The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. 6: Quebec, 1633-1634
History
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. 6: Quebec, 1633-1634
Canada -- History -- To 1763 (New France); Indians of North America -- Canada; Jesuits -- Missions; Jesuits -- North America
Ils chantent encore & battent le tambour en leur festins, comme ie
declareray au chapitre de leurs banquets: ie leur ay veu faire le mesme
en leurs conseils, y entremeslant d'autres iongleries: Pour moy ie me
doute que le sorcier en inuente tous les iours de nouuelles pour tenir
son monde en haleine: & pour se rendre recommandable: ie luy vis vn
certain iour prẽdre vne espée, la mettre la pointe en bas, le manche
en hault (car leurs espées [72] sont emmanchées à vn long baston) il
mit vne hache proche de cette espée, se leu[a] debout, fit ioüer son
tambour, chanta hurla à son accoustumée, il fit quelques mines de
dancer, tourna à l'entour du feu: puis se cachant, il tira vn bonnet
de nuict, dans lequel il y auoit vne pierre à esguiser, il la met dans
vne cullier de bois, qu'on essuya exprés pour cest effect, il fit
allumer vn flambeau d'escorce, puis donna de main en main le flambeau,
la cueiller, & la pierre, qui estoit marquée de quelques raies, la
regardans tous les vns apres les autres, philosophant à mon aduis sur
cette pierre, touchant leur chasse, qui estoit le subiect de leur
conseil ou assemblée.
They also sing and beat drums in their feasts, as I shall explain
in the chapter upon their banquets. I have seen them do the same
thing in their councils, mingling therein other juggleries. For
my part, I suspect that the sorcerer invents every day some new
contrivance to keep his people in a state of agitation, and to
make himself popular. One day I saw him take a javelin and turn
the point down and the handle up (for their javelins [72] have a
long stick for a handle); he placed a hatchet near this javelin,
stood up, pounded on his drum, uttered his usual howls, pretended
to dance, and walked around the fire. Then, concealing himself,
he drew out a nightcap, in which there was a whetstone which he
placed in a spoon made of wood, which had been wiped expressly for
this purpose; then he lighted a bark torch, and passed from hand
to hand the torch, the spoon, and the stone, which was marked with
stripes,--all examining it attentively, one after the other, and
philosophizing, as it seemed to me, over this stone, in regard to
their chase, which was the subject of their council or assembly.
Ces pauures ignorants chantent aussi dans leurs peines, dans leurs
difficultez, dans leurs perils & dangers: pendant le temps de nostre
famine, ie n'entendois par ces cabanes, notãment la nuict, que chants,
que cris, battements de tambours, & autres bruits: & demandant ce que
c'estoit, mes gens me disoient qu'ils faisoient [73] cela pour auoir
bonne chasse, & pour trouuer à manger, leurs chants & leurs tambours
passent encore dans les sortileges que font les sorciers.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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