106 EXPEDITION TO THE 



was divided, and his heart was shared, as being the most 

 certain spell for courage, and part of it was sent to the 

 various tribes in alliance with the Potawatomis, while they 

 themselves feasted upon the rest. 



Among some tribes, cannibalism is universal, but it 

 appears that among tlie Potawatomis it is generally re- 

 stricted to a society or fraternity, whose privilege and duty 

 it is on all occasions to eat of the enemy's flesh ; at least 

 one individual must be eaten. The flesh is sometimes dried 

 and taken to the village. Not only are the members of this 

 fraternity endowed with great virtues, but they can im- 

 part them by means of spells to any individual whom 

 they wish to favour. No warrior can be elected into the 

 association, except by the unanimous consent of all its 

 members. In such a case, the candidate for this distinction, 

 which is held in great esteem, makes a fine present to the 

 society. We shall have an opportunity of recurring on 

 some future occasion to this subject, and we shall be enabled 

 to prove the participation in this nefarious practice, of many 

 Indian tribes collected together on a memorable occasion, 

 at the siege of Fort Meigs, in 1813. We do not wish to 

 be considered as advancing the doctrine that human flesh 

 is usually, or as a matter of preference, eaten by these In- 

 dians, or by any others with whom we may have met, but 

 that it has been eaten on many occasions under the most 

 aggravating circumstances, and without the least shadow of 

 necessity, we consider as fully established. 



Of their first origin, their ideas appear to be very confused. 

 They all consider the earth as their mother, and some of them 

 are impressed with the belief that they formerly resided un- 

 der ground, and that they rose out from it. On this subject 

 Mr. Keating held a conversation of better than an hour with 

 Richarville, one of the principal chiefs of the Miamis, who 



