When
one speaks the word "Ilinois," it is as if one said
in their language, "the men," -as if the other savages
were looked upon by them merely as animals. It must also be admitted
that they have an air of humanity which we have not observed in
the other nations that we have seen upon our route. The shortness
of my stay among them did not allow me to secure all their information
that I would have desired; among all their customs, the following
is what 1 have observed.
They are divided into many villages, some of which are quite distant
from that of which we speak, which is called Peouarea. This causes
some difference in their language, which, on the whole, resembles
Allegonquin, so that we easily understood each other. They are
of a gentle and tractable disposition; we experienced this in the
reception which they gave us. They have several wives, of whom
they are extremely jealous; they watch them very closely, and cut
off their noses or ears when they misbehave. I saw several women
who bore the marks of their misconduct.
Their bodies are shapely; they are active and very skillful with
their bows and arrows. They also use guns, which they buy from
our savage allies who trade with our French. They use them especially
to inspire, through their noise and smoke, terror in their enemies;
the latter do not use guns, and have never seen any since they
live too far toward the west. They are warlike, and make themselves
dreaded by the distant tribes to the south and west, whither they
go to procure slaves; these they barter, selling them at a high
price to other nations, in exchange for other wares. Those very
distant savages against whom they war have no knowledge of Europeans;
neither do they know anything of iron, or of copper, and they have
only stone knives. When the Ilinois depart to go to war, the whole
village must be notified by aloud shout, which is uttered at the
doors of their cabins, the night and the morning before their departure.
The captains are distinguished from the warriors by wearing red
scarves. These are made, with considerable skill, from the hair
of bears and wild cattle. They paint their faces with red ocher,
great quantities of which are found at a distance of some days'
journey from the village. They live by hunting, game being plentiful
in that country, and on Indian corn, of which they always have
a good crop; consequently, they have never suffered from famine.
They also sow beans and melons, which are excellent, especially
those that have red seeds. Their squashes are not of the best;
they dry them in the sun, to eat during the winter and spring.
Their cabins are very large, and are roofed and floored with mats
made of rushes. They make all their utensils of wood, and their
ladles out of the heads of cattle, whose skulls they know so well
how to prepare that they use these ladles with ease for eating
their sagamite.
They are liberal in cases of illness, and think that the effect
of the medicines administered to them is in proportion to the presents
given to the physician. Their garments consist only of skins; the
women are always clad very modestly and very becomingly, while
the men do not take the trouble to cover themselves. I know not
through what superstition some Ilinois, as well as some Nadouessi,
while still young, assume the garb of women, and retain it throughout
their lives. There is some mystery in this, for they never marry
and glory in demeaning themselves to do everything that the women
do. They go to war, however, but can use only clubs, and not bows
and arrows, which are the weapons proper to men. They are present
at all the juggleries, and at the solemn dances in honor of the
calumet; at these they sing, but must not dance. They are summoned
to the councils, and nothing can be decided without their advice.
Finally, through their profession of leading an extraordinary life,
they pass for manitous, that is to say, for spirits, or persons
of consequence.
There remains no more, except to speak of the calumet. There is
nothing more mysterious or more respected among them. Less honor
is paid to the crowns and scepters of kings than the savages bestow
upon this. It seems to be the god of peace and of war, the arbiter
of life and of death. It has but to be carried upon one's person,
and displayed, to enable one to walk safely through the midst of
enemies who, in the hottest of the fight, lay down their arms when
it is shown. For that reason, the Ilinois gave me one, to serve
as a safeguard among all the nations through whom I had to pass
during my voyage. There is a calumet for peace, and one for war,
which are distinguished solely by the color of the feathers with
which they are adorned; red is a sign of war. They also use it
to put an end to their disputes, to strengthen their alliances,
and to speak to strangers. It is fashioned from red stone, polished
like marble, and bored in such a manner that one end serves as
a receptacle for the tobacco, while the other fits into the stem;
this is a stick two feet long, as thick as an ordinary cane, and
bored through the middle. It is ornamented with the heads and necks
of various birds, whose plumage is very beautiful. To these they
also add large feathers, red, green, and other colors, wherewith
the whole is adorned. They have a great regard for it, because
they look upon it as the calumet
of the sun; and, in fact, they offer it to the latter to smoke
when they wish to obtain a calm, or rain, or fine weather. They
scruple to bathe themselves at the beginning of summer, or to eat
fresh fruit, until after they have performed the dance, which they
do as follows.
The calumet dance, which is very famous among these peoples, is
performed solely for important reasons; sometimes to strengthen
peace, or to unite themselves for some great war; at other times,
for public rejoicing. Sometimes they thus do honor to a nation
who are invited to be present; sometimes it is danced at the reception
of some important personage, as if they wished to give him the
diversion of a ball or a comedy. In winter, the ceremony takes
place in a cabin; in summer, in the open fields. When the spot
is selected, it is completely surrounded by trees, so that all
may sit in the shade afforded by their leaves, in order to be protected
from the heat of the sun. A large mat of rushes, painted in various
colors, is spread in the middle of the place, and serves as a carpet
upon which to place with honor the god of the person who gives
the dance; for each has his own god, which they call their manitou.
This is a serpent, a bird, or other similar thing, of which they
have dreamed while sleeping, and in which they place all their
confidence for the success of their war, their fishing, and their
hunting. Near this manitou, and at its right, is placed the calumet
in honor of which the feast is given; and all around it a sort
of trophy is made, and the weapons used by the warriors of those
nations are spread, namely: clubs, war hatchets, bows, quivers,
and arrows.
Everything being thus arranged, and the hour of the dance drawing
near, those who have been appointed to sing take the most honorable
place under the branches; these are the men and women who are gifted
with the best voices, and who sing together in perfect harmony.
Afterward, all come to take their seats in a circle under the branches;
but each one, on arriving, must salute the manitou. This he does
by inhaling the smoke, and blowing it from his mouth upon the manitou,
as if he were offering to it incense. Everyone, at the outset,
takes the calumet in a respectful manner, and, supporting it with
both hands, causes it to dance in cadence, keeping good time with
the air of the songs. He makes it execute many differing figures;
sometimes he shows it to the whole assembly, turning himself from
one side to the other. After that, he who is to begin the dance
appears in the middle of the assembly, and at once continues this.
Sometimes he offers it to the sun, as if he wished the
latter to smoke it; sometimes he inclines it toward the earth;
again, he makes it spread its wings, as if about to fly; at other
times, he puts it near the mouths of those present, that they may
smoke. The whole is done in cadence; and this is, as it were, the
first scene of the ballet.
The second consists of a combat carried on to the sound of a kind
of drum, which succeeds the song's, or even unites with them, harmo¬nizing
very well together. The dancer makes a sign to some warrior to
come to take the arms which lie upon the mat, and invites him to
fight to the sound of the drums. The latter approaches, takes up
the bow and arrows, and the war hatchet, and begins the duel with
the other, whose sole defense is the calumet. This spectacle is
very pleasing, especially as all is done in cadence; for one attacks,
the other defends himself; one strikes blows, the other parries
them; one takes to flight, the other pur¬sues; and then he
who was fleeing faces about, and causes his adversary to flee.
This is done so well with slow and measured steps, and to the rhythmic
sound of the voices and drums that it might pass for a very fine
opening of a ballet in France.
The third scene consists of a lofty discourse, delivered by him
who holds the calumet; for, when the combat is ended without bloodshed,
he recounts the battles at which he has been present, the victories
that he has won, the names of the nations, the places, and the
captives whom he has made. And, to reward him, he who presides
at the dance makes him a present of a fine robe of beaver skins,
or some other article. Then, having received it, he hands the calumet
to another, the latter to a third, and so on with all the others,
until every one has done his duty; then the president presents
the calumet itself to the nation that has been invited to the ceremony,
as a token of the everlasting peace that is to exist between the
two peoples. I lere is one of the songs that they are in the habit
of singing. They give it a certain turn which cannot be suf¬ficiently
expressed by note, but which nevertheless constitutes all its grace. Ninahani, ninahani, ninahani, nani ongo.
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