The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. 8: Quebec, Hurons, Cape Breton, 1634-1636
History
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. 8: Quebec, Hurons, Cape Breton, 1634-1636
Canada -- History -- To 1763 (New France); Indians of North America -- Canada; Jesuits -- Missions; Jesuits -- North America
On the eighth of the same month of January, a young girl
peculiarly loved by her parents, but still more so by God, went to
Heaven after having been washed in the blood of the Lamb. I will
notice in this place the follies her poor father committed, in
order to be able to cure her. His brother-in-law came to tell him
that he had dreamed his niece would recover, if they had her lie
upon a sheepskin painted with various figures; a search was made
for one [36] immediately, one was found, and they painted thereon
a thousand grotesque figures, canoes, paddles, animals, and such
things. The Fathers, who had not yet instructed this girl, urged
earnestly that this remedy was useless; but they must try it. The
patient rested upon these paintings, but received no real benefit.
Another Charlatan was of the opinion that, if they gave the sick
girl a white sheet as pillow, upon which had been drawn pictures
of men singing and dancing, the sickness would disappear. They
began immediately to paint men upon a sheet, but they made nothing
but monkeys, such good Painters are they; this remedy succeeded
no better than the first. The poor girl lay down upon this sheet
without resting, and without recovering. What cannot the natural
affection of fathers and mothers do for their children? These good
people sought everywhere the health of their daughter, except in
him who could have granted it. They consulted a famous Sorceress,
that is, a famous jester. This woman said she had learned,--whether
from Manitou or some one else, I cannot say,--that they would have
to kill a dog and that the men should make [37] a feast of it.
Furthermore, that they would have to make a beautiful robe of Deer
skin, trim it with their red matachias made of Porcupine quills,
and give it to the patient; and that she would thus recover.
While they were preparing this feast, a Savage dreamed that, for
the recovery of this girl, they would have to prepare a banquet of
twenty head of Elk. Now the girl's parents were placed in great
anxiety, for, as there was but little snow, they could not pursue
and much less capture the Elk. In this great difficulty, they
consulted the Interpreters of dreams; it was decided that they must
change the twenty head of Moose to twenty big loaves of bread, such
as they buy from our French, and that this would have the same
effect. They were not mistaken, inasmuch as this bread and this dog
feast did nothing but fill the stomachs of the Savages; and this is
all the twenty Moose heads could have done, for, to cure the sick,
neither banquets nor beautiful robes avail.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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