At other times, I have heard them pray for the Spring, or for deliverance from evils and other similar things; and they express all these things in the form of desires, crying out as loudly as they can, "I would be very glad if this day would continue, if the wind would change," etc. I could not say to whom these wishes are addressed, for they themselves do not know, at least those whom I have asked have not been able to enlighten me.
I'ay remarqué cy-dessus qu'ils prient Le Manitou de ne point ietter les yeux sur leurs ennemis, afin qu'ils les puissent tuer: voila toutes les prieres & oraisons que i'ay oüy faire aux Sauuages, ie ne sçay s'ils en ont d'autres, ie [82] ne le crois pas. O que ie me fentois riche & heureux parmy ces Barbares, d'auoir vn Dieu à qui ie peusse adresser mes souhaits, mes prieres & mes vœux! & qu'ils sont miserables de n'auoir point d'autres desirs, que pour la vie presente! I'oubliois à dire icy, mais ie l'ay couché cy-dessus, qu'ils ont vne Image ou espece de sacrifice, car ils iettent au feu de la gresse qu'ils recueillent sur la chaudiere où cuit la viande, faisants cette priere Papeouekou, Papeouekou, faictes nous trouuer à manger, faictes nous trouuer à manger: ie crois qu'ils adressent cette oraison à leur Khichekouai, & peut-estre encore les autres; voicy vne superstition qui m'a bien ennuyé.
I have remarked above that they pray The Manitou not to cast his eyes upon their enemies, in order that they may be able to kill them. These are all the prayers and orisons which I have heard the Savages make; I do not know whether they have others,—I [82] do not think they have. Oh, how rich and happy I consider myself among these Barbarians, to have a God to whom I can address my desires, my prayers and my vows! And how miserable they are not to have any other desires than for the present life! I was forgetting to say here, although I have mentioned it above, that they have an Imitation or kind of a sacrifice, for they throw upon the fire grease which they skim from the kettle where the meat is cooking, uttering this prayer, Papcouekou, Papcouekou, "make us find something to eat, make us find something to eat." I believe that they address this prayer to their Khichckouai, and perhaps to others besides. The following is a superstition which greatly annoyed me.
Le vingt-quatriesme de Nouembre, le Sorcier assembla les Sauuages & se retrancha auec des robes & des couuertures en vn quartier de la Cabane; en sorte qu'on ne le pouuoit voir, ny ses compagnons: il s'y trouua vne femme auec eux qui marquoit sur vn baston triangulaire long de demie picque, toutes les chansons qu'ils disoient, ie [83] priay vne femme de me dire ce qu'ils faisoient dans ces retranchemens, elle me respondit qu'ils prioient; mais ie croy qu'elle me fist cette respõse, pour ce que quand ie saisois oraison, eux me demandans ce que ie faisois, ie leurs disois, Nataïamihiau missi ca Khichitât, ie prie celuy qui a [206] tout faict: & ainsi quand ils chantoient, quand ils hurloient, battans leurs tambours & leurs bastons, ils me disoient qu'ils faisoient leurs prieres, sans me pouuoir expliquer à qui ils les addressoient. Le renegat m'a dit que ceste superstition, qui dura plus de cinq heures, se faisoit pour vn mort, mais comme il ment plus souuent qu'il ne dit vray, ie m'en rapporte à ce qui en est: ils appellent cette superstition Ouechibouan, en suitte de ces longues oraisons, le Sorcier donna le patron d'vn petit sac couppé en forme de jambe à vne femme pour en faire vn de cuir, qu'elle remplit à mon aduis de poil de Castor, car ie maniay cette jambe qui me sembla molasse, & pleine d'vn poil assez doux, ie demanday prou ce que c'estoit, [84] & pourquoy on faisoit ce petit sac tortu, mais iamais on ne me le voulut dire. Ie sçeu seulement qu'ils l'appelloient Manitoukathi, c'est à dire, jambe du Manitou, ou du Diable; elle fut long temps penduë dans la Cabane au lieu où s'asseoit le Sorcier; depuis on la donna à vn ieune homme pour la porter penduë au col, elle estoit des appartenances de ces longues prieres, que ie viens de cotter, mais ie n'ay peu sçauoir à quel dessein cela se faisoit.
On the twenty-fourth of November, the Sorcerer assembled the Savages, and entrenched himself with some robes and blankets in one quarter of the Cabin, so that neither he nor his companions could be seen. There was a woman with them, who marked on a triangular stick, half a spear in length, all the songs they recited. I [83] begged a woman to tell me what they were doing in this enclosure, and she answered me that they were praying; but I believe she made this response because, when I prayed and they asked me what I was doing, I told them, Nataïamihiau missi ca Khichitât, "I am praying to him who made all things;" and so when they sang, when they howled, and beat their drums and their sticks, they told me that they were making prayers, without being able to explain to me to whom they were addressed. The renegade told me that this superstitious rite, which lasted more than five hours, was performed for a dead person; but, as he lies oftener than he tells the truth, I give it for what it is worth. They call this superstition Ouechibouan. After these long orisons, the Sorcerer gave the pattern of a little sack, cut in the form of a leg, to a woman, to make one of leather. This she filled, I thought, with Beaver hair, for I felt the leg and it seemed to me light and full of soft hair. I asked often what it was, [84] and why they made this little crooked sack, but they never told me. I only know that they call it Manitoukathi; meaning, leg of the Manitou, or of the Devil; for a long time it was hung in the Cabin, at the place where the Sorcerer was seated; afterward, it was given to a young man to wear hung from his neck. It was one of the accompaniments of these long prayers, which I have just described; but I have not been able to find out for what purpose it was used.
Ils gardent par fois encore vn ieusne fort rigoureux, non pas tous, mais quelques vns qui ont enuie de viure long temps; mon hoste voyant que ie ne mangeois qu'vne fois pendant le Caresme, me dit que quelques vns d'entre eux ieusnoient pour auoir vne longue vie; mais m'adjousta qu'ils se retiroient tous seuls dans vne petite Cabane à part, & que là ils ne beuuoient ny mãgeoient quelquefois huict iours, quelquefois dix iours durant: d'autres m'ont dit qu'ils sortent comme des squelets de cette Cabane, & que [208]par [85] fois on en rapporte à demy-morts, ie n'ay point veu de ces grands ieusneurs, si bien de grãds disneurs: vray est que ie n'ay point de peine à croire cét excez, car toutes les fausses religions sont pleines de puerilitez, ou d'excés, ou de saletez.
Now and then they observe a very rigorous fast,—not all of them, but certain ones who desire to live a long time. My host, seeing that I ate only once a day during Lent, told me that some of their people fasted in order to have a long life; but he added that they withdrew alone into a little Cabin apart from the others, and while there they neither drank nor ate, sometimes for eight and at other times for ten days; others have told me that they emerge from this Cabin like skeletons, and that sometimes [85] they are brought out half dead. I have not seen any of these great fasters, but I have seen great diners. In truth I have no difficulty in believing in these excesses, for all false religions are full of nonsense, of excesses, or of uncleanness.
I'ay veu faire vne autre deuotion au Sorcier, laquelle, comme ie crois, n'appartient qu'à ceux de sa profession; on luy dresse vne petite Cabane esloignée d'vn jet de pierre ou de deux des autres, il se retire là dedans pour y demeurer seul huict iours, dix iours, ou plus ou moins: Or vous l'entendez iour & nuict crier, hurler, & battre son tambour; mais il n'est pas tellement solitaire, que d'autres ne luy aillent aider à chanter, & que les femmes ne le visitent, c'est là où il se commet de grandes saletez.
I have seen another devotion performed by the Sorcerer, which, I believe, belongs only to those of his profession. They erect for him a little Cabin distant from the others a stone's throw or two, into which he retires to remain there alone eight or ten days, more or less. Now day and night he can be heard crying, howling and beating his drum; but he is not so solitary that others do not go to help him sing, and that the women do not visit him, and it is here that great licentiousness is carried on.
Les Sauuages sont encore fort Religieux enuers leurs morts; mon hoste, & le vieillard dont i'ay souuent faict mention, m'ont confirmé ce que i'ay des-ja escrit vne autrefois, que le corps mort du deffunct ne sort point par la [86] porte ordinaire de la Cabane, ains on leue l'escorce de l'endroict où l'hom[me] est mort, pour faire passer son cadaure.