The New Hampshire Gazette

FROM THE NEW-YORK COURIER.

LETTER FROM WALLAWISHECAH, AN INDIAN CHIEF TO HIS PEOPLE.

In my last letter I gave you an account of my journey, from our happy and favored country, to this land of barbarians. I found the whites in a most deplorable state of ignorance. Very few knew anything about the art of hunting, and none pursue it for a livelihood!—Strange as it may seem, it is a fact that white men are almost entirely ignorant of the use of the bow! I expect to establish a school for the purpose of instructing them in archery. This ignorance of the civilized arts, I presume, is owing to their devoting their attention to such useless labors as building fine houses; making fine clothes; and laboring perpetually upon the earth, making books, &c. all which is labor and time spent for unnecessary purposes. They think nothing of spending whole weeks to make a soft bed to lie on, instead of using a bear skin: I intend to make an engagement to supply these destitute and unfortunate creatures with several thousand deer and buffalo skins. They will often spend the wealth, which it has cost them thirty years to accumulate, merely to make a fine house to live in! The reason of this folly is totally unaccountable, and still more astonishing, because they do not seem ignorant of the art of making tents or even wigwams. Their mode of living is very extravagant in every respect. Their tables are loaded with a great variety of meats & herbs; but they are either bad of themselves or spoiled in cooking. They have obtained the art of making hominy from some of our people, but they are destitute of all the other luxuries of our nation. They all seem to be very sickly, and for that reason take physic during and after dinner; when they drink the physic they bow to one another and say "your health sir," which means may your physic make you well—I believe it operates as a puke generally, and, thereby, I suppose, cleans their stomachs. The intercourse of the whites with the Indians has been of great advantage to them. They have copied several of our arts, and in several particulars adopted our manners, especially the ladies. Our mode of dress is adopted by the women, with some little alteration; like us, they go partly naked, but not so much so as ourselves, owing, I suppose, to their having more rags for surrounding themselves with fantastic finery. They also paint in imitation of us, but with less taste. We put a greater quantity of colors on our faces than the white women, who use only red and ochre in practice.

The women have also imitated us in the fashion of wearing feathers in their caps; trinkets on their arms and necks; and rings in their ears. What is very curious, is, that there were none in their nose, where they can be more easily worn, and where they appear most conspicuously. This, no doubt, is owing to a practice they have of taking snuff, or tobacco powder: A ring in the nose would be very much in the way of these snuff takers. It may, also, be partly owing to another practice which prevails among the whites, namely, the practice of kissing, or joining mouths together. A ring in the nose would be somewhat in the way of that operation; besides, the white women, unlike our squaws, are incessant talkers, and a ring in the nose might in some degree, obstruct the motion of the upper lip, and probably blister it by perpetual rubbing.

You will scarcely believe me, when I assure you that the men are in a state of the most abject and pitiable slavery to the women. They make the men work like brutes for them, while they are perfectly idle, or only engaged in some frivolous and expensive amusement. The men wait on the women like slaves; help them at table; support them as they walk the streets; fan them like a servant boy; fetch them water; help them in and out of a carriage; and it is said that they have gone so far as to lay their coats in a puddle for a lady to walk over on. In short, they perform every menial service which the women require of them. I will do everything in my power to ameliorate the condition of these wretched barbarians, and have a strong notion to have some of my warriors sent on to learn them the use of the bow and instruct them in the art of hunting: making wigwams, moccasins, breech-clouts, &c. We have great reason, my children, to rejoice at our situation, when we compare it with the state of these barbarians. Let us be thankful to the Great Spirit who has cast our lots in a land of civilization, happiness and freedom. The Great Spirit bless you.

WALLAWASHECAH.

N. B.—Order my squaw to provide an abundance of Kinnikinnick and dried corn for next winter, and to make me shot-pouch of beaver skin. Also direct her to make me plenty of moccasins and leggins for the winter. Also to keep my youngest papoose stretched upon a board a month longer, as I wish him to be as straight and handsome a warrior as possible.