Pilgrimage, Book 8 · Chapter 6
CHAP. VI.
Of the Religion and Rites of the Virginians.
NOw for the manners and rites of the people, thus hath Master Hariot aTho. Hariot. Hak.10.3.p.277.reported. They beleeue that there are many Gods, which they call Mantoac, but of different sorts and degrees: one only chiefe and great God, which hath beene from all eternitie. Who, as they affirme, when hee purposed to make the world, made first other Gods of a principall order, to bee as meanes and instruments to bee vsed in the Creation and gouernement to follow: and after, the Sunne, Moone, and Starres, as petty Gods, and the instruments of the other order more principall.
First, they say, were made waters, out of which by the Gods was made all diuersitie of Creatures, that are visible or inuisible. For mankinde, they say, a woman was made first, which by the working of one of the Gods, conceiued and brought forth children. And in such sort they say they had their beginning: But how many yeares or ages hauehave passed since, they say, they can make no relation: hauing no letters, nor other meanes to keepe records of times past, but only Tradition from Father to Sonne. They thinke that all the Gods are of humane shape, and therefore they represent them by Images, in the formes of men, which they call Kewasowok: one alone is called Kewas. Them they place in Houses or Temples, which they call Machicomuck, where they worship, pray, sing, and make many times offerings vntounto them. In some Machicomuck we hauehave seene but one Kewas, in some two, in other three. They beleeue the immortalitie of the soule: that after this life, as soone as the soule is departed from the bodie, according to the workes it hath done, it is either carried to haeuen the habitacle of Gods, there to enioy perpetuall blisse and happinesse: or else to a great pit or hole, which they thinke to bee in the furthest parts of their part of the world toward the Sunne-set, there to burne continually. This place they call Popogusso. For the confirmation of this opinion they tell tales of men dead and reuiued againe, much like to the Popish Legends.
Thus they tell of one, whose graue the next day after his buriall was seene to moue, and his body was therefore taken vp againe: who reported, that his soule had beene very neare the entring into Popogusso, had not one of the Gods saued him, and giuen him leaue to returne againe, and teach his friends how to auoide that terrible place. They tell of an other, which being taken vp in that manner; related, that his soule was aliue while his body was in the graue, and that it had trauailed farre in a long broade way, on both sides whereof grew most delicate pleasant Trees, bearing more rare and excellent fruits then euer he had seene before, or was able to expresse: and at length came to most braue and faire houses, neare which hee met his Father, that had beene dead before, who gaue him great charge to goe backe againe, and shew his friends what good they were to doe to enioy the pleasures of that place, which when hee had done, he should after come againe.
What subtiltie soeuer be in their Wiroances bWiroance is a chiefe Lord, or petty King, which somtime hath but one Towne: and none that we had dealing with, had aboue eighteene Townes vnderunder him.and Priests, the vulgar are hereby very respectiue to their Gouernours, and carefull of their manners: although they hauehave also in criminall cases, punishments inflicted according to the qualitie of the offence. This I learned by speciall familiaritie with some of their Priests, wherein they were not so sure grounded, but that they lent open eare to ours, with doubting of their owne.
The cTho.de Bry. in Pictur.Priests in Secota hauehave their haire on the crowne like a Combe, the rest being cut from it: only a fore-top on the forehead is left, and that Combe. They hauehave a garment of skinnes peculiar to their function. They are great Wisards.
Our artificiall Workes, Fire-workes, Gunnes, Writing, and such like, they esteemed the workes of Gods, rather then of Men, or at least taught vsus by the Gods. They bare much respect to our Bibles. When the Wiroans was sick, hee sent to vsus to pray for him. Some were of opinion that wee were not mortall, nor borne of Women, but that we were men of an old Generation many yeares past, then risen againe to immortalitie: some would likewise seeme to prophecie that there were more of our generation yet to come, to kill theirs, and take their places: which were now in the Aire inuisible, and without bodies, and that they by our entreatie did make men to die which had wronged vsus.
They hauehave dFirst voiage to Virginia. Hak.tom.3.249.their Idoll in the inner-most roome of their house, of whom they tell incredible things. They carrie it with them when they goe to the Warres, and aske counsell thereof, as the Romans did of their Oracles. They sing songs as they march towards the battell, in stead of Drummes and Trumpets: their warres are bloudie, and hauehave wasted much of their people.
A certaine King called Piemacum, hauing inuited many men and women of the Sccontans to a feast, whiles they were merrie and praying before their Idoll, came vponupon them and slew them. When eM. Ralph Lane Hak.tom.3.261.one of their Kings had conspired against the English, a chiefe man about him said, that we were the seruants of God, and not subiect to be destroyed by them: and that wee, being dead men, could doe more hurt then while wee were aliue. They vse to solemnize certaine moneths-mindes in their Sauage manner for any great personage dead. Iames fIames RosiersRosier from the relation of Owen Griffin, an eye-witnesse, thus tells of their ceremonies. One among them, the eldest as he iudged, riseth right vp, the other sitting still: and looking about, suddenly cried with a loud voice, Baugh, Waugh: then the women fall downe, and lie vponupon the ground: and the men all together answering the same, fall a stamping round about the fire, with both feet, as hard as they can, making the ground shake, with sundrie out-cries, and change of voice and sound. Many take the fire-sticks and thrust them into the earth: and then rest a while. Of a sudden they beginne as before, and continue so stamping till the yonger sort fetched from the shore many stones, of which eueryevery man tooke one, and first beat vponupon them with their fire-sticks, then with the stones beat the earth with all their strength. And in this manner they continued aboue two houres. After this ended, they, which had wiues, tooke them a-part, and withdrew themselues seuerally into the wood. This seemed to bee their euening deuotion.
When they gTheod. de Bry Icone 17.18. & seq.hauehave obtained some great deliuerance from danger, or returne from Warre, they obserue a publike and solemne reioicing by making a great fire, encompassed with the men and women promiscuously, all of them with Rattles in their hands making a great noise.
They hold one time in the yeare festiuall, and then they meete together out of many Villages, eueryevery one hauing a certaine marke or Character on his backe, whereby it may bee discerned whose Subiect hee is. The place where they meete is spacious, and round about are set postes, carued with the resemblance of a Nunnes head: in the midds are three of the fairest Virgins louingly embracing and clasping each other: about this liuing Center, and Artificiall circle, they daunce in their sauage manner.
Their Idol called Kiwasa, is made of wood fower foote high, the face resembling the inhabitants of Florida, painted with flesh colour, the brest white, the other parts blacke, except the legges which are spotted with white; hee hath chaines or strings of beades about his necke.
This Idoll is in Socota, as it were the keeper of the dead bodies of their Kings. In their Temples are houses of publike deuotion, they hauehave two, three, or more of them, set in a darke place. The dead bodies of their Wiroances are kept on certaine Scaffolds nine or ten foote high, this Kiwasa their guardian beeing placed with them: and vnderneath dwelleth a Priest which night and day there numbreth his deuotions.
But let vsus take view of our last Colonies obseruations. Captaine Smith, hNewes from Virginia and a M.S. of Cap. Smith.was taken by the Virginians, and while hee stayed amongst them obserued these their magicall Rites. Three or foure daies after his taking, seuen of their Priestes in the house where he lay, each with a Rattle, (setting him by them) began at ten of the clocke in the morning, to sing about a fire, which they inuironed with a circle of Meale, at the end of eueryevery song, (which the chiefe Priest began, the rest following) laying downe two or three Graines of Wheate: and after they had thus laide downe six or seuen hundred in one Circle, accounting their songes by Graines, as the Papists their Orisons by Beades, they made two or three other circles in like manner, and put at the end of eueryevery song, betwixt eueryevery two, or three, or fiue Graines, a little sticke. The High Priest disguised with a great skinne, his head hung round with little skinnes of Weasils, and other Vermine, with a crownet of Feathers, painted as vgly as the Diuell, at the end of each song vseth strange and ves…ement gestures, casting great Cakes of Dearesuet, and Tobacco into the Fire: thus till six of the clocke in the euening, they continued these howling deuotions, and so held on three daies. This they pretended to doe, to know if any more of his countreymen would arriue, and what hee there intended. They so fedd this our Authour, that he much misdoubted, that hee should hauehave beene sacrificed to the Quiyoughquosicke, which is a Superiour power they worship, then the Image whereof a more vgly thing cannot be described. To cure the sicke, a certaine man with iTheir Ratles are of Gourds or Pompion rindes: of which they hauehave their treble, tenor, base, &c.a little Rattle, vsing extreme howlings, shouting, singing, with diuers anticke and strange behauiours ouer the Patient, sucketh bloud out of his stomacke, or diseased place.
Not much vnlike to that ratling deuotion of their exorcising Priests, (at least in absurditie) was that entertainement kM.S. by W.S.which Powhatans women gaue the said Captaine then beeing free and President of the company, at Werowocomoco; Where thirtie of them came out of the Woodes naked, onelyonly couered behinde and before, with a few greene leaues, their bodies painted, but with some difference each from other: the leader of these Nymphs resembled both Actaeon and Diana, hauing on her head a faire paire of Stagges hornes, and a quiuer of Arrowes at her backe, with bow and Arrowes in her hand: The rest followed all horned alike, weaponed with vnlike instruments: these (as if they had beene the infernall guard, comming with Cerberus to welcome Proferpina to her Palace) rushed from the trees with hellish shoutes and cries, dancing about a fire, which there was made for that purpose: and after an houre thus spent, they departed. Then did they solemnely inuite him to their lodging, where he was no sooner come, but all rounded about him with tedious kindnesse, crying louelove you not mee? This salutation ended, which Pan and all his Satyres would hauehave accepted, they feasted him with plentie and varietie, some singing and dancing whiles others attended: and at last led him with a fire-brand in stead of a torch to his lodging.
When they lCap.Smith.Man.S.intend any wars; the Weroances or Kings consult first with the Priests and Coniurers. And no people hauehave there beene found so sauage which hauehave not their Priests, Gods, and Religion. All things that are able to hurt them beyond their preuention, they after their sort adore, as the Fire, Water, Lightning, Thunder, our Ordnance, Peeces, Horses: Yea, Captaine Smith told mee; that they seeing one of the English Bores in the way, were stricken with awfull feare, because hee brisled vp himselfe and gnashed his teeth, and tooke him for the God of the Swine, which was offended with them.
The chiefe God they worship is the Deuill, which they call Oke. They hauehave conference with him, and fashion themselues vntounto his shape. In their Temples they hauehave his Image ill-sauouredly made, painted, adorned with chaines, copper, and beads, and couered with a skinne. By him is commonly the Sepulchre of their Kings; whose bodies are first bowelled, then dryed on a hurdle, and hauehave about the ioynts chaines of copper, beads, and other like trash; then lapped in white skinnes, and rowled in mats, and orderly entombed in arches made of mats, the remnant of their wealth being set at their feet. These Temples and Bodies are kept by their Priests. For their ordinarie burialls, they digge a deepe hole in the earth with sharpe stakes, and the corps being wrapped in skinnes and mats with their iewells, they lay them vponupon sticks in the ground, and couer them with earth. The buriall ended, the women hauing their faces painted with black cole and oile, sit foure and twentie houres in the houses mourning and lamenting by turnes, with yellings and howlings. EueryEvery Territorie of a Weroance hath their Temples and Priests. Their principall Temple is at Vttamussack in Pamaunk, where Powhatan hath an house vponupon the top of certaine sandie hils in the woods. There are three great houses filled with Images of their Kings and Deuills, and Tombes of their Predecessours. Those houses are neare threescore foot long, built, after their fashion, arbour-wise. This place is in such estimation of holinesse, that none but the Priests and Kings dare enter: yea, the Sauages dare not passe by in boats without casting copper, beads, or somewhat into the Riuer.
Here are commonly resident seuen Priests: the chiefe differed from the rest in his ornaments: the other can hardly be knowne from the common people, but that they hauehave not so many holes at their eares to hang their iewels at. The high-Priests headtire is thus made. They take a great many Snakes skinnes stuffed with mosse, as also of Weasils and other Vermines skinnes, which they tie by their tailes, so that all the tailes meete on the top of the head like a great Tassell. The faces of their Priests are painted as vgly as they can deuise: in their hands they hauehave rattells, some Base, some Treble.
Their deuotion is most in songs which the chiefe Priest beginneth, the rest following: sometime hee maketh inuocations with broken sentences, by starts and strange passions, and at eueryevery pause the other giuegive a short grone. It cannot be perceiued that they hauehave any set holy dayes: only, in some great distresse of want, feare of enemies, times of triumph, and of gathering their fruits, the whole, Countrie, Men, Women, and Children, assemble to their solemnities. The manner of their deuotion is sometimes, to make a great fire, all singing and dancing about the same with rattles and shouts, foure or fiue houres: sometimes they set a man in the midst, and dance and sing about him, he all the while clapping his hands, as if hee would keepe time: after this, they goe to their feasts. They hauehave certaine Altar-stones, which they call Pawcorances, standing from their temples, some by their houses, others in the woods & wildernesses; vponupon which they offer bloud, Deer-suet, & Tobacco. This they doe when they returne from the warres, from their huntings, and on other occasions. When the waters are rough in stormes, their coniurers runne to the waters sides, or passe in their boats, and after many hellish out-cries and inuocations, cast Tobacco, Copper, Pocones, or such trash into the water, to pacifie that GOD whom they thinke to bee very angry in those stormes. Before their dinners and Suppers the better sort will take the first bitt, and cast it into the fire, which is all the grace they are knowne to vse. In some part of the countrey they hauehave yearely a sacrifice of children: such an one was performed at Quiyonghcohanock some ten miles from Iames-towne in this manner.
Fifteene of the properest yong boyes betweene ten and fifteene yeares of age they painted white: Hauing brought them forth, the people spent the forenoone in dancing and singing about them with Rattles: in the afternoone they put these children to the roote of a tree, all the men standing to guard them, each with a Bastinado of Reedes bound together, in his hand. Then doe they make a Lane betweene them all along, through which there were appointed fiue young men to fetch these children. Each of these fetcheth a child, the guard laying on with their bassinadoes, while they with their naked bodies defend the children to their great smart. All this time the women weepe and cry out very passionately, prouiding Mosle, Skinnes, Matts, and dry wood, as things fitting the childrens Funerall. When the children are in this manner fetched away, the Guard teares downe trees, branches, and boughes, making wreathes for their heads, or bedecking their haire with the leaues. What else was done with the children was not seene, but they were all cast on a heape in a Valley, as dead, where was made a great Feast for all the company. The Werowance beeing demanded the meaning of this Sacrifice, answered, that the children were not all dead, but that the Oke or Diuel did suck the bloud from their left brest, who chanced to be his by Lott, till they were dead, but the rest were kept in the Wildernesse by the Yong men, till nine Moones were expired, during which time they must not conuerse with any, and of these were made their Priestes, and coniurers. This Sacrifice they held to be so necessarie, that if they should omitt it, their Oke or Diuell, and their other Quiyoughcosughes or Gods, would let them hauehave no Deare. Turkies, Corne, or Fish; and would besides make a great slaughter amongst them. They thinke that their Werowances and Priestes, which they also esteeme Quiyoughcosughes, when they are dead, doe goe beyond the Mountaines towards the setting of the Sunne, and euer remaine there in forme of their Oke, hauing their heads painted with Oile & Pocones mPocones is a small Roote which dried & beat into poulder turneth red: they vse it for swellings, aches, & painting.finely trimmed with Feathers, and shall hauehave Beades, Hatchets, Copper, and Tobacco, neuer ceasing to dance and sing with their predecessours. The common people, they suppose, shall not liue after death. Some sought to conuert them from these superstitions: the Werowance of Quiyoughcohanocke was so farre perswaded as that he prosfessed to beleeue that our God exceeded theirs, as much as our Gunnes did their Bowes and Arrowes: and many times did send to the President many presents, intreating him to pray to his nIn that extremitie of misery which ours since sustained, I hauehave been told that both the sauages and fugitiues would obiect our want and their plenty, for theirs, and against our Religion.God for raine, for his God would not send him any.
The Wirowance of Acawmacke told our men of a strange accident: two children beeing dead, and buried, being reuiewed by the patents, seemed to hauehave liuely and cheerefull countenances, which caused many to behold them, and none of the beholders escaped death.
The Sasquesahanockes are a Gyantly people, strange in proportion, behauiour, and attire, their voice founding from them as out of a Caue: their attire of Beares skinnes, hanged with Beares pawes, the head of a Wolfe, and such like Iewels: and (if any would hauehave a Spoone to eate with the Diuell) their Tobacco-pipes were three quarters of a yard long, carued at the great end with a Bird, Beare, or other deuice, sufficient to beate out the braines of a horse (and how many Asses braines are beaten out, or rather mens braines smoked out, and Asses haled in by our lesse Pipes at home?) the the rest of their furniture was sutable. The calfe of one of their legges was measured three quarters of a yard about, the rest of his limmes proportionable. With much adoe restrained they this people from worshipping our men. And oM.S. by W.S. collected out of the writing of T.S.A.T.W.R.N.P.W.P.R.W.R.P.&c.when our men prayed (according to their daily Custome) and sung a Psalme, they much wondred: and after began in most passionate manner to holde vp their hands to the Sunne, vvith a Song: then embracing the Captaine they began to adore him in like manner, and so proceeded (notwithstanding his rebuking them) till their song was ended: which done, one with a most strange action and vncomely voice began an Oration of their loues. That ended, with a great painted Beares skinne they couered the Captaine, another hung about his necke a chaine of white Beades. Others laide eighteene mantels at his feete, with many other ceremonies to create him their Gouernour, that he might defend them against the Massa-womekes their enemies. As these are very great, so the Wighcocomocoes are very little.
I may also here insert the ridiculous conceits which some Virginians hold, concerning their first originall, as I hauehave heard from the relation of an English pCap. Argoles boy his name was Henry Spilman.youth, which liued long amongst the Sauages: that a Hare came into their countrey and made the first men, and after preserued them from a great Serpent: and when two other Hares came thither, that Hare for their entertainment killed a Deare, which was then the onelyonly Deare that was, and strewing the haires of that Deares Hide, eueryevery haire proued a Deare. He said they worshipped towards a certaine Hoope or Sphere doubled a-crosse, which was set vponupon an heape of stones in their houses. They had a house without the towne for the women, in the time of their naturall sicknes to keepe in, where no men might come,
The Virginians qCap. Smith.M.S.are borne white: their haire blacke; few hauehave beards: the vvomen with two shells are their Barbars: they are strong nimble, and hardy, inconstant, timorous, quicke of apprehension, cautelous, couetous of Copper and Beades; they seldome forget an iniury, and seldome steale from each other, least the coniurers should bewray them, which it is sufficient that these thinke they can doe. They hauehave their lands and gardens in proper, and most of them liue of their labour.
In each eare commonly they hauehave three great holes, whereat they hang chaines, bracelets, or copper: some weare in those holes a small Snake coloured greene and yellow, neare halfe a yard long, which crawling about his neck, offereth to kisse his lippes. Others weare a dead Rat tied by the taile. Their names are giuen them according to the humour of the Parents. Their women they say are easily deliuered: they wash in the Riuers their yong Infants to make them hardy. The women and children doe the houshould and field-worke, the men disdaining the same, and onelyonly delighting in fishing, hunting, warres, and such man-like exercises: the women plant, reape, beare burthens, pound their corne, make Baskets, potts, their bread, and doe their Cookerie and other businesse.
Powhatan had aboue thirtie Commanders, or Wirrowances vnderunder him, all which were not in peace onelyonly, but seruiceable in Captaine Smiths presidencie, to the English, and still as I hauehave been told by some that hauehave since beene there, they doe affect him, and will aske of him. Powhatan hath three brethren, and two sisters, to whom the inheritance belongeth successiuely, and not to his or their sonnes till after their death, and then the eldest Sisters sonne inheriteth. He hath his treasure of skinnes, Copper, pearles, beades, and such like, kept in a house for that purpose, and there stored against the time of his buriall. This house is fiftie or threescore yardes long, frequented onelyonly by Priests. At the foure corners of this house stand foure images as Sentinels, one of a Dragon, an other of a Beare, a third of a Leopard, and the fourth of a Gyant. Hee hath as many women as he will, which when hee is weary of, he bestoweth on whom he best liketh. His will, and Custome are the lawes. He executeth ciuill punishments on malefactors, as broiling to death, being encompassed with fire, and other tortures. The other Wirowances, or Commanders (so the word signifieth) hauehave power of life and death; and hauehave, some twenty men, some fortie, some a hundred, some many more vnderunder their command. Some were sent to enquire for those which were left of Sir Walter Rawleighs Colony, but they could learne nothing of them but that they were dead.