The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents 3

The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents 3

Les hommes portent leurs robbes en deux façons: quand il fait

vn peu chaud ils ne s'en enueloppent point, mais ils la portent sur

vn bras, & sous l'autre, ou bien estendu sur leur dos, retenue par

deux petites cordes de peaux, qu'ils lient dessus leur poictrine;

ce qui n'empesche pas qu'ils ne paroissent quasi tous nuds. Quand

il fait froid, ils la passent tous, hommes & femmes, sous vn bras &

dessus l'epaule de l'autre, puis la croisent & s'en enueloppent assez

commodémẽt contre le froid, mais maussadement; car s'estans liez sous

la poictrine, ils la retroussent, puis ils se lient & se garrottẽt

vers la ceinture, ou vers le milieu du corps, ce retroussement leur

faisant vn gros ventre ou vne grosse pance, dans laquelle ils mettent

leurs petites besongnes. I'ay veu representer vn Caresme prenant sur vn

theatre en France, on luy bastit vn ventre iustement comme en portent

nos Sauuages & Sauuagesses pendant l'Hiuer.

 

[170] The men wear their robes in two ways. When it is a little

warm they do not put these around them, but carry them over one arm

and under the other; or else stretched across the back, and held in

place by two little leather strings which they tie over the chest.

This does not prevent them from appearing almost naked. When it

is cold they all, men and women, wear the robe under one arm and

over the shoulder of the other, then crossed; and thus they wrap

themselves up comfortably, though awkwardly, against the cold; for

when this garment is tied below the chest, they turn it up, fasten

and tie it down near the belt or middle of the body, these folds

forming a big belly or large flap in which they carry their little

belongings. I once saw a Merry-andrew in a theatre in France, whose

belly was built out exactly like those affected by our Savage Men

and Women in Winter.

 

Or comme ces robbes ne couurent point leurs bras, il se font des

manches de mesme[s] peaux, & tirent dessus ces rayes dõt i'ay parlé,

quelquefois de lõg, [171] quelquefois en rond: ces manches sont fort

larges par haut, couurant les épaules, & se venans quasi ioindre

derriere le dos, deux petites cordes les tiennent liées deuant &

derriere, mais auec si peu de grace, qu'il n'y a fagot d'espine qui ne

soit mieux trouffé qu'vne femme emmitouflée dedans ces peaux. Remarquez

qu'il n'y a point de distinction, de l'habit d'vn homme à celuy d'vne

femme, sinon que la femme est tousiours couuerte de sa robbe, & les

hommes la quittent ou la portent à la legere, quand il fait chaud comme

i'ay dit.

 

Now as these robes do not cover their arms, they make themselves

sleeves of the same skin, and draw upon them the stripes of which

I have spoken, sometimes lengthwise, [171] sometimes around. These

sleeves are quite broad at the top, covering the shoulders and

almost uniting at the back,--two little strings fastening them in

front and behind, but so clumsily that a bundle of thorn-sticks are

better put together than the women are muffled up in these skins.

Observe that there is no difference between the garments of a man

and those of a woman, except that the woman is always covered with

her robe, while the men discard theirs or wear them carelessly, in

warm weather, as I have said.

 

Leurs bas de chausses sont de poil [peau] d'Orignac passée sans poil,

c'est la nature & non l'art, qui en a trouué la façon, ils sont tout

d'vne venuë, suffit que le pied & la jambe y passent, pour estre biẽ

faits, ils n'ont point l'inuention d'y mettre des coins, ils sont

faits comme des bas à botter, retenus sous le pied, auec vne petite

cordelette. La cousture qui n'est quasi qu'vn faux fil, ne se treuue

pas derriere les jambes, mais entre-deux; les cousans, ils laissent

passer vn rebord de la peau mesme, qu'ils découpent en frange, apres

laquelle ils attachent par [172] fois quelques matachias; ces bas sont

assez longs, notamment pardeuant; car ils laissent vne piece qui passe

bien haut, & qui couure vne grande partie de la cuisse, au plus haut

de cette piece sont attachées de petites cordes, qu'ils lient à vne

ceinture de peau, qu'ils portẽt tous dessus leurs chairs.

 

Their stockings are made of Moose skin, from which the hair has

been removed, nature and not art setting the fashion for them; they

are considered well made if the feet and legs go into them, no

ingenuity being used in making corners; they are made like boots,

and are fastened under the foot with a little string. The seam,

which is scarcely more than basted, is not at the back of the leg,

but on the inside. When they sew them, they leave an edge of the

skin itself, which they cut into fringe, occasionally fastening

to this [172] a few matachias.[1] These stockings are quite long,

especially in front, for they leave a piece which reaches quite

high, and covers a great part of the thigh; to the upper edge of

this piece are fastened small cords, tied to a leather belt which

they all wear next to their skin.

 

Leurs souliers ne sont pas durs comme les nostres, aussi n'ont-ils pas

l'industrie de taner le cuir: nos gands de cerf, sont d'vne peau plus

ferme ou du moins aussi ferme que leurs peaux d'Orignac, dont ils font

leurs souliers, encore faut il qu'ils attendent que ces peaux ayent

seruy de robbes, & qu'elles soient toutes grasses, autrement leurs

souliers se retireroient à la moindre approche du feu, ce qu'ils ne

laissent pas de faire tous gras qu'ils soient quãd on les chauffe vu

peu de trop prés. Au reste, ils boiuent l'eau comme vne éponge, si biẽ

que les Sauuages ne s'en feruẽt pas contre cét Element, mais bien cõtre

la neige & contre le froid. Ce sont les femmes qui sont cousturieres &

cordonnieres, il ne leur coute rien pour apprendre ce mestier, encore

moins pour auoir des [173] lettres de maistrise; vn enfant qui sçauroit

vn peu coudre en seroit à la premiere veuë, tant il y a d'inuention.

 

Their shoes are not hard like ours, for they do not know enough

to tan the leather. Our deerskin gloves are made of skin which is

firmer, or at least as firm, as their Moose skins of which they

make their shoes. Also they have to wait until these hides have

been used as robes, and until they are well oiled, otherwise their

shoes would shrink at the first approach to the fire, which they do

anyhow, well oiled as they are, if they are brought too near the

heat. Besides, they absorb water like a sponge, so that the Savages

cannot use them in this Element, but they are very serviceable

against snow and cold. It is the women who are the seamstresses and

shoemakers; it costs them nothing to learn this trade, and much

less to procure [173] diplomas as master workmen; a child that

could sew a little could make the shoes at the first attempt, so

ingeniously are they contrived.

 

Ils les font fort amples & fort capables, notamment l'Hiuer, pour

les garnir contre le froid, ils se seruent ordinairement d'vne peau

de Lieure, ou d'vne piece de quelque couuerture, pliée en deux &

trois doubles. Ils mettent auec cela du poil d'Orignac, & puis ayans

enueloppé leurs pieds de ces haillons, ils chauffent leurs souliers,

& par fois deux paires l'vne dessus l'autre, ils les lient & les

arrestent sur le coudepié, auec vne petite corde, qui regne tout à

l'entour des coins du Soulier. Pendant les neiges nous nous seruons

tous, François & Sauuages de cette forte de chaussure, afin de pouuoir

marcher sur des Raquettes; l'Hiuer passé nous reprenons nos souliers

François, & eux vont pieds nuds.

 

They make them large and capacious, especially in the Winter. In

order to furnish them against the cold, they generally use a Rabbit

skin, or a piece of an old blanket folded two or three times; with

this they put some Moose hair; and then, having wrapped their feet

in these rags, they put on their shoes, occasionally wearing two

pairs, the one over the other. They tie them over the instep with a

little string which is wound about the corners of the Shoe. During

the snows we all, French and Savages, have made use of this kind

of foot gear, in order to walk upon our Snowshoes; when the Winter

had passed, we resumed our French shoes, and the Savages went

barefooted.

 

Voila non pas tout ce qui se peut dire de leurs habits & de leurs

ornements, mais ce que i'en ay veu, & qui me vient pour l'heure en la

pensée; i'oubliois à dire, que ceux qui peuuent auoir ou troquer des

chemises de nos François, s'en feruent à la nouuelle façon: car au lieu

[174] de les mettre comme nous par dessous, ils les mettent par dessus

tous leurs habits, & comme iamais ils ne les essuyent, elles sont en

moins de rien grasses comme des torchons de cuisine, c'est ce qu'ils

demandent, car l'eau, disent-ils, coule là dessus, & ne penetre pas

iusqu'à leurs robbes.

 

This is not all that can be said about their clothes and ornaments,

but it is all that I have seen and that I recall to mind just now;

I forgot to say that those who can have or buy our French shirts

wear them in the new fashion; for, instead [174] of wearing them

under, as we do, they put them on over all their clothes,--and, as

they never wash them, they are in no time as greasy as dish-cloths;

but this is just as they wish them to be, for the water, they say,

runs over them and does not penetrate into their clothes.

 

 

 

 

CHAPITRE XI.

 

DE LA LANGUE DES SAUUAGES MONTAGNAIS.

 

 

I'ESCRIUY l'an passé, que leur langue estoit tres-riche & tres-pauure;

toute pleine d'abondance & de disette; la pauureté paroist en mille

articles. Tous les mots de pieté, de deuotion, de vertu; tous les

termes dont on se sert pour expliquer les biens de l'autre [vie]; le

langage des Theologiens, des Philosophes, des Mathematiciens, des

Medecins, en vn mot de tous les hommes doctes; toutes les paroles qui

concernent la police & le gouuernement d'vne ville, d'vne Prouince,

d'vn Empire; tout ce qui touche la iustice, la recompense & le

chastimẽt, les noms d'vne infinité d'arts, qui sont en nostre Europe,

d'vne infinité de fleurs [175] d'arbres & de fruits, d'vne infinité

d'animaux de mille & mille inuentions, de mille beautez & de mille

richesses; tout cela ne se trouue point ny dãs la pensée, ny dans la

bouche des Sauuages, n'ayans ny vraye religion ny connoissance des

vertus, ny police, ny gouuernement, ny Royaume, ny Republique, ny

sciences, ny rien de tout ce que ie viens de dire, & par consequent,

toutes les paroles, tous les termes, tous les mots & tous les noms

qui touche ce monde de biens & de grandeurs, doiuent estre defalquez

de leur dictionaire; voila vne grande disette. Tournons maintenant la

medaille, & faisons voir que cette langue regorge de richesses.

 

CHAPTER XI.

 

ON THE LANGUAGE OF THE MONTAGNAIS SAVAGES.

 

 

I WROTE last year that their language was very rich and very poor,

full of abundance and full of scarcity, the latter appearing in a

thousand different ways. All words for piety, devotion, virtue;

all terms which are used to express the things of the other life;

the language of Theologians, Philosophers, Mathematicians, and

Physicians, in a word, of all learned men; all words which refer

to the regulation and government of a city, Province, or Empire;

all that concerns justice, reward and punishment; the names of an

infinite number of arts which are in our Europe; of an infinite

number of flowers, [175] trees, and fruits; of an infinite number

of animals, of thousands and thousands of contrivances, of a

thousand beauties and riches, all these things are never found

either in the thoughts or upon the lips of the Savages. As they

have no true religion nor knowledge of the virtues, neither public

authority nor government, neither Kingdom nor Republic, nor

sciences, nor any of those things of which I have just spoken,

consequently all the __EXPRESSION__s, terms, words, and names which

refer to that world of wealth and grandeur must necessarily be

absent from their vocabulary; hence the great scarcity. Let us now

turn the tables and show that this language is fairly gorged with  richness.