A Description of New Netherland

This new edition and original translation of a tract by Dutch settler and lawyer van der Donck makes more widely accessible a document crucial for understanding the history of Dutch colonization in North America. . . . This document is an important primary source for students and researchers in colonial Dutch history, the settlement of New York and North America more generally, and the understanding of Indian cultures in the Northeast. —J. Mercantini, Choice  This edition of A Description of New Netherland provides the first complete and accurate English-language translation of an essential first-hand account of the lives and world of Dutch colonists and northeastern Native communities in the seventeenth century. Adriaen van der Donck, a graduate of Leiden University in the 1640s, became the law enforcement officer for the Dutch patroonship of Rensselaerswijck, located along the upper Hudson River. His position enabled him to interact extensively with Dutch colonists and the local Algonquians and Iroquoians. An astute observer, detailed recorder, and accessible writer, Van der Donck was ideally situated to write about his experiences and the natural and cultural worlds around him. Van der Donck’s Beschryvinge van Nieuw-Nederlant was first published in 1655 and then expanded in 1656. An inaccurate and abbreviated English translation appeared in 1841 and was reprinted in 1968. This new volume features an accurate, polished translation by Diederik Willem Goedhuys and includes all the material from the original 1655 and 1656 editions. The result is an indispensable first-hand account with enduring value to historians, ethnohistorians, and anthropologists. 

Table of Contents:
Foreword Preface Publication History of Adriaen van der Donck's A Description of New Netherland Map of New Netherland A Description of New Netherland: The Country       Where New Netherland Is Situated       When and by Whom New Netherland Was First Discovered       Why This Territory Was Named New Netherland       The Dutch, the First Possessors of New Netherland       The Limits of New Netherland and How Far They Extend       Of the Coast, Foreshore, and Seaports       The South River       Of the North River       Of the Fresh River       Of the East River       Of the Various Waters and Their Shapes       Of the Formation and Soil of the Land       Of Wood and Vegetation       Of the Fruit Trees Brought Over from the Netherlands       Of the Vineyards       Of Vegetables Generally       Of the Flowers       Of the Medicinal Herbs and Indigo       Of Agriculture and Field Crops       Of the Minerals and the Kinds of Earth and Stone       Of the Paints and Dyes       Of the Animals in New Netherland       Of the Wild Animals       Of the Avifauna, Aquatic and Terrestrial, and First the Raptors       Of the Terrestrial Birds       Of the Aquatic Birds       Of the Fish       Of the Poisons       Of the Wind       Of the Air       Of the Seasons Of the Manners and Extraordinary Qualities of the Original Natives of New Netherland       Their Bodily Shape, and Why They Are Called Wilden       Fare and Food of the Indians       Of the Dress and Ornaments of Men and Women       Their Houses, Castles, and Settlements       Ways of Marriage and Childbirth       Of Suckling, and the Relations between Men and Women       Ways of Burial, Lamentation, and Mourning       Their Festivities and Special Gatherings       How Human Beings and Animals First Came to That Country       Of the Different Nations and Languages       Of Money and Their Manufacture of It       The Innate Character and the Pastimes of the Indians       Their Bodily Care and Medicine       The Farming, Planting, and Gardening of the Indians       Special Account of Their Hunting and Fishing       Distinctions of Birth, Rank, and Quality       Of Their Warfare and Weapons       Of Their Administration of Justice and Penalties       Of the Universal Law of Nations       Of Gifts and Offerings       Of the Indians' Government and Public Policy       Their Religion and Whether They Can Be Christianized       Of Their Sentiments regarding Hope of Afterlife       Of the Knowledge of God and the Fear of Devils       Their Thoughts on the Creation and Propagation of Mankind and Animals in the World Of the Nature, Amazing Ways, and Properties of the Beavers A Conversation between a Dutch Patriot and a New Netherlander concerning the Condition of New Netherland Appendix: A List and Suggested Identification of the Latinized Plant Names Recorded by Adriaen van der Donck Notes Index