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Chapter 5 Metaphors and National Identity: Delawares-as-Women Flickering firelight illuminated the walls of the longhouse and the solemn faces of the men lining each side of the building. The images of our grandmother and our grandfather, carved into the central post, seemed to come alive in the dancing glow from the fire, the vivid black and red patterns undulating in the light to produce the impression of moving eyes and mouths. Under their watching gaze one man seated on the [east] side stood up, held forth a long strip of wampum in his hands, and turned to the elderly man seated directly opposite the post. Carefully he lifted the string and broke the silence: —Sister! Here is help, support, and peace; we come to you to speak to you Words from God, brought by people who God undoubtedly has sent to us. Many of your relatives, here as well as in Friedenshütten have already accepted the Words of God, and are living among the believers. To show you that we will aid you and support you in all works that are good we offer you this string of wampum! Sister! Here is a man who will tell you that we are coming in peace and will not do that which is hurtful or bad, but that which is good and will not hurt the peace. I beg you that if there is a war you should not look at these people as other white people and kill them, but you should look at them as your adopted kin. The man bent down, placed the string of beads at the feet of the sachem, and returned to his seat by the wall. From his place next to the sachem, a man who had already lived past the prime of his life but still possessed an imposing presence rose to respond. He turned to the visitors on the other side of the room and his voice rang out, strong and commanding: —My Sisters and relatives! It gives me great joy that these people have come among us, it is as if a door had been opened, and I look out onto a prospect of people who are happy together. Before this, our People did not go to War, against white people or against other Indians. It is not for us to do, we should not go to war, but we have strayed from the right road. We see that the believers, both Indians and whites, will have nothing to do with war, and you can help us find the right road again, and this is the only way ahead towards a lasting and continuous peace. Metaphors and National Identity 161 The visitors now conferred with one another and there seemed to be some disagreement as to the procedure. Suddenly a man of slight build, the only white person in the company, stood up and let his fiery eyes sweep the room before turning to the sachem: —Brother! I have more things to tell you. I think you are unfamiliar with us white brethren, so I must tell you some things about what kind of people we are. We preach the Gospel to the entire World, to Christians and Heathens, to white, black and brown people and make no distinction between them, all people are called to salvation, and God does not want anyone to be lost . . . Murmurs and shouts greeted this speech; some in agreement while some voices seemed to express consternation. The Speaker rose again and told the visitors that they would discuss this thoroughly in their Council and send a messenger to all the neighboring villages and gather the nation together to talk about how they could forward this message of peace. Turning directly to the white man, he said: —We are Women who stand by our pestles, plant corn, and tend our plantations , and our hunting and fishing. Our maternal Uncles have told us not to take an axe into our hands, and not to cause injury through wars. Instead it is our task to concern ourselves with that, which is good. But recently we have not been able to restrain our young people. They live scattered in so many places, but now we hope that we will be able to bring them onto the right road again.1 This abridged and imaginative account of a meeting between different Delaware contingents in the presence of Zeisberger held in one of the Ohio Delaware towns in the...

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