USA > New York > Nassau County > Long Island; a history of two great counties, Nassau and Suffolk, Volume I > Part 18
USA > New York > Suffolk County > Long Island; a history of two great counties, Nassau and Suffolk, Volume I > Part 18
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found in bloodroot. Small hollow stones were used as paint cups and many of these have been found near village sites.
On occasion great attention was paid to dress and ornament but the essential garment of the men was a breech-cloth of skin and later of cloth, and for the women a short skirt of similar material. The lower border of the skirt was often decorated with great art. Van der Donck says: "The wampum with which these skirts was decorated is frequently worth from one to three hundred guilders." Both sexes went naked above the waist but robes of dressed deer skin, fur or turkey feathers were worn as an outer covering. A yard and a half of duffels cloth sufficed as a garment worn over the right shoulder like a cloak and this served as covering by day and as a blanket at night. Half a yard of duffels cloth was put between the legs and brought up behind and tied around the waist with a girdle of snake- skin, leaving a flap hanging down fore and aft.
The clothing of both sexes was decorated with beads of wampum, porcupine quills of various colors, feathers of birds, fringe and some- times with bits of copper or coarse pearls. On the inside of their mantles fanciful figures were painted. Boys and girls went naked until their thirteenth year, even in the severe cold of winter. Fashion- ing even the simple clothing worn by the Indians was a difficult task. . Animals had to be killed and skinned with rude stone implements; the leather had to be tanned to make it soft and pliable and the skin cut to the proper shape. Sewing was done with thread made of milk- weed or other vegetable fibre or of animal sinews. A pointed bone awl was used to perforate the skin and the thread was laboriously worked in and out. Some bone needles found on Long Island are much like the steel needles brought over by Europeans.
Leggings and moccasins were made of deer or buffalo hide and were often curiously decorated with wampum. Strips of hide and wrappings of corn husks or rushes were also used to protect the feet in winter. After the arrival of the Dutch the Indians bought shoes and stockings in trade. Wolley says the New York Indians wore snowshoes made of gut woven together; these he described as "broad shoes, much the shape of the round part of our rackets which we use to play at tennis, which travel without sinking in the least." Van der Donck observed that the natives were filthy and negligent in dress and that "they begin to wear shirts which they buy from our people and those they frequently wear without washing until the same are worn out."
The warriors wore necklaces of dyed deer hair, of copper or shell beads, or of wampum and sometimes pendants of stone hung down over their chests. A leather tobacco pouch was indispensable as it contained the Indian's tobacco, knife and tinder box. Usually the warrior carried a long knife in his girdle, a war club of carved wood, a long bow and a quiver of arrows tipped with flint or stone.
The Indians lived in more or less permanent villages, usually located on or near the seashore or on ponds or streams leading to salt water. If the ground was high and easily defended as at Mon-
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tauk so much the better. Some villages were fortified by building a stockade of logs or poles driven into the ground and to these stockades the tribe repaired in time of danger. Families moved about according to the kind of food available, some seasons being more favorable for
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hunting, fishing or farming. Denton said the Long Island Indian "had a home where he fished, one where he hunted and one where he grew his corn."
The Indians of eastern Long Island dwelt in domed wigwams and only at the western extremity of the island has any trace been found of the Long House favored by the Iroquois. The Shinnecocks built their wigwams by setting in a circle ten to twenty feet in diameter thin saplings which were bent and tied together into inter- secting arches. Several courses of horizontal poles were tied to the outside of this dome. The entire framework was covered with a grass thatch laid in courses beginning at the ground and fastened to
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the frame with thongs of rushes. At the top a hole was left to allow the smoke to pass out, the edges of the opening being lined with clay to prevent fire. Bark was sometimes used for thatching. At one side an aperture covered with skin was left for a door. Inside the room a bench, raised a little above the ground, ran around the wall. This was used for sitting and sleeping and also served as a table. Strings of corn, baskets or bags containing food or other gear, were suspended from poles swung from the roof. In the center of the floor a hole was dug to contain the fire, so that sparks might not fly up and set fire to the dry thatch. This was the wigwam or "wickom" as they called it, looking much like an inverted bowl, and such houses were built until near the close of the nineteenth century.
Two Labadist missionaries from Amsterdam, Jaspar Dankers and Peter Sluyter, came to New York in 1679 and recorded their impressions of the natives. They visited the Canarsies and have left a description of the Long House at Najack, now the site of Fort Hamilton. This type of house was in common use among the Iroquois but was rarely seen on Long Island and only at the extreme western end among the Canarsies who were more closely related to the Lenape than other Long Island tribes. This dwelling was long and low, sixty feet by fourteen, large enough to accommodate seven or eight families, some twenty persons or more. The floor was of earth, the roof of reeds and the sides slabs of chestnut bark tightly fastened together. The ridge of the roof was open to the width of six inches from end to end to let out the smoke. There were entrances at each end, so low that one had to stoop to enter; the doors were made of reeds or flat bark. Fires were made in the middle of the floor according to the number of families, so that each group had its own pot and ate what it liked. Beside each fire were the cooking utensils of a family,- a pot, a bowl, a calabash spoon and a basket in which to carry maize and beans. The dwellers sat on the floor or slept on mats with feet toward the fire. The Indians did not often sit on anything raised up, but sat on the ground or squatted on their ankles.
All who lived in one house were usually of the same descent, as father and mother with their offspring. Their bread was made of maize, pounded in a mortar by a stone, but not fine. This was mixed with water and made into a cake which they baked under the hot ashes.
When the first white men arrived the Algonkian manner of life was similar to that of the Stone Age. Metal tools were unknown. Stone was chipped into arrowheads, spearpoints, knives, drills and scrapers. Stone axes were used for cutting and hammering. Small articles of wood were cut with stone tools but heavier work was done by charring with fire. Shells were made into pendants, scrapers and stamps. Other utensils in common use were gourds for holding water, spoons of shell or calabash and bowls laboriously fashioned by burn- ing and scraping. Large mortars were made of wood from the pep- peridge tree which was noted for its toughness and freedom from splitting.
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Arrowheads were usually made from quartz which was abundant on Long Island; sometimes sharp pebbles from the beaches were used to point the shaft. Eastern arrowheads were inferior in workmanship to those of western origin. The triangular form was probably used in war, the shape making it difficult to draw out of a wound. Heads were sometimes made easily detachable from the shaft so as to remain in the body of the victim. Arrowheads used in warfare were often poisoned with rattlesnake's venom. Shafts were made of willow or osier; hickory saplings, ash or red cedar were used in making bows; bow strings were made of sinews of animals. Arrows were "feathered" with the plumage of game birds or wild turkeys. Arrow making required great care and skill and was usually entrusted to the older men of the tribe.
Pots were indispensable for cooking, for carrying water and for storage. They were made of clay, tempered with ground shells, sharp sand or mica. After being well mixed this material was rolled into ropes and coiled in the lengths desired. The clay mixture was kept moist with water and the vessel was shaped by the coiling method, the Indian woman working slowly with one hand inside the pot and the other outside, until the walls were pressed to the desired thinness. Some pots were built up at the bottom with a gourd bowl; others were hung in grass baskets or bags of netting, showing the impression of the cord on the outer surface.
Long Island pottery was not glazed but the surfaces were smoothed by means of a sharp stone or shell. The vessels were often ornamented with a simple pattern scratched on the surface with a pointed stick or by a decorative design drawn with the edge of a shell before the clay was baked. After being fired the pots were allowed to cool for several days, after which they were black or grayish brown in color. Algonkian pots were usually well proportioned and sym- metrical. They were pointed at the bottom and looked like large eggshells with the round end open. The oval-shaped bottom made it possible to place the pot well down into the hot ashes for quick cook- ing, whereas a flat-bottomed vessel could only be set on top of the fire. In beauty of workmanship the pottery, beadwork and weaving of Long Island were far inferior to that of the more advanced tribes.
Only the most primitive form of weaving was in use for making bags for holding small articles. Mats and baskets were made of bark of the swamp ash; fibres were shredded from the bark and twisted into thread or twine by rolling back and forth with the palm of the hand on the naked thigh or calf of the leg. Rough cloth was made by weaving a brown thread obtained from a weed called Indian hemp. From this same fibre the Indians made bags, purses, seines, nets and fishing lines. Strands were twisted together to form ropes which they sold to the settlers. This cordage was smooth and even and is said to have looked more like silk than hemp. Indian hemp was also called dogbane because the juice of the plant was at times used to poison a sick dog. This fibre grew along the banks of streams and was gathered in armfuls by Indian children and used by their mothers to weave into skirts, blankets, mats and fish-nets.
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Basket weaving was extensively practiced among the Shinnecocks and Montauks. William Wood wrote in New England's Prospect in 1634: "In summer they gather flaggs of which they make matts for houses and hemp and rushes with which they made curious baskets".
One of Long Island's major industries was the manufacture of wampum. Shell currency was probably in use before the arrival of the first white settlers. We find wampum mentioned as early as 1622 when "a Dutchman imprisioned one of the chiefs on his vessel and obliged him to pay a ransom of one hundred and forty fathoms of zewan, which consists of small black beads which they manufacture themselves and prize as jewels". (Documentary History of New York, Vol. III.)
The south shore of Long Island was the principal locality where wampum was made. The value of the well-polished article was fixed at four for a stuyver if strung. In 1658 the rate was eight white beads for a stuyver and black had twice the value of the white.
The chief source of the black or purple shell was the common hard clam (called quohog) ; conch and other shells produced the white. After being polished and drilled the beads were strung, sometimes black and white beads alternately to form a belt or necklace. Strings of wampum played an important part in the ceremonies of marriage and mourning. Wampum belts were of the greatest importance. They were sent with messages to other tribes and served to record all important transactions. Wampum beads are rarely found in coastal regions and what became of it all is a mystery, but quantities of shell heaps have been found on Long Island, especially along the south shore from Rockaway to Patchogue, and in the Montauk country around Three Mile Harbor.
Van der Donck says of the Indians: "Their fare or food is poor and gross for they drink water, having no other beverage; they eat the flesh of all sorts of game that the country supplies, even badgers, dogs, eagles and similar trash which Christians in no way regard; these they cook uncleansed and undressed. Moreover, all sorts of fish; likewise snakes, frogs and such like, which they usually cook with the offals and entrails." Ground-nuts, roots as large as potatoes, were plentiful and were highly esteemed for making soup or to boil with meat. The town of Southampton in 1654 ordered that if any Indian dug ground-nuts on land occupied by the English he was to be set in the stocks, and for a second offense whipped. The largest edible roots in the vicinity of Southampton were found at Ketcha- ponack, "the place of the largest roots". After long boiling they were said to taste like the liver of a sheep.
That the aborigines were good hunters is proven by the bones of animals found so abundantly in their refuse heaps and kitchen middens. Nevertheless their principal articles of food came out of the sea. Fish were caught in seines and gill-nets, woven of thin twigs or willow splints. They also had lobster and eel pots, weirs and fish-traps.
Their canoes were of two kinds; the log dug-out and the bark canoe. The dug-outs were made by burning and scraping out the
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inside of great oak trees or of white-wood logs. They were some- times as long as forty feet, and narrow, with sloping sides. Bark canoes were smaller but faster than the dug-outs. In the Chronicles. of East Hampton it is recorded that "Their canoes in which they visited the neighboring islands and the continent, as far east as Boston and as far south as New York, were of the largest class and in some instances capable of carrying eighty persons. That of Wyan- danch required the strength of seven or eight men to draw it from the water upon the shore."
Whaling was carried on extensively by the Indians before the coming of the white men. Daniel Denton wrote in 1670: "Upon the South side of Long Island in the winter lie stores of whales and crampasses, which the inhabitants begin with small boats to make a trade catching to their no small benefit. Also innumerable multitudes of seals, which make an excellent oyle; they lie in the winter upon some broken marshes or beaches, or bars of sand before mentioned, and might be easily got were there some skillful men would undertake it." Wolley in his Journal says the whaling season began about Christmas. A company consisted of two boats, each manned by a crew of six, viz., four rowers, a "harpineer" and a steersman. The Indians often bound themselves to go to sea in pursuit of whales "and other great fish".
The Indians practiced a primitive form of agriculture and maize, beans, pumpkins, squash, cucumbers and tobacco were cultivated. All farm work was done by the women except the cultivation of tobacco which was reserved exclusively to the men. Tobacco was in general use and was of good quality. Implements used for tilling the soil were a hoe of clam shell with a wooden handle and a rough wooden spade. Herring, menhaden and other fish were mixed with the soil as fertilizer and some attempt was made to rotate the crops by allowing a field to lie fallow for a season. Burning the underbrush in the spring was a usual practice. Old men and children worked in the fields under the direction of the women. They grew no oats, barley, wheat or rye and had no garden vegetables except pumpkins and squash. Maize which was planted in April was sown in heaps two and a half feet apart. In mid-May they planted a few Turkish beans in each heap; these grew up with the maize which served as a prop for the beans.
The lovely butterfly weed which once lined the highways and adorned the Shinnecock Hills with a blaze of color was used by the Indians to make a sort of sugar derived from its vivid colored flower, while its tender seed pods supplied a flavoring for meat. Much of the native food was dried and stored in pits for use during the winter, but they seem to have been ignorant of the method of salting fish to preserve it. The pits in which the Indians stored their food for winter use were made by digging holes four or five feet deep, roofed with poles and thatched. These were the "Indian Barnes" referred to in the early laws of Southampton.
The husband's authority over his wife was absolute. He punished her for unfaithfulness by cutting off her hair, biting her nose or even by putting her to death, but it was not unusual for a husband to lend
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his wife to a friend. No stigma attached to unmarried women who practiced the oldest profession.
Polygamy was usually restricted to the wealthier men. One wife took precedence over the others who were often reduced to the status of servants. Divorce was common and obtainable on the most trifling grounds.
Samson Occom, the great Indian preacher, has left in his Journal a description of courtship and marriage among the Montauks. Upon the birth of the children, or as soon after as their parents began to plan the match, the father of the boy visited the parents of the girl, taking gifts of skins, blankets, etc., which he gave to the parents of the girl. He then made his proposal and if the parents agreed, the time of the marriage was fixed and preparations begun by both fami- lies. If no agreement was reached, the gifts were returned and the matter was at an end. If the proposal was accepted the parents of the boy prepared clothing, ornaments and other gifts. The girl's family got ready a great feast and relations on both sides joined in preparing for the ceremony. Then the girl's parents took their child and with their company marched to the house of the boy's parents who received their future daughter-in-law with evidences of joy and both mothers took turns at nursing the children, the boy at one breast, the girl at the other. If the children were weaned, they ate out of the same dish. Meanwhile the whole company were feasting, presents were exchanged and this being ended, the marriage was completed and all returned to their wigwams. The children lived with their respective parents until they were grown; then if they wished to live together they did so, but if not the parents could not compel them and they chose other mates for themselves.
If the couple to be married had never seen each other until the time of the marriage, the maiden was led by the hand of her father or some near relative to the young man who was seated on a high bench in his wigwam. . Food was brought and they ate together and thus the ceremony was completed. If adults wished to marry, the woman made a few cakes baked in ashes, placed them in a basket and carried them to the man and the union was consummated without further ceremony. Before childbirth the expectant mother repaired to a secluded place near a brook and built herself a shelter of mats and coverings and with necessary provisions awaited the delivery of her child alone. Indian women suffered little inconvenience from child-bearing and none died as a result.
Immediately after her confinement the Indian mother immersed her child in a cold brook, no matter at what season of the year; after a few days the mother returned to her home to resume her usual routine of work. The naming of children was attended by dancing, feasting and the exchange of gifts of wampum, beads, dishes of food, clothing and liquor. Guests came from other villages to dance and distribute gifts, after which the name of the child was called loudly three times. It was common to give a child several names and these were frequently changed. Such names as Rattlesnake, Skunk, Bucks- horn or the like were not uncommon.
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Widows and orphans became the wards of the sachem and received support from unmarried men and childless couples. A widow might marry the brother of a deceased husband and dowries were given for wives.
The Indian fell an easy prey to diseases, some of which were brought to him by the white men. One of the worst was smallpox, which the redmen dreaded and its prevalence was no doubt a cause of dislike for the whites. The aborigines used little medicine but fasting cured many ills. If that did not cure, they resorted to sweat- ing and drinks but of the latter very sparingly. The most popular remedy for all diseases was sweat. A hothouse was an adjunct to many villages, usually located at some distance from the dwellings. One of these hothouses stood at Pesapunck Neck, near Mattituck. All medical treatment was accompanied by mysterious rites intended to make the effect appear supernatural.
The Indians made war by ambuscade and deception. Denton comments that "In their wars they fight no pitched fields but when they have notice of the enemy's approach, they endeavor to secure their wives and children upon some Island or in some thick swamp and then with guns and hatchets they way-lay their enemies, some lying behind one, some another, and it is a great fight when seven or more is slain."
The Indians reckoned time by the sun and the phases of the moon told how the month was going. They divided the year into four seasons. Age had little meaning for them and the passing of time was often noted by notches cut on sticks or stones.
The use of the pipe as a token of friendship seems to have been an ancient custom and is frequently referred to by early visitors to the Atlantic seaboard, but the pipe was not so prominent in council in the east as in the Mississippi Valley.
The Long Island Indians were distinguished for their eloquence and for their tact in dealing with their white neighbors, among whom they quickly discovered who were men of power and authority. These they treated with respect but persons of no importance received scant consideration. The Long Islanders were noted for their hospitality and a stranger on entering a wigwam was invariably offered food. Tredwell says that in summer Long Island was visited by many main- land Indians and Dr. Speck mentions that the Mohegans loved to cross the Sound in their canoes to visit the Long Island tribes.
Games were of two kinds: those of chance and those of dexterity. Contests of skill and dexterity were played by men and women, youths and maidens, but not by children who had their own forms of amuse- ment. Women and boys looked on, sang and danced, while the men played football. There were several kinds of ball games, as well as archery, racing, shooting at a moving object, sliding a spear or javelin along the hard ground or ice. Most popular of all amusements was the dice game in which count was kept with sticks or pebbles. Another popular game consisted of hiding a marked object in some place, the players trying to guess the place of concealment. Denton recorded that "Their recreations were chiefly Football and Cards at which
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they will play away all they have, excepting a Flap to cover their nakedness." Thus the Indians might appear to have been the origi- nators of strip poker.
Expert with bows and arrows, the Indians could easily obtain the skins of beaver, bears, raccoons, foxes, otters, musquashes, skunks, deer and wolves which they brought to New Amsterdam for barter in exchange for duffels cloth or guns but Wolley says "more often for rum, brandy and other strong liquors of which they are so intem- perate lovers". Denton recorded that "they are great lovers of strong drink, yet do not care for drinking unless they have enough to make themselves drunk". Their drinking often led to turbulent disorder and sometimes to murder. On the other hand Van der Donck testified that their common drink was water and that brandy and strong drink were unknown to them except those who frequented the Dutch settlements. Apart from drunkenness the redmen showed com- mendable moderation. They did not use foul language as the lower class Dutch did and the Indians disapproved all romping, caressing and wanton behavior which they regarded as direct allurement to unchastity.
The Indians worshipped a great number of gods. There were gods of the four corners of the earth; a god presided over their corn; others over their pumpkins, squash and beans. A god presided over their wigwam, another over the fire, the sea, the wind, the day and the night. There were gods for the four seasons of the year. Over all these they had a notion of one Great Being whom they called Cauhtuntoowut, meaning "one possessed with supreme power". They also believed in a great evil spirit called Mutcheshemunnetooh which signified "the power of evil". Sacrifices were offered to these gods and they were called on for help in every difficulty. Charlevoix and Heckewelder, both of whom had the advantage of personal observa- tion, were certain that the savages had a conception of a Supreme Being. The Indians' belief in a future life is attested by Charlevoix and Thomas Heriot
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