlements are at India)x Island, Cornwallis, Esqidsoni, and Chapel Island', these two latter are on Cape Breton. Their churches, which are about like those of the Indians of Maine, are also dedicated to St. Anne. The number of Micmacs residing in Prince Ed- ward Island is two thousand and perhaps over. Their principal settlement is at Indian Eiver, where they have a church dedicated to St. Mary, where a priest resides. They have also another village at Lennox Island, and their church is dedicated to St. Anne. A number of them rove to the Magdalen islands, Newfoundland, to the island of Anticosti, and even as far as the shore of Labrador, but they have no permanent residence. They go thither to fish, or 12^ THE ABNAKIS : AND THEIR HISTORY. to hunt the seal, in the same manner as the Passamaquoddy Indians do in the Grand-manan for the same purpose. They stop there sometimes even for months, but they have no permanent residence. CHAPTER XY. CHARACTER OF THE INDIANS. jiEFORE closing the present subject on the ^M Aborigines of Acadia, I desire to make a few remarks on the accusations continually brought against the Indians, of their being trea- cherous and inflexible to Christianity and civilization, and that the many efforts made both by the people and government to improve their condition have been frustrated. Their cruelty has been painted with the most striking colors. Facts and examples have been brought to prove their ferocious inhuman- ity and barbarity, so that the people are generally inclined to believe that the Indians in some manner can be classed with the brute animals. The history of the Aborigines of America has not yet been writ- 126 THE ABKAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. ten. The person who will undertake this difficult task, must do justice to the kind dispositions of the red man. He has to meet many prejudices; he has to correct many wrong impressions existing in both Continents against the real character of the Indians. Their barbarism has been too much exaggerated. The facts and instances brought against them are only fragments detached from the whole narrative ; the antecedents are carefully suppressed, the causes are ignored, and the exceptions are given as general rules. It is true, that when they were first discovered by the gold-seeking Europeans, they were totally unacquainted with the fine arts and customs of the civilized Europe. The Indians, however, were liv- ing in a happy and simple independence. Their man- ners, although they did not suit the European taste, yet were appropriate to their own disposition and character, which formed what may be called an In- dian civilization, diflferent from the European. Their wants were few, and were only confined to the means of subsistence, which were abundantly furnished by their immense forests, lakes, and rivers. They had their national festivals, dances, and public amuse- ments. They were happy in this kind of golden age, and they by no means envied the European civiliza- tion, which, when tried to be introduced amongst them, not only proved a complete failure, but it has deteriorated their race, it has destroyed the greatest part of their nations, and it has rendered what was left a miserable and wretched generation, which per- haps will entirely disappear from the face of the American soil. THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORT. 127 The principal accusations brought against tbem are that they were cruel and treacherous, of which I will speak separately in the following chapter. ^i^s ■:;'H-»ii««*»*«=» ' CHAPTEE XYL TINDICATION OF THE CHARACTER OF THE INDIANS IM- PUTATION OF CRUELTY. I^XE of the charges brought against the Indians is, that they were doing war nation against nation, and in this manner exterminating themselves, and perpetrating brutal cruelties bj scalp- ing, torturing, mutilation, and other cruelties. The extermination of the Indians commenced when the Europeans began to occupy their land, or to civilize them. We do not know of any other extermination previous to that period. This extermination was made by the hands of the white people ; and by indi- rectly inciting Indians against Indians. But which of the civilized nations has not imbued the earth THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. 129 with the blood of men slain in war. Without going abroad, is not this very country, which claims to have made progress in civilization and Christianity, the theatre of an exterminating civil war by far sur- passing the exaggerated cruelties of the uncivilized and pagan Indians ? The number of lives lost in war in these four last years both in the l^orth and South can be put down to two millions ; yet the Indians are barbarians on account of a few hundred of them killed in war. The murders by cold blood commit- ted in 'New Orleans by a Butler, and by others at other places, either as hanging them to trees as spies or for retaliation, or shooting them as deserters, or sending them to the scaffold by wholesale, as with the Minnesota Indians. Exposing prisoners to the fire of the enemy, a barbarity never heard before in the history of man. The ornaments made in the South from Yankee bone surpass, at least match the murders of the Indians ; — the wanton burning of cities, villages, steamers, and trading ves- sels, the vandalic destruction of property by civilized white people, the entire desolation by arson, committed in the Shenandoah Yalley, by a Grant and Sheridan, in destroying every thing which would support man or animal, the brutalities of a Sherman in Atlanta, and its territory, far exceed the barbarities of the red man. The law of the country does not justify them more than the law and customs of the tribes excuse the Indians for their alleged cruelties. When the barbarities of the Indians in scalping their enemies and tormenting them are compared with 1 180 THE ABNAOS: AND THEIR HTSTORT. the brutalities of a ]S"ero, of a Diocletian, of a Maxi- milian, and other Emperors of the civilized world, philosophers will be puzzled to find which of them were barbarians- We know that the heads of the enemies were carried in triumph by the Indians, and that the scalps were kept as monuments of their pride, but what a striking contrast between the sav- age Pocohantas, and the delicate and finely educated daughter of Herodias in asking the head of St. John the Baptist to be brought to her in a dish, as a reward for her skilful dancing ! What a contrast between the savage Montezumas and the civilized De Soto ! The slaughter of the innocents to satisfy the pride of Herod may in vain be looked for amongst the barbarities of the Indians, which were confined to time of war, or with their enemies. The disgrace to humanity by Heenan and Bay- ers fighting before civilized and Christian spectators, finds no parallel in the history of the barbarian natives of this continent, but abundant examples will be found in the bull-fights of refined Spain, and in the blood-stained amphitheatres of Rome the great, and of Greece the learned. The cruelty used by the Indians in tormenting their enemies will van- ish when brought in comparison with the cruel- ties used by the English in India against the Sepoys, or with the tortures used in the middle ages to extort the truth from witnesses or criminals, and still more if we go backward to the primitive ages of Christi- anity and consider the inhumanities of civilized Em-^ perors against Christians without discrimination of Bex or age. We know of the pagan Etschimins and THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. 181 Micmacs that when an old man lost a son in time of war, they would kidnap a young man from that nation that had killed him, and give him to the old man for a substitute who was adopted and treated as a son, and as such recognized by the entire nation. We read in the annals of the civilised Minnesota, that that State offers a reward of two hundred dol- lars to every person who would kidnap or kill a Sioux warrior.* The Seminole Indians, by order of the government, were hunted with hounds from the marshes of the territory of Florida, because they did not choose to give up their native land. Civilized Englishmen, Spaniards and Americans have kidnap- ped cargoes of negroes from the shores of Africa and transported them to slavery into a foreign land ! The few remarks made on the imputation of cruelty attributed to the Indians must puzzle the accusers and make them blush, when a comparison is insti- tuted between the white and red man. They will find that the history of the white man presents far more numerous exatnples of barbarism and cruelties than that of the red man. Cannibalism has never been fonnd in America* The cruelty of the first conquerors of America, the Spaniards inflamed the gentle natives to a barbarous revenge ; and they were calumniated as cannibals, to afford a better pre- text for their destruction. Under this pretence the Caribs were extirpated. Yet, although the original inhabitants of the Caribee Islands emigrated from Korth America, yet they were mixed with many run-a-way Negroes. The black Caribs on the island * Freeman's Journal, No. 33, Nov. 21, 1863. 182 THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. of St. Vincent sprung from the intercourse of black slaves and Caribbean women. Cannibalism was found in some islands of Oceanica but they have nothing to do with the aborigines of America. "We know that cannibalism prevailed also among the sav- age Scythians and Sarmatians, as well as among the ancient inhabitants of Canaan. V, = W c? cr ^ -=? ^ 1— ( -^ '^j 20 p P^ CTS zTj cd,. W MXO ^ S=i r-t "* < tXH ^x:^ >-^ O CHAPTEE XYII. THE SAME SUBJECT CONTINUED. CHARGE OF TREACHERY. >HEK the Europeans first appeared on the l'# coasts of America, their coh^r, language, ships, fire-arms, etc., naturally alarmed the natives, who conceived fear and suspicion of them, but it soon disappeared, and the Indians welcomed the white men. They were hospitable, and gave material assistance to the Europeans, and furnished them with food in venison and fish, for which they received trinkets. But the Europeans treated the natives unfairly, and deceived them in trading, and in other transactions. This proceeding re- vived their former suspicions, and their fears were soon realized. By degrees the natives lost all confi- 134 THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. dence, and they looked on the whites as encroaching on their hunting-grounds, and as their decided ene- mies. This has been the cause why the Indians ap- peared to be treacherous. It was not treachery, but want of confidence, that filled the hearts of the In- dians with dislike towards the whites. The Europeans soon began to kidnap the Indians and carry them into slavery.* Soon after the discovery of America, the Indians of Hispaniola were exported to Spain and made slaves. The Spaniards visited the coast of North America and kidnapped thousands of natives, w^iom they transported into slavery in Europe and in the West Indies. Christopher Columbus himself kidnap- ped five hundred native Americans, and sent them to Spain, that they might be publicly sold at Seville. The practice of selling ISTorth American Indians into bondasre continued two centuries. In 1518 Las Ca- sas seeing the Indians vanishing away, because they could not endure the cruelty of the Spaniards, sug- gested that the negroes were better adapted for sla- very. We know that the Popes were obliged to issue bulls for the protection of the Indians, that they should not be treated as brutes, nor carried into slavery. At late periods there were Indian slaves in Massachusetts. Even nowadays the white peo- ple in California kidnap Indian children, and sell them for slaves. There have been sold lately one hun- dred Indian children in Lake County, California. The Colonies planted by the French in Acadia * Bancroft. THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. 135 were first supported by the Indiaus, wlio were fur- nishing them with means of subsistence. But they became disgusted with the French ; they refused to give them game, and the Colonies were nearly ex- tinguished. They charged the French of destroying them by poison. This is certain, that after the arri- val of the French the number of the Indians in Aca- dia soon diminished, and entire villages of Micmacs were left desolate. Several cases of poison by arse- nic are certain. The French had distributed arsenic to the Micmacs to kill their enemies, but not know- ing how to use it, they had done harm to themselves. The French had also given to them bad and infected merchandise, which had caused very destructive dis- eases amongst the Indians, who with some reason charged the French of poisoning them. The Penob- scot Indians received Capt. "Weymouth very kindly ; they invited him to visit their village, and their j^rin- cipal chiefs, but they were ill treated by him, and he even kidnapped several of them. But the principal cause which generated in the heart of the Indians a want of confidence and a dis- trust towards the white men, was the deception used by the whites to deprive the natives of their land. J^early all the Indians in the United States have been deprived of their land by deception. The Pas- samaquoddy Indians for a trifling consideration gave the privilege to the English to use for one or two years their village, where St. Andrew is at present on the Passamaquoddy Ba}^, but they were never able to have it back again. The English Govern- ment, gave them the Indian Island on the same bay, 136 THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY, but they were soon expelled, and were obliged to rove for a number of years, till tliey got from the Government some acres of land at Pleasant Point in order to have a permanent home. The same is the case with the Penobscot tribe, who have lost all their land, with the exception of some islands on the Penobscot Piver. It is true that treaties were made with the Indians, and authentic copies can be produced of their selling or giving up land, but the Indians did not understand the nature of these contracts, nor could they believe that a parcel of paper could bind them to give up their land for ever. Many of them thought that the land was only leased, and they expected it back. Many of these contracts were extorted from them when they were in a state of intoxication, or rather the agents made them drunk, and so they have in presence of witnesses signed contracts and deeds, of which they knew nothing at all. In Maine and Massa- chusetts, and perhaps in other States, there is record of dishonest and ignorant interpreters at the confer- ences, or tallcs as they call them, of incompetent and ill-disposed commissioners, who stated tlieir terms in vague language, or disposed of the business with which they were entrusted in hot haste, and before the chiefs could understand what was required of them ; and so again, in one negotiation, it is certain that a chief who went to a place designated was for- cibly carried to Boston, there to submit, while yet a prisoner, to such terms as should be dictated to him by the Government.^ In many cases it was not the * Christian Examiner. vf"^'' THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. 137 nation, but a few bribed chiefs that gave up the land, the tribes never ratifying the contracts. Often the contracts were not vokintary, but forced by fear, as made after that the land had been taken away. I re- late the very words of the Indians as reported by Rev. Mr. Heckwelder.* " When we treat with the white people, we have not the choice of the spot, where the messeno^ers are to meet. When we are called upon to conclude a peace (and what a peace !) the meeting no longer takes place in shady groves, where the innocent little birds with their cheerful songs seemed as if they wished to soothe and enliven our minds, tune them to amity and concord, and take a part in the good work, for which we are met. Nei- ther is at the sacred Council house, that we are in- vited to assemble. No I It is at some of those hor- rid places, surrounded with mounds and ditches, where the most destructive of all weapons, where great guns are gaping at us with wide mouths, as if ready to devour ns, and thus we are prevented from speaking our minds freely as brothers ought to do ?" In the sixth volume of the Collections of the Maine Historical Society, Mr. Frederick Kidder of Boston gives two treaties signed by the North-Eastern Indi- ans, where the signatures are seen from the Abnakis and Mareschite Indians, one made in 1713, and the other in 1717. But in perusing these treaties, they look more like terms imposed to them by a stronger na- tion, in whose mercy the Indians are left, than a free stipulation between two parties. There land is given * Pennsylvania Philosophical Transactions. 138 THE ABNAKIS : AND THEIR HISTORY. to the English, but without compensation, land is left to the English, which they already possessed, which land belonged to the Indians, as it is observed by the same Mr. Kidder in the same article. After the vandalic destruction of the Abnakis village in Norridgewock on the Kennebec River by the Bos- tonians and Mohawks headed by Col. Westbrook, wdiere the venerable old missionary Father Sebastian Rale fell a martyr together with a number of Indians, the survivors' retired to Canada, and de- manded redress through Mr. \^audreuil, Governor of Canada. Tiiey demanded from the Governor of Massachusetts that the English should restore their lands and rebuild their church, which they had destroyed at ISTorridgewock. There the In- dians denied that they had ever sold any land to the English, and when the latter claimed that much of it was theirs by a possession of more than eighty years, and that this possession gave them a title, the Indians replied — We were in possession before you, for we have held it from time immemorial. They had been induced to grant to the white people only that territory where their settlements were, but under condition that they should not encroach any further on their land. In 1752 Capt. Phineas Stevens pro- ceeded to Canada, as a delegate from the Governor of Massachusetts, to confer with the Abnakis, and to redeem some prisoners they had in their possession. At a conference held with them in the presence of the Governor of Canada, Atewaneto, the chief speak- er, made an eloquent reply, in which he charged the English with trespassing on their lands: he said, THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. 139 *' We acknowledge no other land of yours than yonr settlements, wherever you have built, and we will not consent under any pretext that you pass beyond them. The lands we possess have been given us by the Great Master of Life, we acknow^ledge to hold it only from him." A writer in No. XLIX. of the Christian Ex- aminer, makes the following remarks. ^^ Eev. Elijah Kellog, a Protestant, was employed by the Society of the Propagation of the Gospel for several years. His labors were eonfined exclusively to the Passa- maquoddy. Ko man could have been more devoted and assiduous, but he was not successful. The In- dians W'Cre fixed to the Catholic faith the first trial of discipline dissolved (the school) and scattered the Indian boys and girls to the four winds." In the same article he continues : "The experiment of attempting to reform their vagrant habits in mat- ters of labor and its rewards has been tried, has sig- nally failed^ and need not be repeated. Yet the Government of Maine can make, and, we venture to say, ought to make suitable and even liberal provi- sion for the permanent residence among them of a Catholic clergyman, who is willing to give his life to their service. Wedded fast to the faith and cere- ' monies of the Koman Church, they will heed the in- structions and rebukes of no Protestants." These Passamaquoddy Indians, together with the Etchemins of St. John's Kiver and the Micmacs, sent a solemn deputation to the Rt. Rev. John Carroll, first Bishop of Baltimore, to ask a missionary. This deputation was accompanied by a letter signed by 140 THE ABITAKIS : AND THEIR HISTORY, the chiefs of the Passamaqnoddy, St. John's and Micmac Indians, and they had the crucifix of Father Kale, which they presented to the Bishop. The Bishop kissed the crucifix, and returned it to them, accompanied by the following letter, the ori- ginal of which was given to me as a present by the Passamaqnoddy Indians at Pleasant Point. It begins thus : " Brethren and beloved children in Jesus Christ, I received with the greatest pleasure the testimony," &c. One of the reasons why the noble and meek Poger Williams was persecuted and driven into the wilder- ness, was, because he attacked and denounced the charter of the Colony as invalid, because the King of England had given to the white people the land of other owners, the Indians, without their consent. The learned Williamson, in the History of Maine, mentions this point. He records treaties with the Indians, but no mention is made there of any compensation giv^en. In 1618 he does mention some land sold by the Indians on the Kenne- bec, but no authority is given.* He reports there that in the peace of 1678 the English were to pay for the land to the Indians, because the land belonged to them, but we do not know whether the land had been taken by force or sold, nor we know whether any compensation was given. He relates the com- plaints of the Indians, from which we may infer that the land had been taken without their consent. He relates plainly that a treaty was concluded with the English for fear, and no exchange was received for * Williamson, Hist, of Maine, y. i. page 365 (n) 161, page 338. \ THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. 141 land. Father Kale in a letter sajs, iliat the Kenna- bec land belonged to the Indians. I will relate the very words of the Indians of several nations on this subject as reported bj Heckwelder, in the Penns}^- vania Philosophical Transactions, in the following words. It was about the Yirginians, whom the In- dians call Long Knives.^ " It was we (sa}^ the Len- apis, Mohegans, and other kindred tribes) who so kindly received them on their first arrival into onr country. We took them by the hand, and bid them welcome to sit down by our side, and live with us as brothers, but how did they requite our kindness? They at first asked only for a little land on which to raise bread for themselves and their families, and pastures for their cattle, which we freely gave them. They soon wanted more, which we also gave them. They saw the game in the woods, which the Great Spirit had given us for our subsistence, and they wanted that too. Tliey penetrated into the woods in quest of game, they discovered spots of land which pleased them ; that land they also wanted, and because we were loth to part with it, as we saw they had already more than they had need of, they took it from us by force, and drove us to a great distance from our ancient homes." The New Yorkers treated them in the same man- ner. " By and by the Dutchman arrived at Mana- Jiaclitanienh.\ The great man wanted only a little land, on which to raise greens for his soup, just as much as a bullock's hide v/ould cover. Here we * Pennsylvania Philosophical Transactions, v. 1. f Manhattan Island. 142 THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. first might have observed then* deceitful spirit. The bullock's hide was cut up into little strips, and did not cover indeed, but encircled a very large piece of land, which we foolishly granted to them. They were to raise greens on it, instead of which they planted great guns ; afterwards tliey built strong houses, made themselves masters of the island, then went up the river to our enemies, the Mengwe, made a league with them, persuaded us by their wicked arts to lay down our arms, and at last drove us entire- ly out of the country." The treatment of the Peunsylvanians towards the Indians is expressed in the following terms. " To many of those, Pennsylvania was a last delightful asylum. . . . On whichever side of the Lenapewi- hittuch^ the white people landed, they were wel- comed as brothers by our ancestors . . . who gave them lands to live on ... . and even hunted for them, and furnished them with meat out of the woods. Such was our conduct to the white men,f who inhabited this Country until our elder brother the Great and good Miquon:j; came and brought us words of peace and good w411. We believed his words, and his memory is still held in veneration among us Our brother Miquon died, and those of his good counsellors, who were of his mind. The strangers, who had taken their places, no longer spoke to us of sitting down by the side of each other as brothers of one family. They forgot that friend- * Hittuck river, hence Lenapewihittuck, the river of the Lenapes, so they called the Delaware river. f Dutch and Sweden. X William Penn. THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. 143 ship, which their great man had established with us, and wliich was to last to the end of time. They now only strove to get all our land from us by fraud and force, and when we attempted to remind them of whi.t our good brother had said, they became angry and sent word to our enemies, the Mengwe, to meet them at a Great Council, which they were to hold with us at Loehauwdke^'^ where they should take us by the hair of our heads and shake us well. ... " This affair happened in reality in Pensylvania. The Dutchmen, and afterwards the Englishmen made the Iroquois, called Mengwe by the Delaware, and other Pennsylvania Indians to assist them in exterminating the Lenni-Lenapis." The Mengwe persuaded the Lenapi to become women, that is, to lay down their arms and to occupy themselves in agriculture, and thus disarmed they could be slaughtered. The manner in which the Lenni-Lenapis were treated by the whites is mentioned by them in these touching words.f '' We and our kindred tribes lived in peace and harmony with each other, before the white people came in this Country. Our Council housej extended far to the E'orth, and far to the South. In the middle of it we would meet from all parts to smoke the pipe of peace together. When the white men arrived in the South, we received them as friends. We did the same when they arrived in the East. It was we, it was our fore- fathers, who made them welcome, and let them sit * Eaton in Pennsylvania. f Heckwelder, Hist : narrat. v.l % It means Connection, District. 144 THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. down by our side. The land tliey settled on was ours. We knew not but the Great Spirit had sent them to us for some good purpose, and therefore we thought they must be a good people. We were mis- taken ; for no sooner had they obtained footing on our land, than they began to pull our Council-house down, first at one end and then at the other, and at last meeting each other at the centre, where the Council-fire was yet burning bright, they put it out. They extinguished our Council-fire with our own blood, and with the blood of those,* who w^ith us had received them, who had welcomed them in our land. Their blood ran in streams into our fire and extinguished it so entirely, that not one spark was left whereby to kindle a new fire.f We were com- pelled to withdraw ourselves beyond the Great Swamp,:]: and to fly to our good Uncle the Delamat- tenos^% who kindly gave us a tract of land to live on. How long we shall be permitted to remain in this asylum, the Great Spirit only knows. The whites will not rest contented until they shall have destroy- ed the last of us and made us disappear entirely from the face of the earth." About the Kew Eng- landers the Indians speak in the following manner, "When the Yangeese arrived at Machtitschwanne they looked about everywhere for good spots of land, * They allude to the murder of the Conestogo Indians, who, though of another Tribe, yet had joined them in welcoming the white people to their shores. This lamentable event took place in reality. See Philosophical Translations, v. i. f This fact happened in 1762, at Lancaster, Pennsylvania. X The glades on the Alleghany mountains. § The Hurons, so called by them. THE ABNAKIS : AND THEIR HISTORY. 145 and when they found one, they immediately and with- out ceremony possessed themselves of it. We were astonished, but still we let them go on. . . . But when at last they came to our favorite spots, those which lay most convenient to our fisheries, then bloody wars ensued. . . . these white men encroach- ed so fast upon us, that we saw at once we should lose all if we did not resist them." Gookin, in his history of the Christian Indians, has exposed their sufferings, and the ill treatments received from the whites. This is the reason why they have resisted the efforts of Protestant Missionaries to christianize them ; it was because the preachings of these Mis- sionaries were counteracted by the bad example, injustices, and ill treatment from the hands of the white Christians, and while with one hand they were giving to tliem the Bible, with the other hand they were robbing them of their land. Gookin says that the English soldiers made nothing- of the Indians. Governor Hutchinson says that this more than any other thing occasioned the defeat of the endeavours for christianizing the Indians; .... it sank their spirits,^ led them to intemperance, and extirpated the whole race. For this reason when the zealous Eev. John Eliot tried to engage Philip's attention to religion, the Sachem taking hold of a button on the good man's coat, said that he cared no more for his religion than for that button.* When Mr. Mayhew requested of ISTinigret, chief of the ]S"arragansets, liberty to preach to his people, the * Mather's Magnalia. 146 THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. Chief bid him go and make the English good first: and in effect added, that so long as the English could not agree among themselves what Keligion was, it ill became them to teach others.^ The vandalic destruc- tion of the last Abnaki village in Maine is pointed out to the stranger by that celebrated monument standing on the shores of the Kennebec river. That land belonged to the Indians, who have never received any compensation for it, notwithstanding the repeated applications made by the Indians, and by the governor of Canada. * Life of Ninigret in Drake's Book of the Indians. li. S5 ■^ I — I p>- :^ !=: "^ aq Pl CO ^ ^ o LU —J ^ p^ p-^ ^ -c=: <3: P^ f-; 1— CO pr! "^ «=t: ^ ^ on LiJ ^ pi" OO O o >• -y3 U_l t/2 CE. fl^ pi. CHAPTER xyni. PRESENT TREATMENT OF THE INDIANS EAST AND WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI. HANGING OF THIRTY-NINE MINNE- SOTA INDIANS. >T is an impression prevailing amongst some per- sons that the Indians at present time receive better treatment, encouragement, and assistance both from the Government and from the people. But, unfortunately it is not so. They are treated as badly as ever. The few tribes left east of the Mis- sissippi have been moved away forcibly from their hunting-grounds and fishing shores to lands ap- propriated by the Government west of that river, and when that land too became coveted by the peo- ple, they were removed still further west either will- 148 THE ABNAKIS : AND THEIR HISTORY. ingly or not willingly. The Seminoles of Florida never consented to quit their favorite soil of the At- lantic shore. They felt satisfied to occupy the sick- ly swamps and bogs of the Florida territory. Yet the white man did not wish to have the red face too near to him. They were forced to sign a treaty to move west, yet their attachment to the native soil could not persuade them to fulfil an extorted treaty. Many of them resisted by force. Many years of harassing war by the Government could not expel them. Money was lavished, and many precious lives were sacrificed. It became the subject of speculations and politics. Finally the Seminoles were brutally hunted by hounds and mastiffs — an example never known to have been practiced even by cannibals, yet it has been used by a Christian and civilized nation, on the very native land of the Indians. The Cherokees embraced the European civilization to a great extent. They applied themselves to the cultivation of the land, and to the mechanical arts ; they had schools of their own, they had even started newspapers in their own language, yet notwithstand- ing this they were obliged to quit their native home and move to a far distant country. This ill treatment is not confined only to the na- tives east of the Mississippi, but it is extended to those living on the other side of it. The recent mas- sacre of the Minnesota settlers by the Sioux Indians? and the hanging of the Indians by wholesale by the hands of a beneficent Government, has put before the eyes of the people many curious and astonishing facts. THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. 149 When the white people commenced to form settle- ments near the Indian reservations, or into the very land belonging to them, they looked on the Indians as a nuisance and intruders, and overlooked to re- flect, that the natives were the masters of the land. Agents were appointed by the Government, who di- rectly and indirectly assisted the white people to get rid of the Indians. The Indians of Minnesota were driven by despair to commit the massacre re- ferred to.* Several years ago they were forced to sell to the Government a large tract of land. They were swindled, and never received any compensation. The agent gave them liquor and other articles calcu- lated to demoralize them. The Chiefs and other wise Indians frequently though in vain remonstrated with Government. Considering that they had been deceived, ruined in their morals, and find- ing no redress, they looked on the extorted sale of land as null, and tried to expel by force the whites who had intruded on their land. Bishop Whip- ple shows very plainly, that this wretched peo- ple have been the victims of theft, murder, violence to women, where death had followed at the hands of white and red men. The Government had fostered idleness by encouraging a savage life especially by sale of intoxicating liquors. They have repeatedly remonstrated against these evils. The Indians have several times demolished the stores of the agents con- taining liquor, scalping knives, beads, etc. They des- troyed these articles for their own protection. Yet * See New York Tablet, Boston Journal, and other papers of that date. Also Bishop Whipple's letter on that subject. 150 THE ABNAKIS : AKD THEIR HISTORY. the Government never moved a step to do them jus- tice. Bat when driven by madness and despair they expelled by force the intruding whites, and killed some of them, then the Government sent an army^ not to redress the wrongs, which for several years had been perpetrated by the whites against the Indi- ans, but to punish by a wholesale slaughter the un- fortunate Indians who had been compelled to perpe- tuate these barbarous acts, which, however, we do not mean to approve. A one-sided judgment found guil- ty two hundred Indians. The Government wnshed to execute only those who had been guilty of violat- ing white women. A number of red women had been violated by white men, but being there differ- ence in the color, no notice had been taken of it. Unluckily for the Indians only two of them were found guilty of having violated white women ; and the sacrifice of two could not satisfy the Governmentj but a wholesale slaughter was ordered by hanging thirty-nine Indians. This manner of acting of the Government and peo^ pie towards the native Americans, is not limited only to those living east and west of the great Mississip- pi River, but it extends far west beyond the Rocky Mountains, as far as to the shore of the Pacific Ocean. CHAPTEE XIX. tKEATI^IENT OF THE CALIFORNIA INDIANS. RESERVA- TION SYSTEM ADOPTED BY THE GOVERNMENT LIKE THAT OF THE CATHOLIC MISSIONS IN AMERICA. HEN the State of California was admitted ^i into the Union, the number of the Indians livinoj within its borders was estimated to one hundred thousand. Now they scarcely reach thirty thousand. This great reduction is due to the efforts of the white people to civilize them. The manner of civilization was the following.* In the ■Vv'ine-growing districts they were employed to culti- * "We have received permission to make quotations froDi Harper's Magazine in this last article. 152 THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. vate the land. Tliej were usnallj paid in native brandy every Saturday night, put in jail next morn- ing for getting drunk, and bailed out on Monday to work out the fine imposed upon them by the legal authorities. This system prevails yet in Los Angeles and Pueblo. — In the northern portions of the State the settlery engage at a fixed rate of wages to culti- vate the ground, and during the season of labor they feed them on beans and give them a blanket or a shirt each. The harvest being secured, the account was considered square, and the Indians were driven off to forage in the woods for themselves and fami- lies, during the winter. Many of them, of course, perished of starvation and exposure, and others were killed on the general principle that they must have subsisted by stealing cattle. The Indians inhabiting the Coast Range, the val- leys of the Sacramento and San Joaquin, and the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, became trouble- some at the period of the discovery of the gold mines. It was found convenient to take possession of their country without recompense, rob them of their wives and children, kill them in every cowardly and bar- barous manner ; and when it was not practicable, to drive them as far as possible out of the way. These unfortunate creatures could not understand why they should be murdered, robbed, and hunted down in this way, without any other pretence of provoca- tion than the color of their skin, and the habits of life to which they had always been accustomed. Ac- tuated by motives of resentment, a few of them occa- sionally rallied, preferring rather to die than submit THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. 153 to these wrongs. White men were killed from time to time ; cattle were driven off, horses were stolen, and various other offences were committed. The Federal Government, as in the case of the Minnesota Indians and others, sent troops to aid the settlers in slaughtering the Indians. Congress took the mat- ter in hand. A large sum of money was appropri- ated to purchase cattle and agricultural implements for the relief of the Indians. Agents and sub-agents were appointed with rich salaries, and treaties were made, in which the various tribes were promised many valuable presents, which they never got. Many thousands of cattle w^ere purchased, but instead of being given to the Indians, they were driven, at least for the greater part, to the mines, and sold at good prices to the gold diggers. The Indians so benelited continued to starve and continued to be abused and driven away to perish by starvation and exposure, notwithstanding the money of the Government. Many Indian chiefs protested, that if the white peo- ple would only let them alone, and give them the least possible chance to make a living, they would esteem it a much greater favor than any relief they had experienced from Congress. In 1853 Congress enacted laws for the establish- ment of a reservation system in California, like the one used by Catholic Missionaries in Mexico, Cali- fornia, Brazil, and Paraguay, etc., which had worked so admirably. It was known that the Catholic Mis- sions in California had been built chiefly by Indian labor. Before the encroachment of the Americans on California, Catholic Missionaries had fully demon- 8 154 THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. strated the capacity of the Indians for the acquisition of civilized manners. By this system extensive tracts of land had been cultivated, numerous vineyards had been planted, many hostile tribes had been subdued, and without any aid of the Government, beyond the grants of land for Missionary purposes, the Indians grew wealthy, possessed immense herds of cattle, sold agricultural products to the rancheros, and kept up an active commerce in hides and tallow with the United States. If all this was done by Spanish priests without arms or assistance, in a savage country, when the In- dians were more numerous and powerful, surely they thought, that it could be done in a comparatively civilized country by intelligent Americans, with all the light of experience, with the co-operation of a beneficent government, and the zeal of numberless Bible and Tract Societies. Large appropriations were made by Congress to carry it into effect. Tracts of land of twenty-five thousand acres were ordered to be set apart for the use of the Indians; officers were appointed to super- vise the affairs of the service ; clothing, cattle, seeds and agricultural implements were purchased, and va- rious tribes were invited to settle. The first reser- vation was established at Tejon in the southern part of the State, and the Indians were feasted with cattle. It cost about $250,000 only to start it. Simi- lar reservations were made afterwards also in the Sacramento valley at a place called INome Lackee, south of Cape Mendocino ; and one on the Klamath, below Crescent City ; besides which, there were In- THE ABNAKIS : AND THEIR HISTORY. 155 diaii farms, as adjuncts of these reservations, at the Tremo, ^Nonie Cult or Round Yalley, the Mattole Yalley, near Cape Mendocino, and other points. Unfortunately one pohit escaped the observation of Congress and Government in regard to the system carried by the Catholic clergy, whicli had worked so admirably in California with the Indians. The Ca- tholic Missionaries were persons actuated by no hu- man purpose. Their object was to carry the light of the Catholic Church to those distant children of the forests. The primary mission of the Catholic Church is to win souls to Heaven ; the secondary mission is to advance human civilization in the culti- vation of man in this world, in his education and in- struction of things of this life. Tiiese two objects are intrinsically connecting each other. The former naturally generates the latter, the latter cannot sub- sist without tlie former. The Missionaries were self- sacrificing men, entirely disinterested, earnestly and altogether devoted to carry out those two missions of the Church of Christ. They soon won the confi- dence of the Indians. They with their example, simplicity of life, mortification, and self-denial, en- graved into the hearts of those Indians the maxims of the Gospel, which they preached to them; and God who had promised to give efiicacy to the words of those whom he liad charged to teach all nations, and to be with them even to the end of the world, gave grace and assistance, and the Missions yielded a hundred-fold fruits. This point was entirely disregarded by Congress. Its object was only human, and regarded only this 166 THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTOKY. world. 'No provisions were made to win the Indians to Heaven, but only to gain them to the Govern- ment. The persons employed to carry out this sys- tem were people who had worked for the election of the Administration, and were to be rewarded by lu- crative offices, and while they were to look after the Indians, they were to gain votes for the new candi- dates. They could not persuade the Indians -to be temperate, as liquor was used very freely by the offi- cers, and persons of intemperate habits were ill calcu- lated to improve the morals of the Indians. The funds appropriated for the Indians were used for electioneering purposes. From time to time very flattering accounts were transmitted to Congress of the progress of the system. The extent and variety of the crops were fabulously grand. Immense numbers of Indians were fed and clothed — on paper. The Department esteemed all this to be a close approximation to the Spanish Mis- sion system. But notwithstanding these flattering accounts, complaints were continually sent to the Government that a very large amount of money was annually expended in feeding white men, and starv- ing and destroying the Indians. A special agent was directed to examine into the aft^airs of the ser- vice, and report the result. He went to California, examined the afl*airs, and reported to the Govern- ment that the policy pursued was wrong. The white people were becoming fat and the Indians starved. During a period of three years from mail to mail the agent made his reports piling up proof upon proof, protesting and remonstrating against the policy pur- THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. 157 Bued. Other ai^ents were sent to ascertain if he had told the truth, who were forced to confess the truth of wliat he had said. Kotwitlistanding these reports, the Indians were starving in the reservation, and nianj of these who were physically able took advantage of the leave of absence granted them freely, and left. Yery few ever remained at these benevolent institutions, when there was a possibility of getting anything to eat in the woods. Every year numbers of them perished from neglect and disease, and some fj-oni absolute starvation. Only a few hundred Indians were left out of the many thousand that existed prior to the inauguration of the system, living within the limits of the districts set apart fur reservation purposes. 'No pretext has been wasted ; no opportunity lost to put the Indians out of the way. At ]S"ome Cult Yal- ley during the winter of 1858-59 more than a liundred and fifty peaceable Indians, including women and children, were cruelly slaughtered by the whites. ^ Mr. J. Koss Browne relates this barbarous ti'eatment in the following words.* It was alleged that they (the Indians) had driven off and eaten pri- vate cattle. ..." Upon an investigation of this charge, made by the officers of the army, it was found to be entirely destitute of truth : a few cattle had been lost, or probal)ly killed by white men, and this was the whole basis of the massacre. Armed parties went into the rancheros in open day, when no evil was apprehended, and shot the Indians down, weak, harmless, and defenceless as they were — witb- * Harper's Magazine. 8* 158 THE ABNAKIS : AND THEIR HISTORY. out distinction of age or sex ; sliot down women with sucking babes at their breasts ; killed or crippled the naked children that were running about; and after they had achieved this braA^e exploit, appealed to the State Government for aid. Oh ! shame, shame ! where is thy blush, that white men should do this with impunity in a civilized country, under the very eyes of an enlightened Government. They did it, and they did more. For days, weeks, and months, they ranged the hills of Xome Cult, killing every In- dian that was too weak to escape ; and what is worse, they did it nnder a State Commission. . . . The General Government folded its arms and said — What can we do ? We cannot chastise the citizens of a State." " At King's Kiver, where there w^as a public farm maintained at considerable expense, the Indians were collected in a body of two or three hundred, and the white settlers, who complained that the Government would not do any thing for them, drove them over to the Agency at the Tremo. ^ " The Agent pnrchased from the white settlers the acorns which the Indians had gathered and laid up for winter use at King's Hiver. ^Notwithstanding the acorns they were very soon starved out of the Tremo, and wandered away to find a subsistence wherever they could. Many of them perished of hunger on the plains of the San Joaquin. " At the Mattole Station, near Cape Mendocino, a number of Indians wei-e murdered on the public farm within a few hundred yards of the head-quarters. The settlers in the valley alleged that the Govern- THE ABNAKIS : AND THEIR HISTORY. 159 ment would not snjp^rt tliem, or take any care of tliera ; and as settlers were not paid for doing it, they must kill tlicm to get rid of them. " At Humboldt Bay, and in the vicinity, a series of Indian massacres by white men continued for over two years. The citizens held public meetings, and protested against the action of the general govern- ment in leaving these Indians to prowl upon them for a support. . . The State sent out its militia, kill- ed a good many, and captured a good many others, who were finally carried down to the Mendocino re- ^servation. They liked that place so well, that they hift it very soon, and went back to their old places of resort, preferring a chance of life to the certainty of starvation. During the w^inter of last year a num- ber of them were gathered at Humboldt. The whites thought it was a favorable opportunity to get rid of them altogether. So they went in a body to the In- dian camp during the night, when the poor wretches were asleep, shot all the men, women, and children, they could at the first onslaught, and cut the throats of the remainder. Yery few escaped. 'Next morn- ing sixty bodies lay weltering in their blood, the old and the young, male and female, w^ith every wound gaping a tale of horror to the civilized world. Chil- dren climbed upon their mothers' breasts, and sought nourishment from the fountains that death had drain- ed ; girls and boys lay here and there with their throats cut from ear to ear ; men and women, cling- ing to each other in their terror, were found perfo- rated with bullets ; or cut to pieces with knives ; all were cruelly murdered." 160 ^ THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. This was the result of the system adopted by the Government to imitate that of the Catholic Missions; it was a complete failure. Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars a year for six or seven years has in- flicted considerable injury upon the poor Indians ; it has reduced them from a hundred thousand to about thirty thousand, and these are exterminated every day. The progress of settlement has driven them from place to place till there is no longer a spot that they could call their own. The same Mr. Browne says : " I am satisfied, from an acquaintance of ele- ven years with tlie Indians of California, that had thq least care been taken of them, these disgraceful mas- sacres would never have occurred. A more inofien- sive and harmless race of beings does not exist on the face of the earth. But wherever they attempted to procure a subsistence, they were hunted down ; driven from the reservations by the instinct of self- preservation ; shot down by the settlers npon tlie most frivolous pretexts ; and abandoned to their fate by the only power that could. have afforded lliem protection. . . . They have no voice in public afi'airs. All they ask, is the privilege of breathing tlie air that God gave to us all, and living in peace wher- ever it may be convenient to remove them. Their history in California is a melancholy record of neg- lect and cruelty ; and the part taken by public men high in position in wresting from them the very means of subsistence, is one of which any other than professional politicians would be ashamed.'' CHAPTER XX. CONCLUSION. tT is liumiliating to state that it was publicly de- clared and every where said in Maine, that no white man had been, or would be convicted of killing an Indian.* One Penobscot chief was slain without cause, when on a mission to effect an ex- change of prisoners ; anotlier was murdered while communicating with a post under a flag of truce ; another was decoyed on shipboard, and treated with great indignity while under another flag of truce. For these murders and otliers far more horrible, no Anglo-Saxon was ever punished as the laws required. They have always escaped the extreme penalty ot * Christian I'Jxaminer, No. cxcix. p. 45. 162 THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. the law. The Etchemins of this day know by tradi- tion the truth of these facts. In 1817, Piol Zusep was tried for his life at Castine, for the murder of William Kniglit at Bangor, the previous year ; and John ISTeptune, the present Lieutenant-Governor, after the verdict of manslaughter, in a thronged as- sembly of citizens of his own tribe, and of delegates from the Passamaquoddy and St. John's, addressed the Judges of -the Supreme Court of Massachusetts in mitigation of sentence. His bearing was calm and dignified, and he was listened to with profound at- tention. "You know," he spoke, " your people do my Indians a great deal of wrong. They abuse them very much: yes, they murder them; then they walk right off, . . . nobody touches them . . . and this makes my heart burn " (he meant that white men were never so much as arrested). The sentence of Piol Zusep was not mitigated. He was condemned to suffer the full penalty of the law. After a lapse of nearl}^ forty years in prison, his face bleached almost to whiteness, he could scarcely be recalled b}^ some persons who went to see him. His long black hair tangled and knotted, his glaring eyes deeply sunken, his hurried paces across his cell, his coming to and retreating from the grate, and his moans like a child, and his shouts like a madman, made a fearful impression on the visitors. Zusep died tliere in jail ! An Indian of course must under- go the full rigor of the law ; but no Anglo-Saxon was ever punished for killing an Indian ! The frauds a2:ainst the Indians at the truck or tra- ding houses were carried to an astounding extent. THE ABNAKIS: AND THEIR HISTORY. 163 It would be sufficient to say that even Cotton Mather, whose heart was hard against the Indians, was ob- li2:ed to confess that the beaver trade with the Indi- ans was very scandalously managed. In 1676 Ran- dolph, in his narrative to the Privy Council of Eng- land, si^oke in great bitterness of the general course of the Bostonians, and accused the magistrates for their profit, lucre, and gain, so provoking the Indians to hostile deeds. 'It would be an easy but long task to mention here all the injustice, wrongs, and abuses perpetrated by the white men against the red race in the United States of America ; it would require the space of several volumes to relate these melancholy events. It is hoped, however, that it will be done by the per- son who has to write the history of the noble red man. It will belong to him to expose before the civilized world the just complaints of the Aborigines of Ame- rica. He has to do justice to the kindness and socia- bility of the Indians. If instead of the imaginary romance of Uncle To'un^s Cabin, an historical w^ork had been written on the Heel Man's Wigwam, not with a spirit to alienate a part of the people against another, not to excite political intrigues, but with the intention to unite their hearts together to see and consider the wrongs done against the red man ; to re- pair the evils which they have inflicted on them ; to treat them kindly and justly in the future; if the government had taken only half the trouble and money spent for the negroes, to redress the wrongs of the unlucky Indians, who were the only lords and masters of this Continent, it would have 164 THE ABNAKIS : AND THEIR HISTORY. appeased the wratli of God jnstly kindled against the people of this country, it might have arrested the chastisement of a civil war with which the Almighty and just Father of all races has punished the white men, who, having robbed the Indians of their homes and property, which He had given to them, now force them even to disappear from the face of the earth. i i APPENDIX. LETTEE OF BISHOP CAEEOLL TO THE ABI^AEIS. Beethken akd Beloved Children- m Jesijs Christ : I received with the greatest pleasure the testi- mony of your attachment to your holy religion, and I venerated the sacred Crucifix sent by you as expressive of your faith. Brethren and Children: I embrace you with the affection of a Father, and am exceedingly desirous to procure for you a worthy Teacher and Minister of God's holy Sanctuary, who may administer to your young people^ your sons and your daughters, the Sacrament of Baptism; may instruct them and you in the law of God and the exercises of a Christian life ; may reconcile you to God, your Lord and Maker, after all your transgres- sions ; and may perform for your women, after child-bearing, the Eites ordained by the Church of Christ, i 1 66 APPENDIX. Bretheen and Beloved Childken" : As soon as I received your request, and was in- formed of your necessity, I sent for one or two vir- tuous and worthy Priests to go and remain with you, that you may never more be reduced to the same distressful situation in which you have lived so long. But as they are far distant, I am afraid they will not be with you before the putting out of the leaves again. This should have been done much sooner, if I had been informed of your situation. You may depend upon it, that you shall be always in my heart and in my mind ; and if it please God to give me time, I will certainly visit you myself. Beethken and Beloved Children: I trust in that good God that made us all, and in his blessed Son, Jesus Christ, who redeemed us, that all the Indians northward and eastward will be made partakers of the blessing which my desire is to procure for you ; and I rejoice very much that you and they wish to be united to your brethren the Americans. You have done very well not to receive amongst you those ministers who go without being called, or without being sent by that authority which Jesus Christ has established for the government of His Church. Those whom I shall send to you will be such good and virtuous priests, as instructed your Forefathers in the Law of God, and taught them to APPENDIX. 167 regard this life only as a preparation for, and a pas- sage to a better in Heaven. In token of my Fatherly Love and sincere affection, I send back to you, after embracing it, the Holy Crucifix which I received with your letter, and I enclose it in a picture of our Holy Father the Pope, the Head on earth, under Christ, of our Divine Reli- gion ; and this my answer is likewise accompanied with nine medals representing our divine Lord Jesus Christ and His most holy Mother. I desire that these may be received by the Chiefs of the River St. John, Passamaquady, and Michmacs, who signed the ad- dress to me. They came from, and have received the blessing of, our same Holy Father, the Yicar of Jesus Christ in the government of His Church. That the blessing of God may come down upon you, your women and children, and remain for ever, is the Earnest prayer of Your loving Father, Friend, and Servant in Jesus Christ, ^* J., Bishop of BALTBiOREi Baltimore, September 6, 1*191. 168 APPENDIX. LETTEE OF THE ABNAKIS IISTDIAI^S TO THE CAJSTOXS OF CHAETEES. 8rereda niga^sseman pita »erigliian Marin eekkaain- bi pakitinem^rerena pita «erighek ^etyannemeg, kik- hi k«reremanbanak nesesisseliasakkicLikj/ereredam- enesa anir egman»a apaktinigani^anr. Srereda nek- kwambi pakitinem^reg ni«ra aiineglie «e»eremeregh ^ban eregbikikkai kechalianchran, nederotechansi beneh«li«ban amante «a aramikaoked, amante keg«e pakitinasked, ne mina nedagatchebenederit chanei Ben»h«n»b«ban nekeuskere sibensh«hsban : teba teba« niana h«ban ni anneghe pambatameg, neda- ramika^anna ^eniiiamiit KercTii Niaesk »rnan«at nesisissena^ak pambatam»k naiii^at ye»andami^k kicbi «reremegsanr SangbemaD» Mariar »derereman egman^^a Mari pakitima«ai^idih rewemank,- kichi »e«endam«k ni«a dakki essema endam«bbena, essema newewedamsi^nema erekameghessihidit pambatami wewendaghik ewitclian wegheban, kyeremibbena ette nekk^ambi, Mari pita sang- hemanyeremegi^sian, me^iassis etto nekk»ambi newesandamybbena acacheredam enena matchaka- meg oess s^yiergbeban ,nedakkin«k csk»a epiegbe, nekk^ambi nekikta»anna keneman nederang^maima «a keneman ewi s«gbembanachq : atelis kedi- APPENDIX. 169 «ewebena ksnemaimin nhagena. Ureremni«e pegi