Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1897-08-12

good nuuriBtlment, and the woods anu
rivor AFRO their leader. William Penn.
"Thoy fix hole in the ground and
spread around it their mats which are
made of the leaves Of th1 Indian corn
matted together; then they cover IL
above with Il kind of roof made of bark,
leaving hole at the top for smoke to
paas through; they fix hooks IN the
polo on which they hang their kettles;
underneath they put q large stone to
guard themselves from the fire, aud
around it they snread thur mats and
skips on which they aleep. Foo beds,
tables aud chairs they tso nothing else;
the earth seryea them Tor all these pur'
poses. They have several doors 10 their
houses, generally one on the north and
one on the south side. When it blows
hard, they stop UP ono of them with
bark, ara bang mat or skin before
tue other. Il They mostly wander
about from ono place TO another. and
generally 90 to those places whore they
think that they AFRO most likcly 10 find
the means of support = When
they travel they carry their meats with
them wherever they go and Fix thom on
poles, under which thoy dwell. When
they want fire they strike it out OF u
piece Of dry wood, OF which they find
plenty; and in that manner thoy arc
never at loss for lire 10 warm them
solves or to cuuk their meat. Gam
panius.
wAMPuM AND ITS USES.
'Insioad of monsy they used Kind
of boads mado Of ronch shell manu-.
fac,ured in curious manner These
hrnds were made. some OF tho white,
some of thu black or uolored parts of
the shall. They wero formed INTO
cylinders about nne quarter of an inch
long and quarter OF an inch in
diameter. They were round and highly
polished and perforated lrngthwiFn
with small hnle, by which they
strung them together and wove thom
into halts, snmo OF which, by a proper
arrangement of the beads of different
uolors, were figured like carpetiug with
different tiSuros, according 10 tho
various uses for which they were de-
signed. These were maize use OF in
their treaties and intercourse with each
other, aud served To assist their memory
and pre- erve the remembrance OF
transactions. When different tribes or
nations made peace or alliance with
each other they exchanged belts OF one
sort; when they excited each othor to
war they used another sort. Hence
they were distinguished by tho name OF
peace belts or war belts. Every message
sent from one trine to another WAS &c
cnmpanied with string of these beads
or II belt, and the string or belt was
smaller or greater according to the
M AT
These beads we're thoir riches. They
were worn as bracelets on tho arms
and like chains round the neck by way
of ornaments. "-Cbarles Thompson.
The fato Of the Indians OF Delaware
was the common fate of all the a meri-
can aboriginas. Says William Penn,
inlGS3, "le Dutch and Sweed and
English have by brandy and rum almost
debaucht YIN all. 4"
Pushed back by tho crowtliug
settlements burning with hatred
against civilization that had only
worked them i'll, scarce would they
take refuge in some virgin forest, when
the ring of the woodman'H axe would
toll them that the pale faced had again
advanced his ironticr.
In l7IS. the last Of the NaniiCokeR,
preparatory to their departure from
Delaware, gathered the bones Of their
ancestors from many scattered sopul
chre, to an ancient burying ground
near Laurel doubtless in the hope that
finally the Great Spirit might grant
them some secure retreat to which the
sacred remains might be horne, and
where tine dead warrior might lie laid
to rest with the fathers of his tribe.