Mohawk prisoner halter. Found in 1746.
The
tenth day we traveled five or six miles in the morning. We got within
a quarter of a mile of a new town, on the west bank of the Wabash river,
where those warriors resided, about nine o'clock, and made a halt at a
running branch of water, where the timber was very thick, so that they
could conceal themselves from the view of the town. Then they
washed
themselves all over and dressed themselves with paint of different
colors. They made me wash, then they painted me and said I was a
Kickapoo. Then they cut a pole and pealed it, painted it different colors
and stuck the big end in the ground, and cleared a ring around the
pole for to dance in.
The fifth night they cut a lock of hair out of the
crown of my head about as thick as my finger, plaited it elegantly and put
it in their conjuring bag, and hung that bag on the pole they contemplated
dancing around, and said that was their prisoner, and I was a
Kickapoo, and must dance with them. When they all got ready to dance, the
captain gave three very loud halloes, then walked into the ring and the
rest all followed him. They placed me the third next to the captain; they
then began to sing and dance. When we had danced about half an hour, I
saw several old men, boys and squaws come running to where we were
dancing. When there were a considerable number of them collected, the
captain stepped out of the ring and spoke to the squaws. He told them to
carry his and the other warriors' budgets to the town; the captain
then joined the other warriors and me in the dancing ring; he marched
in the front and we danced and sung all the way from there into the
town. Some of the old Indian warriors marched upon each side of us, and at
times would sing and dance until we got into their town. We
continued
dancing until we got through the town to the war-post, which stood
on the west bank of the Wabash river; danced round that about twenty
minutes; they then marched into the town, took all the cords off me, and
showed me a cabin, told me to go in there, they were good Indians,
they would give me something to eat; I need not fear, as they would
not hurt me. I accordingly went in, where I received a plenty to eat and
was treated very kindly. The warriors went into other cabins and feasted
very greedily. We had not eat anything that morning nor the night
before.
About one hour and a half before the sun set the same evening,
the warriors went out to the war-post again to dance. They took me with
them; several other Indians were present. They had danced about half an
hour when I saw two Indian men and a squaw riding a horseback across
the Wabash river, from the east side; they came to where we were dancing.
One of the Indians had a handkerchief tied around his head and was
carrying a gun; the other had a cocked hat on his head, and had a large
sword. The warriors never let on that they saw them, but continued dancing
about fifteen minutes. After the two Indians and squaw came up the
warriors quit dancing, and went to them and shook hands; they appeared
very glad to see each other. The captain of the warriors then talked
with them about half an hour, and appeared to be very serious in their
conversation. The captain then told me I must go with them two Indians
and squaw. The sun was just then setting; the two Indians looked very
much pleased. I did not want to go with them, as I knew not where they
were going, and would have rather remained with the warriors that took
me, as I had got acquainted with them, but the captain told me I must go
with the two Indians and squaw, and that they were very good Indians. The Indian that had the sword rode up to a stump and told me to get
up behind him on his horse; I did so with great reluctance, as I knew
not where they were going; they looked very much like warriors.
However,
they started off very lively, and the Indian that I was riding behind
began to plague and joke the squaw about me; she was his sister-in-law.
He was an Indian that was full of life and very funny. When I got acquainted with him I was well pleased with him.
Love the fingerwoven prisonerstrap/tumpline. Beautiful. I have not attempted weaving in a design. Mine are all plain brown hemp or jute.
ReplyDelete-Cincinnatus