The
Indian Slave Trade, Part I
In
the introduction (1) the author speaks that “
. . . we have [histories of the Spanish, French and English
settlements]. . . and tribal histories of Apalachee, Timucua, Choctaw
and Catawba, but no one has recently attempted to tie the entire
South together.” That
is how I feel about the Catawba and Associated bands. No one has
tried to tie them together. History only makes sense when all these
independent bands together.
There
is still one more aspect of the history of the Catawba and Associated
Bands that we have not covered, that speaks to the reasoning behind
the destruction of these Eastern Siouan peoples. That is slavery.
Together, warfare, disease, and slavery were simply too much to
overcome. Most of these bands disappeared. I cover “The Indian
Slave Trade” by Alan Gallay here.
Since
most of the Indian slave trade originated from South Carolina, most
of the book tells of the history of South Carolina. South Carolina
struggled to survive during its early years, from 1670 into the early
part of the 18th
century. The author states that “From
first settlements, South Carolina elites ruthlessly pursues the
exploitation of fellow humans in ways that differed from other
mainland colonies.”(2)
The
author states that “The
trade in Indian slaves was the important factor affecting the South
in the period 1670 [the founding of the South Carolina colony] to
1715.” (3) Speaking of
the Indian slave trade, Gallay states “It
existed on such a vast scale that more Indians were exported through
Charleston that Africans were imported during this period.”
(4)
The
author divides the Piedmont Indians from the Catawba. But they are
all one people. Gallay states 'The
Piedmont Indians in the early Colonial period lived somewhat isolated
from the burgeoning English colonies in spite of their proximity to
them. . . . many of the Piedmont Indians joined together in the 18th
century as the Catawba Confederacy.”
These called “Piedmont Indians” lived in both Carolina's and
parts of Virginia.(5). There was another group of Indians living on
the coast of the Carolina's called “settlement Indians”. Per
Gallay, they had largely disappeared by the second half of the 18th
century.
One
hint as to the demise of the Eastern Siouan peoples is mentioned by
Gallay where he states; “large
waves of pandemic disease of the seventeenth century occurred after
the collapse of the chiefdoms encountered the Spanish in the
sixteenth century..” (6)
The eastern Siouan tribes, Catawba and Associated Bands, first came
across the Spanish when De Soto (1539-1543) passed through. Later
Pardo (1556) stayed for a while. These early contacts with the
Spanish probably caused much death amongst them, as some towns De
Soto mentions don't exist by the time of Pardo. Small Pox might be
the culprit as it was later.
As
to slavery, American Indians already raided one another for captives.
So when Europeans came, they didn't introduce slavery to the American
people, but as galley says, they “were
responsible for stimulting a vast trade in humans as comodities.”
(7)
The
English and the Beginnings of the Indian Slave Trade
The
Jamestown Colony was the first colony, founded in 1607. And was also
the first colony to establish a plantation society based on slave
labor. (8) Please remember I am covering mostly, how the slave trade
affected the Catawba and associated Bands. Gallay calls these 'bands'
by the name of “Piedmont Indians”.
By
1670 there were two migrations down south. Charles Town was founded,
and a tribe of Indians who were called the 'Westo' arrived in the
Savanna River. Gallay claims these Westo were the sape people called
in Virginia, the 'Richahecrian'. He also suggests they descend deom
the Erie, a people who fled the great lakes region of Lake Erie after
attacks from the Iroqua. (9) Many Iroquoa, when discussing other
tribes, end that word with the suffix 'roron'. If we take the word
“Erie” and do away with the initial “E” we have r----roron.
We are 'missing' the middle of the word, 'chahec, and 'reron' has
some simiarities to 'rian'.The Spanish called them Chichimeco. Now
“mico” is of Musceegoan origin. Chi chi has similarities to chi
hac, at least the first syllable, anyhow. So the Virginians might
have heard what the Iroquaians called them, and the Spanish heard
what the Muscogeeans called them. But where then, does “Westo”
come from? That is what the people of South Carolina called them.
Perhaps that is of Catawba or Piedmont Indian origin. Perhaps the
origins of these words are lost to history. I am simply trying to
determine why they are known by three different names in three
different placs.
Galley's
research states that before leaving Western Virginia, these Westo
established trade relations with Virginia. He then states,”From
their new homes along the Savannah [River], they agressively attacked
the Southern Indians to the East, Southeast, and South. Smith claims
that the Virginians arming of the Westo gave them an undue advantage
. . . The Virginians offered trade goods to the Westo in exchange for
captives.” (10) I
suspect some of those Indian slaves the Westo captured were eastern
Siouan, a.k.a. “Piedmont Indians”] and are the reason the
Saura/Cheraw and others fled to the east at this time. They lived
directly along this migration route of the Westo. It was said Indian
slaves made poor slaves, because it easy for them to escape, and
return home. So they were sold to ships heading for the Caribbean,
and African slaves were imported. Thus Indian slaves had no way to
escape the small Caribbean Islands, and Africans had no where to run
to to escape the American Southeast.
South
Carolina was not a royal colony as was Virginia. It was ruled by
eight 'Lord Proprietors' who feared the King might take over the
colony at any time. (11)
The
author talks mostly about Indian slaves in South Carolina..This began
in December 1675. In December 1675, Carolina's Grand Council
explained to the Propietors that they had approved the sale of
Indians into slavery. They said, “The
Sewee . . . and other neighboring Indians, had offered to sell their
Indian prisoners to the colonists. These captives lately taken, are
enemies to the said Indians, who are in Amity with the English.” It
did not matter that these Indians were not at war with the English.,
only that they were taken in war and their captors chose to sell
them.” (12) The Sewee
were Eastern Siouan peoples.
The
Propietors ruled over Carolina, and they left elite settlers in
Carolina in charge. Chaos reigned, as the local elites often
disregarded the will of the Propietors. South Carolina became a haven
of pirates.
One
tribe, the Kusoe, refused to ally themselves with the English. They
were accused withstealing 'a great deal' of corn. In October 1671,
the colony declared war on the Kussoe. They lived about 30 miles form
Charlestown. The English had probably settled on lands that the
Kussoe claimed as their hunting grounds. For three years the
colonists had searched for the Kussoe and simply couldn't find them.
They remained in the area, were accused of killing a few English
settlers, but they simply could not be found. In 1674 the Stono
Indians were said to be be tying to find other Indians toconfederate
with them, to remove the English from the land. Gallay says the end
of these troubles is not really in the records, but that the Indian
settlements in the area were allowed to remain, but they were to pay
one deer skin a year to the English, as tribute. Before long, these
and other Indians were simply called “Settlement Indians”. It is
obvious these two 'tribes' were simply small bands of either Catawba
or Creek origin. There is no way to know which of these two they paid
their allegiance, although the name “Kussoe” does sound as though
it might have been 'Creek' in origin.(13)
Another
group that caused trouble to early Carolina settlers ere the Westo.
As already mentioned, they arrived along the Savanna River about the
same time the South carolinia colony was established. These Westo had
ties to the Virginia Colony. They were probably simply to claim a
plot of land for themselves, as they'd been driven from their own
homes further north. Traders in Virginia and Carolina worked
independent of one another. Gallay states the Westo attacked the
costal Indians in 1673 allied to the English, and the English had
difficulty with them. Now the Westo were hoping to sell Indian
captives to Virginia. Carolina had to ask for Indian allies.
Interestingly, Gallay says; “Carolina
turned to the Esaw, a Piedmont people who, according to the Carolina
Grand Council, 'are well accounted with the Westo habitiation, and
have promised all the help they can afford.'” (14)
Now
the 'Esaw' are a major band of the Catawba. One difficulty is
studying the eastern Siouan groups in that different people spelled
their names differently. The “Esaw' are the same people called
'Yesah' by others. There is an early map showing the Yesah were near
the Saponi in Western Virginia. I have suggested that one reason the
Saura moved east was slave raiding visits from the westo. Well, both
the Saponi and Yesaw/Esaw had also lived in that region. The Saponi
migrarted east and the Yesah/Esaw moved to the vicinity of the
Catawba, the largest band of the Southeastern Siouan peoples. There
might be a reason – revenge, that they volunteered to help fight
the Westo. Gallay states “. . . they not only accepted Esaw
assistance, but let the Esaw determine the best way to subdue the
Westo. Gallay ays the war with the Westo endd in December 1674. The
Westo town was on the western shore of the Savannah River, The Westo
made it clear they wanted a cessation of hostility and trade
relations with South Carolina. A prominent Carolinian, Dr. Henry
Woodward, visited the Westo town. Gallay says, “Woodward
was impressed to find the Westo well supplied with arms, ammunition,
trading cloth, and other English goods they had obtained from the
Northwards [Virginia],
for which they exchanged
dresses deerskins and young Indian slaves.” Apparently
after this meeting, the Westo started trading with South Carolina, as
it was much closer that Virginia.
Another
group that moved to the Savannah River about this time was the
Savannah, better known as 'Shawnee. They were also fleeing from
stronger tribes to the north. These two refugee tribes formed a n
uneasy alliance, as both were weak and needed each other. In fact the
Savannah (known today as Shawnee) informed the Westo of an upcoming
attack from the Cherokee, Cuseeta (a band of the Creek), and
Chickasaw. From further west. Gallay does not mention what became of
this attack, but it is the first mention of the Chickasaw in South
Carolina. Eventually a band of the Chickasaw would move to the
Savannah River.
Continuing
with the story of the Westo, Gallay states, “Woodward's visit to
the Westo was a success, and it resulted in a profitable trade in
Indian slaves that lasted from 1675-1680 The Westo preyed on Spanish
allied Indians in Guale and Mocama. They also continued to attack
other groups, including settlement Indians.” (15) However the Westo
refused to stop their attacks on the Coastal Indians. Since these
were close neighbors of the Carolinian's, this presented them a
delimma. They feared a reprisal from the coastal tribes (these were
of course, were allies of the Catawba and the bands associated with
them. The Westo made strong enemies of all their neighboring tribes.
Many of these tribes were peple the carolinians wanted to make trade
partners out of, so this they learned an alliance with the Westo had
its limits. The Westo became expendable, as far as the Carolinians
wee concerned.
In
1679, the Carolinian's went to war with the Westo. The Lord
Proprietors demanded peace, not realizing the Carolinian's preferred
war, as that is how they made profits in Indian slaves They wanted
the Indians at war with one another, as which ever side won, would
bring captives to the Charles Town markets and sell them. Quoting
Gallay, “Only through
warfare could Carolinian's obtain the slaves they desired to exchange
for supplies to build their plantations. Peaceful coexistence with
Indians might be fine for subsistence farmers . . . but not for
Carolinian's hoping to amass capitol quickly.”
(16) The colonists
usually simply disregarded the Lord Proprietors wishes and did what
they wanted. The colonist's were uninterested in making Indians
dependent on trade [at this time]; the simply wanted to make money
through the Indian' slave trade. Gallay is vague as to the exact
date, but states the Westo became a “ruined” people. Gallay talks
about the Lord Proprietors of South Carolina, in the early 1680s,
asking the Governor why “when
it was first founded and weak . . . the colony had no wars and then
had warred with the Westo 'while they were in treaty with that
government . . . and then put to death incold blood and the rest
driven from the country?” (17)
With
the Westo wasted, the South Carolinian government invited the
Savannah to take their place along the Savannah River, which was
named after them. The Waniah who livd upn the Winyah River. There was
a claim mae that the Waniah 'had cut off a boat of runaways.' The
Indian traders convinced the Savannah to go to war with the Waniah.
Gallay states “Savannah's
not affording the profitable trade to the Indian dealers that was
expected in beavers . . . the carolinians turned them to enslaving
Indians.” . . . The Savannah . . . captured the Waniah and sold
them to an Indian trader who shipped them to Antigua.” Gallay
adds that; “ The [Lord]
Proprioters received testimony that a false alarm was contrived by
the dealers in Indians that they might thereby have an opportunity of
showing themselves at the Savanna Towne with foces and thereby
frighten those people . . . (also
17).
“The
[Lord] Proprietors also received word that the surviving Westo had
wanted peace with Carolina and wished the Savannah to mediate, 'but
their messengers were taken and sent away to be sold.' The same fate
befell the messengers of the Wineah. Sarcastically, the [Lord]
Proprietors rued, 'but if there be peace with the Westo and Waniah,
where shall the Savannah's get Indians to sell the dealers in
Indians?” The
Proprietors, angry at the colonists, said, “You
have repaid their kindness by setting them 'to do all these horid
wicked things, to get slaves to sell the dealers in Indians [and
then] call it humanity to buy them, and thereby keep them from being
murdered.” (18)
Gallay
does not state the years the Westo were 'ruined' or the Waniah
enslaved. But he stars next with the year 1680. (p 62) In 1680, the
Lord Proprietor's limited enslavement of American indians to those
living further than 200 miles from Charles Towne. They left the door
open, though, to a loophole, by adding that this applied only to
friendly Indians. This 'loophole' would later have a great effect
during the Tuscarora and Yamassee Wars. In laws passed 2 years later,
1682, it became illegal to ship Indians away from Carolina, and it
extended the range for catching Indian slaves from 200 to 400 miles.
Away from Charleston. (19)
The
Lord Proprietors of the colony of South Carolina were in England, and
the leaders in South Carolina's rarely listened to them.Galley states
that “. . . officials
in Europe turned their heads while colonists and local officials
engaged in illegal trade, enslavement of free peoples, and
instigating and conducting unapproved wars. . . . Laws were obeyed
when convenient.” A
newer law passed in 1683 said only Indians captured 'in a just and
necessary war' could be transported outside of the colony.. Gallay
wonders why the Lord Proprietors didn't simply bad the Indian slave
trade. But the carolina traders argued that “Indians
had to be sold into slavery to satisfy their Indian captors and to
prevent them from being slaughtered.”
(20)
In
defense of the Carolinian's, Gallay says, “The
Carolinian's were neither less than no more moral in their
disregarding their own ethical values than English colonists living
elsewhere. But they had the opportunity to enslave Indians on a scale
not available elsewhere. . . . Nor can we ascribe religion as a
differentiation in whether colonists would enslave, for High
Anglicans as well as Puritans and other dissenters equally
participated in the Indian slave trade.”
One more interesting comment on this page concerns the French.
Gallay said, speaking of French colonies, says, “
. . .the French even looked into incorporation of Indians in colonial
society through intermarriage, as long as the Indians converted
beforehand.” (21) I
mention this because the French word “Melangeon” means 'we mix',
Another Frenchman who lived in Virginia, who was a Huguenot, said
virtually the same thing. Tere was a group of mixed race people who
came to be known as “Melungeons”.
Gallay
continues with the these that the local officials in South Carolina
pretty much ignored the orders given by their Lord Proprietors in
London, when ever they wanted to do so.He comments; “In
November 1683, two of the [Lord] Proprietors' appointed officials,
Maurice Matthews and James Moore,'most contemptuously disobeyed our
orders about sending away of Indans in order to the getting of slaves
and were contriving new wars for that purpose.”
The Proprietors claimed that omly Indians taken in a 'just and
necessary war' were to be enslaved and transported out f the colony.
Even that restriction was later dropped. “We
did not thereby mean that the parliament should license the
transporting of Indians bought of other Indians by way of trade, nor
are you to suffer it, for that would but occasion the dealers in
Indians to contrive those poor people into wars upon one another that
they might have slaves to buy. In 1685 the proprietors strictly
warned . . . against the enslaving of Indians except that they were
captured in a war that Carolina itself was involved in.” However
“The Indian dealers
were Hell-bent on the exploitation of human resources, African and
Amerindian, to make their wealth.” The
next Indian group recruited to capture other Indians for the slave
trade we hear of is the Yamasee. (22)
Thus
far we can imply English traders from Virginia traded weapons to the
Westo. As they migrated from Virginia to Georgia along the Savannah
River, the Westo created havoc upon the local Indians, who at that
time would have been the Manahaoc, Monacan, Saponi, Yesah/Esaw, Saura
and others. These were but bands of the greater Eastern Siouan
peoples. The Westo made war with all of their neighbors, making
powerful enemies. When they enslaved the 'Settlement Indians' living
near Charleston, they made an enemy of the South Carolinians, for the
colony depended upon these Indians for the ir first line of defense.
A few years later the Savanna, known today as the Shawnee, followed
the same path. Both groups settled upon the Savannah River.. Later
the Esaw helped destroy the Westo, their survivors were turned into
slaves. Another group, the Waniah, were rounded up and enslaved. All
these Indians were exported out of South Carolina to the islands of
the Caribbean. Negro slves wee brought to caroina in their place.
Remnant Indian groups settled near Charleston and became known as
'Settlement Indians'. The tribal affiliations of these 'settlement
Indians' was lost over time. Perhaps they were freed slaves. Perhaps
some were of mixed race. Another new group of Indians is about to
migrate up from Florida to the Savannah River to live near where the
former Westo had been. They were known as the Yamassee. They held old
grudges against the remaining Spanish Indians in Florida.This is the
state of South Carolina a decade before the end of the 17th
century.
The
Next Series of Events Which Lead to Gather More Indian Slaves
Many
Indians preferred to trade with the English over both the French and
Spanish. The English offered many more goods; guns, metal tools,
clothing, cooking utensils, liquor. They traded animal pelts and
slaves, that the English desired. This section of Gallay's book
covers the years 1684-1701. Gallay says “Large numbers of
Yamassee . . . settled on the North side of the Savannah River, to
the East of the Savannah Indians.” Gallay adds, “Other
smaller groups of Indians soon followed, Apalachicola, Chickasaw, and
Yuchi all planted towns on the Savannah.. The Carolina colonists
welcomed the Indians as allies and trading partners.” (23)
Per
Gallay, “traders settled in Savannah Town, at a spot formerly
occupied by the Westo on the north bank of the river across from
modern day Augusta, Georgia. The trading post led hundreds of Indians
to settle in the area.” (24) These Indians were quick to
establish trading relations with the Carolina settlers. They raided
Spanish Indian settlements, who were part of the Spanish Missoin
system, and sold them in Carolina. A Scottish settlement arose. And
many of the Indians taded with them instead of the Charleston colony.
The Yamassee became the main group of Indians upon the Savannah
River.
To
learn about the Indian slave trade, let me quote Gallay again.
Speaking of the Lord Proprietors, we have; “They ceaselessly
reminded apointees of the inhumanity of fomenting wars wars to obtain
slaves . . .” (25). Ina word, South Carolina appointees were
trying to get the Indians, especially on the Savannah River, to go on
slave raiding raids, especially against the Florida Indians, who were
part of the Spanish Mission System. This was the state of affairs in
the 1790s.
Beside
the Savannah River Indians, Gallay mentions the Iroquois, saying they
were allies of the few remaining Westo, and that they made long trips
to the South to go to war with the Southern Indians. Gayllay says,
“Escaped slaves who lived outside government authority, knows as
'maroons', had the potential to incite free Indians and enslaved
Indians and Africans to destroy the colony.” (26). In 1693,
Gallay says the Indian population still outnumbered the Whites in
Carolina. The African slave population was still growing. The colony
was still not feeling secure.
The
settlers started to worry about the Settlement Indians. Settlers
began to think it was time for the settlement Indians to 'pull their
own weight'. The settlement Indians were asked to bring in so many
pelts for use or sale by the settlers. “Punishment for those who
refused to labor voluntarily was a severe whipping on the bare back
of the town's inhabitants. 'Nations' that refused. Compliance would
be placed 'out of protection of the government;' which invariably
meant they would be subject to enslavement.” (27) Many of thee
settlement Indians would have been Eastern Siouan, or relations of
the Catawba.
This
brings us up to about 1698, and the Indian slave trade continued to
about 1715-1720. The Indians are still strong enough to make Carolina
afraid, but by the end of this era, that would no longer be the case.
The Westo, Waneah, were no longer considered tribes, but rather just
a handful of refugees, with others either killed or enslaved and
shipped to the Caribbean. Some of the Florida Indians were
disappearing as the slave trade had been rounding them up. The
Catawba and their many bands, as well as the Tuscarora, were still
strong players in the Carolina's, and a third group had migrated to
the Savannah River near Augusta, lured by the Indian slave trade.
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