Document: Ordinance|Director General and Council renewing previous ordinances for the formation of villages and against admitting armed Native Americans

The Director General and Council of N.N. hereby inform everybody, that it has been reported to them by some Indians, two, three or four savages of Tappan had some evil designs and said, they would kill the one or the other Christian in the open country and as the Director General and Council cannot learn, where or upon whom the threat is to be carried out, much less, whether it is the general intention of that tribe, the more so as warnings have come from the Tappan tribe and other Indians, they can give no other orders nor prevent the plan, than to renew former ordinances, to wit, that isolated living farmers move into the nearest village or hamlet and make a neighborhood, under the penalty, formerly fixed and in the meantime everybody is warned to be on his guard and not to go into the woods or on the road unarmed or in company of less than two to four people, so that they may oppose such bushrangers; furthermore in order to prevent such dangers of single persons being killed the Director General and Council with the Burgomasters of this City can as yet find no other or better expedient, than the beforementioned and to forbid, that any Indian with a gun or small arms shall be admitted to any dwelling house or other building within this City or in a village or hamlet in the country, under the penalty of losing such arms, which shall upon information having been given by the inhabitants be taken away by the Schout, the Marshal or in their absence by one of the Magistrates, to wit 14 days after the publication hereof or after the savages have been informed of this order and warning, which the Director General and Council hereby order to be done by such of their subjects, who understand the Indian tongue, in the most polite and convenient manner; for the Director General and Council with the Burgomasters have given this order only to prevent troubles between Christians and savages.


Thus done etc. July 1, 1656.