Page:History of Richland County, Ohio.djvu/222

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��HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

��the Northern (3hio tribes, marriage consisted simpl_y of two persons agreeing to live together, which simple agreement, among many tribes, was never broken. Sometimes the young woman courted the young brave, much after the fash- ion of the white people during leap years. This custom was considered quite proper, and favor- ably looked upon by the braves. In some lo- calities the chief gave away the young woman to some brave he considered competent to sup- port her in the chase, a part of the domestic economy always devolving on the man. When the game was killed, the squaw was expected to cut up and prepare the meat for use, and stretch and tan the hide.

The marriage relation among the most of the tribes was held strictly by all, a variation from it on the part of the female meriting certain death. The Wyandots and Delawares prided themselves on their virtue and hospitality, and no authenticated case of the misuse of a female captive, except to treat them as prisoners of war, can now be quoted. They always evinced the utmost modesty toward their female cap- tives. Respect for the aged, for parents and those in authority prevailed. When one among them spoke, all listened, never, under any cir- cumstances, interrupting him. When he was done, then was the time to reply.

In theology, the natives were all l^elievers of one deity, denominated l)y them the Great Spirit. They firmly believed in his care of the world and of his children," though different theories prevailed among the tribes regarding their creation. Their ideas of a divinity, as expressed by James Smith, a captive many years among them, are well given in the follow- lowing story, preserved in Smith's memoirs.

He and his elder Indian brother, Tecaugh- retanego, had l)een on a hunt for some time, and, meeting with poor success, found them- selves straitened for food. After the^' had smoked at their camp-fire awhile, Tecaugh- retanego delivered quite a speech, in which he

��recounted how Owaneeyo ((irod) had fed them ' in times gone by ; how He fed the white people, and why they raised their own meat ; how the Great Spirit provided the Indian with food for his use ; and how. that though the prospect was sometimes gloomy, the Great Spirit was onl}- trying them ; that if they would only trust Him and use the means diligently, they would be certain to be provided for. The next morning Smith rose early, according to the Indians in- structions, and ere long killed a buffalo cow, whose meat kept them in food many days. This was the occasion of another speech from his Indian brother. This trust often led them to habits of prodigality. They seldom pro- vided for the future, almost literally fulfilling the adage: "'Let each day provide for its own wants." The}^ hunted, fished and idled away their days. Possessed of a boundless inherit- ance, they allowed the white race to come in and possess their lands and eventually drive them entirely awa}'.

Their manner of feasts may also be noticed. After the county- began to settle, and while the Greentown Indians yet remained in Green Town- ship, a number of the early settlers, Andrew Craig, Capt. James Cunningham, James Copus, who preserved the following account of the feast, and a few others, were invited to one of their feasts. '• The ceremonies," says Dr. Hill, " took place in the council-house, a l)uilding made of clapboards and poles, about thirty feet wide and fifty feet long. When the Indians en- tered the council-house, the squaws seated themselves on one side of the room, while the braves occupied the opposite side. There was a small mound of earth in the center of the room, eight or ten feet in diameter, which seemed to be a sort of sacrificial mound. The ceremonies began with a sort of rude music, made by beating on a small brass kettle, and on dried skins stretched over the mouths of pots, making a kind of a rude drum. The pounding was accompanied by a sort of song, which, as

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