fTooker] ETHNOGRAPHY OF THE HURON 119 



When she arrived, her sentence was pronounced without any other 

 form of trial. The woman, seeing there was no appeal, named the 

 man who was to execute her. At the same time, she was dragged out- 

 side the house and her face and part of her body were burned with 

 pieces of burning bark. Finally, "the one she had taken for god- 

 father split her head." The following day her body was burned in 

 the middle of the village. Some said that she confessed to having 

 practiced witchcraft and named some of her accomplices. Others 

 said that she spoke only in general terms and that the accomplices 

 had all agreed not to expose one another if one was caught. After 

 she had been captured, one of the chiefs said that she should be 

 promptly killed, that the old men were too lenient and that if she were 

 allowed to live until morning, her life would probably be spared 

 (JR 14: 37-39). 



In another instance, the people for a time talked about nothing else 

 except the possibility of killing an old man. For a long time, he 

 had been suspected of being a sorcerer and poisoner. Then, one 

 testified that he believed that this old man was making him die. 

 Some said that they had seen him at night roaming around the 

 houses and casting flames from his mouth. A girl who had seen 

 seven or eight of her relatives die within a few days went to his 

 house to accuse him of causing their death. He was not there, but 

 she talked to his wife so freely that the son, who happened to come 

 in, laid down his robe and taking a hatchet went off in a rage to the 

 house where these evil suspicions had originated. He sat down in 

 the middle of the room and addressed one of the men there, "If you 

 think it is we who make you die, take this hatchet and split open 

 my head ; I will not stir." The man replied, "We will not kill you 

 now at your word, but the first time we shall take you in the act" 

 ( JE 13 : 155-167) . In another instance, an Indian accused the Jesuits 

 of bringing the epidemic and said that if anyone in his house died, 

 he would kill the first Frenchman he found (JR 13: 215). 



The Jesuits were frequently accused of being witches (sorcerers) 

 who brought disease (JR 10: 37; 13: 213-217; 14: 51, 53, 97, 103- 

 105; 15: 25 ff., 53 ff., 105, 181; 17: 115-125; 18: 25, 41; 19: 91, 167, 

 183, 195; 21: 219-221). This idea had some justification; as the 

 Hurons said, the priests did introduce disease into the villages where 

 they were, practically causing the extinction of the people (JR 19: 

 91-93) . In at least one instance, the Jesuits were not accused of being 

 witches because they also came down with the disease (JR 13: 111). 



An interesting synthesis of Huron and Christian ideas appears in 

 the following example. A spirit in the form of a tall, handsome 

 young man appeared to a man while fishing and said : 



Fear not, I am the master of the earth, whom you Hurons honor under the 

 name of louskeha [see p. 145, "Creation Myths"] ; I am the one whom the 



