The Savages are also very Religious in regard to their dead. My host, and the old man of whom I have spoken, confirmed what I have already written before, that the body of the deceased does not go out through the [86] common door of the Cabin, but the bark is raised at the place where the dead man is, in order to make a passageway for the corpse.
De plus, disent ils, l'ame sort par la cheminée, ou par l'ouuerture qu'ils font au haut de leurs todis, ils frappent à coups de baston sur leurs Cabanes, afin que cette ame ne tarde point, & qu'elle ne s'accoste de quelque enfant, car elle le fairoit mourir: ils enterrent les robbes, les chaudieres, & autres meubles auec le trespassé, pource qu'ils l'ayment, & afin aussi qu'il se serue de l'ame de toutes ces choses en l'autre vie. Ils iettent comme i'ay des-ja dit, la meilleure viande qu'ils ayent au feu, pour en donner à manger à l'ame dit deffunct, qui mange l'ame de ces viandes: [210] ils n'estendent point les corps de leur long comme nous faisons les enseuellissants, mais ils les accroupissent & accourcissent comme vne personne qui est assise sur les talons: ils couppent vn petit touffet de cheueux du deffunct, pour presenter à son plus proche parent. Je n'en sçay [87] pas la raison. Mais faisons vne autre liste de leurs superstitions & de leur ignorance, celles que ie viens de rapporter, concernent en quelque façon leur religion ridicule; les suiuantes le peuuent proprement appeller superstitions.
Furthermore, they say that the soul goes out through the chimney, or at the opening which they make at the top of their huts. They strike heavy blows with a stick upon the Cabins, that this soul may not delay, and that it may not come near a child, for it would kill it. They bury with the dead man his robes, his kettles, and other belongings, because they love him, and also in order that he may make use of the soul of all these things in the other life. They throw, as I have already said, the best meat they have into the fire, to give something to eat to the soul of the deceased, which eats the soul of this food. They do not stretch out the bodies of their dead lengthwise, as we do those of our dead, but they place them in a crouching position like a person who is seated upon his heels. They cut a little tuft of hair from the dead man to present to his nearest relative. I do not know [87] why they do this. But let us make another list of their superstitions and of their ignorance, as what I have just reported concerns in some manner their ridiculous religion: the following may properly be called superstitions.
Les Sauuages ne iettent point aux chiens les os des Castors, Porcs épics femmelles, du moins certains os determinez; bref ils p[r]ennent garde tres-soigneusement que les chiens ne mangent aucun os des oyseaux & des autres animaux qui se prennent au lacs, autrement ils n'en prendront plus qu'auec des difficultez incomparables: encore y a-il là dedans mille obseruations, car il n'importe que les vertebres ou le croupion de ces animaux soient données aux chiens, pour le reste il faut le jetter au feu; toutefois pour le Castor pris à la rets, c'est le meilleur de ietter ses os dans vn fleuue, c'est chose estrange qu'ils recueillent & ramassent ces os, & les conseruent auec tant de soin, que vous diriez que leur chasse seroit perduë s'ils auoient [88] contreuenu à leurs superstitions: comme ie me mocquois d'eux, & que ie leurs disois que les Castors ne sçauoient pas ce que l'on faisoit de leurs os; ils me respondirent, tu ne sçais pas prendre les Castors, & tu en veux parler: deuant que le Castor soit mort tout à faict, me dirent-ils, son ame vient faire vn tour par la Cabane de celuy qui le tuë, & remarque fort bien ce qu'on fait de ses os; que si on les [212] donnoit aux chiens, les autres Castors en seroient aduertis: c'est pourquoy ils se rendroient difficiles à prendre, mais ils sont bien aises qu'on iette leurs os au feu, ou dans vn fleuue, la rets notamment qui les a pris en est bien contente. Ie leur dis que les Hiroquois au rapport de celuy qui estoit auec nous, iettoient les os de Castor aux chiens, & cependant qu'ils en prenoient fort souuent, & que nos François prenoient du gibier plus qu'eux (sans comparaison) & que neantmoins nos chiens en mangeoient les os, tu n'as point d'esprit, me firent-ils, ne vois tu pas que vous & les Hiroquois cultiuez la terre [89] & en recueillez les fruicts, & non pas nous, & partant que ce n'est pas la mesme chose: ie me mis à rire entendant cette response impertinente; le mal est que ie ne fais que beguayer, que ie prends vn mot pour l'autre, que ie prononce mal, & ainsi tout s'en va le plus souuent en risee; Que c'est vne grande peine de parler à vn peuple sans l'entendre. De plus, en leurs festins à manger tout, il faut bien prendre garde que les chiens n'en goustent tant soit peu, mais de cecy en vn autre chapitre.
The Savages do not throw to the dogs the bones of female Beavers and Porcupines,—at least, certain specified bones; in short, they are very careful that the dogs do not eat any bones of birds and of other animals which are taken in the net, otherwise they will take no more except with incomparable difficulties. Yet they make a thousand exceptions to this rule, for it does not matter if the vertebræ or rump of these animals be given to the dogs, but the rest must be thrown into the fire. Yet, as to the Beaver which has been taken in a trap, it is best to throw its bones into a river. It is remarkable how they gather and collect these bones, and preserve them with so much care, that you would say their game would be lost if they [88] violated their superstitions. As I was laughing at them, and telling them that Beavers do not know what is done with their bones, they answered me, "Thou dost not know how to take Beavers, and thou wishest to talk about it." Before the Beaver was entirely dead, they told me, its soul comes to make the round of the Cabin of him who has killed it, and looks very carefully to see what is done with its bones; if they are given to the dogs, the other Beavers would be apprised of it and therefore they would make themselves hard to capture. But they are very glad to have their bones thrown into the fire, or into a river; especially the trap which has caught them is very glad of this. I told them that the Hiroquois, according to the reports of the one who was with us, threw the bones of the Beaver to the dogs, and yet they took them very often; and that our Frenchmen captured more game than they did (without comparison), and yet our dogs ate these bones. "Thou hast no sense," they replied, "dost thou not see that you and the Hiroquois cultivate the soil [89] and gather its fruits, and not we, and that therefore it is not the same thing?" I began to laugh when I heard this irrelevant answer. The trouble is, I only stutter, I take one word for another, I pronounce badly; and so everything usually passes off in laughter. What great difficulty there is in talking with people without being able to understand them. Furthermore, in their eat-all feasts they must be very careful that the dogs do not taste even the least of it; but of this in another chapter.
Ils croyent que la gresle a de l'esprit & de la connoissance, comme mon hoste faisoit festin pendant cet Hiuer, il dit à vn ieune homme, va t'en aduertir les Sauuages de l'autre Cabane qu'ils viennent quand ils voudront que tout est prest, mais ne porte point de flambeau, il estoit nuict & il gresloit fort & ferme: i'entends aussi les Sauuages sortans de leurs Cabanes, s'écrier à leurs gens, ne nous éclairez point, car il gresle. Ie demanday par apres la raison de cela, on me respõdit que la grêle auoit de l'esprit, [214]& qu'elle haïssoit [90] la lumiere, ne venant ordinairement que sur la nuict: que si on portoit des flambeaux dehors, elle cesseroit, dont ils seroient bien marris, car elle sert à prendre l'Originac. Voila des gens biẽ entendus aux meteores, ie leur dis que la gresle n'estoit autre chose que l'eau de la pluye, qui se congeloit par la froidure, laquelle s'augmentât sur la nuict par l'eloignement du Soleil, il gresloit plustost qu'en plein midy: ils me repartirent à l'ordinaire, tu es vn ignorant, ne vois tu pas qu'il a faict froid tout le iour, & que la gresle a attendu la nuict pour venir; Ie voulus repartir que la nuée n'estoit pas encore disposée, mais on me dit eca titou eca titou nama Khitirinisin, tais toi, tais toi, tu n'as pas d'esprit: voila la monnoye dont ils me payent, & dont ils payent bien souuent les autres sans s'alterer. Mon hoste coupoit par superstition le bout de la queuë de tous les Castors qu'il prenoit, & les enfiloit ensemble. Ie demanday pourquoy, le vieillard me dit, c'est vne resolution ou vne promesse qu'il a faict, afin de prendre beaucoup de Castors de sçauoir à qui il fait ce vœu [91] ny luy, ny moy ne le sçaurions dire.
They believe that the hail has understanding and knowledge. When my host was giving a feast, that Winter, he said to a young man, "Go tell the Savages of the other Cabin that they may come when they wish, that everything is ready; but do not carry a torch." It was night, and there was a very heavy hailstorm. So I heard the Savages going out from their Cabins, crying to their people, "Do not make any light for us, because it hails." I afterward asked the reason for this, and they answered me that the hail possessed intelligence, and that it hated [90] the light, usually coming only at night-time; that, if torches were carried out of doors, it would stop, and they would be very sorry for this, for it helped them to capture the Moose. See how intelligent these people are about atmospheric phenomena. I told them that the hail was nothing but the water of the rain, congealed by the cold, which was greater at night on account of the absence of the Sun, and so it hailed then oftener than in the middle of the day. They answered me in their usual way, "Thou art an ignoramus; dost thou not see that it has been cold all day long, and that the hail has waited until night to come?" I tried to tell them that the clouds had not yet gathered, but they said, eca titou eca titou nama Khitirinisin, "keep still, keep still, thou hast no sense." This is the money with which they pay me, and with which they very often pay the others without any variation. Through superstition, my host cuts off the end of the tail from all the Beavers he takes, and strings them together. I asked why; and the old man told me that it was a resolution or promise that he had made in order to take many Beavers. As to whom he made this vow, [91] neither he nor I would be able to tell.
Ils mettent au feu vn certain os plat de Porc épic, puis ils regardent à sa couleur s'ils feront bonne chasse de ces animaux.
They put upon the fire a certain flat bone of the Porcupine; then look at its color attentively, to see if they will hunt these animals with success.
Quand quelqu'vn de leurs gens s'est egaré dans les bois, voyans qu'il ne retourne point en la Cabane, ils pendent vn fusil à vne perche pour le redresser; & cela fait, me disoient ils, qu'il voye du feu, & qu'il reconnosse son chemin: quand vn esprit s'est vne fois egaré du chemin de la verité, il donne bien auant dans l'erreur.