You see by these stories that the Savages have some idea of a God: I say even more, they have some form of sacrifice. Father Brebeuf assured me that, when passing the winter with them, he saw them put a little Elk or Moose under the ashes and burn it. He has learned since then that another was burned at the same time and in the same manner, in another cabin; and, asking the reason for it, they answered that it was for the recovery of a sick man.
Il y a des hommes parmy eux qui font profession de consulter leur [80] Manitou; il me semble que par ce mot de Manitou ils entendent, comme entre nous, vn Ange, ou quelque nature puissante. Ie croy qu'ils pensent qu'il y en a de bons & de mauuais, i'en parleray plus asseurément quelque iour.
There are some men among them who make a profession of consulting their [80] Manitou. It seems to me that by this word "Manitou" they understand, as among us, an Angel or some powerful being.[41] I believe they think that there are good and bad Manitous; I will speak of this with greater certainty some day.
Le Gendre de nostre Sauuage voulant aller à la chasse, le consulta tout auprés de nostre maison: Il fit vne petite Cabane de bois, se renferma là dedans. Sur la nuict, chantant, criant, hurlant: les autres estoient à l'entour de luy: ie priay vn François de tirer vn coup d'arquebuse pour les espouuanter par le bruit, mais ie ne sçay s'ils l'entendirent, tant ils se [158] demenoient. Le Manitou luy dit qu'il allast à la chasse d'vn certain costé, qu'il y trouueroit des Orignaux, & point d'Hiroquois; le Manitou fut trouué menteur, car il reuint bien affamé, n'ayant quasi rien trouué. [81] Pour les Hiroquois, il n'en pouuoit rencontrer, car il s'écartoit bien loin d'eux: ie croy que la pluspart de ces consulteurs de Manitou ne sont que des trompeurs & charlatans; neantmoins quand ils recommandent quelque chose, cela est executé de point en point. S'il disoit aux Sauuages que le Manitou veut qu'on se couche nud dans la neige, qu'on se brusle en quelque endroict, il seroit obey & au bout du conte ce Manitou ou Diable ne leur parle non plus qu'à moy.
The Son-in-law of our Savage, wishing to go hunting, took counsel with him [the Manitou] near our house. He made a little wooden Cabin, shutting himself inside toward nightfall, singing, crying, and howling. The others were around him. I begged a Frenchman to fire a shot of the arquebus, to frighten them with the noise; but I am not sure that they heard it, so great was the uproar. The Manitou told him to go hunting in a certain direction, that he would find Moose there, and no Hiroquois. The Manitou was proved a liar; for the hunter returned almost starved, having found very little. [81] As to the Hiroquois, he could not have run against any, because he kept at a great distance from them. I believe that the greater number of these consulters of the Manitou are only deceivers and charlatans. Notwithstanding this, when they advise anything it is carried out exactly. If one of them should tell the Savages that the Manitou wanted them to lie down naked in the snow, or to burn themselves in a certain place, he would be obeyed. And, after all, this Manitou, or Devil, does not talk to them any more than he does to me.
Ie me doute neantmoins qu'il y en a quelquesvns qui ont vrayemẽt communication auec le Diable, s'il est vray ce qu'en disent les Sauuages, car on les voit marcher sur leurs cabanes sans les rompre: ils deuiẽnent furieux & comme possedez, dõnent des coups capables d'assommer vn bœuf, & neantmoins la douleur passe [82] en peu de temps: sans grand outrage on les void tout en sang, puis gueris en vn moment. Ils racontent quantité d'autres choses semblables, mais quãd ie les presse, ils m'aduouẽt franchement qu'ils n'ont point veu cela, ains seulement qu'ils l'ont ouy dire. Il ne faut pas leur faire grandes obiections sur leurs fables, pour les arrester, & leur faire perdre terre.
Nevertheless, I am inclined to think that there are some among them who really have communication with the Devil, if what the Savages say is true; because some are seen to walk upon their huts, without breaking them down. They become furious and act as if possessed, striking blows hard enough to fell an ox, and yet the pain passes [82] away very soon. Without any great injury, they cover themselves with blood, and are healed in a moment. They relate many other similar things; but, when I question them closely, they frankly admit that they have not seen them, but have only heard of them. One does not need to offer any very serious objections to their stories, to interrupt and confuse them.
Le 15. du mesme nostre Sauuage nous vint trouuer, & nous dit qu'vn de ses gendres auoit songé que nous luy donnassions aussi long que la main de petum, ou tabac; Ie luy refusay, disant que ie ne donnois rien pour les songes, & que ce n'estoit que folie, que ie [160] leur expliquerois comme ils se forment quand ie scaurois leur lãgue. Il me repart que toutes les nations auoient quelque chose de particulier, que si nos songes n'estoient pas vrays, si bien les leurs: [83] & qu'ils mourroient s'ils ne les mettoient en execution. A ce conte nos vies dépendẽt des songes d'vn Sauuage, car s'ils resuoiẽt qu'il nous faut tuer, infailliblement ils nous tueroient, s'ils pouuoient. On m'a dit qu'autrefois l'vn d'eux ayant songé que pour estre guery d'vne maladie qui le trauailloit, il luy falloit tuer vn certain François, il l'enuoye appeller. Entré qu'il fut en sa cabane, il luy disoit, approche mon frere, ie te veux parler: sa femme qui scauoit le dessein de son mary, dit au François qu'il se donnast bien garde d'approcher: & de fait ce malade auoit mis vne hache à son costé pour l'assommer. Voila l'vne des risques de nostre vie; cela ne m'estonne point, on peut mourir pour Dieu en mourant par vn songe.
On the 15th of the same [month], our Savage came to see us, and said that one of his sons-in-law had dreamed that we would give him a piece of petun, or tobacco, as long as his hand. I refused him, saying that I did not give anything on account of dreams; that they were only folly, and that, when I knew his language, I would explain to him how they originated. He replied to me that all nations had something especially their own; that, if our dreams were not true, theirs were; [83] and that they would die if they did not execute them. According to this idea, our lives depend upon the dreams of a Savage; because, if they dream that they have to kill us, they will surely do it if they can. I am told that, at another time, one of them had a dream that to be cured of a disease, from which he was suffering, he must kill a certain Frenchman; so he sent for him. When the Frenchman entered his cabin, he said to him: "Come nearer, my brother, I want to talk with you." His wife, who knew the designs of her husband, told the Frenchman to be on his guard in going near him; and, in fact, the sick man had placed an axe at hand, with which to kill him. This shows one of the great risks that we run here; it does not frighten me; we may die for God in dying because of a dream.
Pour reuenir à nostre Sauuage, ie luy demanday s'il faudroit executer [84] mon songe, au cas que i'eusse songé que ie le deurois tuer? il repart que le songe de son gendre n'estoit point mauuais: & tout ainsi qu'il nous croyoit quãd nous luy disions quelque chose, ou que nous luy monstrions quelque image: de mesme que nous luy deuions croire quand il nous disoit quelque chose propre de sa nation: qu'au reste il s'estõnoit que nous autres qui n'vsions point de tabac, l'aimions tant. En fin il luy en fallut bailler, en luy faisant bien entendre que ce n'estoit point en consideratiõ de son songe, & qu'on luy refuseroit tout ce qu'il demanderoit sous ce pretexte. Il nous dit qu'il ne croiroit plus à ces fantaisies, mais que son [162] gendre estoit libre: ceste superstition est trop enracinée dans son esprit pour la quitter si aisément.