OCooker] 



ETHNOGRAPHY OF THE HURON 33 



collar around his head which designated him as a victim ( JR 15 : 185- 

 187). 



After the captive had arrived at the village he was adopted by 

 someone who had lost his son in war. This adopted parent was 

 charged with "caressing" [torturing] the prisoner (JR 18:31). 



The torture of the prisoner might last 5 or 6 days (JR 10: 227), 

 but, although the length of time varied, it was essential that one 

 night be devoted to the torture ( JR 17 : 75) . The torture consisted of 

 cutting the legs, thighs, arms, and most of the fleshy parts of the 

 body and thrusting glowing brands or red-hot hatchets into the 

 womids (JR 10: 227; 15: 173, 187; 17: 65, 109). His hands and feet 

 might be pierced with a heated iron (JR 17: 75). His fingers were 

 cut off or crushed (JR 15: 173, 187), or the nails torn out and the 

 three fingers used in drawing the bow cut off. They stripped off all 

 the skin of the head with hair and applied fire and hot ashes to it or 

 dropped a certain melted gum on it. They might make him walk 

 naked through a great number of fires kindled from one end to the 

 other of a large house while all the people of the village stood on two 

 sides and applied a burning brand to his body as he passed (S 161). 

 Sometimes, Avhile the prisoner was being tortured he was forced to sing 

 and dance ( JR 10 : 227 ; 15 : 173, 187 ; 17 : 65, 109) . He was tied to a 

 stake and with a hot iron, they gave liim, as it were, garters around his 

 legs, and with red-hot tomahawks they rubbed his thighs from the top 

 down and thus little by little burned him. Sometimes to add to his 

 sufferings they dashed water over his back and applied fire to the tip 

 of his fingers and of his private parts. Then they pierced his arms 

 near the wrist and drew out the nerves with sticks or if they could not 

 get them out in that manner, they cut them (S 161). The adopted 

 father might approach the captive with a necklace in the form of a 

 hot iron and say, "See here, my son ; you love, I am sure, to be adorned, 

 to appear beautiful." While saying this, he burned him from the soles 

 of his feet to the top of his head with firebrands and hot cinders and 

 pierced his feet and hands with reeds or sharp irons (JR 18:31). 

 The prisoner was tortured in the hope that he would cry out ; if he did 

 not, he brought misfortune on his torturers ( JR 17 : 65) , and, if he did 

 not, the torturers were furious ( JR 17 : 109) . If he had the courage 

 to do it, he cursed those who tormented him ( JR 10 : 227; S 161-162). 



The prisoner might be tortured first at the platform and then taken 

 to a house to rest so that he miglit be more cruelly tortured by fire at 

 night ( JR 15 : 187) . Later, in the largest house in the village, all the 

 people gathered to torment him ( JR 15 : 173) . He was made to walk 

 over the fires and, if he could not walk over them, he was taken by 

 the hands and feet and carried over them (JR 15: 173; 18: 31). 

 Everyone tormented the prisoner as he wished (JR 15: 173). 



