CUSTOMS OF THE NATIVES. 175. 



of the houses ; several families, to the number of fifteen, dwell 

 together, everyone having his apartment. 



Their fortifications are built on steep hills near rivers; the 

 access to them is only at one place. Within, they generally 

 build twenty or thirty houses, of which some are one hundred 

 and eighty feet long, all of them full of people. In the summer, 

 they pitch their tents along by the riverside to fish. In winter, 

 they remove into the woods, to be near their game of hunting, 

 and also of fuel. 



They generally have only one wife, but for the least 

 offence the man can turn her out, and marry another. On 

 breach of marriage, the children follow the mother. The 

 women are very fond of their offsprings, and take great care 

 of them. They make great lamentation at their death, 

 especially for sons. They cut off the hair of their heads, 

 which at the funeral is burnt in the presence of all their 

 relations. They also perform the same when their husbands 

 die ; and besides, they blacken their faces, and putting on a hart- 

 skin shirt, mourn a whole year. They bury the dead with a 

 stone under the head; near it, they set various utensils, as 

 pot, kettle, dish, spoons, money, and provisions, to use in the 

 other world. When it is a chief, they build a conical hill on 

 the grave. 



The language of this country is varied. The principal 

 tongues are the Mannhatan, Wappanoo, Siavanoo, and 

 Minqua, which are all very difficult for strangers to learn. 

 Their money is made of the innermost shells of a certain 

 shell-fish, cast up twice a year by the sea. These shells they 

 grind smooth, and make a hole in the middle, cutting them of 

 an exact size, and so put them on strings, which then serve 

 as money. 



They have scarcely any religion ; they suppose the moon 

 to have great influence on plants. The sun is called to 

 witness whenever they swear. They stand in much fear of 

 the Devil, and make offerings to propitiate in their favour, to 

 the Evil One. They burn the first of what they hunt or fish, 

 in his honour. They acknowledge the residence of a God 

 above the stars ; but they say they know him not, because 

 they never saw him. 



Concerning the souls of the deceased, they believe that 

 those which have been good in their lifetime, live southwards, 

 in a temperate country, where they enjoy all manner of 

 pleasure and delight ; as to the wicked, they wander up and 

 down in miserable condition. The cries of wild beasts in 

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