{Indian Women What They Do.}
The Indian Womens Work Is To Cook The Victuals For The Whole Family,
And To
Make Mats, Baskets, Girdles of Possum-Hair, and such-like.
They never plant the Corn amongst us, as they do
Amongst the Iroquois,
{Iroquois great Warriours.} who are always at War and Hunting;
therefore, the Plantation Work is left for the Women and Slaves to perform,
and look after; whilst they are wandring all over the Continent
betwixt the two Bays of Mexico and St. Laurence.
{Mats how made.}
The Mats the Indian Women make, are of Rushes, and about five Foot high,
and two Fathom long, and sew'd double, that is, two together;
whereby they become very commodious to lay under our Beds,
or to sleep on in the Summer Season in the Day-time, and for our Slaves
in the Night.
There are other Mats made of Flags, which the Tuskeruro Indians make,
and sell to the Inhabitants.
{Baskets.}
The Baskets our Neighbouring Indians make, are all made of a very fine
sort of Bulrushes, and sometimes of Silk-grass, which they work
with Figures of Beasts, Birds, Fishes, &c.
A great way up in the Country, both Baskets and Mats are made
of the split Reeds, which are only the outward shining Part of the Cane.
Of these I have seen Mats, Baskets, and Dressing-Boxes,
very artificially done.
{Indian Wives.}
The Savage Women of America, have very easy Travail with their Children;
sometimes they bring Twins, and are brought to bed by themselves,
when took at a Disadvantage; not but that they have Midwives amongst them,
as well as Doctors, who make it their Profession (for Gain)
to assist and deliver Women, and some of these Midwives are very knowing
in several Medicines that Carolina affords, which certainly expedite,
and make easy Births. Besides, they are unacquainted with those severe Pains
which follow the Birth in our European Women. Their Remedies
are a great Cause of this Easiness in that State; for the Indian Women
will run up and down the Plantation, the same day, very briskly,
and without any sign of Pain or Sickness; yet they look very meager and thin.
Not but that we must allow a great deal owing to the Climate,
and the natural Constitution of these Women, whose Course of Nature
never visits them in such Quantities, as the European Women have.
And tho' they never want Plenty of Milk, yet I never saw an Indian Woman
with very large Breasts; neither does the youngest Wife ever fail of proving
so good a Nurse, as to bring her Child up free from the Rickets and Disasters
that proceed from the Teeth, with many other Distempers
which attack our Infants in England, and other Parts of Europe.
{Nurse Children how.} They let their Children suck till they are well grown,
unless they prove big with Child sooner. They always nurse
their own Children themselves, unless Sickness or Death prevents.
I once saw a Nurse hired to give Suck to an Indian Woman's Child,
which you have in my Journal. After Delivery, they absent
the Company of a Man for forty days. As soon as the Child is born,
they wash it in cold Water at the next Stream, and then bedawb it,
as I have mention'd before. {Cradle.} After which, the Husband takes care
to provide a Cradle, which is soon made, consisting of a Piece of flat Wood,
which they hew with their Hatchets to the Likeness of a Board; it is about
two Foot long, and a Foot broad; to this they brace and tie the Child down
very close, having, near the middle, a Stick fasten'd about two Inches
from the Board, which is for the Child's Breech to rest on,
under which they put a Wad of Moss, that receives the Child's Excrements,
by which means they can shift the Moss, and keep all clean and sweet.
Some Nations have very flat Heads, as you have heard in my Journal,
which is made whilst tied on this Cradle, as that Relation informs you.
These Cradles are apt to make the Body flat; yet they are
the most portable things that can be invented; for there is a String
which goes from one Corner of the Board to the other,
whereby the Mother flings her Child on her Back; so the Infant's Back
is towards hers, and its Face looks up towards the Sky. If it rains,
she throws her Leather or Woollen Match-coat, over her Head,
which covers the Child all over, and secures her and it
from the Injuries of rainy Weather. The Savage Women quit all Company,
and dress not their own Victuals, during their Purgations.
After they have had several Children, they grow strangely out of Shape
in their Bodies; As for Barrenness, I never knew any of their Women,
that have not Children when marry'd.
{Indian Womens Habit.}
The Womens Dress is, in severe Weather, a hairy Match-coat
in the Nature of a Plad, which keeps out the Cold, and (as I said before)
defends their Children from the Prejudices of the Weather. At other times,
they have only a sort of Flap or Apron containing two Yards in Length,
and better than half a Yard deep. Sometimes, it is a Deer-Skin dress'd white,
and pointed or slit at the bottom, like Fringe. When this is clean,
it becomes them very well. Others wear blue or red Flaps
made of Bays and Plains, which they buy of the English, of both which
they tuck in the Corners, to fasten the Garment, and sometimes make it fast
with a Belt. All of them, when ripe, have a small String round the Waste,
to which another is tied and comes between their Legs, where always
is a Wad of Moss against the Os pubis; but never any Hair
is there to be found: Sometimes, they wear Indian Shooes, or Moggizons,
which are made after the same manner, as the Mens are.
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