ON THE CHARACTER, DRESS, DWELLINGS, AND FOOD OF THE SAVAGES.
THE nature of our Savages is in itself generous and not malicious.
They have rather a happy disposition, and a fair capacity for
judging and valuing material and common things; deducing their
reasons with great nicety, and always seasoning them with some
pretty comparison. They have a very good memory for material
things, such as having seen you before, of the peculiarities
of a place where they may have been, [37] of what took place
in their presence twenty or thirty years before, etc.; but to
learn anything by heart--there's the rock; there is no way of
getting a consecutive arrangement of words into their pates.
They have no beards, the men no more than the women, except some
of the more robust and virile. They have often told me that
at first we seemed to them very ugly with hair both upon our
mouths and head; but gradually they have become accustomed to
it, and now we are beginning to look less deformed. You could
not distinguish the young men from the girls, except in their
way of wearing their belts. For the women are girdled both above
and below the stomach, and are less nude than the men; also they
are usually more ornamented with matachias, that is, with [38]
chains, gewgaws, and such finery after their fashion; by which
you may know that such is the nature of the sex everywhere, fond
of adornment. Generally speaking, they are of lighter build than
we are; but handsome and well-shaped, just as we would be if we
continued in the same condition in which we were at the age of
twenty-five. You do not encounter a big-bellied, hunchbacked, or
deformed person among them: those who are leprous, gouty, affected
with gravel, or insane, are unknown to them. Any of our people
who have some defect, such as the one-eyed, squint-eyed, and
flat-nosed, are immediately noticed by them and greatly derided,
especially behind our backs and when they are by themselves.
For they are droll fellows, and have a word and a nickname very
readily at command, if they think they have any occasion to [39]
look down upon us. And certainly (judging from what I see) this
habit of self-aggrandizement is a contagion from which no one is
exempt, except through the grace of God. You will see these poor
barbarians, notwithstanding their great lack of government, power,
letters, art and riches, yet holding their heads so high that they
greatly underrate us, regarding themselves as our superiors.
Leurs habits sont chamarrés de peaux, que les femmes passent, &
conroyent du costé, qui n'est pas velu: elles conroyent souuent les
peaux d'elan de tous les deux costés, comme nostre buffetin, puis le
barricolent de peinture en forme de passements bien ioliment, & en
font des robes: de ces mesmes peaux elles leur font des souliers, &
des greues. Les masles ne portent point de hauts [40] de chausses,
parce que (disent-ils) cela les entraue trop, & met comme aux ceps, ils
portent seulem[~e]t vn linge an deuãt de leur nature, l'Esté ils vsent
fort de nos capots, & l'Hyuer de nos couuertes de licts, lesquelles
ils s'accommodent en chamarre les redoublants: ils s'aident aussi fort
volontiers de nos chapeaux, souliers, bonnets de laine, chemises, &
du linge, pour nettoyer leurs enfants de maillot, car on leur trocque
toutes ces denrees contre leurs peaux.
Their clothes are trimmed with leather lace, which the women
dress and curry on the side which is not hairy. They often curry
both sides of elk skin, like our buff skin, then variegate it very
prettily with paint put on in a lace-like pattern, and make gowns
of it; from the same leather they make their shoes and strings.
The men do not wear [40] trousers, because (they say) they hinder
them too much, and place them as it were, in chains; they wear
only a piece of cloth over their middle; in Summer they often wear
our capes, and in Winter our bed-blankets, which they improve with
trimming and wear double. They are also quite willing to make use
of our hats, shoes, caps, woolens and shirts, and of our linen to
clean their infants, for we trade them all these commodities for
their furs.
Quelque part qu'ils soyent arriués; la premiere chose c'est de faire
du feu, & se cabaner, ce qu'ils ont faict dans vn heure, ou deux:
souuent en demy heure. Les femmes vont au bois, & en apportent des
perches, lesquelles on dispose par en bas en rond à lentour du feu;
& par en haut on les enfourche entr'elles pyramidalement, [41] de
maniere qu'elles se reposent l'vne contre l'autre droit au dessus du
feu; car là est la cheminée. Sur les perches on iette des peaux, ou
bien des nattes, ou des escorces. Au pied des perches dessous les peaux
se mettent les sacs. Toute la place à l'entour du feu est ionchée de
fueilles de pin, à fin de ne sentir l'humidité de la terre: dessus les
fueilles de sapin ils iett[~e]t souu[~e]t des nattes ou des peaux de
loup marin aussi delicates que le velours; là dessus ils s'estendent à
l'entour du feu ayant la teste sur leurs sacs. Et ce qu'on ne croiroit
pas, ils sont tres-chaudement leans dedans à petit feu, voire aux plus
grandes rigueurs de l'Hiuer. Ils ne se caban[~e]t point, qu'aupres de
quelque bonne eau, & en lieu de plaisant aspect. En Esté leurs logis
changent de figure: car ils les font larges & longs, [42] à fin d'auoir
plus d'air; aussi les couurent-ils lors quasi d'escorces, ou de nattes,
faictes de roseaux tendres, & sont beaucoup plus minces & delicates
que les nostres de paille, si artistement tissuës, que quand elles
pend[~e]t, l'eau coule tout au long, sans point les percer.
Arrived at a certain place, the first thing they do is to build a
fire and arrange their camp, which they have finished in an hour
or two; often in half an hour. The women go to the woods and bring
back some poles which are stuck into the ground in a circle around
the fire, and at the top are interlaced, in the form of a pyramid,
[41] so that they come together directly over the fire, for there
is the chimney. Upon the poles they throw some skins, matting or
bark. At the foot of the poles, under the skins, they put their
baggage. All the space around the fire is strewn with leaves of
the fir tree, so they will not feel the dampness of the ground;
over these leaves are often thrown some mats, or sealskins as soft
as velvet; upon this they stretch themselves around the fire with
their heads resting upon their baggage; And, what no one would
believe, they are very warm in there around that little fire, even
in the greatest rigors of the Winter. They do not camp except near
some good water, and in an attractive location. In Summer the shape
of their houses is changed; for then they are broad and long, [42]
that they may have more air; then they nearly always cover them
with bark, or mats made of tender reeds, finer and more delicate
than ours made of straw, and so skillfully woven, that when they
are hung up the water runs along their surface without penetrating
them.
Leur viure est ce que la chasse, & la pesche leur donnent: car ils ne
labourent point: mais la prouidence paternelle de nostre bon Dieu,
laquelle n'abandonne pas les passereaux mesmes, n'a point laissé ces
pauures creatures, capables de luy, sans prouisiõ cõuenable, qui leur
est comme par estape, assignee à chasque lune, car ils cõtent par
Lunes, & en mett[~e]t treze en l'an: Par exemple donc, en Ianuier
ils ont la chasse des loups marins: car cest animal, quoy qu'il soit
aquatique, fraye neantmoins [43] sur certaines Isles enuiron ce
temps. La chair en est aussi bõne [~q] du veau; & de plus ils font de
sa graisse vn'huyle, qui leur sert de sausse toute l'annee, ils en
r[~e]plissent plusieurs vessies d'orignac, qui sont deux ou trois fois
plus amples & fortes que les nostres de porc; & voila leurs tonneaux
de reserue. En ce mesme mois de Feurier, & iusques à la my-Mars, est
la grande chasse des Castors, loutres, orignacs, ours (qui sont fort
bons) & des caribous, animal moitié asne, moitié cerf. Si le t[~e]ps
leur dit, ils viuent lors en grand' abondance, & sont aussi fiers que
Princes & Roys; mais s'il leur est contraire, c'est grãde pitié d'eux,
& souuent meurent de miserable faim. Le temps leur est contraire, quand
il pleut beaucoup, & ne gele pas; parce que lors ils ne peuuent chasser
ny aux eslans, ny aux [44] castors. Item: quand il nege beaucoup, &
ne gele pas là dessus, car ils ne peuuent pas mener leurs chiens à la
chasse, pource qu'ils enfonc[~e]t dedans, ce qu'ils ne font pas eux,
parce qu'ils s'attachent des raquettes aux pieds à l'aide desquelles
ils demeurent dessus: si ne peuuent-ils tant courir qu'il faudroit, la
nege estãt trop molle. Autres tels miserables accidents leur arriuent,
qui seroyent longs à raconter.
Their food is whatever they can get from the chase and from
fishing; for they do not till the soil at all; but the paternal
providence of our good God, which does not forsake even the
sparrow, has not left these poor creatures, worthy of his care,
without proper provision, which is to them like fixed rations
assigned to every moon; for they count by Moons, and put thirteen
of them in a year. Now, for example, in January they have the seal
hunting: for this animal, although it is aquatic, nevertheless
spawns [43] upon certain Islands about this time. Its flesh is
as good as veal; and furthermore they make of its fat an oil,
which serves them as sauce throughout the year; they fill several
moose-bladders with it, which are two or three times as large and
strong as our pig-bladders; and in these you see their reserve
casks. Likewise in the month of February and until the middle of
March, is the great hunt for Beavers, otters, moose, bears (which
are very good), and for the caribou,[17] an animal half ass and
half deer. If the weather then is favorable, they live in great
abundance, and are as haughty as Princes and Kings; but if it is
against them, they are greatly to be pitied, and often die of
starvation. The weather is against them if it rains a great deal,
and does not freeze; for then they can hunt neither deer nor [44]
beavers. Also, when it snows a great deal, and does not freeze
over, for then they cannot put their dogs upon the chase, because
they sink down; the savages themselves do not do this, for they
wear snowshoes on their feet which help them to stay on top: yet
they cannot run as fast as would be necessary, the snow being too
soft. They have other misfortunes of this kind which it would be
tedious to relate.
Sur la my Mars le poisson commence à frayer, & monter de la mer en haut
contre certains ruisseaux, souuent en si grand' abondance, que tout
en formille. A peine le croiroit, qui ne l'auroit veu. On ne sçauroit
mettre la main dans l'eau, qu'on ne rencõtre proye. Entre ces poissons
l'eplan est le premier: cest eplan est deux & trois fois plus grand
que [45] n'est le nostre de riuiere: apres l'eplan suit le harenc à la
fin d'Auril, & au mesme temps les outardes arriuent du Midy, qui sont
grosses cannes au double des nostres, & font volontiers leurs nids
aux Isles. Deux oeufs d'outarde en valent richement cinq de poule. A
mesme termoyement vient l'estourgeon, & le saumon, & la grande queste
des oeufs par les Isletes, car les oiseaux pescherets, qui sont là en
tre[=s] grande foison, pondent lors, & souuent couur[~e]t de leurs
nids ces Islettes. Dés le mois de May iusques à la my-Septembre, ils
sont hors de tout esmoy pour leur viure: car les mouluës sont à la
coste, toute sorte de poisson & coquillage; & les nauires François auec
lesquels ils trocquent; & sçauez vous s'ils entendent bien à se faire
courtiser. Ils tranchent des freres auecques [46] le Roy, & ne leur
faut rien rabattre de toute la piece. Il faut leur faire des presents,
& les bien harãguer auant qu'ils accordent la traicte; & icelle
faicte, faut encores les Tabagier, c'est à dire, les banqueter. Alors
ils danseront, harangueront & chanteront _Adesquidex, Adesquidex_,
Sçauoir est, qu'ils sont les bons amys, alliés, associés, confederés, &
comperes du Roy, & des François.
In the middle of March, fish begin to spawn, and to come up from
the sea into certain streams, often so abundantly that everything
swarms with them. Any one who has not seen it could scarcely
believe it. You cannot put your hand into the water, without
encountering them. Among these fish the smelt is the first; this
smelt is two and three times as large as [45] that in our rivers;
after the smelt comes the herring at the end of April; and at the
same time bustards, which are large ducks, double the size of ours,
come from the South and eagerly make their nests upon the Islands.
Two bustard eggs are fully equal to five hen's eggs. At the same
time come the sturgeon, and salmon, and the great search through
the Islets for eggs, as the waterfowl, which are there in great
numbers, lay their eggs then, and often cover the Islets with their
nests. From the month of May up to the middle of September, they
are free from all anxiety about their food; for the cod are upon
the coast, and all kinds of fish and shellfish; and the French
ships with which they traffic, and you may be sure they understand
how to make themselves courted. They set themselves up for brothers
of [46] the King, and it is not expected that they will withdraw
in the least from the whole farce. Gifts must be presented and
speeches made to them, before they condescend to trade; this done,
they must have the Tabagie, i.e. the banquet. Then they will dance,
make speeches and sing _Adesquidex, Adesquidex_, That is, that they
are good friends, allies, associates, confederates, and comrades of
the King and of the French.
Le gibier d'eau y abonde; celuy de terre non, sinon à certain temps les
oiseaux passagiers comme outardes & oyes grises & blãches. On y trouue
des perdrix grises, qui ont vne fort belle queuë, & sont deux fois
plus grosses que les nostres; on y voit force tourtes, qui viennent
manger les frãboises au mois de Iuillet. Plusieurs oiseaux de proye &
quelques lapins & leuraux.
Water game abounds there, but not forest game, except at certain
times birds of passage, like bustards and gray and white geese.
There are to be found there gray partridges, which have beautiful
long tails and are twice as large as ours; there are a great many
wild pigeons, which come to eat raspberries in the month of July,
also several birds of prey and some rabbits and hares.
[47] Or nos sauuages sur la my-Septembre se retirent de la mer, hors
la portée du flux, aux petites riuieres, où les anguilles frayent &
en font prouision, elles sont bõnes & grasses. En Octobre & Nouembre
est la seconde chasse des castors & des eslans: & puis en Decembre
(admirable prouidence de Dieu) vient vn poisson appellé d'eux _ponamo_,
qui fraye sous la glace; Item lors les tortues font leurs petits, &c.
Tels donc mais en bien plus grand nombre sont les reuenus, & censiues
de nos Sauuages, telle leur table & entreti[~e], le tout cotté &
assigné chasque chose en son endroit & quartier. Iamais Salomon n'eust
son hostel mieux ordonné & policé en viuandiers, que le sont ces
pensions & les voicturiers d'icelles. Aussi vn plus grand que Salomon
les a constitués. A luy soit gloire à tout'eternité.
[47] Now our savages in the middle of September withdraw from the
sea, beyond the reach of the tide, to the little rivers, where
the eels spawn, of which they lay in a supply; they are good and
fat. In October and November comes the second hunt for elks and
beavers; and then in December (wonderful providence of God) comes a
fish called by them _ponamo_,[18] which spawns under the ice. Also
then the turtles bear little ones, etc. These then, but in a still
greater number, are the revenues and incomes of our Savages; such,
their table and living, all prepared and assigned, everything to
its proper place and quarter. Never had Solomon his mansion better
regulated and provided with food, than are these homes and their
landlords. But then a greater one than Solomon has made them; to
him be the glory through all eternity.
[48] Pour bien iouyr de ce leur appanage; nos syluicoles s'en vont sur
les lieux d'iceluy auec le plaisir de peregrinatiõ & de proumenade,
à quoy facilement faire ils ont l'engin, & la grande commodité des
cauots qui sont petits esquifs faicts d'escorce de bouleau, estroits &
resserrés par les deux bouts, comme la creste d'vn morion; le corps est
en façon de berceau large, & ventru; Ils sont lõgs, de huict, ou dix
pieds; au reste si capables, que dans vn seul logera tout vn mesnage de
cinq, ou six personnes auec tous leurs chiens, sacs, peaux, chauderons
& autre bagage bien pesant. Et le bon est qu'il prennent terre, où
leur plaist, ce que nous ne pouuõs faire auec nos chaloupes ou bateaux
mariniers; parce que le cauot le plus chargé ne sçauroit cueillir demy
pied d'eau, & deschargé il est si [49] leger, que vous le souspeseriés
facilement, & transporteriez de la main gauche; si viste à l'auiron
qu'à vostre bel-aise de bon temps vous ferés en vn iour les trente, &
quarente lieuës: neantmoins on ne voit guieres ces Sauuages postilonner
ainsi: car leurs iournees ne sont tout que beau passetemps. Ils n'ont
iamais haste. Bien diuers de nous, qui ne sçaurions iamais rien faire
sans presse & oppresse; oppresse di je, parce que nostre desir nous
tyrannise & bannit la paix de nos actions.
[48] In order to thoroughly enjoy this, their lot, our foresters
start off to their different places with as much pleasure as if
they were going on a stroll or an excursion; they do this easily
through the skillful use and great convenience of canoes, which
are little skiffs made of birch-bark, narrow and closed at both
ends, like the crest of a morion; the body is like a large hollow
cradle; they are eight or ten feet long; moreover so capacious
that a single one of them will hold an entire household of five
or six persons, with all their dogs, sacks, skins, kettles, and
other heavy baggage. And the best part of it is that they can
land wherever they like, which we cannot do with our shallops or
sailing boats; for the most heavily-loaded canoe can draw only half
a foot of water, and unloaded it is so [49] light that you can
easily pick it up and carry it away with your left hand; so rapidly
sculled that, without any effort, in good weather you can make
thirty or forty leagues a day; nevertheless we scarcely see these
Savages posting along at this rate, for their days are all nothing
but pastime. They are never in a hurry. Quite different from us,
who can never do anything without hurry and worry; worry, I say,
because our desire tyrannizes over us and banishes peace from our
actions.
CHAPITRE V.
LA POLICE & GOUUERNEMENT DES SAUUAGES.
ON ne peut auoir plus de police, que de Communauté, [50] puis que
police n'est autre, que l'ordre & regime de la Communauté. Or ces
Sauuages n'ayants point grande Communauté ny en nõbre de personnes,
puis qu'ils sont rares, ny en biens, puis qu'ils sont pauures, ne
viuans qu'au iour à la iournee, ny en lien & conionction, puis qu'ils
sont espars, & vagabonds, ils ne peuuent auoir grande police. Si ne
peuuent-ils s'en passer, puis qu'ils sont hõmes & associés. Celle
donc qu'ils ont, est telle. Il y a le Sagamo, qui est l'aisné de
quelque puissante famille, qui par consequent aussi en est le chef &
conducteur. Tous les ieunes gents de la famille, sont à la table &
suitte d'iceluy; aussi est-ce à luy d'entretenir des chiens pour la
chasse, & des cauots pour les voituriers, & des prouisions, & reserues
pour le mauuais temps, & voyages. Les ieunes gens le [51] courtisent,
chassent, & font leur apprentissage sous luy, incapables de rien auoir
auant qu'estre mariés: car lors seulem[~e]t ils peuuent auoir chien &
sac: c'est à dire, auoir du propre, & faire pour soy, toutesfois ils
demeurent encores sous l'authorité du Sagamo, & le plus souuent en
sa compagnie, comm'aussi plusieurs autres, qui manquent de parents,
ou encores qui de leur propre gré se rangent sous sa protection, &
conduicte, pour estre foibles d'eux-mesmes, & sans suitte. Tout ce
donc que les garçons conquest[~e]t, appartient au Sagamo: mais les
mariés ne luy en donnent qu'vne partie, que si ces mariés se departant
d'auecques luy, cõm'il le faut souuent pour la commodité de la chasse,
& du viure, retournants apres ils payent leur recognoissance, &
hommage en peaux, & [52] semblables presents. A ceste cause il y a des
querelles, & des ialousies entr'eux aussi bien qu'entre nous, mais non
pas si atroces. Quand quelqu'vn par exemple commence à s'emanciper, &
faire le Sagamo, quand il ne r[~e]d point le tribut, quand ses gents
le quittent ou que d'autres les luy soustrayent; & comm'entre nous,
aussi entr'eux y a des reproches & mespris, cestuy-là n'est qu'vn demy
Sagamo, c'est vn nouuellement esclos, comm'vn poussin de trois iours,
la creste ne luy faict que de naistre: c'est vn Sagamochin, c'est à
dire, vn Aubereau de Sagamo, vn petit nain. Et à celle fin que vous
sçachiés que l'ambition a son regne encores dessous le chaume, & les
roseaux, aussi bien que dessous les toicts dorés: Et qu'il ne faut
point no^{9} tirer beaucoup l'aureille pour appr[~e]dre ces leçons.