University of Virginia Library

37. Children of Moshup turned into Fishes
BY THOMAS COOPER (1620)[145]

THE first Indian who came to Martha's Vineyard was brought there with his dog on a cake of ice. When he came to Gay Head, he found a very large

man whose name was Moshup. He had a wife and five children, four sons and one daughter.

He lived in a den. He used to catch whales and then pull up trees and make a fire and roast them. The coals of the trees and the bones of the whales are now to be seen. After he was tired of staying here, he told his children to go and play ball on a beach that joined No Man's Land to Gay Head.

He then made a mark with his toe across the beach at each end. He made it so deep that the water came in and cut away the beach, so that his children were in fear of drowning.

They took their sister up, and held her out of the water. He told them to act as if they were going to kill whales, and they were all turned into fishes.

The sister was dressed in large stripes. The father gave then a strict order always to be kind to her. His wife mourned the loss of her children so greatly that he threw her away. She fell upon Seconet, near the rocks, where she lived some time, begging from all who passed on the water. After a while she was changed into a stone. The entire shape of her remained for many years.

But after the English came, some of them broke off the arms and head; but most of the body is there to this day. Moshup went away, no one knew where. He never talked with the Indians, but he was kind to them, by sending whales ashore for them to eat. But after there grew to be too many Indians around him, he left them.