{Hatteras Indians.}
Those Indians That Frequent The Salt-Waters, Take Abundance Of Fish,
Some Very Large, And Of Several Sorts,
Which to preserve,
they first barbakue, then pull the Fish to Pieces, so dry it in the Sun,
whereby it
Keeps for Transportation; as for Scate, Oysters, Cockles,
and several sorts of Shell-fish, they open and dry them upon Hurdles,
having a constant Fire under them. The Hurdles are made of Reeds or Canes
in the shape of a Gridiron. Thus they dry several Bushels of these Fish,
and keep them for their Necessities. At the time when they are on the Salts,
and Sea Coasts, they have another Fishery, that is for a little Shell-fish,
{Blackmoor Teeth.} which those in England call Blackmoors Teeth.
These they catch by tying Bits of Oysters to a long String,
which they lay in such places, as, they know, those Shell-Fish haunt.
These Fish get hold of the Oysters, and suck them in, so that they pull up
those long Strings, and take great Quantities of them, which they carry
a great way into the main Land, to trade with the remote Indians,
where they are of great Value; but never near the Sea, by reason
they are common, therefore not esteem'd. Besides, the Youth and Indian Boys
go in the Night, and one holding a Lightwood Torch, the other has
a Bow and Arrows, and the Fire directing him to see the Fish, he shoots them
with the Arrows; and thus they kill a great many of the smaller Fry,
and sometimes pretty large ones. {Indians not eat of the first he kills.}
It is an establish'd Custom amongst all these Natives,
that the young Hunter never eats of that Buck, Bear, Fish, or any other Game,
which happens to be the first they kill of that sort; because they believe,
if he should eat thereof, he would never after be fortunate in Hunting.
{Big bellied Woman never eat of the first Fish caught in a Ware.}
The like foolish Ceremony they hold, when they have made a Ware
to take Fish withal; if a big-belly'd Woman eat of the first Dish
that is caught in it, they say, that Ware will never take much Fish;
{Indians not kill Snakes why.} and as for killing of Snakes,
they avoid it, if they lie in their way, because their Opinion is,
that some of the Serpents Kindred would kill some of the Savages Relations,
that should destroy him: They have thousands of these foolish
Ceremonies and Beliefs, which they are strict Observers of.
Moreover, several Customs are found in some Families, which others keep not;
{Circumcision.} as for Example, two Families of the Machapunga Indians,
use the Jewish Custom of Circumcision, and the rest do not;
neither did I ever know any others amongst the Indians,
that practis'd any such thing; and perhaps, if you ask them,
what is the Reason they do so, they will make you no Manner of Answer;
which is as much as to say, I will not tell you.
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