In all the feasts, as well as in their ordinary repasts, each one is given his part, from which it happens that [138] only two or three have the best pieces, for they do not divide them. For example, they will give the tongue of a Moose and all the giblets to a single person, the tail and head of a Beaver to another; these are the best pieces, which they call Mascanou, "the Captain's part." As to the fat intestines of the Moose, which are their great delicacies, they usually roast them and let every one taste them, as they do another dish, which they hold in high esteem,—namely, the large intestine of the beast filled with grease, and roasted, fastened to a cord, hanging and turning before the fire.
Au reste ils sont magnifiques en ces festins, car ils ne presentent que les bonnes viandes les separants exprés, & donnant à chacun tres abondamment, quand ils en ont.
Also they are very magnificent in these feasts, for they only offer the good meat, separating it expressly, and giving to each one very abundantly, when they have it.
Ils ont deux sortes de festins, les vns à manger tout, les autres à mãger ce qu'on voudra, remportant le reste pour en faire part à leur famille. Cette derniere façon me semble loüable, car il n'y a point d'excez, chacun prend autant qu'il luy plaist de la portion qui luy est donnée; [139] voire i'oserois dire que c'est vne belle inuention pour conseruer l'amitié entr'eux, & pour se nourrir les vns les autres: car ordinairement les peres de famille ne mangent qu'vne partie de leurs mets, portans le reste à leurs femmes & à leurs enfans, le mal est qu'ils font trop souuent des festins dans la famine que nous auons enduré: si mõ hoste prenoit deux, trois, & quatre Castors, tout aussi tost [282] fut-il iour, fut-il nuict on en faisoit festin à tous les Sauuages voisins; & si eux auoient pris quelque chose, ils en faisoient de mesme à mesme temps: si que sortant d'vn festin vous allez à vn autre, & par fois encore à vn troisiesme, & vn quatriesme. Ie leur disois qu'ils ne faisoient pas bien, & qu'il valoit mieux reseruer ces festins aux iours suiuans, & que ce faisant nous ne serions pas tant pressez de la faim; ils se mocquoient de moy, demain (disoient-ils) nous ferons encore festin de ce que nous prendrons; oüy mais le plus souuent ils ne prenoient que du froid & du vent.
They have two kinds of feasts,—one at which everything is eaten; the other at which the guests eat what they please, carrying away the rest to divide with their families. This last feast seems to me praiseworthy, for there is no excess, each one taking as much as he likes of the portion given to him; [139] indeed, I would venture to say that it is a happy invention to preserve friendship among them, and for each to help feed the others. For usually the heads of families only eat a part of their share, carrying the rest to their wives and children. The trouble is that their feasts come too often. In the famine through which we passed, if my host took two, three, or four Beavers, immediately, whether it was day or night, they had a feast for all the neighboring Savages. And if those people had captured something, they had one also at the same time; so that, on emerging from one feast, you went to another, and sometimes even to a third and a fourth. I told them that they did not manage well, and that it would be better to reserve these feasts for future days, and in doing this they would not be so pressed with hunger. They laughed at me. "To-morrow" (they said) "we shall make another feast with what we shall capture." Yes, but more often they captured only cold and wind.
Pour leurs festins à ne rien laisser, ils sont tres blamables, & c'est neantmoins l'vne de leurs grandes deuotions, car ils [140] font ces festins pour auoir bonne chasse, il se faut bien donner de garde que les chiens n'en goustent tant soit peu, tout seroit perdu, leur chasse ne vaudroit rien; Et remarquez que plus ils mangent plus ce festin est efficace; de là vient qu'ils dõneront à vn seul homme, ce que ie ne voudrois pas entreprendre de manger, auec trois bons disneurs, ils creueroient plustost, pour ainsi dire, que de rien laisser. Vray qu'ils se peuuent ayder les vns les autres; quand quelqu'vn n'en peut plus, il prie son compagnon de l'assister, où bien l'on fait passer son reste pardeuant les autres qui en prennent chacun vne partie, & apres tout cela s'il en reste on le iette au feu; celuy qui mange le plus est le plus estimé, vous les entendez raconter leurs proüesses de gueule, specifiants la quantité & les parties de la beste qu'ils ont mãgé; Dieu sçait quelle musique apres le banquet, car ces Barbares donnent toute liberté à leur estomach & à leur ventre, de tenir le langage qui [284] leur plaist pour se soulager; quand aux odeurs qu'on sent pour lors dans leurs Cabanes, elles sont plus fortes que l'odeur des roses, mais elles ne sont pas si douces, vous les voyez haleter [141] & souffler comme des gens remplis iusques au gosier; & de faict comme ils sont nuds, ie les voyois enflez iusques à la gorge, encore ont ils du courage là dedans, leur cœur retient ce qu'on luy donne, ie n'ay veu que l'estomach du Sorcier mécontent de ce qu'on luy auoit donné, quantité d'autres en approchoient de bien prés, mais ils tenoient bon. I'en ay veu par fois de malades apres ces excez.
As to their "leave-nothing" feasts, they are very blamable; and yet this is one of their great devotions, because they [140] make these feasts in order to have a successful chase. They must be very careful that the dogs taste nothing of this, or all will be lost, and their hunting will be worthless. And notice that, the more they eat, the more efficacious is this feast. Hence it happens that they will give, to one man, what I would not undertake to eat with three good diners. They would rather burst, so to speak, than to leave anything. True, they can help each other; when one can eat no more, he begs his companions to assist him; or else he may pass the remains of his part along to the others, who each one take some of it, and after all this, if anything remain, it is thrown into the fire. The one who eats the most is the most admired. You will hear them describing the prowess of their jaws, naming the quantity and the parts of the beast which they have eaten. God knows what kind of music follows this banquet, for these Barbarians give full liberty to their stomachs and bellies, to utter whatever sounds they please, in order to relieve themselves. As to the odors that are then exhaled in their Cabins, they are stronger than the perfume of roses, but not so sweet. You see them pant [141] and blow, like people full up to their throats; and, in fact, as they are naked, I saw that they were swollen as high as their necks. Still, with it all, they have mettle there inside, for their stomachs retain what is given them. I have known only the Sorcerer's stomach to be dissatisfied with what it received; many others came very near it, but they held their own. Occasionally, I have seen some of them sick after these excesses.
Mais venons à l'ordre qu'ils gardent en ces banquets; Ceux qu'on doit traitter estans conuiez à la façon que i'ay dit, ils s'en viennent auec leur ouragan, ou escuelle leur cuillier, ils entrent dans la Cabane sans ceremonie, chacun prenant sa place comme il vient, ils s'asseoient en rond à l'entour de la chaudiere qui est sur le feu, renuersant leur plat deuant eux, leurs sieges, c'est la terre couuerte de branches de pin, il n'y a point de preseance, toutes les parties d'vn cercle sont aussi courbées, & aussi nobles les vnes que les autres, quelquesfois l'vn d'eux dira à celuy qui entre Outaiappitou, viens icy, sieds toy là.
But let us notice the order which they observe in these banquets. Those who are to be entertained having been invited in the way I have stated, they come each with his ouragan, or dish, and his spoon, and enter the Cabin without ceremony, each one taking his place as he comes. They seat themselves around the kettle which is over the fire, turning their plates upside down before them. Their chairs are the ground, covered with pine branches; and no order of precedence is observed. All the members of the circle are alike bent forward; and one is as noble as the other. Sometimes one will say to another who enters, Outaiappitou, "Come here, sit thou there."
Chacun ayant pris sa place & s'estant assis en forme de Guenon, retirant ses [142] jambes contre ses cuisses, si c'est vn festin à manger tout, on ne dit mot, on chante seulement, & s'il y a quelque Sorcier ou Manitousiou, il bat son tambour; vray qu'ils ne sont pas tousiours si religieux qu'ils ne tiennent quelque petit discours. Si le festin n'est pas à ne rien laisser, ils s'entretiennent vn peu de temps de leurs chasses, ou d'autres choses semblables, le plus souuent de gausseries.