THE sick man having been appointed by the Autmoin to die, as we have said, all the relations and neighbors assemble and, with the greatest possibles solemnity, he delivers his funeral oration: he recites his heroic deeds; gives some directions to his family, recommends his friends: finally, says adieu. This is all there is of their wills. As to gifts, they make none at all; but, quite different from us, the survivors [89] give some to the dying man, as you will hear. But we must except the Tabagie, for it is a general injunction which must be observed everywhere, so that the ceremonies may be according to law.
Doncques, si le mourãt a quelques prouisions, il faut qu'il en face Tabagie à tous ses parents, & amis. Cependant qu'elle cuit, les assistants luy font reciproquemẽt leurs presents en signe d'amitié, des chiens; des peaux, de flesches, &c. On tue ces chiens pour les luy enuoyer au deuãt en l'autre monde. Lesdits chiens encores seruẽt à la Tabagie, car ils y trouuent du goust. Ayant banqueté, ils commencent leurs harengues de commiseratiõ, & leurs Adieus pitoyables, que le cœur leur pleure, & leur saigne de ce que leur bon amy les quitte, & s'en va; mais qu'il s'en aille hardimẽt puis [90] qu'il laisse de beaux enfans, qui seront bons chasseurs, & vaillants hommes: & des bons amis, qui bien vengerõt les [128] torts qu'on luy a faicts, &c. Ce train dure iusques à ce que le trespassant expire, ce qu'arriuant ils iettẽt des crys horribles, & est chose furieuse, que de leurs Nænies, lesquelles ne cessent ny iour, ny nuict, quelque fois durẽt toute vne sepmaine; selon que le defunct est grand, & que les complorants ont de prouision. Si la prouision defaut entierement, ils ne font qu'enterrer le mort, & different ces obseques, & ceremonies à vn autre temps, & lieu, au bon plaisir du ventre.
So if the dying man has some supplies on hand, he must make Tabagie of them for all his relatives and friends. While it is being prepared, those who are present exchange gifts with him in token of friendship; dogs, skins, arrows, etc. They kill these dogs in order to send them on before him into the other world. The said dogs are afterwards served at the Tabagie, for they find them palatable. Having banqueted they begin to express their sympathy and sorrowful Farewells; their hearts weep and bleed because their good friend is going to leave them and go away; but he may go fearlessly, since [90] he leaves behind him beautiful children, who are good hunters and brave men: and good friends, who will avenge his wrongs, etc. They go on in this way until the dying man expires and then they utter horrible cries; and a terrible thing are their Nænias [funeral dirges] which continue day and night, sometimes lasting a whole week, according to how great the deceased is, and to the amount of provisions for the mourners. If there are none at all, they only bury the dead man, and postpone the obsequies and ceremonies until another time and place, at the good pleasure of their stomachs.
Cependant tous les parents & amis se barboüillent la face de noir: & prou souuent se peignent d'autres couleurs; mais c'est pour se faire plus beaux & iolis; le noir leur est marq̃ du dueil & tristesse.
Meanwhile all the relatives and friends daub their faces with black, and very often paint themselves with other colors; but this they do to appear more pleasing and beautiful. To them black is a sign of grief and mourning.
[91] Ils enterrent leurs morts en ceste façon. Premierement ils emmaillottent le corps, & le garrotent dans des peaux; non de son long, ains les genoux contre le ventre, & la teste sur les genoux tout ainsi que nous sommes dans le ventre de nostre mere. Apres, la fosse estant faicte fort creuse, il l'y logent, non à la renuerse ou couché comme nous: ains assis. Posture en laquelle ils s'aimẽt fort, & qui entr'eux signifie reuerence. Car les enfans, & ieunes, s'assient ainsi en presence de leurs peres & des vieux qu'ils respectent. Nous autres nous en rions, & disons, que c'est s'asseoir en guenon, eux prisent ceste façon & la trouuent commode. Depuis le corps logé, & n'arriuant pas à fleur de terre pour la profondeur de la fosse; Ils voutent laditte fosse auec des bastons, à celle [92] fin que la terre ne retombe dedans, & ainsi couurent le tombeau au dessus. Si c'est quelqu' illustre personnage, ils bastissent vne forme de Pyramide, [130]ou monument à tout des perches liées par ensemble: aussi cupides de gloire en cela, que nous en nos marbres, & porphyres. Si c'est vn homme, ils y mettent pour enseignes & marque son arc, ses flesches, & son pauois: Si vne femme des cueilliers, des matachias, ou iouyaux, & parures, &c.
[91] They bury their dead in this manner: First they swathe the body and tie it up in skins; not lengthwise, but with the knees against the stomach and the head on the knees, as we are in our mother's womb. Afterwards they put it in the grave, which has been made very deep, not upon the back or lying down as we do, but sitting. A posture which they like very much, and which among them signifies reverence. For the children and the youths seat themselves thus in the presence of their fathers, and of the old, whom they respect. We laugh at them, and tell them that way of sitting is the fashion with monkeys, but they like it and find it convenient. When the body is placed, as it does not come up even with the ground on account of the depth of the grave, they arch the grave over with sticks, so [92] that the earth will not fall back into it, and thus they cover up the tomb. If it is some illustrious personage they build a Pyramid or monument of interlacing poles; as eager in that for glory as we are in our marble and porphyry. If it is a man, they place there as a sign and emblem, his bow, arrows, and shield; if a woman, spoons, matachias or jewels, ornaments, etc.
I'ay pensé m'oublier du plus beau: c'est qu'ils inhument auec le defunct tout ce qu'il a, comme son sac, ses fleches, ses peaux, & toutes ses autres besongnes & bagage, & encores ses chiens, s'ils n'ont esté mangés. Voire les viuants y adioustent encores plusieurs telles offrandes pour amitié. Estimés par là, si ces bonnes [93] gens sont loing de ceste maudite auarice, que nous voyons entre nous; laquelle pour auoir les richesses des morts, desire & pourchasse la perte, & trespas des viuants.
I have nearly forgotten the most beautiful part of all; it is that they bury with the dead man all that he owns, such as his bag, his arrows, his skins and all his other articles and baggage, even his dogs if they have not been eaten. Moreover, the survivors add to these a number of other such offerings, as tokens of friendship. Judge from this whether these good [93] people are not far removed from this cursed avarice which we see among us; who, to become possessed of the riches of the dead, desire and seek eagerly for the loss and departure of the living.
Ces obseques ainsi faictes, ils s'en fuyent du lieu, & hayssent deslors toute la memoire du mort. S'il arriue, qu'il en faille parler, c'est sous vn autre nom nouueau. Comme par exemple le Sagamo Schoudon, estant mort, il fut appellé le Pere; Membertou nommé le grand Capitaine. Et ainsi du reste.