850 



TUSCAEORA 



[B. A. 



tron, but is rather descriptive of some 

 feature or attitude, or is the name of the 

 usual habitat, of the tutelary; for exam- 

 ple, the name of the Bear clan signifies 

 literally, 'Broken-off tail'; that of the 

 Plover or Killdee (Snipe), 'Clean-sand 

 people'; that of the Beaver, 'People of 

 the stream'; that of the Turtle clan, 

 'CUmbing-the-mountain people,' named 

 from the position of the turtle basking; 

 etc. It is probable that plover or kilLiee 

 should be substituted in the foregoing 

 lists of clans, for the name clearly refers 

 to the killdee's habit of running along 

 the clean sand at the water's edge. 



De Graffenried gives (N. C. Col. Rec, 

 I, 905 et seq. ) an interesting account of 

 the preparations made for the execution 

 of Lawson and himself by the hostile 

 Tuscarora. In the open space or public 

 square mentioned there was a large 

 fire, near which was the shaman or high 

 priest, a grizzled sorcerer, who made 

 two white rings on the ground, whether 

 of flour or white sand was not stated. 

 In front of the two victims was placed a 

 wolf skin, and a short distance farther 

 there stood an Indian in a terrifying pos- 

 ture, holding in one hand a knife and in 

 the other a tomahawk ; he was apparently 

 the executioner. He did not move from 

 the spot. On the farther side of the fire 

 were assembled young men, women, and 

 children, who danced with weird and 

 frightful contortions and attitudes. In 

 the center of the circle of dancers were 

 seated two singers who intoned a dismal 

 song, "rather fit to provoke tears and 

 anger than joy." Within the circle of 

 dancers the shaman stood unterrified, ut- 

 tering his threatenings and adjurations 

 and performing his exorcisms, against the 

 foes of his people and their orenda or 

 "medicine," when there would cornea 

 pause in the dancing. Finally, with 

 shouts and howls the dancers ran into 

 the neighboring forest. In a short time 

 they returned with their faces painted 

 black, white, and red, in bands, and with 

 their hair loose and flying, oiled and 

 sprinkled with fine down or cotton from 

 the cattail flag and with small white 

 feathers, and some returned arrayed in 

 all kinds of furs. After their return, the 

 dance was renewed. Back of the two 

 victims stood a double line of armed war- 

 riors who kept their posts until everything 

 was over; back of this guard Mas the 

 council of war, whose members were 

 seated on the ground in a circle, gravely 

 deliberating on the fate of the two noted 

 prisoners. Finally, they acted on the 

 advice of "King" Tom Blunt, the head- 

 chief of their neighbors, "the villages of 

 the Tuscaroros," })roperly so called, that 

 King Hencock should liberate De Graf- 

 fenried, and could deal with Lawson as 



he and his council pleased. The manner 

 of Lawson' s death, as learned from Indian 

 information, is found in a letter of Maj. 

 Christopher Gale to his brother, Nov. 2, 

 1711, wherein it is said that the In- 

 dians stuck the unfortunate prisoner 

 "full of fine small splinters of torch wood, 

 like hogs' bristles, and so set them gradu- 

 ally on fire." De Graffenried was not 

 permitted to know how Lawson was 

 executed. 



To this account of the Tuscarora method 

 of preparing for the execution of captives 

 may be added their triumphal ceremonies 

 which De Graffenried says they performed 

 after their defeat of a relief party of Swiss 

 and Palatines. He reports that they built 

 bonfires at night, and especially a large 

 one in the place of executions, where they 

 raised "three wolf's hides, figuring as 

 many protectors or gods," to which offer- 

 ings, consisting of their jewels, were made 

 by the women. In the middle of the 

 circle, the chief shaman performed all 

 manner of contortions, conjurations, and 

 imprecations against the enemies of his 

 country, while the populace danced in a 

 circle around the wolf-hides. 



Thecouncilof "King" Hencock, which 

 consisted of 40 elders, was called by the 

 Tuscarora, according to De Graffenried, 

 the "x\ssembly of the Great," a transla- 

 tion of the Tuscarora terms for the council 

 of chiefs, the general word for chief sig- 

 nifying 'one is great,' either in size or 

 position. At the council before which 

 Lawson and De Graffenried were tried the 

 ' ' forty elders ' ' were seated around a great 

 fire kindled in a large open space devoted 

 to important festivals and public execu- 

 tions. On this occasion these chiefs and 

 the accused were seated on rush mats, 

 which were customarily provided for the 

 comfort of guests as a mark of deference 

 and honor. Although the two captives 

 were acquitted by the first council, they 

 were again tried before a second council, 

 after Lawson incautiously had had a bit- 

 ter quarrel with Cor Tom, the chief of 

 Cor town, who was not at the first coun- 

 cil. The two captives were not given 

 mats upon which to sit, and Lawson was 

 condemned to death and De Graffenried 

 was acquitted. 



Lawson asserts that the most powerful 

 tribe "scorns to treat or trade with any 

 others, of fewer numbers and less power 

 in any other tongue but their own, which 

 serves for the lingua of the country; 

 with which we travel and deal." As an 

 example of this, the Tuscarora are cited. 

 Being the most numerous tribe in North 

 Carolina, their language was necessarily 

 understood by some persons in every 

 town of all the neighboring tribes. 



The Tuscarora carried on a pernicious 

 trade in rum with the Indians dwelling 



