Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1818-09-12
From the FIhnkt;n Ga.ele.
CREEK INDIANS.
(Conciaded.)
EXTRACT FROM A JOURNAL wRIrTEy >
THE CREEK NATION OF INDIANS.

(C0nciaded.
The Indians have but few ideas on IL.
subject of religion; some of them have
vague, indistinct notion OF future stale
! they however give themselves very lius
| trouble or concern on that head. Ii va
ask the generality OF Indians about lheif r..
ligion they will tell you it is thing A,y
Know nothing about. An iptcI.igen, cne
will inform you that he believes there i.
great spirit above who rifles the sun, moon
sc. and that TO those Hho behave in M,
world like good warriors, he will, ale,
! death, give country Astounding in game.
but if they behave IKE old women, thew
will go to one where there is no game, {,
land 10 plant corn. This is the whole d
their thaology: there is no such thing },
prayer or worship among them. There i,
no prospect Of their ever becoming ch,i,.
Enthusiastically is loo learned a relisio,
for their comprehension, and the example
oil the whites is not calculated to make,
favorable impression: and il is melarcbo.
ly fact that all the efforts OF Tie mission.
ries have merely implanted among tber.
supcrs ilious feelings about what The d
moi comprehend, Of which wicked men =.
mong them have availed themselves. and
under the name of prophets, occasioned al
the wars that have desolated their land.
i here are white men to be found with
the Indian tribes, exhibiting The disgusting
spectacle OF retrograde from civilization,
men who have abandoned their country
and society, naturalized themselye. anon
tue savages, adopted their manners and
habits, and become generally more yciou;
and degraded than the Indians them.eke,
But ! was happy 10 remark that this base
degeneracy, although sometimes tie eifec,
OF choice, was more frequently the offspring
of crime or necessity.
There is no greater reproach, and no.
thing they so much dread, as the stigma Of
COW ardice-an Indian woman once called
her husband a coward; he walked delbe.
rately up to cleft OF LOG feet high, jumped
from it and fell into the river; by some er.
traordinary good fortune he reached The
shore !: not satisfied with this display of his
intrepidity, he Immediately ascended a
second time, jumped again from the cleft,
fell into the Alabama, and was seen no
5 more.
! Pushmatahaw the famous Choctaw chief
having heard thata white man had called
him coward, he went to the factory,
bIougt abarrel OF gun-powder, carried il 10
the village where the man resided, lighted
a fire brand and seating himself upon the
barrel, challenged his accuser to come and.
seat himself also, and he would blow them
both up-the challenge was declined.
There are physicians among the Indians,
who have no contemplate skill in the cure
ofgun-shot wounds, and the bite of snakes;
their methods of proceeding in these cases
they keep secret. The Greeks have few
mechanical ideas they manufacture house
hold utensils and silver ornaments for the
nose and ears, but they are i'll made, clum.
sy, and exhibit no indications of ingenu-
ty; in this respect they ape vastly inferior
the savages inhabiting the northwest par
of the continent.
Many attempts have been made by the
United States to ciyilize these people, but
they have all proved abortive. Children
have been taken from among them, and e.
very effort made to give them the advanta.
ges Of education but they have returned to
the forest worse savages than before. Pro.
per persons have been sent among them TO
teach the arts of agriculture, and farming
utensils have been furnished, but they can
not be persuaded to cultivate their fine
lands. Many have been taught mechanical
trades. but they return TO their own coun-
try with fixed determination never to
exercise them. The United States have
been accused OF pursuing an unjust and fe-
rocious policy towards them, when in fact
They have been treated with parental kind
'ness-trooPs are stationed to prevent in
trusions upon them-trading houses estab-
lished to sell them the goods at low price
individuals prohibited torom trading with,
or purchasing their lands-an agent ap-
pointed to each tribe, TO live among them
and look after their interest, and no lands
OF theirs have ever been held by the United
States, that were not acquired by fair trea-
ty or purchase.
There are good traits in the character Of
an Indian. He is honest theft is a crime
much less common than with the white.
and traders say they are remarkably pune.
tual in paying their debts. The perseve.
ring intrepidIty displayed in various wars,
; their bold, unsubmissiye, independent spirit
scornng TO yield their national indepen.
dence, much less to submit like the blacks
TO persona slavery, are characteristics de.
! serving the greatest respect. But they are
vindictive, crafty, faithless, and ferocious
( as untameable, and as incapable of being
moulded into the ways Of enlightened men,
or the duties Of civilized life, as the Tiger
Of the desert. Nature has endowed the
blacks with intellect, denied TO the Indian
a negro can be taught all the arts of ciyili-
zed life, and they have frequently develop
ed capacity to attain and practice the
higher branches Of knowledge. Not so the
ladian-with more courage, spirit, and har-
dihood, he has infinitely less pliability Of
mind. He delights in ignorance +; his pre-
J, JUDGE against civilization j. invincible, and
his attachment 10 wild, unrestrained, sa-
wage, barbarous manner Of living, is no. ~
be overcome. He is rough, barren rock,