Manchester Memoirs, Vol. xlvi. (1902), No. 13. 15 



Another practice observed in connection with feasting 



is given in the following passage : — 



They hold that fish are possessed of reason, as also the Deer and Moose ; 

 and that is why they do not throw to the Dogs either the bones of the latter 

 when they are hunting, or the refuse of the former when fishing ; if they did, 

 and the others should get wind of it, they would hide themselves, and not 

 let themselves be taken. Every year they marry their nets or Seines to two 

 little girls, who must be only from six to seven years of age, for fear they may 

 have lost their virginity, which is a very rare quality among them. The 

 ceremony of these espousals takes place at a fine feast, where the Seine is 

 placed between the two virgins ; this is to render them fortunate in catching 

 fish. Fish, they say, do not like the dead ; and hence they abstain from 

 going fishing when one of their friends is dead. But lately, when they took 

 up from the cemetery the bodies of their relatives and carried them into their 

 Cabins, on the occasion of the feast of the dead, some brought into our 

 Cabin their nets, alleging as a pretext the fear they had of fire, — for it is 

 usually in this season that fire often ruins entire Villages ; that in our Cabin 

 we were almost always moving about, and slept very little ; that we were at 

 some distance from the Village, and consequently were in less danger in 

 that respect. But all this was talk ; the true reason was, as we learned 

 afterwards, that they were afraid their nets would be profaned by the 

 proximity of these dead bodies, (x., 167.) 



All things — men, animals, nets, traps, everything — 

 have souls, something in them that works them, which 

 is a shadow of the animate or inanimate object. Hail 

 has intelligence (vi., 213), and hates a light, e.g., a 

 torch, because it mostly comes at night. The Thunder, 

 again, is a bird (vi., 225) and eats snakes and trees. The 

 Hurons objected to the Red Cross in front of the Mission 

 hut, because it frightened the Thunder and so caused a 

 drought. 



Earth, sky, rivers, lake, dangerous rocks, &c., were 

 all regarded by the Indians as animate, (x., 159.) This 

 is rather the second stage recognised by Dr. Tylor in 

 his account of animism. The rock is not regarded so 

 much as being the body and as having a soul of its own, 

 but as being the abode of a separate spirit or demon. 

 Tobacco was offered to a dangerous rock in the 

 river or rapids — put into a cleft. " Here is some Tobacco 



