swANniN] INDIAN TRIBl-:8 OF TIIK LOWKR MISSISSIPl'I VAM-KV 103 



AN'licii I 111' j^rcat cliicf dies tlicy di'imilish his cildii and I lieu raise a new 

 iiKHiiid, oil wliicli they Imild tiic raliiii <if liiiii who is to n-iilacc him in liiis di^;- 

 iu(y, for ho never lodges in that of his iiretlecessor. Th(? old men preseriite Iho 

 laws for the rest of the iiooiije, and one of their prineiples is l(j have a sovereij^n 

 respect for (he great chief as being the brother of the sun and the master of the 

 lemjilt'. 



Thes(> peopl(> ))lindly ol)ey the least wish of their great cliief. They look 

 iipon him as alisolnte master, not only of tlieir property but also of their lives, 

 and not one of tliem would dare to refuse him his head, if he should demand 

 it; for whatever labors he commands them to execute, they are forbidden to 

 exact any wages. The French, who are often in need of hunters or of rowers 

 for tlieir long voyages, never apply to anyone but the great chief. He furni.shes 

 all the men they wish, and receives payment, without giving anj^ part to those 

 unfortunate individuals, who are not permitted even to complain. One of the 

 principal articles of their religion, and particularly for the servants of the 

 great chief, is that of honoring his funeral rites by dying with him, that they 

 may go to serve him in the other world. In their blindness they willingly 

 submit to this law, in the foolish belief that in the train of their chief they 

 will go to enjoy the greatest happiness. * * * 



The government is hereditary ; it is not, however, the son of the reigning 

 chief who succeeds his father, but the son of the sister, or the first princess of 

 the blood. This policy is founded on the Icnowledge they have of the licen- 

 tiousness of their women. They are not sure, they say, tiiat the children of 

 the chief's wife may be of the blood royal, whereas the son of the sister of 

 the great chief must be, at least on the side of the mother. 



The princesses of the blood never espouse any but men of obscure family, 

 and they have but one husband, but they have the right of dismissing him 

 whenever it pleases them, and of choosing another among those of the nation, 

 provided he has not made any other alliance among them. If the husband has 

 been guilty of infidelity, the princess may have his head cut off in an instant: 

 but she is not herself subject to the same law% for she may have as many 

 lovers as she pleases without the husband having any power to complain. In 

 the presence of his wife he acts wdth the most profound respect, never eats 

 with her, and salutes her with how^ls, as is done by her servants. The only 

 Siitisfaction he has is that he is freed from the necessity of laboring and has 

 entire authority over those who serve tlie princess. * * * 



The great cliief nominates to the most importaiTt offices of state; such are 

 the two war chiefs, the' two masters of ceremony for the worship of the tein])le, 

 the two otficers who preside over the other ceremonies which are observed 

 when foreigners come to treat of peace, another who has the inspection of the 

 public works, four others charged with the arrangement of the festivals with 

 which they publicly entertain the nation and such strangers as come to visit 

 them. All these ministers, who execute the will of the great chief, are treated 

 with the same respect and obedience as if he personally gave the orders.*^ 



From Diinioiit : 



In each of the savage nations, as in all the nations of the earth, two kinds 

 of men may be beheld, of which the on*^ .seems born to command and to enjoy 

 all the honors, the other to obey and io grovel in obscurity. It is these which 

 we name the great and the iieople. Tne first are, among the savages, the chiefs. 

 the Suns, and the Honored men. All those who are not embraced in this class 

 and decorated w-ith one of these titles compose the people and are called 

 Stinkards (Puanta). 



"he Petit in Jes. Rel., Lxviii, 126-137. 



