The Tennants (or Mattaeyna) hold their lands of the Towha (Lord of the Manner) or Ratirra (Squire) to whom they pay their rent by Making Cloth, when they want it, or supplying His demands in hogs, if they have them; if they have none he requires none, and never forces them to find what they have not — It is no disgrace for a Man to be poor, and he is no less regarded on that account, but to be Rich and Covetous is a disgrace to Human Nature & should a Man betray such a sign and not freely part with what He has, His Neighbours would soon put Him on a level with the Poorest of themselves, by laying his posessions waste and hardly leave him a house to live in — a Man of such a discription would be accounted a hateful Person and before they would incur such a Name as that of Covetous or Stingy, they would part with the Cloth off their back, and go naked till they got more.

If any Man is Caught in the act of Theft and is immediately put to Death, the Person who killd him is brought to No account for it. But if the Thief escapes & the Property is afterwards found on Him the Person whose property it is, may plunder him of His Goods and Chattels which the Theif always submits to, the Owner leaving with Him the property which he stole and taking all the rest, but should he absent himself, and take His goods off His land, the Person Injured may oblige the Thiefs land lord to deliver to Him the House & land which the Thief did posess till the damage is made good or ransom it with Hogs to the full satisfaction of the Party injured. This latter Mode is mostly practised: as if the land was once put into posession, the Party so holding it could never be removed except by War, or the Commission of some Crime against the Chief; after such ransom is paid the Squire may if He pleases compromise Matters, with the Thief, and let him return, on Condition that He pays the Ransom or gets Friends to do it for him, or give it to some other who has been distressd by War and the Theif must go and live on His Friends.

They Have Carved Wooden Images of Men which they call Etee set

Indigenous Histories