Colonial America

Colonial America — page 5
COLONIAL AMERICA John White painted this Algonquin warrior in 1585 or 1586 Europeans were fascinated by the way Native Americans painted their bodies As tHey sAW It We are unarmed and willing to give you what you ask if you come in a friendly manner I am not so simple as not to know it is better to eat good meat sleep comfortably live quietly with my women and children laugh and be merry with the english and being their friend trade for their copper and hatchets than to run away from them Powhatan chief of the Algonquin confederacy addresses english settlers at Werowocomoco Virginia in 1609 souRce exPLoRed John White’s watercolor Indian in Body Paint was painted in 1585 or 1586 White was the artist and mapmaker on an English expedition exploring North Carolina His picture of an Algonquin elder was the first realistic image Europeans saw of a Native American The man wears a deerskin loincloth and carries a quiver of arrows and a six-foot bow so he may be dressed for war or a ritual A puma tail hangs from his waist His chest calves arms and face are painted and he has turkey feathers in his hair His elaborate bracelets earrings and wrist guard are typical of the Southeastern Algonquin The man’s graying hair suggests he is an elder and White painted him with tawny skin 7