Tooker] ETHNOGRAPHY OF THE HURON 51 



and other rhetorical devices were frequently employed. For example, 

 when speaking of the Bear Nation, they would say, "the Bear has 

 said, has done so and so ; the Bear is cunning, is bad ; the hands of the 

 Bear are dangerous." When they spoke of the man who conducted the 

 Feast of the Dead, they said, "he who eats souls." When speaking 

 of a nation, they often spoke only of the principal chief; thus, in 

 speaking of the Montagnet, they might say "Atsirond (one of their 

 chiefs) says" [compare above]. Each speaker ended with the words 

 condayauendi ierhayde cha nonhiolcioahachen^ 'that is my thought 

 on the subject under discussion.' The assembly then responded with 

 a "very strong respiration drawn from the pit of the stomach," haau. 

 When a person spoke to their lilting, the haau was "given forth with 

 much more effort" ( JE 10 : 257-259) .^« 



In one council between the Jesuits and the Indians, some fell asleep 

 and others left, but the principal men remained until after midnight 

 (JR15:47). 



Various matters were discussed in council. For example, after a 

 house in which only four or five children lived had been burned, the 

 old men met in council to decide what should be done to assist the 

 orphans. As all the stores of corn had been destroyed with the house, 

 at the council each house said that it would furnish three sacks of corn. 

 Everyone helped, giving whatever he could. One gave a plate, an- 

 other a chest, and some even gave beaver robes. The children found 

 themselves richer, at least in robes and clothing, than they had been 

 before (JE 14: 43-45). 



All the villages had a kind of stock of wampum necklaces, glass 

 beads, axes, knives, and other things obtained for the community in 

 war, peace treaties, exchanges of prisoners, tolls from tribes which 

 crossed their country, and by other means.'^'^ These items were de- 

 posited with one of the chiefs, appointed as treasurer of the country. 

 Wlien a present might be made for the common benefit and safety of 

 all, as to be released from making war and to secure peace, the council 

 met. After having expounded on the necessity of making the gift 

 and having determined its amount and quality, they notified the treas- 

 urer to search his coffers and produce the gift. If he found that the 

 finances were exhausted, every man taxed himself, giving what he 

 could pay according to his convenience and good will and without 

 compulsion (S 266-267). 



'8 The manner of speaking In councils, the use of metaphoi", and the response of the 

 audience are also Iroquois practices. 



" Hewitt (1932 : 4S0) mentions treasuries of the clan which contained strings and belts 

 of wampum ; quill and feather work ; furs ; corn ; meal ; fresh, dried, and smoked meats ; and 

 other things. They were guarded by women of the clan appointed for this purpose. 



