Latest / Captivity of Nearly Three Years Among the Savages of Nootka Sound / 11 - Captivity of Nearly Three Years Among the Savages of Nootka Sound by John R. Jewitt

Transcript

11 - Captivity of Nearly Three Years Among the Savages of Nootka Sound by John R. Jewitt · Captivity of Nearly Three Years Among the Savages of Nootka Sound

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Section eleven of a captivity of nearly three years among
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: the Savages of Nutka sound by John R. Jewett. This
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Among the provisions
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: which the Indians procure at Tassis, I must not omit
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: mentioning a fruit that is very important as forming a
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: great article of their food. This is what is called
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: by them the yama, a species of berry that grows
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: in bunches like currants, upon a bush from two to
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: three feet high, with a large, round and smooth leaf.
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: This berry is black and about the size of a
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: pistol shot, but of rather an oblong shape, and open
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: at the top like the blue wortleberry. The taste is sweet,
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: but a little acrid, and when first gathered, if eaten
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: in any great quantity, especially without oil, is apt to produce.
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: Use colicks to procure it. Large companies of women go
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: out on the mountains, accompanied by armed men to protect
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: them against wild beasts, where they frequently remain for several days,
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: kindling a fire at night and sheltering themselves under sheds
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: constructed of boughs. At these parties they collect great quantities.
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: I have known Makina's queen and her women return loaded,
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: bringing with them upwards of twelve bushels. In order to
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: preserve it. It is pressed in the bunches between two planks,
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: and dried and put away in baskets for use. It
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: is always eaten with oil of berries of various kinds,
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: such as strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, et cetera. There are great
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: quantities in the country of which the natives are very fond,
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: gathering them in their seasons and eating them with oil,
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: but the yama is the only one that they preserve.
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: Fish is, however, their great article of food, as almost
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: all the others excepting the yama, may be considered as accidental.
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: They nevertheless are far from disrelishing meat, for instance, venison
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: and bear's flesh. With regard to the latter, they have
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: a most singular custom, which is that anyone who eats
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: of it is obliged to abstain from eating any kind
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: of flesh fish whatever, for the term of two months,
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: as they have a superstitious belief that should any of
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: their people, after tasting bear's flesh, eat of fresh salmon, cod, etc.
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: The fish, though at ever so great a distance off,
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: would come to the knowledge of it and be so
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: much offended thereat as not to allow themselves to be
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: taken by any of the inhabitants. This I had an
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: opportunity of observing while at Tassis, a bear having been
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: killed early in December, of which not more than ten
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: of the natives would eat, being prevented by the prohibition
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: annexed to it, which also was the reason of my
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: comrade and myself not tasting it, on being told by
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: Makina the consequences, as there is something quite curious in
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: their management of this animal when they have killed one,
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: I shall give a description of it. After well cleansing
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: the bear from the dirt and blood with which it
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: is generally covered when killed, it is brought in and
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: seated opposite the king in an upright posture, with a
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: chief's bonnet wrought in figures on its head, and its
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: fur powdered over with the white down. A tray of
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: provision is then set before it, and it is invited
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: by words and gestures to eat. This mocks ceremony, over
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: the reason of which I could never learn. The animal
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: is taken and skinned, and the flesh and entrails boiled
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: up into a soup. No part but the paunch being rejected.
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: This dressing the bear, as they call it, is an
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: occasion of great rejoicing throughout the village, all the inhabitants
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: being invited to a great feast at the king's house,
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: though but few of them, in consequence of the penalty,
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: will venture to eat of the flesh, but generally content
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: themselves with their favorite dish of herring spawn and water.
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: The feast on this occasion was closed by a dance
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: from Satsatsaksis, in the manner I have already described, in
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: the course of which he repeatedly shifted his mask for
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: another of a different form. A few days after, a
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: second bear was taken, like the former, by means of
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: a trap. This I had the curiosity to go and
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: see at the place where it was caught, which was
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: in the following manner, on the edge of a s
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: small stream of water, in the mountains which the salmon ascend,
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: and near the spot where the bear is accustomed to
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: watch for them, which is known by its track. A
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: trap or box about the height of a man's head
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: is built of posts and planks with a flat top,
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: on which are laid a number of large stones or rocks.
• 5:22
  Speaker 1: The top and sides are then carefully covered with turf
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: so as to resemble a little mound, and wholly to
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: exclude the light. A narrow entrance of the height of
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: the building only being left just sufficient to emit the
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: head and shoulders of the beast. On the inside to
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: a large plank that covers the top is suspended by
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: a strong cord a salmon, the plank being left loose
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: so that a forcible pull will bring it down. On
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: coming to its usual haunt, the bear enters the trap,
• 5:58
  Speaker 1: and in endeavoring to pull away away, the fish brings
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: down the whole covering with its load of stones upon
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: its head, and is almost always crushed to death on
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: the spot, or so wounded as to be unable to escape.
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: They are always careful to examine these traps every day
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: in order, if a bear be caught, to bring it immediately,
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: for it is not a little singular that these people
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: will eat no kind of meat that is in the
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: least tainted or not perfectly fresh, while on the contrary,
• 6:31
  Speaker 1: it is hardly possible for fish to be in too
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: putrid a state for them, and I have frequently known
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: them when a whale has been driven ashore, bring pieces
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: of it home with them in a state of offensiveness,
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: insupportable to anything but a crow, and devour it with
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: high relish, considering it as preferable to that which is fresh.
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: On the morning of the thirteenth of December commenced what
• 7:00
  Speaker 1: to us appeared a most singular farce. Apparently without any
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: previous notice. Makina discharged a pistol close to his son's ear,
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: who immediately fell down as if killed, upon which all
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: the women of the house set up a most lamentable cry,
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: tearing handfuls of hair from their heads and exclaiming that
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: the prince was dead. At the same time, a great
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: number of the inhabitants rushed into the house, armed with
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: their daggers, muskets, et cetera, inquiring the cause of their outcry.
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: These were immediately followed by two others dressed in wolf skins,
• 7:42
  Speaker 1: with masks over their faces representing the head of that animal.
• 7:47
  Speaker 1: The latter came in on their hands and feet in
• 7:50
  Speaker 1: the manner of a beast, and taking up the prince,
• 7:54
  Speaker 1: carried him off upon their backs, retiring in the same
• 7:58
  Speaker 1: manner they entered. We saw nothing more of the ceremony.
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: As Makina came to us, and giving us a quantity
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: of dried provision, ordered us to quit the house and
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: not return to the village before the expiration of seven days,
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: for that if we appeared within that period, he should
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: kill us. At any other season of the year, such
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: an order would by us have been considered as an
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: indulgence in enabling us to pass our time in whatever
• 8:28
  Speaker 1: way we wished, and, even now furnished as we were
• 8:32
  Speaker 1: with sufficient provision for that term, it was not very
• 8:36
  Speaker 1: unpleasant to us, more particularly Thompson, who was always desirous
• 8:41
  Speaker 1: to keep as much as possible out of the society
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: and sight of the natives, whom he detested. Taking with
• 8:50
  Speaker 1: us our provisions, a bundle of clothes, and our axes,
• 8:54
  Speaker 1: we obeyed the directions of Makina and withdrew into the woods,
• 8:58
  Speaker 1: where we built ourselves a cat to shelter us with
• 9:01
  Speaker 1: the branches of trees, and keeping up a good fire,
• 9:05
  Speaker 1: secured ourselves pretty well from the cold. Here we passed
• 9:09
  Speaker 1: the prescribed period of our exile with more content than
• 9:13
  Speaker 1: much of the time while with them, employing the day
• 9:17
  Speaker 1: in reading and praying for our release, or in rambling
• 9:21
  Speaker 1: around and exploring the country, the soil of which we
• 9:24
  Speaker 1: found to be very good, and the face of it
• 9:27
  Speaker 1: beautifully diversified with hills and valleys, refreshed with the finest
• 9:32
  Speaker 1: streams of water, and at night enjoyed comfortable repose upon
• 9:37
  Speaker 1: a bed of soft leaves, with our garments spread over
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: us to protect us from the cold. At the end
• 9:44
  Speaker 1: of seven days, we returned and found several of the
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: people of Aititzart with their king or chief at Tassis,
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: who had been invited by a machina to attend the
• 9:55
  Speaker 1: close of this performance, which I now learned was a
• 9:59
  Speaker 1: celebration held by them annually in honor of their god,
• 10:03
  Speaker 1: whom they called Quahouts, to return him their thanks for
• 10:07
  Speaker 1: his past and implore his future favors. It terminated on
• 10:12
  Speaker 1: the twenty first, the day after our return, with a
• 10:16
  Speaker 1: most extraordinary exhibition. Three men, each of whom had two
• 10:22
  Speaker 1: bayonets run through his sides between the ribs, apparently regardless
• 10:28
  Speaker 1: of the pain, traversed the room backwards and forwards, singing
• 10:34
  Speaker 1: war songs and exulting in this display of firmness. On
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: the arrival of the twenty fifth, we could not but
• 10:42
  Speaker 1: call to mind that this, being Christmas, was in our
• 10:46
  Speaker 1: country a day of the greatest festivity, when our fellow countrymen,
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: assembled in their churches were celebrating the goodness of God
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: and the praises of the Savior. What a reverse did
• 10:58
  Speaker 1: our situation, allfe for captives in a strange land, and
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: slaves to a set of ignorant beings unacquainted with religion
• 11:08
  Speaker 1: or humanity. Hardly were we permitted to offer up our
• 11:11
  Speaker 1: devotions by ourselves in the woods. While we felt even
• 11:15
  Speaker 1: grateful for this privilege. Thither, with the King's permission, we withdrew, and,
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: after reading the service appointed for the day, sung the
• 11:24
  Speaker 1: Hymn of the Nativity, fervently, praying that Heaven, in its goodness,
• 11:29
  Speaker 1: would permit us to celebrate the next festival of this
• 11:32
  Speaker 1: kind in some Christian land. On our return. In order
• 11:38
  Speaker 1: to conform as much as was in our power to
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: the custom of our country, we were desirous of having
• 11:44
  Speaker 1: a better supper than usual. With this view, we bought
• 11:47
  Speaker 1: from one of the natives some dried clams and oil,
• 11:51
  Speaker 1: and a root called clets up, which we cooked by steaming,
• 11:55
  Speaker 1: and found it very palatable. This route consists of many
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: fibers of about six inches long and of the size
• 12:04
  Speaker 1: of a crow quill. It is sweet, of an agreeable taste,
• 12:08
  Speaker 1: not unlike the qua'noose, and it is eaten with oil.
• 12:12
  Speaker 1: The plant that produces it I have never seen. On
• 12:16
  Speaker 1: the thirty first all the tribe quitted TASiS for kouk Tea,
• 12:21
  Speaker 1: whether they go to pass the remainder of the winter
• 12:24
  Speaker 1: and complete their fishing, taking off everything with them in
• 12:28
  Speaker 1: the same manner as at Nootka. We arrived in a
• 12:31
  Speaker 1: few hours at Kupti, which is about fifteen miles, and
• 12:35
  Speaker 1: immediately set about covering the houses, which was soon completed.
• 12:40
  Speaker 1: This place, which is there a great herring and sprat fishery,
• 12:44
  Speaker 1: stands just within the mouth of the river, on the
• 12:47
  Speaker 1: same side with Tassis, in a very narrow valley at
• 12:51
  Speaker 1: the foot of a high mountain. Though nearly as secure
• 12:55
  Speaker 1: as Tassis from the winter storms, it is by no
• 12:59
  Speaker 1: means so pleasantly situated. Though to us it was a
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: much more agreeable residence, as it brought us nearer Nootka,
• 13:07
  Speaker 1: where we were impatient to return in hopes of finding
• 13:11
  Speaker 1: some vessel there, or hearing of the arrival of one.
• 13:14
  Speaker 1: Near the first snow that fell this season was the
• 13:20
  Speaker 1: day after our arrival on New Year's a day that,
• 13:24
  Speaker 1: like Christmas, brought with it painful recollections, but at the
• 13:28
  Speaker 1: same time led us to indulge the hope of a
• 13:31
  Speaker 1: more fortunate year than the last. Early on the morning
• 13:36
  Speaker 1: of the seventh of January, Makina took me with him
• 13:40
  Speaker 1: in his canoe on a visit to upquesta chief of
• 13:44
  Speaker 1: the atitsarts, who had invited him to attend an exhibition
• 13:48
  Speaker 1: at his village similar to the one with which he
• 13:50
  Speaker 1: had been entertained at Tassis. This place is between twenty
• 13:55
  Speaker 1: and thirty miles up the sound, and stands on the
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: banks of a small river about the size of that
• 14:01
  Speaker 1: of koop Tea, just within its entrance, in a valley
• 14:05
  Speaker 1: of much greater extent than that at Tassis. It consists
• 14:09
  Speaker 1: of fourteen or fifteen houses, built and disposed in the
• 14:13
  Speaker 1: manner of those at Nootka. The tribe, which is considered
• 14:18
  Speaker 1: as tributary to Makina, amounts to about three hundred warriors,
• 14:23
  Speaker 1: and the inhabitants, both men and women, are among the
• 14:26
  Speaker 1: best looking of any people on the coast. On our arrival,
• 14:31
  Speaker 1: we were received at the shore by the inhabitants, a
• 14:34
  Speaker 1: few of whom were armed with muskets, which they fired
• 14:38
  Speaker 1: with loud shouts and exclamations of Wokosh, wokosh. We were
• 14:43
  Speaker 1: welcomed by the Chief's messenger or master of ceremonies, dressed
• 14:47
  Speaker 1: in his best garments, with his hair powdered with white down,
• 14:52
  Speaker 1: and holding in his hand the chietoolf, the badge of
• 14:55
  Speaker 1: his office. This man preceded us to the chief's house,
• 14:59
  Speaker 1: where he and pointed out to us our respective seats.
• 15:04
  Speaker 1: On entering, the visitors took off their hats, which they
• 15:07
  Speaker 1: always wear on similar occasions, and Makina his outer robes,
• 15:12
  Speaker 1: of which he has several on whenever he pays a visit,
• 15:16
  Speaker 1: and seated himself near the chief. As I was dressed
• 15:20
  Speaker 1: in European clothes, I became quite an object of curiosity
• 15:24
  Speaker 1: to these people, very few of whom had ever seen
• 15:28
  Speaker 1: a white man. They crowded around me in numbers, taking
• 15:32
  Speaker 1: hold of my clothes, examining my face, hands and feet,
• 15:36
  Speaker 1: and even opening my mouth to see if I had
• 15:39
  Speaker 1: a tongue. For notwithstanding I had by this time become
• 15:44
  Speaker 1: well acquainted with their language, I preserved the strictest silence
• 15:48
  Speaker 1: Makina on our first landing, having enjoined me not to
• 15:52
  Speaker 1: speak until he should direct. Having undergone this examination for
• 15:58
  Speaker 1: some time, Makina at length made a sign to me
• 16:02
  Speaker 1: to speak to them. On hearing me address them in
• 16:05
  Speaker 1: their own language, they were greatly astonished and delighted, and
• 16:10
  Speaker 1: told Makina that they now perceived that I was a
• 16:13
  Speaker 1: man like themselves, except that I was white and looked
• 16:18
  Speaker 1: like a seal, alluding to my blue jacket and trousers,
• 16:22
  Speaker 1: which they wanted to persuade me to take off, as
• 16:25
  Speaker 1: they did not like their appearance. Makina, in the meantime,
• 16:29
  Speaker 1: gave an account to the Chief of the scheme he
• 16:32
  Speaker 1: had formed for surprising our ship and the manner in
• 16:35
  Speaker 1: which he and his people had carried it into execution,
• 16:40
  Speaker 1: with such particular and horrid details of that transaction as
• 16:44
  Speaker 1: chilled the blood in my veins. Trays of boiled herring
• 16:49
  Speaker 1: spawn and train oil were soon after brought in and
• 16:53
  Speaker 1: placed before us, neither the Chief or any of his
• 16:56
  Speaker 1: people eating at the same time, it being contrary to
• 17:00
  Speaker 1: the ideas of hospitality entertained by these nations to eat
• 17:04
  Speaker 1: any part of the food that is provided for strangers,
• 17:08
  Speaker 1: always waiting until their visitors have finished before they have
• 17:12
  Speaker 1: their own brought. In the following day closed their festival
• 17:18
  Speaker 1: with an exhibition of a similar kind to that which
• 17:21
  Speaker 1: had been given at TASiS, but still more cruel. The
• 17:26
  Speaker 1: different tribes appearing on these occasions to endeavor to surpass
• 17:30
  Speaker 1: each other in their proofs of fortitude and endurance of pain.
• 17:35
  Speaker 1: In the morning, twenty men entered the chief's house, with
• 17:39
  Speaker 1: each an arrow run through the flesh of his sides
• 17:43
  Speaker 1: and either arm and a cord fastened to the end, which,
• 17:48
  Speaker 1: as the performers advanced singing and boasting, was forcibly drawn
• 17:53
  Speaker 1: back by a person having hold of it. After this
• 17:57
  Speaker 1: performance was closed, we returned to Koopti, which be reached
• 18:02
  Speaker 1: at midnight. Are men keeping time with their songs to
• 18:06
  Speaker 1: the stroke of their paddles. The natives now began to
• 18:10
  Speaker 1: take the herring and sprat in immense quantities with some salmon,
• 18:14
  Speaker 1: and there was nothing but feasting from morning till night.
• 18:19
  Speaker 1: The following is the method they employed to take the herring.
• 18:22
  Speaker 1: A stick of about seven feet long, two inches broad
• 18:26
  Speaker 1: and half an inch thick, is formed from some hard wood,
• 18:31
  Speaker 1: one side of which is set with sharp teeth made
• 18:34
  Speaker 1: from hoilbone at about half an inch apart. Provided with
• 18:38
  Speaker 1: this instrument, the fisherman seats himself in the prow of
• 18:42
  Speaker 1: a canoe which is paddled by another, and whenever he
• 18:45
  Speaker 1: comes to a shoal of herrings, which cover the water
• 18:49
  Speaker 1: in great quantities, he strikes it with both hands upon them,
• 18:53
  Speaker 1: and at the same moment, turning it up, brings it
• 18:56
  Speaker 1: over the side of the canoe, into which he lets
• 18:59
  Speaker 1: those that are taken drop. It is astonishing to see
• 19:04
  Speaker 1: how many are caught by those who are dexterous in
• 19:06
  Speaker 1: this kind of fishing, as they seldom fail when the
• 19:09
  Speaker 1: shoals are numerous, of taking as many as ten or
• 19:14
  Speaker 1: twelve at a stroke, and in a very short time
• 19:17
  Speaker 1: will fill a canoe with them. Sprats are likewise caught
• 19:21
  Speaker 1: in a similar manner. About the beginning of February, Makina
• 19:26
  Speaker 1: gave a great feast, at which were present not only
• 19:30
  Speaker 1: all the inhabitants, but one hundred persons from Attitzart and
• 19:35
  Speaker 1: a number from Wickaninish, who had been invited to attend it.
• 19:39
  Speaker 1: It is customary with them to give an annual entertainment
• 19:42
  Speaker 1: of this kind and it is astonishing to see what
• 19:46
  Speaker 1: a quantity of provision is expended, or rather wasted, on
• 19:51
  Speaker 1: such an occasion when they always eat to the greatest excess.
• 19:56
  Speaker 1: It was at this feast that I saw upwards of
• 19:59
  Speaker 1: a hundred salmon cooked in one tub. The whole residence
• 20:04
  Speaker 1: at Koupti presents an almost uninterrupted succession of feasting and gormandizing,
• 20:11
  Speaker 1: and it would seem as if the principal object of
• 20:14
  Speaker 1: these people was to consume their whole stock of provision
• 20:18
  Speaker 1: before leaving it, trusting entirely to their success in fishing
• 20:23
  Speaker 1: and whaling for a supply at Nootka end of Section eleven.