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Ac-t of Cngrc-.s, in the year ,867, Hy Francis Parkman, In the Clerk's Office of the Dis„.ict Court oHheDi of Massachusetts. district Copyriir/it /S l- ^^oiiiN ANi) Kathkrin,; S. Cooi.ii) Copyright^ iSgy, By LiTTi.i:, Hrovvn, AM) Company. W// righti rc.avcd. CE. 1900 V, / (Ttnilirrsitu ^iJrrss: John VV .lson an,, Son, CAMURnuit, U.S.A. ^? PREFACE. Few passages of history are more striking than those whieh record the efforts (;f tlie earlier French Jesuits to convert the Indians. Full as they are of dramatic and philosophic hiterest, bearing strongly on the political destinies of America, and closely involved with the history of its native population, it is wonderful that they have been left so long in obscurity. While the infant colonies of England still clung feebly to the shores of the Atlantic, events deeply ominous to their future were in progress, un- known to them, in the very heart of the con- tinent. It will be seen, in the sequel of this volume, that civil and religious liberty found strange allies in this Western World. The sources of information concerning the early Jesuits of New France are very copious. During a period of forty years, the Superior of the Mission sent, every summer, long and de- VI PREPACK. tailed reports, embodying or accompanied by the reports of his subordinates, to the Provincial of tlie Order at Paris, Avliere they were annually pul)lisli(Ml, in duodecimo ^■()lumes, forming the remarkable series known as the Jesuit Jiclations. Though th(! pnjduetic^ns i.f men of scholastic training, they are simple and often crude in style, as might be expected of narratives hastily written in Indian lodu;es or rude mission-houses in the forest, am'd annoyances and interruptions of all kinds. In resjx'ct to the value of their contents, they are e>xeedingly unequal. Mod- est records of marvellous adventures and sacri- fices, and vivid pictares of forest life, alternate with prolix and monotonous details of the con- version of individual savages, and the praise- worthy deportment of some exemplary neophyte. AYith regard to the condition and character of the i)rimitive inhabitants of North America, it is impossible to exaggerate their value as an authority. I slioidd add, that the closest exami- nation has left me no doubt that these mission- aries wrote in perfect good faith, and that the Relations hold a high place as authentic and trustworthy historical documents. They are very scarce, and no complete collection of them exists in America. The entire series was, how- jprotttctmc lEDitton FRANCIS PARKMAN'S WORKS VOLUME THREE M,lJ 7>lr '■• I i » M nrTi;r;7ni-^T i -7^:~-r ,»,«;- „ „, PREFACE. vu ever, republisliod, in 1S.")S, l)y tlic Canadian government, in tln^ee large octavo volumes.^ These form bnt a. part of the surviving writ- ings of the French-American Jesuits. Many additional reports, memoirs, journals, and let- ters, official and private, have come down to ns ; some of which have recently been printed, wliilc others remain in manuscript. Nearlj' ev(^ry prominent actor in the scenes to be d(^scril)cd has left his own record of events in wliich lie bore })art, in the shape of reports to his Superi- ors or letters to his friends. I have stndicd and compared these anthorities, as well as a great mass of collateral evidence, with more than usual care, striving to secure the greatest i)os- sible accuracy of statement, and to re]n'(jduce an image of the past with photographic clearness and truth. The introductory chapter of the volume is independent of the rest ; but a knowledge of the facts set forth in it is essential to the full understanding of the narrative which follows. In the collection of material, I have received 1 Butli editions — tlu' oM ami tln! now — arc citiul in tlu' fnllow- in-r pajrus. Wiiore the refcronco is to tl:c old edition, it is indicatt-d by the name of the publislier (Cranioihiy), appended to tlie eitation, in braekets. In I'Xtraets jrivcn in the notes, tlie anti(iuated orthoi^riipliy and uei't'iit nation are preserveil. Vlll PREFACE. valuable aid from Mr. J. G. Slica, Rov. Felix Martin, S.J., the Abbes Laverdi^re and TI. R. Casgrain, Dr. J. C. Tache, and tlie late Jacques Viger, Esq. I propose to devote the next volume of this series to the discovery and occupation l)y the French of the Valley of the Mississippi. Boston, l.st May, 1807. conte;n"ts. f 1 INTRODUCTION. N.MIVi; TUIHKS. Divisions. — Tlio Aiujonquiiis. — 'I'lio lliiroiis: their IIouscs ; For- l i ligations ; Habits; Arts; Women ; Trade ; Festivities; Medi- cine. — Tlio Tobacco Nation. — Tlie Neutrals. — The Kries. — The Anda,ste.s. — The Iroiiuois : Social and Political Orj^an- ization. — iroqnois Institutions, Customs, and Character. — Indian Religion and Superstitions. — The Indian Mind . . . P.XfJK CHARTER I. 1G34. NOTnE-D.VME DES AVGKS. Quehec in i634. — Father Le Jeune. — Tiie .Mission-house: its Domestic Economy. — The Jesuits and their Designs . . . 88 CHAPTER II. LOYOLA AND TIIK .fKStriTS. Conversion of Loyola. — Foundation of the Soeiijty of .Te.«us. — Preparation of the Novice. — Characteristics of the ( )nler. — The Canadian Jesuits 95 CHAPTER III. rAIL I,K JKUNK. Le Jeune's Voyage: his First Pujiils; his Studios; his Indian Teacher. — Winter at t!ie ^lission-lKJU.se. — Le Jeune's School. — Reinforcenicnis 101 CONTENTS. ^ CriAPTEU IV. 1G33, l(i;J4. LB JKUNE AND JlIi; HUNTIiUS. Le Jenno joins tho Indians. — Tlio Fir.st Encampmont. — Tho Aimtate. — Forest Life in Winter. — TIio Indian lint.— Tho Sorcerer: lii.s rersccniion of tlio I'riost. — Evil Coin- pany. — Magic. — Incantations. — Christtniis. — Starvation. — Hopes of Conversion.— IJaclvsliding—lVril and E.srapo of Lo Jeune; his ]{eturn CIIAI'TER V. IC.'J.'}, IG.'U. THE nCKON MISSION. Plana of Conversion. — Aims and Motives. — Indian Diplomacy. — Iluroiis at C^noLec — Councils. — The Jesuit Ciuij)el. — Lo Borgnc. — The Josuita thwarted. — Their Perseverance. — The Journey to the Hurons. — Jean de Brcbeuf. — Tho Mis- sion bugUD CHAPTER VL 16.34, 10;3.'). BREnEIT AM) HIS ASSOCI A ; i;-!. The Huron Mission-iiouso : its Inmates; its Furniture; its Guests. — Tlie Jesuit as a Teaclier, — As an Engineer. — Bap- tisms. — Huron Village Life. — Festivities and Sorceries.— The Dream Feast. — The Priests accused of jMagic. — The Drought and the IJed Cross CHAPTER VII. 1636, 1637. THE FEAST OP THE DEAD. Huron Graves. — Preparation for tlif Ceremony. — Disinterment. — The M(mrning. — Tiie Funeral .Marcli. — The Great Sep- ulchre. — Funeral Games. — Encanij)mont of the Mourners. — Gifts. — Harangues. — Frenzy of tho Crowd. — The Clos- ing Scene. — Another Kite. — The Captive Iroquois. — Tho Sacrilice Pahk 110 129 146 « 159 CONTENTS. XI PAriK 110 CHAl'TER VIII. 1636, 1637. THE IlUliOX AND THK JKSflT. Paue Eiitlinsinsm for tlio Mission. — Sici, ir. 10. TIIK TOIIACC ') NAru>N. — lUi; NlilTltALS. Paoe A Chatififc of rian. — Siiiiitti Mario. — Mission of the 'I'ohacco Na- tion. — Winter Jonrnoyinj;. — Roceiitinn of tlic Miw>ionarii'.s. — Supor.stitions 'Pcrrors. — Peril of (larnier ami Jniruer*. — Mis.siun of tlio Neutrals. — Huron Intrisfucs. — Miracles. — Fury of the Indians. — Intervention of Saint Micliael. — Ko- turn to Sainte .Mario. — Intrepidity of tiio I'riesls. —Their Mental Exaltation 230 CIIAPTEH XIII. 1G;JG-IG46. Qi:EnEC AND ITS TENANTS. Tho New novoriior. — Edifyin<:f Examples. — Lc .Tonne's Corre- spondents. — Kank and Devotion. — Nnns. — Priestly Autlior- ity. — Condition of (Jneliee. — 'i'iie Ilnndred Associates. — Cinirch Disrijdine. — Plays. — Fireworks. — I'roee.ssions. — Catechisinij. — Terrorism. — Pictures. — The Converts. — The Society of , Jesus. — The Foresters 241 CIIAPTEll XIV. 1036-16.52. DEVOTEES AND Nt'N.S. The Huron Seminary. — Madame do la Peltrio : her Pious Schemes; her Sham Marriajjje; she visits the Ursulines of Tours. — Marie do Saint Bernard. — Marie de I'Inearnation ; her F.ithusiasm; hor Mystical Marriage ; her Dejection ; her Mental Conflicts; her Vision ; made Superior of the Ur.sulincs. — The Ilotel-Dieu. — The Voyage to Canad.a. — Sillery. — Labors and Sufferings of tlio Nuns. — Character of Marie de ITucaruatiou. — Of Madame de la Peltrie 259 Page t. I Illustrations VOLUME I. Madamk i,e la Peltk.e Frontispiece Pholoijravured hy Coupil ami Co., I\tris,/rom tin i,„i„t- iitg by C. Iluut, in the Convent des Ursulines, Qtub<-r. COL-NTRV OF TllK IIURONS pg,.g y Paul lk Jeune uu IJ o« From an engravimj by Hem'' Lor/ton. Le Jeune haptizino Indian Childken uoo From a drawing by li. Wf fires ligliting the amoky con- cave; tlie lu'onzed groups encircling each, — cooking, eating, gambling, or annising themselves with idle hiidinage; shrivelled s(juaws, hideous with threescore years of hardship; grisly old warriors, scarred with Iro(p!ois war-cluhs; young aspirants, whose honors were yet to he won; damsels gay with ochre and wam[)uni; restless children pellmell with restless dogs. Now a tongue of resinous llame painted each wild feature in vivid light; now the fitful gleam expired, and the grou[) vanished from sight, as their nation has vanished from history. tliL' partitions bciii}; at tlu' siilcs odIv, Iraviii),' a witlo passage down the niiddJL' of thu house. liartrain, Olmi rrationa on a Jonrnvi; from Pninsi/I iinia to Cdnaiht, \!\\i.'» a description nnd plan of tlie Ircxiuois Conncil-IIonse in 17")1, wlilcli was of tiiis constriu'tion. Indet'd, tlie Iroquois preserved tills mode of builiiiuj,', in all essential jxjints, down to a reeent period. Tiiey usually framed the sides of their houses on rows of uprij,dit posts, archeil with separate poles for tlie roof. The Ilurons, no doiibt, did the same in their larj^er struc- tures. For a door, there was a «!ieel of hark hung on woodeu hin^fi's, or suspended by cords from .move. On the site of Huron towns which were destroyed by fire, the size, shape, and arranj^ement of the houses can still, in some instances, be traced by remains in the form of cliarcoal, as well as by the charred bones and fragments of pottery found amonp the ashea. Dr. Tache, after a zealous anil minute examination of the Huron country, extended throuf,'h five years, writes to me as follows: " From till' remains 1 liave found, 1 can vouch for tlic scrupulous correctness of our ancient writers. With the aid of their indica- tions and descriptions, I have been able to detect the sites of villajies in the midst of the forest, and by tlie study, in situ, of arclueologieal monuments, small as they are, to understand and confirm their many interesting details of the habits, and especially the funeral rites, of these extraordinary tribes." I i 1 iiiKoN roiniricATioNs. If) [the size, [Stance*, by the [shes. Huron "oUows : [upulous indica- Isites of situ, of ind and pecially * I I TIio fdi'tiliiMl towns of the I lupous W(>ro all on llio side exposi'tl to Iroquois incursions. 'I'lic fortitica- tions of all this I'aiuily of trilics wert', like tlu'ir (l\vi*llin;;s, in cssi-ntial points aliUf. A situation was ciiosen I'avoi'aliit' to (iclcnci', — tho liank of a lake, the crown ol a iliHiciilt liill, or a hii^^li jioiiit of laml in tlic fork of conllumt livers. A ditcli, several feet deep, was duii; around the villaiicc, and the eartli thrown .ip on tlu* insidi'. 'I'l-ees were then felh-d In an alternate process of huniinL,' and haekiuLC the burnt part with stone hattliels, and i)\' simihir means were cut into len^^ths to form palisades. These wvw I)lanted on tlio emhankment, in one, two, three, or four concontric rows, — those of eacdi row inelininsj^ towards tliosi; of the other rows until they intei'sected. The whole was lined within, to the height of a man, with heavy sheets of bark; and at the toj), where the; palisades crossed, was a nailery of timber for tlu; defenders, to^-etber with wooden gutters, by which streams of water could be poured down on ilres kindled by the enemy. I\Iaf,ni/.ines of stones, and rude ladders for mountinij the rampart, completed the provision for defence. The forts of the Inxiuois were stronc^er and more elaborate than those of the llurons; and to this day larj^e districts in New York . " Quellos hurcs!" exclaimed sonic astonished Frenchman. Hence tlie name, Iltirons. - Bressani, Rvlaiion Ahreij€c, 72. Champlain has a picture of a warrior thus tattooed. marrtagp:. 21 nearly f>, Avith winter , and at ^vrapped ter fui-s, ler side, ires and s of the ry, how- by some air after ,. With ■aided on ^ one or ,h others , Uke the ley were the red attooing, indelible cess was iped the 3. ght side, rudgery. aps made exclaimed picture of them less sensible of pain, certainly made them less snsceptible of passion, tlian tlie liiglior races of men, the Ihirons were notoriously dissolnte, far exceed- ing in this respect the watidering and starving AlgoiKpiins.' Marriage existed among them, and polygamy was exceptional; but divorce took place at the will or caprice of cither party. A practice also prevailed of temporary or experimental mar- riage, lasting a day, a week, or more. The seal of 1 Amonjj the Iroquois tliere were more favorable featiirt'S in tlie Cdiiilition of women. The malroiis liad often a eonsiderahle intlu- ence nn the decisions of the councils. Latitau, whose book appeared in ITi'l, says tliat tlie nation was corrupt in liis time, but that tiiis was a de<,'eneracy from tlieir ancient manners. La Potherie and ("liarlevoix make a similar statement. Met;ai)olensis, howi'Ver, in I'ilt, says that they were then exceedingly debauched; and Cjreen- lialuh, in 1077, .uives ample evifthc Jrotjuois, ."121'.) There is clea/ proof that the triliis of the South were equally corrupt, (See Lav.oon, Caroliiui, '.]\, and other early writers.) On tin- other hand, chastity in women was recognized as a virtue by many tfilns. 'I'iiis was peculiarly the case among the Algonciuins of (Jaspc', where a lapse in this regard was counte(l a disgrace. (See Le (Merc, Xmivclle liddtittn de. la (nisjiisii', 417, v.iure a contrast is drawn between the modi'sty of the girls of tliis rt'gion and the ojjeii prostitution practised among those of other tribes.) Among the Si(jux, adultery on the i)art of a woman is i)unished by mutilation. The remarkable forbearance observed by Kastern and Northern tribes towards female ca])tives was i)roI)ably the result of a sujji'r- stition. Xotwithstanding the j^revailing lii'ense, tiic Iro(iuois and other tribes had among themselves certain conventiiuuil rules which excited the admiration of the Jesuit celibates. Some of these had a superstitious origin; others were in accordance with the iron retpiirenu'nts of their savage etiquette. To make tlie Indian a lun/ of romance is mere nonsense. 99 INTKDDUCTIOX. \' the compact was merely the aeooptance of a gift of wampum made l)y tlie suitor to the object of his desire or his whim. These gifts were never returned on the dissohitiou of the connection; and as an attrac- tive and enterprising damsel might, and often did, make twenty such marriages before her final estab- lishment, she thus collected a wealth of wampum with which to adorn herself for the village dances.^ This provisional matrimony was no bar to a license boundless and apparently universal, unattended with loss of reputation on either side. Every instinct of native delicacy (piickly vanished under the influence of Huron domestic life; eight or ten families, and often more, crowded into one undivided house, where privacy was impossible, and where strangers were free to enter at all hours of the day or night. Once a mother, and married with a reasonable permanency, the Iluron woman from a wanton became a drudge. In ]March and April she gathered the year's supply of firewood. Then came sowing, till- ^ " II s'en trouuo telle qui passe ainsi sa ieunosse, qui aura cu ])lu8 (le vinj^t maris, lesqui'ls vini;t maris no sent pas souls en la jouyssaiu'o de ia bosto, quolquos niarioz (ju'lls soiont : ear la nuiet vi'nue, les ieunes fiMunies eourent d'uno cabane en une autre, eonie font les ieunes honnnes do leur eoste, qui en prennent par ou bon lour scm])le, toutesfois sans violonco aueune, et n'on rofoiuent aucune infamio, ny injure, la eoustuine du i).iys estant telle." — Cbanijjlain (ICdT), "JO. Cdiujiare Sauard, ]'(iij(t;/e dm Jlurons, 170. Hutii Wore personal observers. The eeromony, even of tlie most serious marriatje, eonsisted merely in the bride's brinuiiifX a disii of boiUd maize to the bride- groom, together witli an armful of fuel. There was often a feast of the relatives, or of the wliolu villajio. i IirilOX TRAFFIC. 23 iiii^, find hiirvesti !!(>•, smoking lisli, divssing skins, milking cordagu luid clotliing, preparing food. On tlie march it was she wlio bore tlie hnrden; for, in the Avords of Champhdn, ''their women were tlieir mules." The natural effect folhjwed. lu every Huron town were shrivelled hags, hideous and despised, wlio in vindictiveness, ferocity, and cruelty far exceeded the men. To the men fell the task of building the houses, and making weapons, pipes, and canoes. For the rest, their home-life was a life of leisure and amuse- ment. The summer and autunni were their seasons of serious employment, — of war, hunting, lishing, and trade. There was an established system of trallic between the llurons and the Alg<)n([uiiis of the Ottawa and Lake Nipissincj: the llurons exehant^- ing wamjjum, fishing-nets, and coi'U for lish and furs.' From various relics found in their graves, it may be inferred that they also traded with tribes of the rpper Lakes, as well as with trilx^s far southward, towards the Gulf of Mexico. Each branch of ti'allie was the mono2)oly of the family or clan ]fy wlioiu it was opened. They might, if they could, punish interlopers, by stripping them of all they possessed, unless the latter had succeeded in reaching home with the frtiits of their trade, — in which case the outraged monopolists had no further right of redress, -uid could not attempt it without a breaking of the public peace, and exposure to the authorized ven- i Champliiin (1G:>7). «4. 24 INTRODUCTTOX. gcance of the otlier purty.^ Their fisheries, too, were reguhited by customs having the force of hiws. These pursuits, witli their liuntiug, — in which tliey were aided l)y a wolfish breed of (h)gs unable to Ijark, — consumed the autumn and early winter; but before the new year the greater part of the men were gathered in meir villages. Now followed their festal season; for it was the season of idleness for the men, and of leisure for the women. Feasts, gand)ling, smoking, and dancuig filled the vacant hours. Like other Indians, the Hurons were desperate gandjlers, staking tlieir all, — ornaments, clothing, canoes, pipes, weapons, and wives. One of their principal games was played with phuu-stones, or wooden lozeiiges, black on one side and white on the other. These were ^o. sed up in a wooden bowl, by striking it sharply upon the ground, and the players betted on the black or white. Sometimes a village challenged a neighboring village. The game was played in one of the houses. Strong poles were extended from side to side, and on these sat or perched the company, party facing party, while two players struck the bowl on the ground between. Bets ran high ; and ^^rilibeuf relates that once in mid- winter, with the snow nearly three feet deep, the men of his village returned from a gambling visit bereft of tlieir leggins, and barefoot, yet in excellent liumor.2 ]judicrous as it may appear, these games 1 Brebeuf, Relation dcs Hurons, 1036, 15G (Cramoisy). 2 Brebeuf, Relation di's Hurons, 103G, 113. Tliis game is still a HURON FESTIVITIES. 25 were often medieiil prescriptions, and designed as a cure of the sick. Their feasts and dances were of various eliaracter, social, medical, and mystical or I'cligious. Some of their feasts were on a scale of extravaLCant ])rofu- sion. A vain or amhitious host threw all hi suh- staiice into one entertaiinnent, inviting the whole villat^e, and })crhaps several neit,dd)oriiig villages also. In the winter of IU-jO there was a feast at the village of ('ontarrea, where thirty kettles were on the lircs. and twenty deer and four bears ^vere served xi\)^ The invitation was simple. The messenger addressed the desired guest with the concise sum- mons, "Come and eat;" and to r('fuse was a grave ofTcnce. He took his dish and spoon, and repaired to the scene of festivity. Each, as he entered, greeted liis host with the guttural ejaculation, Ifu! and ranged himself with the rest, scpiatted on the c. rtlicn floor or on the platform along tlu; sides of the house. The kettles wTre sluncr over the tires in the midst. First, there was a long prelude of lugu- brious singing. Then the host, who took no share in the feast, proclaimed in a loud voice the contents of each kettle in turn, and at each announcement the company responded in unison, Jlo! The attendant squaws filled with their ladles - raged, th(! eonimunity slioeked, and the s[)irit.s roused to vengeanec. Disaster would hel'all the nation, — death, perhaps, the in 7n((/ii/( r tout were nnu.-li dreaded by many of the ilurons, who, however, were never known to decline them. Invitation to a dance was no less concise than to a feast. Sometimes a crier prockumed the a})[)roach- iuLT festivity thronii'li the vilkin'c. The house was crow(k'(k Old men, old wonuMi, and children thronged tlu' j)latfornis, or clung to the i)ok>s whit'li supported the siart of tlie performance, sometimes by way of jKitriotic stimulus, sonic- times for amusement. Tlie music in tliis case was tlie drum and the war-song. Some of tlie otlier dances were also liitersptTstd with speeches and sharp witticisms, always takt^n in ^ood part, though Lafitau says that he has seen the victim so ]iitilessly ban tered that he was forced to liide his iiead in his blanket. 28 iNTU()i)r( riox. victim liiul sliown coiiniLjc, (lie liciirt was first roastod. cut into small j»i('(!(!H, and ^nvcii to tiic yoiim^ mi'ii and boys, wlio devoured it to increase tlieir own coura^^e. The Itody was tlien divide(l, thrown into tho ketth's, and eaten l)y tiie asseml)ly, th(! liead l)ein}^' the portion ol' tlie cliiet". Many of tlio Ilurons joined in the feast witii i-eluetaiiee and horror, whilo others took ph'asnre in it J Tliis was tiie only form of cannibalism amon^ them, since, unlike tho wan- derinj^ Ali,n)n(|nins, they were rarely imder tho des}»eration of extreme famine. A great knowledijfe of simjdes for the cum of disease is poindarly ascribed to the In