Sebastian Rale-A Maine Tragedy of the Eighteenth Century: The Indians of Maine page 81-92 John Francis Sprague Boston, Mass. Printed by the Heintzemann Press 1906 The Indians of Maine The pathetic history of the extermina- tion of the powerful Indian nations of North America is fascinating and full of interest, although it is a tale of cruelty and of "man's inhumanity to man." The Algonquins formed the most prominent of the three aboriginal races that the French pioneers found in the great basin of the St. Lawrence and much of the territory adjacent thereto. They were the veritable monarchs of that vast forest and the lords of all the mighty rivers and wonderful lakes which were revealed to the astonished vision of the early explorers, friars and Jesuits. The tribes of the Abenaquis, or Abnikis, as they are generally known in history, belong to that nation, and when the first steps of Euro- pean civilization were made upon what is now the state of Maine, this branch of the Algon- quins controlled the territory. The principal tribes consisted of the Cana- bis on the Kennebec; the Etchenims, living nearer the St. John ; the Pennacooks of the Merrimac; the Sokokis further east, besides smaller tribes like the Penobscots, Passama- quoddys, Chesuncooks, etc. The name " Cana- bis " undoubtedly gave rise to the idea that some of the Maine Indians were cannibals. It does not appear, however, from the most care- ful writers, that this was the fact. The origin of the American Indian is involved in complete obscurity and profound mystery. The CC red men" of Canada and the United States differ in many respects from the Guronis of Paraguay, and both from the wild tribes of California ; but all writers have agreed that they exhibit clear evidence of belonging to the same great branch of the human family. Most of the voyagers and discoverers, in- cluding Columbus, believed these aboriginals were of Asiatic origin. This idea has never been entirely abandoned, some modern writers still adhering to the same theory. Dr. Robert Brown, in his " Races of Man- kind," upholds this view. In its support he cites the fact that the " Eskimo of the Ameri- can, and the Tchuktchis on the Asiatic side, understand each other perfectly." It is generally understood that the name In- dian was conferred upon them from their real fancied resemblance to the inhabitants of India. The aborigines of Maine were not unlike others of their race in the North Atlantic coun- try. They were natural types of the Bow-and- arrow family of men, and were from the earliest times known as the Abenaki tribe. It is unfor- tunate that the early New England writers did not give us much information regarding the Indians. The greater part of what they wrote of the red men related to their warfare with them; what victories they achieved in these wars, and their versions of the cruelties of the Indian. As a result we are obliged to take our infor- mation from the French writers of that period, who had radically differed from the English in their treatment and dealings with this race, and who were enthusiastic in their praise of them and admittedly their partisans. These Indians were nomadic in their habits, roaming over immense stretches of hunting grounds and continually travelling from river to river and lake to lake. It may properly be said that their vocation was hunting, although they possessed such passion for war that savage warfare was at least an avocation with them, which they apparently loved as intensely as they did the chase. No race on this earth has ever exhibited a stronger desire for personal independence and freedom of action or a greater hatred of restraint of any kind than have they. Hence, when the most shadowy and vaguest ideas of the func- tions of government began to dawn upon their shrouded intellect, they were necessarily its nat- ural enemy. A crude religious or spiritual strain was one of their predominant characteristics. They be- lieved in a Great Spirit everywhere present, ruling the elements, riding on the storm, his voice in the awful thunder when angry, and gleaming in the glad sunlight when pleased; that the good were rewarded and the bad pun- ished. They also believed in lesser spirits some good, some bad. These spirits of both orders visited them on earth. Evil dreams, diseases of all kinds, ene- mies, cheating pale faces, severe winters, starva- tion, a scarcity of game, ill luck in the chase, the bad spirits were all responsible for; while, on the other hand, the good spirits brought sunshine, kind friends, peace, plenty and all the creatures which they hunted. The Rev. Eugene Vetromile, in his " History of the Abnakis," published in 1866, denies the statement of some historians that they were idolaters. It is true that they in some manner worshipped the sun, offering sacrifice to it; but the Indians explain that the material lumi- nary was not the object of their worship, but it only represented another luminary invisible to our eyes ; and as the sun illuminating the whole earth gives life and light to every object, so it was representing an invisible Being who gives light, animation, life and support to the whole world. They believed also in a great Evil Spirit who was the cause of all trouble in this world and the world of spirits. The Evil Spirit recognized by the Penobscot Indians was called by them Pamola (meaning that -he curses on the mountain"), and was supposed to reside during the summer season on the top of Mount Katahdin. They offered sacrifices to him to appease him so that he would not curse or injure them. Although they hunted and fished in the woods and lakes around Mount Katahdin, yet they never attempted to go on the top of that mountain for fear that they would never be able to return, but would be either killed or devoured by Pamola. It is only within recent years that the Indians have been induced by sportsmen and visitors to act as guides in ascending this mountain. The medicine man served as priest, seer and prophet, and mediated between them and the spirit world. This was substantially the gist of their reli- gious superstitions. As friends they were as true as the magnet to steel, but as enemies they were without forgiveness, and to avenge a wrong was one of their highest aims. The early Indians of Maine are said to have been extremely hostile and revengeful. It would seem, however, that the English had only them- selves to blame for this rapid development of the Indian characteristics in these respects. They began their intercourse with them by practising treachery and fraud. One of the first English voyagers who visited the Maine coast, Captain George Weymouth, in 1605, landed at what is now known as the Island of Monhegan. Later he visited the mainland, and after mak- ing presents to the Indians and treating them with great kindness, he induced five of them to visit his ship, the " Archangel," forcibly kid- napped them and carried them as captives with their canoes and bows and arrows to London. This was the beginning which these men, pro- fessing to represent Him who came to bring "peace on earth and good will to men," made in their dealings with their savage brothers in Maine. This was followed by many acts of cruel treachery which space forbids me to cite. Is it strange that such treatment should cause the Abenakis with their fiery and revengeful natures to hate the English and make them their everlasting enemies ? However widely we may differ from the Jes- uits in some matters, one fact is certainly firmly established, and that is, that in their intercourse with the Indians of Maine and Canada they displayed not only a more Christian and frater- nizing spirit, but far superior wisdom, judg- ment and discretion. They first studied their traits of character, habits and peculiarities, and gained their confidence and esteem before at- tempting to convert them. Had the English pursued such a policy, a century of untold suf- fering, horror, torture and cruelty endured by innocent settlers in subsequent years would have been averted. Is it any wonder that the French, their gov- ernors, their friars and their priests maintained such a strong influence over them for so long a time ? According to Vetromile, the following vow was once taken by all of the Abenakis of Maine: " Our Good Mother and very Beloved Mary: Now the best offer that we can make is, that we might give up our sins; be willing that, through reverence to our elder brother, they may ask the forgivness of our sins. Accept now the offer that we make of ourselves to you. We now have more extensively come to the knowl- edge of who made us, and how he went to work to save us by buying us. Oh, that we might have known it before! We feel ashamed, we stop doing wrong, and we offer a reparation for our sins. He redeemed us while we were in sin, by our mother. We do wrong, but it is just now that we commence to be Christians. We are coming thither because we have long ago lost the Great Spirit. Five years ago our eldest brothers, by praying, made us pure Christians. Great, good Mother, Sangman Mary, made powerful by Him, make the offer for us for our sins ! It is by the instructions of the Catholic religion that we come to the knowl- edge that we were in sin, and that we were com- mitting sin; but we never knew it before that time; no, we never did. Now you know us, 0 Mary, very good Mother. We are become a little wiser, hence we feel ashamed of our bad conduct while we were in the state of a savage, wild life. Now we obey your Son -what we call your Son; being baptized now, we want to know whether we are your children. It is a little thing, yet we offer it of good will for our sins. Speak for us to our Father, the Sangman Francis de Sales, whose body long time ago was buried there. We offer ourselves to you for- ever; and this wampum, which we give to you forever, be an everlasting token between us forever. Mary, good owner of the angels and of the Indians, one thing that we ask from you that your Son Jesus may be safe in our hearts as He was safe in your body. We love you and your Son till we die, and forever. Mary, accept this wampum forever. May you accept our words and our offer by prayer for- ever! May you own us forever! We like to obey you. Place in our hearts what we are ask- ing in this petition." (c) 1998 Courtesy of the Androscoggin Historical Society & Somerset County Maine US Gen Web Project ************************************************* NOTICE: Printing the files within by noncommercial individuals and libraries is encouraged, as long as all notices and submitter information is included. Any other use, including copying files to other sites requires permission from the submitters PRIOR to uploading to any other sites. 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