y>* 



A M E %^l C A. 



Chap. XVIII. 



Defctiption 

 ofthcditf 

 titans. 



f Keif Un- 

 guage. 



Their Man- 

 ner*. 



Their Igno- 

 rance. 



antient Cuftoms, than from thofc which to this day arc obferv'd on St. Vincent, and 

 fome parts of the Main Continent, where the Caribbeeans have learn'd nothing from 

 any Strangers, 



The Caribbeeans are a well proportion^ People with broad Shoulders and Hips, 

 round Faces, without Beards, wide Mouthes, white Teeth, little Eyes like the Tar* 

 tars. Feet fo hard, that they arc almoft Dart-proof, flat Nofes, fo made by fcjueezing 

 them down in their Infancy, and long black Hair. There are few or no deformed 

 People amongft them ; all of them go ftark naked, and paint their Bodies Red 

 with aPlantcall'd Q{ocou } and Oyl ; about their Eyes they draw a black Circle 

 with the Juice of the Apple Junipa. This their Painting ferves them both as an 

 Ornament, and Co make them ftrong. Others anoint their Bodies all over with a 

 glewy Stuff,on which they ftick all forts of Feathers. Others ufe Gum and Flowers. 

 Moreover, they adorn their Head with Plumes, their Ears with Fifii.bones, or 

 Scales of the Caret, or pieces of Cryftal, which they alfo hang in their Lips and 

 Nofes. The Men wear Armlets near their Shoulders, and the Women about their 

 Wrifts ; about their Legs they tie for Garters Strings of Seeds : others take a pride 

 in wearingthe Bones of their (lain Enemies, and the Teeth of the Agouty, Tygcrs, 

 wild Cats, or Cockle fhells. When they appear in greateft luftrc , then they 

 wear Armlets under their Arnvpits, and alfo Scarfs of Feathers, .which either hang 

 over their Shoulders, or are girt about their Middle, fo that one end thereof tou- 

 ches their Thighs. They fet an exceeding value on certain pieces of Copper call'd 

 Caracolisy the leaft of which they hang in their Ears, and the biggeft before their 

 Breads : and becaufe they are fetch'd out of the Province of the AroVages their Ene- 

 mies, they are eftcem'd as Marks of true Valor, and he is highly efteem'd that 

 wears them. 



The Caribbeeans which Convcrfe with the Europeans, fpeak two forts of Langua- 

 ges, the oldeft of which is fmooth, acceptable, fluent, and for the moft part fpoke 

 between the Lips. According to the feveral pronunciations one word hath divers 

 fignifications : but the Myftery of their oldeft Language they will difcover to 

 none. It is very obfervable, that the Caribbeean Men fpeak feveral words, which 

 though the Women underftand, yet are never fpoken by them : and alfo the antient 

 People ufe feveral Sayings which the younger never mention, and the Youths fuch 

 likewife as are never fpoken by the Antient, which being fpoken apart by each in 

 the time of War, are underftood by none but their Soldiers, that fo their Defigns 

 4 may the better be kept fecret. But their mix'd Language hath many of the Euro- 

 pean words, eipecially of the Sp anifh, which they fpeak whenfoe're they converfe 

 with the Europeans* Moreover, though the Caribbeeans on the leaft occafion laugh 

 aloud, yet they are of a dull Spirit, ftubborn, and nothing to be got out of them 

 but by fair means. 



Their Employment is Hunting, Fifhing, Tilling, Building of Houfes, and the 

 like. Theft is not known amongft them,fo that no Man is fufpicious of his Neigh- 

 bor j wherefore they leave their Huts open both Night and Day. They are alfo 

 feldom at Variance one with another,but generally Lovefways amongft them 5 yet 

 if a Quarrel doth happen, then the injur'd Pcrfon revenges himfelf to the heighth. 

 Perfons that profefs Chaftity are much honor'd amongft them ; and here Youth 

 bears great refpecl: to Age. 



They are alfo very ignorant in natural Knowledge, infomuch that when the 

 Moon is Eclips'd, they fuppofe that it is devour'd by Maboya ; and wherefoe're 

 they fmell any ill fcent, they believe the Devil to be not far from thence. Gun- 

 powder they fuppofe to be a Grain, and are very fearful of Fire- Arms : Though 



they 



