ON THEIR WILLS, FUNERAL RITES, AND BURIALS, AND ON THEIR RELIGION.
THE sick man having been appointed by the Autmoin to die, as we
have said, all the relations and neighbors assemble and, with the
greatest possibles solemnity, he delivers his funeral oration: he
recites his heroic deeds; gives some directions to his family,
recommends his friends: finally, says adieu. This is all there is
of their wills. As to gifts, they make none at all; but, quite
different from us, the survivors [89] give some to the dying man,
as you will hear. But we must except the Tabagie, for it is a
general injunction which must be observed everywhere, so that the
ceremonies may be according to law.
Doncques, si le mourãt a quelques prouisions, il faut qu'il en face
Tabagie à tous ses parents, & amis. Cependant qu'elle cuit, les
assistants luy font reciproquem[~e]t leurs presents en signe d'amitié,
des chiens; des peaux, de flesches, &c. On tue ces chiens pour les luy
enuoyer au deuãt en l'autre monde. Lesdits chiens encores seru[~e]t à
la Tabagie, car ils y trouuent du goust. Ayant banqueté, ils commencent
leurs harengues de commiseratiõ, & leurs Adieus pitoyables, que le
coeur leur pleure, & leur saigne de ce que leur bon amy les quitte,
& s'en va; mais qu'il s'en aille hardim[~e]t puis [90] qu'il laisse
de beaux enfans, qui seront bons chasseurs, & vaillants hommes: &
des bons amis, qui bien vengerõt les torts qu'on luy a faicts, &c.
Ce train dure iusques à ce que le trespassant expire, ce qu'arriuant
ils iett[~e]t des crys horribles, & est chose furieuse, que de
leurs Nænies, lesquelles ne cessent ny iour, ny nuict, quelque fois
dur[~e]t toute vne sepmaine; selon que le defunct est grand, & que les
complorants ont de prouision. Si la prouision defaut entierement, ils
ne font qu'enterrer le mort, & different ces obseques, & ceremonies à
vn autre temps, & lieu, au bon plaisir du ventre.
So if the dying man has some supplies on hand, he must make
Tabagie of them for all his relatives and friends. While it is
being prepared, those who are present exchange gifts with him in
token of friendship; dogs, skins, arrows, etc. They kill these
dogs in order to send them on before him into the other world. The
said dogs are afterwards served at the Tabagie, for they find them
palatable. Having banqueted they begin to express their sympathy
and sorrowful Farewells; their hearts weep and bleed because their
good friend is going to leave them and go away; but he may go
fearlessly, since [90] he leaves behind him beautiful children, who
are good hunters and brave men: and good friends, who will avenge
his wrongs, etc. They go on in this way until the dying man expires
and then they utter horrible cries; and a terrible thing are their
Nænias [funeral dirges] which continue day and night, sometimes
lasting a whole week, according to how great the deceased is, and
to the amount of provisions for the mourners. If there are none at
all, they only bury the dead man, and postpone the obsequies and
ceremonies until another time and place, at the good pleasure of
their stomachs.
Cependant tous les parents & amis se barboüillent la face de noir: &
prou souuent se peignent d'autres couleurs; mais c'est pour se faire
plus beaux & iolis; le noir leur est mar[~q] du dueil & tristesse.
Meanwhile all the relatives and friends daub their faces with
black, and very often paint themselves with other colors; but this
they do to appear more pleasing and beautiful. To them black is a
sign of grief and mourning.
[91] Ils enterrent leurs morts en ceste façon. Premierement ils
emmaillottent le corps, & le garrotent dans des peaux; non de son
long, ains les genoux contre le ventre, & la teste sur les genoux tout
ainsi que nous sommes dans le ventre de nostre mere. Apres, la fosse
estant faicte fort creuse, il l'y logent, non à la renuerse ou couché
comme nous: ains assis. Posture en laquelle ils s'aim[~e]t fort, & qui
entr'eux signifie reuerence. Car les enfans, & ieunes, s'assient ainsi
en presence de leurs peres & des vieux qu'ils respectent. Nous autres
nous en rions, & disons, que c'est s'asseoir en guenon, eux prisent
ceste façon & la trouuent commode. Depuis le corps logé, & n'arriuant
pas à fleur de terre pour la profondeur de la fosse; Ils voutent
laditte fosse auec des bastons, à celle [92] fin que la terre ne
retombe dedans, & ainsi couurent le tombeau au dessus. Si c'est quelqu'
illustre personnage, ils bastissent vne forme de Pyramide, ou monument
à tout des perches liées par ensemble: aussi cupides de gloire en
cela, que nous en nos marbres, & porphyres. Si c'est vn homme, ils y
mettent pour enseignes & marque son arc, ses flesches, & son pauois: Si
vne femme des cueilliers, des _matachias_, ou iouyaux, & parures, &c.
[91] They bury their dead in this manner: First they swathe the
body and tie it up in skins; not lengthwise, but with the knees
against the stomach and the head on the knees, as we are in our
mother's womb. Afterwards they put it in the grave, which has
been made very deep, not upon the back or lying down as we do,
but sitting. A posture which they like very much, and which among
them signifies reverence. For the children and the youths seat
themselves thus in the presence of their fathers, and of the old,
whom they respect. We laugh at them, and tell them that way of
sitting is the fashion with monkeys, but they like it and find it
convenient. When the body is placed, as it does not come up even
with the ground on account of the depth of the grave, they arch the
grave over with sticks, so [92] that the earth will not fall back
into it, and thus they cover up the tomb. If it is some illustrious
personage they build a Pyramid or monument of interlacing poles; as
eager in that for glory as we are in our marble and porphyry. If it
is a man, they place there as a sign and emblem, his bow, arrows,
and shield; if a woman, spoons, _matachias_ or jewels, ornaments,
etc.
I'ay pensé m'oublier du plus beau: c'est qu'ils inhument auec le
defunct tout ce qu'il a, comme son sac, ses fleches, ses peaux, &
toutes ses autres besongnes & bagage, & encores ses chiens, s'ils n'ont
esté mangés. Voire les viuants y adioustent encores plusieurs telles
offrandes pour amitié. Estimés par là, si ces bonnes [93] gens sont
loing de ceste maudite auarice, que nous voyons entre nous; laquelle
pour auoir les richesses des morts, desire & pourchasse la perte, &
trespas des viuants.
I have nearly forgotten the most beautiful part of all; it is that
they bury with the dead man all that he owns, such as his bag, his
arrows, his skins and all his other articles and baggage, even his
dogs if they have not been eaten. Moreover, the survivors add to
these a number of other such offerings, as tokens of friendship.
Judge from this whether these good [93] people are not far removed
from this cursed avarice which we see among us; who, to become
possessed of the riches of the dead, desire and seek eagerly for
the loss and departure of the living.
Ces obseques ainsi faictes, ils s'en fuyent du lieu, & hayssent deslors
toute la memoire du mort. S'il arriue, qu'il en faille parler, c'est
sous vn autre nom nouueau. Comme par exemple le Sagamo Schoudon, estant
mort, il fut appellé le Pere; Membertou nommé le grand Capitaine. Et
ainsi du reste.
These obsequies finished, they flee from the place, and, from that
time on, they hate all memory of the dead. If it happens that they
are obliged to speak of him sometimes, it is under another and a
new name. As for instance, the Sagamore Schoudon[21] being dead,
he was called "the Father" [Père.] Membertou was called "the great
Captain," and so on.
Or toute leur Religion, pour le dire en vn mot, n'est autre qu'és
sorceleries & charmes des Autmoins, tels que nous vous auons recité
cy deuant, parlants de leurs maladies. Ils ont beaucoup d'autres
semblables sacrifices faicts au Diable, pour auoir bonne fortune [94]
à la chasse, pour la victoire, pour le bon vent, &c. Ils croyent
aussi aux songes, à fin que nulle sorte de folie ne leur manque.
Aussi, dit-on, que souuent ces Necromantiens de Pilotoys prouoquent
des spectres, & illusions aux yeux de ceux qui les croyent, faisants
apparoistre des serpents & autres bestes, qui entrent & sortent de leur
bouche tandis qu'ils harenguent: & plusieurs autres semblables traicts
de Magicien. Mais ie ne me suis iamais rencontré en tels spectacles.
On nous donnoit aussi à entendre deuant qu'arriuer là, que le malin
esprit tourm[~e]toit sensiblem[~e]t le corps de ces pauures g[~e]ts
auãt le baptesme, & non apres; ie n'ay rien veu de tout cela, ny ouy
dire estant sur le lieu, quoy que ie m'en sois fort enquesté. Ce que
ie mets icy, à fin de rembarrer les [95] faux tesmoins de Dieu, comme
les appelle S. Paul: c'est à dire, ceux qui racontent des faux miracles
pour honnorer Dieu. Combien que l'escriuain du factum, qui a controuué
tel mensonge, n'auoit pas dessein d'honnorer Dieu, en auançãt ces
miracles: ains de charger les Iesuites cõm[~e]t que ce fust.
Now all their religion, to speak briefly, is nothing else than
the tricks and charms of the Autmoins, as we have related before
in speaking of their illnesses. They have many other similar
sacrifices which they make to the Devil, so they will have good
luck [94] in the chase, victory, favorable winds, etc. They believe
also in dreams, that no kind of nonsense may be wanting to them.
Furthermore, they say that the Magic of the Pilotoys often calls
forth spirits and optical illusions to those who believe them,
showing snakes and other beasts which go in and out of the mouth
while they are talking; and several other Magical deeds of the
same kind. But I never happened to be present at any of these
spectacles. We were given to understand before we went there, that
the evil spirit greatly tormented the bodies of these poor people
before baptism, but not afterwards; I saw nothing of all this,
nor heard of it while I was there, although I inquired into the
matter very carefully. I put this down here in order to confute
the [95] false witnesses of God, as St. Paul calls them; namely,
those who relate false miracles in order to glorify God; to show
that the writer of the memoir,[25] who has forged such a lie, does
not intend to glorify God in advancing these miracles so much as to
charge that they were manufactured by the Jesuits.
Les Sauuages m'ont bien souuent dit, que du temps de leurs Peres, &
auant la venuë des François, le Diable les mastinoit fort, mais qu'il
ne le faict plus maintenant, comm'il appert. Membertou aussi m'a
asseuré qu'estant encores Autmoin (car il l'auoit esté, & fort celebre)
le Diable s'estoit apparu souu[~e]tesfois à luy: mais qu'il l'auoit
quitté, ayant fort bien cogneu qu'il estoit meschant, parce qu'il ne
commandoit iamais que de mal faire. Voila tout ce que i'en ay peu
apprendre.
The Savages indeed have often told me that, in their Fathers' time,
and before the coming of the French, the Devil tormented them a
great deal, but that he does not do it any more, as it appears.
Membertou has assured me that when he was still Autmoin (for he
was one, and very celebrated too), the Devil appeared to him many
times; but that he had avoided him, knowing well that he was
wicked, because he never commanded him to do anything but evil. Now
this is all I have been able to learn on this subject.
[96] Ils croyent vn Dieu, ce disent-ils: mais ils ne sçauent le nommer
que du nom du Soleil _Niscaminou_, Ny ne sçauent aucunes prieres,
ny façon de l'adorer. Vn ieune Autmoin interrogé par moy sur cela,
respondit: Que quand ils estoyent en necessité il prenoit sa robe
sacrée, (car les Autmoins ont vne robe precieuse, exprés pour leurs
Orgies) & se tournant vers l'Orient disoit, _Niscaminou hignemoüy
ninem marcodam_: Nostre Soleil, ou nostre Dieu, donne nous à manger.
Qu'apres cela ils alloy[~e]t à la chasse, & volontiers auec bõheur:
autre chose ne me sceust il dire. Ils tiennent l'immortalité de l'ame,
& la recompense des bons & des mauuais, cõfusément & en general; mais
ils ne passent point plus auant en recherche ny soucy, comment cela
doit estre, occupés tousiours & preoccupés ou [97] des necessitez de la
vie, ou de leurs vs & coustumes. Voila briefuement le plus principal de
ce que i'ay peu apperceuoir de ces nations, & de leur vie.
[96] They believe in a God, so they say; but they cannot call
him by any name except that of the Sun, _Niscaminou_,[22] nor do
they know any prayers or manner of worshipping him. When I asked a
young Autmoin about this, he answered, that when they were in great
need he put on his sacred robe (for the Autmoins have a precious
robe, expressly for their Orgies) and turning toward the East said,
_Niscaminou, hignemoüy ninem marcodam_: "Our Sun, or our God, give
us something to eat;" that after that they went hunting cheerfully
and with good luck; he could not tell me anything more. They have
an incoherent and general idea of the immortality of the soul and
of future reward and punishment: but farther than this they do
not seek nor care for the causes of these things, occupied and
engrossed always either [97] in the material things of life, or in
their own ways and customs. Now these are briefly the principal
features of what I have been able to learn about these nations and
their life.
Mais si ores nous venons à sommer le tout, & apparier leurs bi[~e]s, &
leurs maux auec les nostres, ie ne sçay si en verité ils n'ont point
bonne raison de preferer (comm' ils font) leur felicité à la nostre,
au moins si nous parlons de la felicité temporelle, que les riches &
mondains cherchent en ceste vie. Car si bien ils n'ont pas toutes ces
delices, que les enfans de ce siecle recherchent, ils sont frãcs des
maux qui les suiuent, & ont du contentement, qui ne les accompagne pas.
Il est vray neantmoins, qu'ils sont purement, & absoluement miserables,
tant parce qu'ils n'ont aucune part en la felicité naturelle, qui est
en la contemplation [98] de Dieu, & cognoissance des choses grandes, &
perfectiõ des parties nobles de l'ame, comme principalem[~e]t parce que
ils sont hors la grace de nostre Seigneur IESVS-CHRIST, & le chemin du
salut Eternel.
But now if we come to sum up the whole and compare their good and
ill with ours, I do not know but that they, in truth, have some
reason to prefer (as they do) their own kind of happiness to ours,
at least if we speak of the temporal happiness, which the rich and
worldly seek in this life. For, if indeed they have not all those
pleasures which the children of this age are seeking after, they
are free from the evils which follow them, and have the contentment
which does not accompany them. It is true, nevertheless, that they
are purely and absolutely wretched, as much because they have no
part in the natural happiness which is in the contemplation [98] of
God, and in the knowledge of sublime things and in the perfection
of the nobler parts of the soul, but chiefly because they are
outside the grace of our Lord JESUS CHRIST, and the way of Eternal
salvation.
CHAPITRE IX.
QUEL MOYEN IL Y PEUT AUOIR D'AIDER CES NATIONS À LEUR SALUT ETERNEL.
VOVS auez ouy iusques icy, quel est le naturel des terres de la
nouuelle France, & les façons, arts, & coustumes principales des
habitans. Or maintenant le tout bien consideré, en fin, ie croy, que
le resultat de toutes les opinions, aduis, experiences, raisons, &
coniectures des Sages ne pourroit estre guieres que [99] cestui-cy,
sçauoir est, qu'il n'y a point d'apparence de iamais pouuoir cõuertir,
ny aider solidement à salut ces Natiõs, si lon ny fonde vne peuplade
Chrestienne, & Catholique, ayant suffisance de moyens pour viure, & de
laquelle toutes ces contrées dependent, mesmes quand aux prouisions, &
necessités temporel. Tel est le resultat, & conclusion des aduis.