The Origin of the North American Indians; with a faithful description of their manners, etc

Front matter

Fatten St ■ NtHrYbrlt- INDIAN HUNTER. INDIANS B AT Jfotjn stir. 3nloat) JsAFIS & CORNISH NBWrORK. Sl.L.OUrSTMiiJ NATIS CORNISH £ Co THE ORIGIN OF THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS ; WITH A FAITHFUL DESCRIPTION OF THEIR B1ANNERS AND CUSTOMS, BOTH CIVIL AND MILITARY, THEIR RELIGIONS, LANGUAGES, DRESS, AND ORNAMENTS INCLUDING VABIOUS SPECIMENS OF INDIAN ELOQUENCE, AS WELL AS HISTOR ICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OP ALMOST ALL THE DISTINGUISHED NATIONS AND CELEBRATED WARRIORS, STATESMEN AND ORATORS, AMONG THE INDIANS OF NORTH AMERICA. NEW EDITION, IMPROVED AND ENLARGED. BV JOHN McINTOSH. NEW-YORK : NAFIS & CORNISH, 278 PEARL STREET. J-ntered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1843, Bv Nafis & Cornish, in the Clerk's Office for the Southern District of New-Yorl J. J. Rce_, Trlnter, IG Sr-ruce-st. CONTENTS. >AQE.

Pref&fe, ....... 9 Introduction, . . . . . ]3 Creation of the World, . . . . .18 Situation of Paradise, ..... 20 Antedeluvians, . . . . . .25 Deluge, . . . . . . .27 The Foundation of Nations by the Posterity of Noah, . .29 Magog, the Progenitor of the North American Indians, . 31 The Posterity of Shem, . . . . .34 Discovery of America, ..... 39 Origin of the North American Indians, . . .73 Persons, Features and Colour of the North American Indians, 87 Persons, Features and Complexion of the Tongusi of Siberia in Asia, 91 Particularities of the Indian Language, ... 93 Particularities of the Language of the Tongusi and Coriaks of Siberia, ...... 98 Comparative View of the Indian and Asiatic Languages, . 101 Religion of the North American Indians, . . . 104 Religion of the Tongusi, Coriaks, and Kamschadales, . . 109 Dress and Ornaments of the North American Indians, . 112 Dress and Ornaments of the Tongusi, Coriaks, and Kamschadales, 115 Marriage among the North Amercan Indians, . . 119 Marriage among the Tongusi, Coriaks, and Kamschadales, . 127 War among the North American Indians, . . . 129 War among the Tongusi, Coriaks, Kamschadales, Yakutsi, and Okotsi of Siberia, . . . . .148 The Dance of the Calumet among the North American Indians, 155 The Dance of the Potoosi, or Calumet, among the Tongusi, &c. , 159 Sacrifices among the North American Indians, . . 160 Sacrifices among the Tongusi, ..... 161 Funeral Rites among the North American Indians, . . 162 Funeral Rites among the Coriaks, Tongusi, and Kamschadales, . 168 Festival of Dreams among the North American Indians, . 170 Festival of Dreams among the Tongusi, Coriaks, and Kamschadales, .......

CONTENTS. VI PAOS. Game os the Dish, or Little Bones, among the North American Indians, ...... 175 Game of the Patooni among the Kamschadales, . . 177 The Naming of Children among the North America Indians, . 178 The Naming of Children among the Kamschadales, . . 179 Jugglers among the North American Indians, . . . 180 The Ponomoosi, or Prophets, among the Kamschadales, Coriaks,&e. 181 Orators among the North American Indians, . . . 182 Orators among several Asiatic Tribes, . . . 183 The Councils and Government of Villages among the North American Indians, ..... 185 Councils and Government among Asiatic Tribes, . . 187 Shapes which the North American Indians give to their Children, 189 What Strengthens and Shapes the Indians so well, . . 190 Their first Exercises, ..... ib. In what consists their Education, .... 191 Works of the Women, ..... ib.

Preface

To trace the descent of nations and travel through the regions of antiquity, is^ universally admitted to be a difficult task, and consequently not unworthy the attention of the lovers of science. Our present subject, it is true, has fre quently attracted the curiosity of the learned, both of the old and new world ; and although their researches have been both plausible and ingenious, yet the result of their inquiries is evidently so adverse and inconsistent, that a wide field is still open to the antiquary and historian. Nay, the obscuri ty in which the origin of the Aborigines of America has, hitherto, been involved, demands and calls forth all the in genuity which the most enlightened philosophy can bring to its aid, in order to satisfy the public mind on so intricate a subject. In this arduous undertaking, therefore, it becomes us to solicit the indulgence of our readers, especially of those who may not, perhaps, feel disposed to reason on matters, which, as they might likely imagine, exceed so far the reach and testimony of authentic history, that the origin of the North American Indians must, as a matter of course, remain for X

PREFACE.

. ever hidden from the curiosity of mankind. The Red Men, it is true, Had not, when first visited by Europeans, any his tory of themselves, either written or traditional, which could throw any light on their national affairs. With regard to oral tradition, which consists of recitals made by the first men to their children, of whatever happened worthy of notice during their lifetime, so that these recitals are multi plied in every generation, and transmitted down to posterity, without the assistance of writing, we must candidly acknow ledge that the Indians were found to be miserably destitute, even of this errant vehicle of knowledge. Hence, amidst the clouds which envelop the history of this ill-fated race, we are furnished by themselves with nothing but uncertainty. We shall not then, venture to affirm, on their testimony, either what is true or what is false, or seek for certainty among such uncertain authorities.

On the contrary, our witnesses are of the most unimpeachable character, while the testimony of travellers of undoubted veracity, and mis sionaries no less distinguished for their learning than religious zeal, who dwelt for many years in the north-eastern regions of Asia, and among the Indian tribes of North America, shall form om principal guides in this inquiry. In the absence, therefore, of written or traditional history, however erroneous the latter may frequently prove, but neither of which the Indians possessed, it seems to us, that there cannot be a more rational way of arriving, with any degree of accuracy and certainty, at the original source, whence, in the remoteness of time, those numerous and powerful tribes first migrated to the Western Continent, than to offer a faithful comparison of the Indians with the Asiatics, in religion, language, manners, habits and customs

PREFACE.

. XI On the authority of writers and travellers, ancient and modern, and of distinguished ability, whose observations, in Asia, and America, written at different periods, should merit the greatest confidence and attention from the scientific and the curious, we have ventured to prove beyond the possibili ty of doubt, that the North American Indians are of Asiatic origin. e As it is generally allowed that the uniformity or agreement ofthe manners and customs of two nations, is the most authentic monument of their original connection, we have offered an extensive catalogue of coincidences, so singular and indicative ofthe identity of people, that we will, at once, be induced to believe this theory to be the most rational of all the systems that have been formed on the subject. If we meet, therefore, with many customs, religious, military, and civil, practised only by some nations in Asia, and followed up by the earliest inhabitants ofthe WTestern Continent, we may fairly conclude that the Aborigines of this country must have derived their origin from those Asiatic tribes to whom they bear the greatest resemblance in language, religion, manners, habits and customs.