Women's work

ἐπεὶ δ’ ἀμφότερα ταῦτα καὶ ἔργων καὶ ἐπιμελείας δεῖται τά τε ἔνδον καὶ τὰ ἔξω, καὶ τὴν φύσιν, φάναι, εὐθὺς παρεσκεύασεν ὁ θεός, ὡς ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ, τὴν μὲν τῆς γυναικὸς ἐπὶ τὰ ἔνδον ἔργα καὶ ἐπιμελήματα, τὴν δὲ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἐπὶ τὰ ἔξω.

Since both of these need work and care, the indoor and the outdoor alike, the god, he said, prepared their natures from the first, as it seems to me, the woman’s for indoor work and care, the man’s for the outdoors.

καὶ διαιτητήρια δὲ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐπεδείκνυον αὐτῇ κεκαλλωπισμένα, τοῦ μὲν θέρους ἔχειν ψυχεινά, τοῦ δὲ χειμῶνος ἀλεεινά. καὶ σύμπασαν δὲ τὴν οἰκίαν ἐπέδειξα αὐτῇ ὅτι πρὸς μεσημβρίαν ἀναπέπταται, ὥστε εὔδηλον εἶναι ὅτι χειμῶνος μὲν εὐήλιός ἐστι, τοῦ δὲ θέρους εὔσκιος. ἔδειξα δὲ καὶ τὴν γυναικωνῖτιν αὐτῇ, θύρᾳ βαλανωτῇ ὡρισμένην ἀπὸ τῆς ἀνδρωνίτιδος, ἵνα μήτε ἐκφέρηται ἔνδοθεν ὅ τι μὴ δεῖ μήτε τεκνοποιῶνται οἱ οἰκέται ἄνευ τῆς ἡμετέρας γνώμης.

And the living rooms for the people I showed her, finely made, cool in summer and warm in winter. And I showed her the whole house, that it lies open to the south, so that it is plain that in winter it is sunny and in summer shady. I showed her the women’s quarters too, marked off from the men’s quarters by a bolted door, so that nothing is carried out from inside that should not be and the household servants do not have children without our approval.

Las mujeres son algunas hermosas y no poco ardientes en lujuria, amigas de españoles. Son estas mujeres para mucho trabajo, porque ellas son las que cavan las tierras y siembran los campos y cogen las sementeras, y muchos de sus maridos están en sus casas tejiendo y hilando y aderezando sus armas y ropa, y curando sus rostros y haciendo otros oficios afeminados. Y cuando algun ejército de españoles pasaba por su provincia, siendo, como aquel tiempo eran, obligados á dar indios que llevasen á cuestas las cargas del fardaje de los españoles, muchos daban sus hijas y mujeres, y ellos se quedaban en sus casas. Lo cual yo vi al tiempo que íbamos á juntarnos con el licenciado Gasca, presidente de su majestad, porque nos dieron gran cantidad de mujeres, que nos llevaban las cargas de nuestro bagaje.

Some of the women are beautiful, and not a little lustful, and fond of Spaniards. These women do a great deal of work. They are the ones who dig the ground, sow the fields, and bring in the harvest. Meanwhile many of their husbands stay at home weaving and spinning, preparing their weapons and clothing, grooming their faces, and doing other women's work. In those days the Cañares were obliged to provide Indians to carry the Spaniards' baggage on their backs. So when a Spanish army passed through their province, many gave their daughters and wives, and the men stayed at home. I saw this myself when we were on our way to join the licentiate Gasca, His Majesty's president. They gave us a great many women, who carried the loads of our baggage.

Man cow prouides,
wife dairie guides.

The man provides the cow; the wife runs the dairy.

Ayans doncques nos Ameriquains en leur pays, deux especes de racines qu'ils nomment Aypi & Maniot, lesquelles, en trois ou quatre mois, croissent dans terre aussi grosses que la cuisse d'un homme, & longues de pied & demi, plus ou moins ; quand elles sont arrachees les femmes (car les hommes ne s'y occupent point), apres les avoir fait secher au feu sur le Boucan, tel que ie le descriray ailleurs, ou bien quelquesfois les prenans toutes vertes, à force de les raper sur certaines petites pierres pointues, fichees & arrangees sur une piece de bois plate (tout ainsi que nous raclons & ratissons les formages & noix muscades), elles les reduisent en farine, laquelle est aussi blanche que neige. Et lors ceste farine ainsi crue, comme aussi le son blanc qui en sort, dont ie parleray tantost : a la vraye senteur de l'amidon fait de pur froment longtemps trempé en l'eau quand il est encore frais & liquide, tellement que depuis mon retour par deca, m'estant trouvé en un lieu où on en faisoit, ce flair me fit ressouvenir de l'odeur qu'on sent ordinairement ès maisons des sauvages, quand on y fait de la farine de racine.

Our Americans have two kinds of root in their country, which they call Aypi and Maniot. In three or four months these grow in the ground as thick as a man's thigh and about a foot and a half long. When they are pulled up, the women do the rest, for the men have nothing to do with it. Sometimes the women first dry the roots over the fire on the Boucan, which I will describe elsewhere, and sometimes they take them quite fresh. Either way, they grate them hard on small sharp stones set in a flat piece of wood, just as we grate cheese and nutmeg. In this way they turn the roots into flour as white as snow. This raw flour, and the white bran that comes from it, which I will speak of shortly, smell exactly like fresh, wet starch. I mean starch made from pure wheat soaked a long time in water. After I came back here, I happened to be in a place where starch was being made. The smell reminded me of the odor you usually notice in the savages' houses when they are making root flour.

Toutesfois s'ils sont à part, & où leurs fẽmes puissent estre creuës (car les femmes sont par tout plus mesnageres) ils feront aucunesfois des magasins pour l'Hyuer, où ils se reserueront quelques chairs boucanées: quelques racines, du gland espeluché en noyaux, quelques pois, ou febues, ou pruneaux de la trocque, &c. La façon de ces magasins est telle. Ils mettent ces prouisions dans des sacs qu'ils enueloppent dans des grandes & amples escorces; lesquelles ils suspendent en l'air aux branches de deux ou trois arbres, liées par ensemble, à ce que les rats ny les autres bestes, ny l'humidité de la terre, ne les endommage. Voila leurs magasins. Qui les gardera? eux s'en allants: car s'ils demeuroyent, leurs magasins iroyent bien tost par terre; ils s'en vont doncques autre part iusques au temps de famine: Telles sont les gardes, qu'ils y mettent. Aussi de vray ceste nation n'est point larronnesse.

But when they are on their own, where their wives can be listened to (for women are thriftier everywhere), they will sometimes make stores for the winter. In them they put away some smoked meat, some roots, shelled acorns, and some peas, beans, or prunes from trading. This is how they make these stores. They put the food in bags and wrap the bags in large, wide sheets of bark. They hang these up in the air from the branches of two or three trees tied together, so that neither rats nor other animals nor the damp of the ground can spoil them. Those are their storehouses. Who will guard them while they are away? For if they stayed, they would soon eat their stores down to nothing. So they go off somewhere else until the time of hunger. That is the only guard they set over them. And in truth, this nation does not steal.

Aukeeteaûmen, To plant Corne. Quttáunemun, To plant Corne. Anakáusu, A Labourer. Anakáusichick, Labourers. Aukeeteaûmitch, Planting time. Aukeeteáhettit, When they set Corne. Nummautaukeeteaûmen, I have done planting. Anaskhómmin, To how or break up. Obs: The Women set or plant, weede, and hill, and gather and barne all the corne and Fruites of the Field: yet sometimes the man himselfe, (either out of love to his Wife, or care for his Children, or being an old man) will help the Woman which (by the custome of the Countrey) they are not bound to.

Aukeeteaûmen: to plant corn. Quttáunemun: to plant corn. Anakáusu: a laborer. Anakáusichick: laborers. Aukeeteaûmitch: planting time. Aukeeteáhettit: when they plant corn. Nummautaukeeteaûmen: I have finished planting. Anaskhómmin: to hoe or break up. Observation: The women plant, weed, and hill, and gather and store all the corn and fruits of the field. Yet sometimes the man himself will help the woman, either out of love for his wife, or care for his children, or because he is an old man. By the custom of the country, men are not bound to do so.

15. Tuesday. Froze a little last night. Our women employed dressing Beaver skins for cloathing. About 10 o'clock A.M. I was invited to the Archithinue Leader's tent: when by an interpreter I told him what I was sent for, & desired of him to allow some of his young men to go down to the Fort with me, where they would be kindly received, and get Guns &c. But he answered, it was far off, & they could not live without Buffalo flesh; and that they could not leave their horses &c: and many other obstacles, though all might be got over if they were acquainted with a Canoe, and could eat Fish, which they never do. The Chief further said they never wanted food, as they followed the Buffalo & killed them with the Bows and Arrows; and he was informed the Natives that frequented the Settlements, were oftentimes starved on their journey. Such remarks I thought exceeding true.

15. Tuesday. It froze a little last night. Our women were busy dressing beaver skins for clothing. About 10 o'clock in the morning I was invited to the Archithinue leader's tent. There, through an interpreter, I told him what I had been sent for. I asked him to allow some of his young men to go down to the fort with me, where they would be kindly received and get guns and so on. But he answered that it was far off, and they could not live without buffalo meat, and that they could not leave their horses, and so on. He gave many other obstacles, though all might be overcome if they knew how to use a canoe and could eat fish, which they never do. The chief further said that they never lacked food, as they followed the buffalo and killed them with bows and arrows. And he had been told that the natives who went to the settlements were often starving on their journey. Such remarks I thought exceedingly true.