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Introduction
- University of Massachusetts Press
- Chapter
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z 1 Introduction On a Ma rch 15 2 4 day, a party of Carolina Indians curiously watch as a “young sailor” who stands in the surf tries to interest them in some “bells, mirrors, and other trifles.” In the distance lies a French ship, La Dauphine, while closer to the action is a small boat that has brought the would-be trader and his compatriots to shore. He is not the most careful sailor. A wave knocks him unconscious. Acting quickly, the Indians carry the sailor to safety, perhaps saving his life. The man returns to consciousness only to begin shrieking, even as his surprised rescuers try “to show him he should not be afraid” of their assistance. The Indians also admire the sailor, “looking at the whiteness of his flesh and examining him from head to foot.” (Or at least that was the claim later made by the ship’s captain, the FlorentineGiovannidaVerrazzano,whodidnotexplaintheapparentIndian fascination with the sailor’s skin color. The observation probably reflects a European obsession, as the Florentine was careful to note Native American skin tone as he traveled along the coast.) The nervous sailors watch as the Indiansplacetheircomradenear“ahugefire.”Theyworry:dotheIndiansintend to “roast” rather than simply warm the cold man? (A concern no doubt encouraged by the wide circulation of Christopher Columbus’s account of Native cannibalism on the Island of “Carib.”) The specter of cannibalism disappears with an embrace. The sailor receives a hug and returns to the ship—a happy ending.1 Later during the same voyage, Verrazzano went ashore with twenty men along the Delaware and New Jersey coast. “A very old woman and a young 2 y introduction girl of 18 to 20 years,” as well as a number of children, found the sailors’ sudden appearance worrisome. Alarmed, the women shouted and the older woman “made signs . . . that the men had fled to the woods.” The sailors hopedthat a gift of foodwouldcalmthe situation,but theirefforthad mixed results. The older woman received the food with “great pleasure,” but her younger companion “threw [the gift] angrily to the ground.” She was right to distrust the sailors; they immediately siezed a boy from the older women. “We wanted to take the young woman, who was very beautiful and tall,” Verrazzano later explained, “but it was impossible . . . because of the loud cries she uttered.” Deep in an unfamiliar forest, Verrazzano’s party left the woman behind and settled for the captive boy who, presumably, could be more easily silenced.2 These two episodes provide an early example of how both threatened and real violence shaped cross-cultural encounters. Native peoples likely recalled these experiences when they next encountered potentially dangerous Europeans. The expedition continued up the coast. As La Dauphine entered Newport Harbor, numerous Narragansetts greeted the ship in canoes. This was a promising welcome. The Europeans were struck by the surrounding Narragansett Bay, naming it “‘Refugio’ on account of its beauty.” Again the sailorsofferedtheIndians“littlebellsandglasses,andmanytoys,whichthey took and looked at, laughing,” before boarding the ship “without fear.” The gifts appear to have had the desired effect of setting friendly terms for the visit. Such exchanges continued to be essential to future European-Indian relations, providing a means for both parties to evaluate one another, offering a mode of communication (though sometimes miscommunication), andpresenting anopportunity tocementarangeofpersonal anddiplomatic relations.3 Verrazzano succinctly described what later emerged as ubiquitous topics in such reports of Native life: governance, customs, bodies, dress, and, of course, the suitability of the land for cultivation and commercial enterprise. HewasparticularlytakenwiththetwoNarragansettsachems,orleaders:they were “as beautiful of stature and build as I can possibly describe,” he said, and richly adorned in a fashion consistent with their high status. The Narragansett people in general were “the most beautiful and have the most civil customsthatwehavefoundonthisvoyage.”Theystoodtallinhisestimation and varied a great deal in complexion. “I shall not speak . . . of the other parts of the body,” he explained, skirting prurient matters, “since they have all the proportions belonging to any well-built man.” The Florentine also lauded [34.204.196.206] Project MUSE (2024-03-28 18:22 GMT) introduction z 3 Narragansettwomen,“asshapelyandbeautiful”asthemen,whose“customs and behavior follow womanly custom as far as befits human nature,” Verrazzanoexplained ,alsocommentingontheirdress.Observingthatcertainhairstyles were reserved for married women, he compared them to the coiffures favored by Egyptians and Syrians. He also noted that Narragansett men and women wore various earrings and pendants, and valued “sheets of worked copper . . . more than gold.”4 VerrazzanofoundthegoodsthatIndiansadmiredparticularlyinteresting. “They do not value gold...