DE LA CREANCE, DES SUPERSTITIONS, & DES ERREURS DES SAUUAGES MONTAGNAIS.
I'AY desia mandé, que les Sauuages croyoient qu'vn certain nõmé Atachocam auoit creé le monde, & qu'vn nommé Messou l'auoit reparé. I'ay interrogé là dessus ce fameux Sorcier & ce vieillard, auec lesquelles i'ay passé [44] l'Hyuer, ils m'ont respondu, qu'ils ne sçauoient pas qui estoit le premier Autheur du mõde, que c'estoit peut-estre Atahochã, mais que cela n'estoit pas certain qu'ils ne parloient d'Atahocam, que comme on parle d'vne chose si esloignée, qu'õ n'en peut tirer aucune asseurance, & de fait le mot Nitatahokan en leur lãgue, signifie, ie racõte vne fable, ie dis vn vieux conte fait à plaisir.
CHAPTER IV.
ON THE BELIEF, SUPERSTITIONS, AND ERRORS OF THE MONTAGNAIS SAVAGES.
I HAVE already reported that the Savages believe that a certain one named Atachocam had created the world, and that one named Messou had restored it. [16] I have questioned upon this subject the famous Sorcerer and the old man with whom I passed [44] the Winter; they answered that they did not know who was the first Author of the world,—that it was perhaps Atahocham, but that was not certain; that they only spoke of Atahocam as one speaks of a thing so far distant that nothing sure can be known about it; and, in fact, the word "Nitatahokan" in their language means, "I relate a fable, I am telling an old story invented for amusement."
Pour le Messou, ils tiennent qu'il a reparé le monde qui s'estoit perdu par le deluge d'eau, d'où appert qu'ils ont quelque traditiõ de cette grande inondation vniuerselle qui arriua du temps de Noë, mais ils ont remply cette verité de mille fables impertinentes. Ce Messou allant à la chasse ses loups Ceruiers dont il se seruoit au lieu de chiens, estans entrez dans vn grand lac ils y furent arrestez. Le Messou les cherchant par tout, vn oyseau luy dit qu'il les voyoit au milieu de ce lac, il y entre pour les retirer, mais ce lac venant à se desgorger couurit la terre, & abisma le monde, le Messou bien estõné, enuoya le corbeau chercher vn morceau de terre pour rebastir cet element, [158] mais il [45] n'en peut trouuer, il fist descendre vne Loutre dãs l'abisme des eauës, elle n'en peut rapporter, enfin il enuoya vn rat musqué, qui en rapporta vn petit morceau, duquel se seruit le Messou, pour refaire cette terre où nous sommes, il tira des flesches aux troncs des arbres, lesquelles se conuertirent en brãches, il fist mille autres merueilles, se vengea de ceux qui auoient arresté ses Loups Ceruiers, épousa vne Ratte musquée, de laquelle il eust des enfans qui ont repeuplé le monde, voila cõme le Messou a tout restably. Ie touchay l'an passé cette fable, mais desirant rassembler tout ce que ie scay de leur creance, i'ay vsé de redittes. Nostre Sauuage racõtoit au Pere Brebœuf que ses compatriotes croyent qu'vn certain Sauuage auoit receu du Messou le don d'immortalité dans vn petit pacquet, auec vne grande recommandation de ne la point ouurir, pendãt qu'il le tint fermé il fust immortel, mais sa femme curieuse & incredule, voulut voir ce qu'il y auoit dans ce present, l'ayant deployé, tout s'enuola, & depuis les Sauuages ont esté sujets à la mort.
As to the Messou, they hold that he restored the world, which was destroyed in the flood; whence it appears that they have some tradition of that great universal deluge which happened in the time of Noë, but they have burdened this truth with a great many irrelevant fables. This Messou went to the chase, and his Lynxes, which he used instead of dogs, having gone into a great lake, were held there. The Messou, seeking them everywhere, was told by a bird that it had seen them in the midst of this lake. He went in, to get them out; but the lake overflowed, covering the earth and swallowing up the world. The Messou, very much astonished, sent a raven in search of a little piece of ground, with which to rebuild this element [the earth], but he [45] could not find any; he made an Otter descend into the abyss of waters, but it could not bring back any; at last he sent a muskrat, which brought back a little morsel, and the Messou used this to rebuild this earth which we inhabit. He shot arrows into the trunks of trees, which made themselves into branches; he performed a thousand other wonders, avenged himself upon those who had detained his Lynxes, and married a muskrat, by whom he had children who have repeopled this world. So this is the way in which the Messou restored all things. I touched upon this fable last year, but, desiring to recapitulate all I know about their beliefs, I have repeated many things. Our Savage related to Father Brebœuf that his people believe that a certain Savage had received from Messou the gift of immortality in a little package, with a strict injunction not to open it; while he kept it closed he was immortal, but his wife, being curious and incredulous, wished to see what was inside this present; and having opened it, it all flew away, and since then the Savages have been subject to death.[17]
[46] Ils disent en outre, que tous les animaux de chaque espece ont vn frere aisné, qui est cõme le principe & cõme l'origine de tous les indiuidus, & ce frere aisné est merueilleusement grand puissãt. L'aisné des Castors, me disoiẽt-ils, est peut-estre aussi gros que nostre Cabane, quoy que ses Cadets (i'entẽds les Castors ordinaires) ne soient pas tout à faict si gros que nos moutons; or ces aisnez de tous les animaux sont les cadets du Messou, le voila bien apparẽté, le braue reparateur de l'Vniuers, est le frere aisné de toutes les bestes. Si quelqu'vn void en dormant l'aisné ou le principe de quelques animaux, il fera [160] bonne chasse, s'il void l'aisné des Castors, il prẽdra des Castors, s'il void l'aisné des Eslans, il prendra des Eslans, iouyssans des cadets par la faueur de leur aisné qu'ils ont veu en songe. Ie leur demanday où estoient ces freres aisnez, nous n'en sommes pas bien asseurez, me disoient-ils, mais nous pensons que les aisnés des oyseaux sont au ciel, & que les aisnez des autres animaux sont dans les eauës. Ils reconnoissent deux principes des saisons, l'vn [47] s'appelle Nipinoukhe, c'est celuy qui ramene le Printemps & l'Esté. Ce nom vient de Nipin, qui en leur langue signifie le Printemps. L'autre s'appelle Pipounoukhe du nom de Pipoun, qui signifie l'Hiuer, aussi rameine il la saison froide. Ie leurs demandois si ce Nipinoukhe & Pipounoukhe estoient hõmes ou animaux de quelque autre espece, & en quel endroict ils demeuroient ordinairement; & ils me respondirent qu'ils ne sçauoient pas bien cõme ils estoient faicts, encor qu'ils fussent biẽ asseurez qu'ils estoiẽt viuants; car ils les entendent, disent-ils, parler ou bruire, notãment à leur venuë, sans pouuoir distinguer ce qu'ils disent; pour leur demeure, ils partagent le mõde entre-eux, l'vn se tenant d'vn costé, l'autre de l'autre, & quand le temps de leur station aux deux bouts du mõde, est expiré l'vn passe en la place de l'autre se succedans mutuellement; Voila en partie la fable de Castor & de Pollux. Quand Nipinoukhe reuient, il ramene auec soy la chaleur, les oyseaux, la verdure, il rend la vie & la beauté au mõde, mais Pipounoukhe rauage tout, [48] estant accompagné de vents froids, de glaces, de neiges, & des autres appanages de l'Hiuer; Ils appellent cette succession de l'vn à l'autre Achitescatoueth, c'est à dire ils passent mutuellement à la place l'vn de l'autre.
[46] They also say that all animals, of every species, have an elder brother, who is, as it were, the source and origin of all individuals, and this elder brother is wonderfully great and powerful. The elder of the Beaver, they tell me, is perhaps as large as our Cabin, although his Junior (I mean the ordinary Beaver) is not quite as large as our sheep. Now these elders of all the animals are the juniors of the Messou. Behold him well related, this worthy restorer of the Universe, he is elder brother to all beasts. If any one, when asleep, sees the elder or progenitor of some animals, he will have a fortunate chase; if he sees the elder of the Beavers, he will take Beavers; if he sees the elder of the Elks, he will take Elks, possessing the juniors through the favor of their senior whom he has seen in the dream. I asked them where these elder brothers were. "We are not sure," they answered me, "but we think the elders of the birds are in the sky, and that the elders of the other animals are in the water." They recognize two progenitors of the seasons; one [47] is called Nipinoukhe, it is this one that brings the Spring and Summer. This name comes from Nipin, which in their language means Springtime. The other is called Pipounoukhe, from the word Pipoun, which means Winter; it therefore brings the cold season. I asked them if this Nipinoukhe and Pipounoukhe were men, or if they were animals of some other species, and in what place they usually dwelt; they replied that they did not know exactly what form they had, but they were quite sure they were living, for they heard them, they said, talking or rustling, especially at their coming, but they could not tell what they were saying. For their dwelling place they share the world between them, the one keeping on one side, the other upon the other; and when the period of their stay at one end of the world has expired, each goes over to the locality of the other, reciprocally succeeding each other. Here we have, in part, the fable of Castor and Pollux. When Nipinoukhe returns, he brings back with him the heat, the birds, the verdure, and restores life and beauty to the world; but Pipounoukhe lays waste everything, [48] being accompanied by the cold winds, ice, snows, and other phenomena of Winter. They call this succession of one to the other Achitescatoueth; meaning that they pass reciprocally to each others' places.
[162] De plus, ils croyent qu'il y a certains Genies du jour, ou Genies de l'air, ils les nomment Khichikouai du mot Khichikou, qui veut dire le jour & l'air. Les Genies, ou Khichikouai, connoissent les choses futures, ils voyẽt de fort loing, c'est pourquoy les Sauuages les consultent, non pas tous mais certains iongleurs, qui sçauent mieux bouffonner & amuser ce peuple que les autres. Ie me suis trouué auec eux quand ils consultoient ces beaux Oracles, voicy ce que i'en ay remarqué.