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15 - 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

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  Speaker 1: Section fifteen of a captivity of nearly three years among
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  Speaker 1: the Savages of Nootka's Sound by John R. Jewett. This
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  Speaker 1: LibriVox recording is in the public domain. On the twentieth
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  Speaker 1: of February, we returned to our summer quarters at Nootka,
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  Speaker 1: but on my part with far different sensations than the
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  Speaker 1: last spring, being now almost in despair of any vessel
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  Speaker 1: arriving to release us, or our being permitted to depart,
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  Speaker 1: if there should soon after our return. As preparatory to
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  Speaker 1: the whaling season, Makina ordered me to make a good
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  Speaker 1: number of harpoons for himself and his chiefs, several of
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  Speaker 1: which I had completed with some lances, when on the
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  Speaker 1: sixteenth of March I was taken very ill with a
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  Speaker 1: violent colic caused I presume from having suffered so much
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  Speaker 1: from the cold in going without proper clothing for a
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  Speaker 1: number of hours. I was in great pain and expected
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  Speaker 1: to die, And on its leaving me, I was so
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  Speaker 1: weak as scarcely to be able to stand, while I
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  Speaker 1: had nothing comforting to take, nor anything to drink but
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  Speaker 1: cold water. On the following day, a slave belonging to
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  Speaker 1: Machina died and was immediately, as is their custom in
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  Speaker 1: such cases, tossed unceremoniously out of doors, from whence he
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  Speaker 1: was taken by some others and thrown into the water.
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  Speaker 1: The treatment of this poor creature made a melancholy impression
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  Speaker 1: upon my mind, as I could not but think that
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  Speaker 1: such probably would be my fate should I die among
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  Speaker 1: these heathens, and so far from receiving a decent burial,
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  Speaker 1: that I should not even be allowed the common privilege
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  Speaker 1: of having a little earth thrown over my remains, the
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  Speaker 1: feebleness in which the violent attack of my disorder had
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  Speaker 1: left me, the dejection I felt at the almost hopelessness
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  Speaker 1: of my situation, and the want of warm clothing and
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  Speaker 1: proper nursing. Though my Indian wife, as far as she
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  Speaker 1: knew how, was always ready, even solicitous to do everything
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  Speaker 1: for me, she could still kept me very much indisposed,
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  Speaker 1: which Makina perceiving. He finally told me that if I
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  Speaker 1: did not like living with my wife and that was
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  Speaker 1: the cause of my being so sad, I might part
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  Speaker 1: with her. This proposal I readily accepted, and the next
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  Speaker 1: day Makina sent her back to her father. On parting
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  Speaker 1: with me, she discovered much emotion, begging me that I
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  Speaker 1: would suffer her to remain till I had recovered, as
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  Speaker 1: there was no one who would take so good care
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  Speaker 1: of me as herself. But when I told her she
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  Speaker 1: must go for that I did not think I should
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  Speaker 1: ever get well, which in truth I but little expected,
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  Speaker 1: and that her father would take good care of her
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  Speaker 1: and treat her much more kindly than Makina. She took
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  Speaker 1: an affectionate leave, telling me that she hoped I should
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  Speaker 1: soon get better, and left her two slaves to take
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  Speaker 1: care of me. Though I rejoiced at her departure, I
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  Speaker 1: was greatly affected with the simple expressions of her regard
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  Speaker 1: for me, and could not but feel strongly interested for
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  Speaker 1: this poor girl, who, in all her conduct towards me,
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  Speaker 1: had discovered so much mildness and attention to my wishes.
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  Speaker 1: And had it not been that I considered her as
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  Speaker 1: an almost insuperable obstacle to my being permitted to leave
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  Speaker 1: the country, I should no doubt have felt the deprivation
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  Speaker 1: of her society a real loss. After her departure, I
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  Speaker 1: requested Makina that as I had parted with my wife,
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  Speaker 1: he would permit me to resume my European dress as otherwise,
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  Speaker 1: from not having been accustomed to dress like them, I
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  Speaker 1: should certainly die. To this, he consented, and I once
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  Speaker 1: more became comfortably clad. Change of clothing. But more than
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  Speaker 1: all the hopes which I now began to indulge that
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  Speaker 1: in the course of the summer I should be able
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  Speaker 1: to escape in a short time, restored me to health
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  Speaker 1: so far that I could again go to work in
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  Speaker 1: making harpoons for Markina, who, probably, fearing that he should
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  Speaker 1: have to part with me, determined to provide himself with
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  Speaker 1: a good stock. I shall, not, however, long, detain the
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  Speaker 1: reader with a detail of occurrences that intervened between this
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  Speaker 1: period and that of my escape, which, from that dull
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  Speaker 1: uniformity that marks the savage life, would be in a
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  Speaker 1: measure but a repetition. Nor dwell upon that mental torture
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  Speaker 1: I endure, from a constant conflict of hope and fear,
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  Speaker 1: when the former, almost wearied out with repeated disappointment, offered
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  Speaker 1: to our sinking hearts no prospect of release but death,
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  Speaker 1: to which we were constantly exposed. From the brutal ignorance
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  Speaker 1: and savage disposition of the common people, who in the
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  Speaker 1: various councils that were held this season to determine what
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  Speaker 1: to do with us in case of the arrival of
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  Speaker 1: a ship, were almost always for putting us to death,
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  Speaker 1: expecting by that means to conceal the murder of our
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  Speaker 1: crew and to throw the blame of it on some
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  Speaker 1: other tribe. These barbarous sentiments were, however, universally opposed by
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  Speaker 1: Makina and his chiefs, who would not consent to our
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  Speaker 1: being injured. But as some of their customs and traits
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  Speaker 1: of national character, which I think deserving of notice, have
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  Speaker 1: not been mentioned, I shall proceed to give an account
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  Speaker 1: of them. The office of king or chief is with
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  Speaker 1: these people hereditary, and descends to the eldest son, or,
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  Speaker 1: in failure of male issue, to the elder brother, who
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  Speaker 1: in the regal line, is considered as the second person
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  Speaker 1: in the kingdom. At feasts, as I have observed, the
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  Speaker 1: king is always placed in the highest or seat of honor,
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  Speaker 1: and the chiefs according to their respective ranks, which appear
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  Speaker 1: in general to be determined by their affinity to the
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  Speaker 1: royal family. They are also designated by the embellishments of
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  Speaker 1: their mantles or cut sacks. The king or head Ta'ee
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  Speaker 1: is their leader in war, in the management of which
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  Speaker 1: he is perfectly absolute. He is also president of their councils,
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  Speaker 1: which are almost always regulated by his opinion. But he
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  Speaker 1: has no kind of power over the property of his subjects,
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  Speaker 1: nor can he require them to contribute to his wants,
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  Speaker 1: being in this respect no more privilege than any other person.
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  Speaker 1: He has, in common with his chiefs the right to
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  Speaker 1: holding slaves, which is not enjoyed by private individuals, a
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  Speaker 1: regulation probably arising from their having been originally captives taken
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  Speaker 1: in battle, the spoils of war being understood as appertaining
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  Speaker 1: to the king, who receives and apportions them among his
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  Speaker 1: several chiefs and warriors according to their rank and deserts.
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  Speaker 1: In conformity with this idea, the plunder of the Boston
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  Speaker 1: was all deposited in Mackina's house, who distributed part of
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  Speaker 1: it among his chiefs according to their respective ranks or
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  Speaker 1: degree of favour, with him giving to one three hundred
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  Speaker 1: Muskets to another one hundred fifty, with others in like proportion.
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  Speaker 1: The king is, however, obliged to support his dignity by
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  Speaker 1: making frequent entertainments and whenever he receives a large supply
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  Speaker 1: of provision, he must invite all the men of his
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  Speaker 1: tribe to his house to eat it up. Otherwise, as
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  Speaker 1: Makina told me, he would not be considered as conducting
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  Speaker 1: like a Tai'ee and would be no more thought of
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  Speaker 1: than a common man. With regard to their religion, they
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  Speaker 1: believe in the existence of a supreme being, whom they
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  Speaker 1: call quahouts, and who, to use Makina's expression, was one
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  Speaker 1: great Tai'ee in the sky, who gave them their fish
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  Speaker 1: and could take them from them, and was the greatest
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  Speaker 1: of all kings. Their usual place of worship appeared to
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  Speaker 1: be the water, for whenever they bathed they addressed some
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  Speaker 1: words in form of prayer to the god above, in
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  Speaker 1: treating that he would preserve them in health, give them
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  Speaker 1: good success in fishing, et cetera. These prayers were repeated
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  Speaker 1: with much more energy on preparing for whaling or for war.
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  Speaker 1: As I have already mentioned, some of them would sometimes
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  Speaker 1: go several miles to bathe in order to do it
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  Speaker 1: in secret. The reason for this I could never learn,
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  Speaker 1: though I am induced to think it was in consequence
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  Speaker 1: of some family or private quarrel, and that they did
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  Speaker 1: not wish what they said to be heard, while at
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  Speaker 1: other times they would repair in the same secret manner
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  Speaker 1: to the woods to pray. This was more particularly the
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  Speaker 1: case with the women, who might also have been prompted
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  Speaker 1: by a sentiment of decency to retire for the purpose
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  Speaker 1: of bathing, as they are remarkably modest. I once found
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  Speaker 1: one of our women, more than two miles from the village,
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  Speaker 1: on her knees in the w the woods, with her
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  Speaker 1: eyes shut and her face turned towards Heaven, uttering words
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  Speaker 1: in a lamentable tone, among which I distinctly heard wokash
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  Speaker 1: ah wealth, meaning good lord, and which has nearly the
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  Speaker 1: same signification with quahouts. Though I came very near her,
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  Speaker 1: she appeared not to notice me, but continued her devotions.
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  Speaker 1: And I have frequently seen the women go alone into
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  Speaker 1: the woods, evidently for the purpose of addressing themselves to
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  Speaker 1: a superior being, and it was always very perceptible on
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  Speaker 1: their return when they had been thus employed from their
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  Speaker 1: silence and melancholy looks. They have no belief, however, in
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  Speaker 1: a state of future existence, as I discovered in conversation
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  Speaker 1: with Makina at Tatusha's death on my attempting to convince
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  Speaker 1: him that he still existed and that he would again
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  Speaker 1: see him after his death. But he could comprehend nothing
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  Speaker 1: of it, and, pointing to the ground, said that there
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  Speaker 1: was the end of him, and that he was like that.
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  Speaker 1: Nor do they believe in ghosts, notwithstanding the case of
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  Speaker 1: tattooshe would appear to contradict this assertion. But that was
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  Speaker 1: a remarkable instance, and such a one as had never
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  Speaker 1: been known to occur before. Yet, from the mummeries performed
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  Speaker 1: over the sick, it is very apparent that they believe
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  Speaker 1: in the agency of spirits, as they attribute disease to
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  Speaker 1: some evil one that has entered the body of the patient.
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  Speaker 1: Neither have they any priests, unless a kind of conjurer
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  Speaker 1: may be so considered, who sings and prays over the
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  Speaker 1: sick to drive away the evil spirit. On the birth
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  Speaker 1: of twins, they have a most singular custom, which I
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  Speaker 1: presume has its origin in some religious opinion, But what
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  Speaker 1: it is I could never satisfactorily learn. The father is
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  Speaker 1: prohibited for the space of two years from eating any
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  Speaker 1: kind of meat or fresh fish, during which time he
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  Speaker 1: does no kind of labor whatever being supplied with what
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  Speaker 1: he has occasioned for from the tribe. In the meantime,
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  Speaker 1: he and his wife, who is also obliged to conform
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  Speaker 1: to the same abstinence, with their children, live entirely separate
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  Speaker 1: from the others, a small hut being built for their accommodation,
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  Speaker 1: and he is never invited to any of their feasts,
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  Speaker 1: except such as consists wholly of dried provision, where he
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  Speaker 1: is treated with great respect and seated among the chiefs,
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  Speaker 1: though no more himself than a private individual. Such births
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  Speaker 1: are very rare among them. An instance of the kind, however,
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  Speaker 1: occurred while I was at Tassis the last time. It
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  Speaker 1: was the only one known since the reign of the
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  Speaker 1: former king. The father always appeared very thoughtful and gloomy,
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  Speaker 1: never associated with the other inhabitants, and was at none
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  Speaker 1: of the feasts, but such as were entirely of dried provision,
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  Speaker 1: and of this he eat not to excess, and constantly
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  Speaker 1: retired before the amusements commenced. His dress was very plain,
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  Speaker 1: and he wore around his head the red filet of bark,
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  Speaker 1: the symbol of mourning and devotion. It was his daily
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  Speaker 1: practice to repair to the mountain with a chief's rattle
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  Speaker 1: in his hand, to sing and pray, as Makina informed me,
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  Speaker 1: for the fish to come into the waters. When not
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  Speaker 1: thus employed, he kept continually at home, except when sent
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  Speaker 1: for to sing and perform his ceremonies over the sick,
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  Speaker 1: being considered as a sacred character and one much in
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  Speaker 1: favour with their god Uds. These people are remarkably healthful
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  Speaker 1: and live to a very advanced age, having quite a
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  Speaker 1: youthful appearance for their years. They have scarcely any disease
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  Speaker 1: but the colic, their remedy for which is friction, a
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  Speaker 1: person rubbing the bowels of the sick violently until the
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  Speaker 1: pain has subsided, while the conjurer or holy man is
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  Speaker 1: employed in the meantime in making his gestures, singing and
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  Speaker 1: repeating certain words, and blowing off the evil spirit when
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  Speaker 1: the patient is wrapped up in a bear skin in
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  Speaker 1: order to produce perspiration. Their care for the rheumatism or
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  Speaker 1: similar pains, which I saw applied by Makina in the
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  Speaker 1: case of Thompson, to whom it gave relief, is by
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  Speaker 1: cutting or scarifying the part affected. In dressing wounds, they
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  Speaker 1: simply washed them with salt water and bind them up
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  Speaker 1: with a strip of cloth or the bark of a tree.
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  Speaker 1: They are, however, very expert and successful in the cure
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  Speaker 1: of fractured or dislocated limbs, reducing them very dexterously, and
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  Speaker 1: after binding them up with bark, supporting them with blocks
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  Speaker 1: of wood, so as to preserve their position. During the
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  Speaker 1: whole time I was among them, but five natural deaths
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  Speaker 1: occurred to Tusche and his two infant children, an infant
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  Speaker 1: son of Makina, and the slave whom I have mentioned,
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  Speaker 1: a circumstance not a little remarkable in a population of
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  Speaker 1: about fifteen hundred, and as respects childbirth, so light do
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  Speaker 1: they make of it that I have seen their women
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  Speaker 1: the day after employed as usual, as if little or
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  Speaker 1: nothing had happened. The Nutkins, in their conduct towards each other,
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  Speaker 1: are in general pacific and inoffensive, and appear by no
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  Speaker 1: means an ill tempered race. For I do not recollect
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  Speaker 1: any instance of a violent quarrel between any of the men,
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  Speaker 1: or the men and their wives while I was with them,
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  Speaker 1: that of yealth Lower excepted. But when they are in
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  Speaker 1: the least offended, they appear to be in the most
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  Speaker 1: violent rage, acting like so many maniacs, foaming at the mouth, kicking,
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  Speaker 1: and spitting most furiously. But this is rather a fashion
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  Speaker 1: with them than a demonstration of malignity. As in their
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  Speaker 1: public speeches they use the same violence, and he is
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  Speaker 1: esteemed the greatest orator who balls the loudest, stamps, tosses
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  Speaker 1: himself about, foams, and spits the most. In speaking of
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  Speaker 1: their regulations, I have omitted mentioning that on attaining the
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  Speaker 1: age of seventeen, the eldest son of a chief is
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  Speaker 1: considered as a chief himself, and that whenever the fat
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  Speaker 1: other makes a present, it is always done in the
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  Speaker 1: name of his eldest son, or, if he has none,
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  Speaker 1: in that of his daughter. The chiefs frequently purchased their
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  Speaker 1: wives at the age of eight or ten to prevent
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  Speaker 1: their being engaged by others, though they do not take
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  Speaker 1: them from their parents until they are sixteen. With regard
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  Speaker 1: to climate, the greater part of the spring, summer, and
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  Speaker 1: autumn is very pleasant, the weather being at no time
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  Speaker 1: oppressively hot, and the winters uncommonly mild for so high
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  Speaker 1: a latitude, at least as far as my experience went
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  Speaker 1: at Tassis and Koopti, where we passed the coldest part
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  Speaker 1: of the season. The winter did not set in till
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  Speaker 1: late in December. Nor have I ever known the ice,
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  Speaker 1: even on the fresh water ponds, more than two or
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  Speaker 1: three inches in thickness, or a snow exceeding four inches
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  Speaker 1: in depth. But what is wanting in snow is amply
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  Speaker 1: made up in rain, as I have frequently known it,
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  Speaker 1: during the winter months, rain almost incessantly for five or
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  Speaker 1: six days in succession. End of Section fifteen.