The Wendat Feast of the Dead

Le Lundy sur le midy, on vint auertir qu'on se tinst prest, qu'on alloit commencer la ceremonie; on détache en mesme temps ces pacquets d'ames, les parens les déueloppent derechef pour dire les derniers adieux; les pleurs recommencerent de nouueau. I'admiray la tendresse d'vne femme enuers son pere, & ses enfans; elle est fille d'vn Capitaine, qui est mort fort agé, & a esté autrefois fort considerable dans le Pais; elle luy peignoit sa cheuelure elle manioit ses os les vns apres les autres, auec la mesme affection que si elle luy eust voulu rendre la vie; elle luy mit aupres de luy son Aetaonesay, c'est à dire son pacquet de buchettes de Conseil, qui sont tous les liures & papiers du Pais. Pour ses petits enfans elle leur mit des brasselets de Pourcelaine & de rassade aux bras, & baigna leurs os de ses larmes; on ne l'en pouuoit quasi separer, mais on pressoit, & il fallut incontinent partir. Celuy qui portoit le corps de ce vieux Capitaine marchoit à la teste, les hommes suiuoient, & puis les femmes, ils marchoient en cét ordre, iusques à ce qu'ils arriuerent à la fosse.

On Monday about noon, they came to give warning that one should hold oneself ready, that they were going to begin the ceremony; at the same time these packets of souls are untied, the relatives unwrap them again to say the last farewells; the weeping began anew. I admired the tenderness of a woman toward her father and her children; she is the daughter of a Captain who died very old and was formerly very considerable in the Country; she combed his hair, she handled his bones one after another, with the same affection as if she had wished to give him back life; she put near him his Aetaonesay, that is to say his packet of Council sticks, which are all the books and papers of the Country. For her little children she put bracelets of Porcelain and glass beads on their arms, and bathed their bones with her tears; one could hardly separate her from them, but they were pressing, and it was necessary to leave at once. He who carried the body of this old Captain walked at the head, the men followed, and then the women; they walked in this order until they arrived at the pit.

On Monday around noon, word came that people should be ready: the ceremony was about to begin. At once the bundles of souls1 were untied, and the relatives unwrapped them again to say their last farewells. The weeping began all over again. I admired the tenderness of one woman toward her father and her children. She is the daughter of a chief who died very old and was once very important in the country. She combed his hair and handled his bones one by one, with as much love as if she had wanted to bring him back to life. Beside him she placed his Aetaonesay, his bundle of council sticks,2 which are all the books and papers of the country. On the arms of her little children she put bracelets of shell beads3 and glass beads,4 and she bathed their bones with her tears. She could hardly be pulled away from them, but people were pressing them to hurry, and they had to leave at once. The man carrying the body of the old chief walked at the head. The men followed, and then the women. They marched in this order until they reached the pit.

1. Brébeuf’s word ames, souls. The Wendat called the bones of the dead atisken, which Brébeuf was told meant “the souls”: one of a person’s two souls was believed to stay with the bones.
2. A bundle of small sticks used to keep count of matters in council: what Brébeuf calls the Wendat’s only books and papers.
3. Shell beads (wampum), which Brébeuf calls “porcelain.” Strings and belts of them were among the most valued gifts.
4. Glass beads from European trade.

Voicy la disposition de cette place, elle estoit enuiron de la grandeur de la place Royale à Paris. Il y auoit au milieu vne grande fosse d'enuiron dix pieds de profondeur, & cinq brasses de diametre; tout autour vn échaffaut & vne espece de theatre, assez bien fait de neuf à dix brasses de diamettre, & de dix à neuf pieds de hauteur; au dessus du theatre il y auoit quantité de perches dressées, & bien arrangées, & d'autres en trauers pour y pendre, & attacher tous ces pacquets d'ames. Les corps entiers comme ils deuoient estre mis au fond de la fosse estoiét dés le iour precedent souz l'échaffaut, étendus sur des écorces, ou des nattes dressées sur des pieux de la hauteur d'vn homme aux enuirons de la fosse.

Here is the arrangement of this place; it was about the size of the place Royale in Paris. There was in the middle a great pit of about ten feet deep and five brasses in diameter; all around, a scaffold and a kind of theater, rather well made, of nine to ten brasses in diameter and of ten to nine feet in height; above the theater there was a quantity of poles set up and well arranged, and others across, to hang and attach all these packets of souls there. The whole bodies, as they were to be put at the bottom of the pit, were since the day before under the scaffold, stretched on barks or mats set on stakes the height of a man around the pit.

This is how the place was laid out. It was about the size of the Place Royale in Paris.5 In the middle was a great pit about ten feet deep and five fathoms6 across. All around it stood a scaffold, a kind of stage, quite well built, nine or ten fathoms across and nine or ten feet high. Above the stage stood many poles, set up in good order, with others laid across them, for hanging and tying all the bundles of souls. The whole bodies were to be placed at the bottom of the pit. Since the day before, they had been lying under the scaffold around the pit, stretched out on sheets of bark or on mats set on stakes as high as a man.

5. A large square in Paris, now the Place des Vosges, finished in 1612.
6. A French measure of about five and a half feet.

Sur ces entrefaites chaque Capitaine par ordre donna le signal, & tout incontinent chargez de leurs paquets d'ame[s] courans comme à l'assaut d'vne ville, monterent sur ce Theatre à la faueur des échelles qui estoient tout autour, & les pendirent aux perches: chaque Village y auoit son departement. Cela fait, on osta toutes les échelles, & quelques Capitaines y demeurerent, & passerent tout le reste de l'apresdinée iusques à sept heures à publier des presens qu'ils faisoient au nom des defuncts à quelques personnes particulieres. Voila, disoient ils, ce qu'vn tel defunct donne à vn tel son parent. Enuiron les cinq à six heures ils pauerent le fond de la fosse, & la borderét de belles grãdes robes neufues de dix Castors, en telle façon qu'elles s'estendoient plus d'vn pied au dehors de la fosse.

Meanwhile each Captain in order gave the signal, and at once, loaded with their packets of souls, running as to the assault of a town, [they] climbed onto this Theater by means of the ladders which were all around, and hung them on the poles: each Village had its section there. That done, all the ladders were taken away, and some Captains remained there and spent all the rest of the afternoon until seven o'clock announcing presents which they made in the name of the dead to some particular persons. Here, they said, is what such a dead man gives to such a one, his relative. About five to six o'clock they paved the bottom of the pit and bordered it with fine large new robes of ten Beavers, in such a way that they extended more than a foot outside the pit.

Then each chief in turn gave the signal. At once, loaded with their bundles of souls, they ran as if to storm a town and climbed onto the stage by the ladders all around it, and they hung the bundles on the poles. Each village had its own section. When this was done, all the ladders were taken away. Some chiefs stayed up there and spent the rest of the afternoon, until seven o’clock, announcing gifts that they gave in the name of the dead to particular people. “This,” they would say, “is what this dead man gives to that one, his relative.” Around five or six o’clock they lined the bottom of the pit and its edges with fine, large, new robes of ten beaver skins each,7 laid so that they reached more than a foot over the edge.

7. Robes made of beaver skins sewn together; ten skins made a large robe. Beaver robes were the chief trade good of the Wendat.

Sur les sept heures ils descendoient les corps entiers dans la fosse: nous eusmes toutes les peines du monde d'en aborder; iamais rien ne m'a mieux figuré la confusion qui est parmy les damnez. Vous eussiez veu décharger de tous costez des corps à demy pourris, & de tous costez on entendoit vn horrible tintamarre de voix confuses de personnes qui parloient & ne s'entendoient pas: dix ou douze estoient en la fosse & les arrangeoient tout autour les vns aupres les autres. Ils mirent tout au beau milieu trois grandes chaudieres qui n'estoient bonnes que pour les ames; l'vne estoit percée, l'autre n'auoit point d'anse, & la troisiéme ne valloit gueres mieux: i'y vis fort peu de colliers de Pourcelaine; il est vray qu'ils en mettent beaucoup dans les corps. Voila tout ce qui se fit cette iournée.

About seven o'clock they lowered the whole bodies into the pit: we had all the trouble in the world to get near it; never has anything better pictured for me the confusion that is among the damned. You would have seen half-rotten bodies unloaded on all sides, and on all sides one heard a horrible din of confused voices of persons who were speaking and not hearing each other: ten or twelve were in the pit and arranged them all around, one next to another. They put in the very middle three great kettles, which were good only for souls; one was pierced, the other had no handle, and the third was hardly worth more: I saw very few collars of Porcelain there; it is true that they put many in the bodies. That is all that was done that day.

Around seven o’clock they lowered the whole bodies into the pit. We had all the trouble in the world getting near it. Nothing has ever shown me more clearly the confusion among the damned. On every side you would have seen half-rotted bodies being let down. On every side you heard a horrible din of voices, people talking and not hearing each other. Ten or twelve men were in the pit, laying the bodies all around it, side by side. In the very middle they put three big kettles that were good only for souls: one had a hole in it, another had no handle, and the third was hardly any better. I saw very few shell collars there. It is true that they put many with the bodies. That is all that was done that day.

Tout le monde passa la nuit sur la place, ils allumerent force feux, & firent chaudiere. Nous autres nous nous retirasmes au vieux Village auec resolution de retourner le lendemain au poinct du iour qu'ils deuoient ietter les os dans la fosse; mais nous ne peusmes quasi arriuer assez à temps, nonobstant toute la diligence que nous apportasmes, à raison d'vn accident qui arriua. Vne de ces ames qui n'estoit pas bien attachée, ou peut estre trop pesante pour la corde qui la portoit, tomba d'elle mesme en la fosse: ce bruit éueilla la Compagnie, qui courut & monta incontinent à la foule sur l'échaffaut, & vuida sans ordre chaque paquet dans la fosse, reseruant neantmoins les robbes desquelles elles estoient enueloppées.

Everyone spent the night on the square; they lit many fires and made kettle [cooked]. We others withdrew to the old Village, with resolution to return the next day at the point of day, when they were to throw the bones into the pit; but we could hardly arrive in time enough, notwithstanding all the diligence we used, by reason of an accident which happened. One of these souls, which was not well attached, or perhaps too heavy for the cord which held it, fell of itself into the pit: this noise woke the Company, which ran and climbed at once in a crowd onto the scaffold and emptied without order each packet into the pit, reserving nevertheless the robes in which they were wrapped.

Everyone spent the night on the square. They lit many fires and cooked. We went back to the old village, meaning to return at daybreak the next day, when they were to throw the bones into the pit. But we barely arrived in time, for all our haste, because of an accident. One of the souls, which was not tied on well, or was perhaps too heavy for the cord that held it, fell into the pit by itself. The noise woke the whole company. They ran and climbed onto the scaffold in a crowd, and emptied every bundle into the pit in no order, though they kept back the robes the bones had been wrapped in.

Nous sortions pour lors du Village, mais le bruit estoit si grand, qu'il nous sembloit quasi que nous y estions. Approchans nous vismes tout à fait vne image de l'Enfer: cette grande place estoit toute remplie de feux & de flammes, & l'air retentissoit de toutes parts des voix confuses de ces Barbares: ce bruit neantmoins cessa pour quelque temps, & se mirent à chanter, mais d'vn ton si lamentable & si lugubre, qu'il nous representoit l'horrible tristesse & l'abysme du desespoir, dans lequel sont plongées pour iamais ces ames malheureuses.

We were leaving the Village at that time, but the noise was so great that it seemed to us almost that we were there. Approaching, we saw altogether an image of Hell: this great square was all filled with fires and flames, and the air resounded on all sides with the confused voices of these Barbarians: this noise nevertheless ceased for some time, and [they] began to sing, but in a tone so lamentable and so mournful that it represented to us the horrible sadness and the abyss of despair in which these unhappy souls are plunged forever.

We were just leaving the village, but the noise was so loud that it seemed almost as if we were already there. As we came closer, we saw a perfect picture of hell. The great square was full of fires and flames, and the air rang on every side with the confused voices of these barbarians. Then the noise stopped for a while, and they began to sing, but in a tone so sorrowful and mournful that it showed us the horrible sadness and the bottomless despair in which these unhappy souls are plunged forever.

Tout estoit presque ietté quand nous arriuasmes, car cela se fit quasi en vn tour de main; chacun s'estoit pressé, croyant qu'il n'y eust pas assez de place pour toutes ces ames; nous en vismes neantmoins encore assez pour iuger du reste. Ils estoient cinq ou six dans la fosse auec des perches à arrãger ces os. La fosse fut pleine à deux pieds prés: ils renuerserent par dessus les robbes qui la débordoient tout autour, & couurirent tout le reste de nattes, & d'écorces. Pour la fosse ils la comblerent de sable, de perches, & de pieux de bois qu'ils y ietterent sans ordre. Quelques femmes y apporterẽt quelques plats de bled, & le mesme iour & les suiuants plusieurs Cabanes du Village en fournirent des manes [manets?] toutes pleines qui furent iettées sur la fosse.

All was almost thrown when we arrived, for that was done almost in a turn of the hand; each had hurried, believing that there would not be enough room for all these souls; we saw nevertheless enough of it still to judge of the rest. They were five or six in the pit with poles to arrange these bones. The pit was full to within two feet: they turned back over it the robes which bordered it all around, and covered all the rest with mats and barks. As for the pit, they filled it up with sand, poles and stakes of wood which they threw in without order. Some women brought there some dishes of corn, and the same day and the following ones several Cabins of the Village furnished full baskets of it, which were thrown on the pit.

Almost everything had been thrown in by the time we arrived, for it was done in no time at all. Everyone had hurried, thinking there would not be room enough for all the souls. Still, we saw enough to judge the rest. Five or six men were in the pit with poles, arranging the bones. The pit was filled to within two feet of the top. They folded the robes that hung over the edge back over the bones and covered the rest with mats and bark. Then they heaped up the pit with sand, poles, and wooden stakes, thrown in any which way. Some women brought dishes of corn,8 and that day and the days after, several households of the village brought whole baskets of it, which were thrown onto the pit.

8. Maize, the Wendat’s chief food.