710 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 137 



with heavy and sad downcast lookes. What ells was done with the childrene 

 might not be seene by our people, further then that they were all cast on a heape 

 in a valleye, where was made a great and solemne feast for all the companye ; 

 at the going whereunto, the night now approaching, the Indians desired our 

 people that they would withdraw themselves and leave them to their further pro- 

 ceedings, tbe which they did : only some of the weroances being demanded the 

 meaning of this sacrifice, made answeare, that the childrene did not all of them 

 suffer death, but that the okeus did suck the blood from the leaft breast of the 

 child whose chaunce it was to be his by lott, till he was dead, and the remaine 

 were kept in the wilderness by the said young men till nine moones were expired, 

 during which tyme they must not converse with any; and of these were made 

 the priests and conjurers, to be instructed by tradition from the elder priests. 

 These sacrifices, or catharmata, they hold to be so necessary, that if they should 

 oraitt them they suppose this okeus, and all the other quioughcosughes, which 

 are their other gods, would let them no deare, turkies, corne, nor fish, and yet 

 besides he would make a great slaughter amongst them. (Strachey, 1849, pp. 

 94-96.) 



PoAvhatan women, except those of the upper class who were 

 treated with much ceremony and waited upon by servants, did pretty 

 much all the work except hunting, fishing, conducting ceremonies, 

 and going to war. Women prepared food and cooked; planted and 

 gathered in the corn; dressed skins; made mats, baskets, pots, and 

 mortars; and bore all kind of burdens. Though no exception is made 

 by our authorities, and Spelman is quite emphatic on this point, it 

 is probable that some of the care of the fields was performed by 

 men, at least the older ones, and by slaves, and it is possible that 

 a mistake has been made in including the manufacture of mortars 

 among feminine industries since it was elsewhere a male occupation. 

 To male occupations should ahnost certainly be added the manu- 

 facture of all implements of war, the chase, fishing, and participation 

 in ball games though we have no mention of these, and such heavy 

 work as the erection of houses, the felling of trees, and the hollowing 

 out of canoes (Smith, John, Tyler ed., 1907, pp. 111-112; Arber ed., 

 1884, p. cxii). 



The following paragraphs are again from Strachey: 



The men fish, hunt, fowle, goe to the warrs, make the weeres, botes, and 

 such like manly exercises and all laboures abroad. The women, as the weaker 

 sort, be put to the easier workes, to sow their corne, to weed and cleanse the 

 same of the orabauke, dodder, and choak weed, and such like, which ells would 

 wynd about the corne nnd hinder the growth of yt ; for, by reason of the rank- 

 ness and lustines of the grownd, such weedes spring up very easely and thick, 

 and if not pluckt awaie, the corn would prosper so much the worse; for which 

 they keepe the hillocks of theire corne, and the passadg between (for they 

 sett their wheat as we doe our hoppes, an equal distance one hill from an- 

 other) as neat and cleane as we doe our gnrdein bedds: likewise the women 

 plant and attend the gardeins, dresse the meate brought home, make their 

 hroaths and pockerchicory drinckes, make matts and basketts, pownd their 

 wheat, make their bread, prepare their vessels, beare all kindes of burthens, 

 and such like, and to which the children sett their handes, helping their 

 mothers. 



