A Description of the Indians in Georgia (1733)

Oglethorpe’s description of the Georgia Indians was first published in Richard Hooker’s Weekly Miscellany for August 11, 1733.¹ Oglethorpe apparently dispatched this account to the Georgia Trustees along with his separate letter of June 9, 1733.²

He evidently designed it to serve several purposes: to diminish the fears of potential emigrants concerning the Indians and to promote instead the notion that most of them were Noble Savages, certainly to encourage the sending of missionaries to Christianize them, and perhaps to justify the subsequent edicts and law banning the sale of rum in Georgia.

Although the letter of June 9, 1733, is still extant, the account itself now exists only in its printed versions. It is here reprinted from the Weekly Miscellany.

Part of a Letter from James Oglethorpe, Esq; at Georgia, to the Hon. ——in London. Dated the 9th of June last.

THERE seems to be a Door opened to our Colony towards the Conversion of the Indians. You will see by an Account printed in the inclosed Gazette* that they are desirous of Instruction, which they have hitherto always refus’d to receive. I have had many Conversations with their chief Men, too long here to recite, the whole Tenour of which shews that there is nothing wanting to their Conversion, but one, who understands their Language well, to explain to them the Mysteries of Religion; for as to the moral Part of Christianity they understand it and assent to it. They abhor Adultery, and do not approve of Plurality of Wives.³ Theft is a Thing not known among the Creek Nation, tho’ frequent, and even honourable, amongst the Uchees.⁴ Murder they look upon as a most abominable Crime, but do not esteem the killing of an Enemy, or one that has injur’d them, Murder. The Passion of Revenge, which they call Honour, and Drunkenness, which they learnt from our Traders, seem to be the two greatest Obstacles to their being truly Christians: But upon both these Points they hear Reason; and with respect to drinking of Rum, I have weaned those near me a good deal from it. As for Revenge, they say, as they have no executive Power of Justice amongst them, they are forced to kill the Man who has injured them, in order to prevent others from doing the like; but they do not think that any Injury, except Adultery, or Murder, deserves Revenge. They hold, that if a Man commits Adultery, the injur’d Husband is oblig’d to have Revenge, by cutting off the Ears of the Adulterer, which if he is too sturdy and strong to submit to, then the injured Husband kills him the first Time that he has an Opportunity so to do with Safety. In Cases of Murder, the next in Blood is obliged to kill the Murderer, or else he is looked upon as infamous in the Nation where he lives; and the Weakness of the executive Power is such, that there is no other way of Punishment but by the Revenger of Blood, as the Scripture calls it. For there is no coercive Power in any of their Nations. Their Kings can do no more than perswade. All the Power that they have is no more than to call their old Men and their Captains together, and to propound to them, without Interruption, the Measures they think proper. After they have done speaking, all the others have Liberty to give their Opinions also; and they reason together till they have brought each other into some unanimous Resolution. These Conferences in Matters of great Difficulty have sometimes lasted two Days, and are always carried on with great Temper and Modesty. If they do not come into some unanimous Resolution upon the Matter, the Meeting breaks up; but if they are Unanimous (which they generally are) then they call in the young Men, and recommend to them the putting in Execution the Resolution, with their strongest and most lively Eloquence. And, indeed, they seem to me, both in Action and Expression, to be thorough Masters of true Eloquence; and, making Allowances for what they suffer thro’ badness of Interpreters, many of their Speeches are equal to those which we admire most in the Greek and Roman Writings. They generally in their Speeches use Similies and Metaphors. Their Similies were quite new to me, and generally wonderful proper and well carried on. But in the Conferences among their chief Men they are more Laconick and concise. In fine, in speaking to their young Men they generally address to the Passions; in speaking to their old Men they apply to Reason only. For Example, Tomo chi-chi, in his first set Speech to me, among other Things, said, Here is a little Present; and then gave me a Buffalo’s Skin, painted on the Inside, with the Head and Feathers of an Eagle.⁵ He desired me to accept it because the Eagle signified Speed, and the Buffalo’s, Strength. That the English were as swift as the Bird, and as strong as the Beast; since, like the first, they flew from the utmost Parts of the Earth over the vast Seas; and, like the second, nothing could withstand them. That the Feathers of the Eagle were soft, and signified Love; the Buffalo’s Skin warm, and signified Protection; therefore he hoped that we would Love and Protect their little Families. One of the Indians of the Cherichee Nation being come down to the Governor upon the Rumour of the War, the Governor told him that he need fear nothing, but might speak freely. He answer’d smartly, “I always speak freely, what should I fear? I am now among my Friends, and I never feared even amongst my Enemies.” Another Instance of their short manner of speaking was, when I ordered one of the Carolina Boatmen, who was drunk; and had beaten an Indian, to be tied to a Gun till he was sober in order to be whipped; Tomochi-chi came to me to beg me to pardon the Boatman, which I refused to do unless the Indian, who had been beaten, should also desire the Pardon for him. Tomo chi-chi desired him to do so, but he insisted on Satisfaction by the Punishment of the Man; upon which Tomo chi-chi said, “O Fonseka (for that was his Name) this Englishman being drunk, has beat you; if he is whipt for so doing, the Englishmen will expect, that, if an Indian should insult them when drunk, the Indian should be whipt for it. When you are drunk you are quarrelsome, and you know you love to be drunk, but you don’t love to be whipt.” Fonseka was convinced, and begged me to pardon the Man, which as soon as I granted, Tomo chi-chi and Fonseka run and untied him; which I perceived, was done to shew that he owed his Safety to their Intercession.

^* Which was inserted at large in our last MISCELLANY.