swANT.iN) INDIAN TIUBKS OK TlIK I.OWKK M ISSISSI I'I'I VALLEY 115 



Sf;irccl\ li;i\c tlii'sc in the (ijicn sjiarc |icic('i\ cd liiiii lliaii llir wliolc iialioii 

 which is awailiim' liiiii tills liip air ami liic nci^ihliorintr woods wilh ciifs rd' joy. 

 The j^rt'at Sim arri\cs in liic open spact' at (he side of Ihr <al)iM wliich has 

 been (tivpaivd J'or iiiiii. Itcforc descMMidiiii,' lie iiial\es a circuit of the wquare 

 sedattdy. When h(> is in front of the .yrain lie salutes it with linii linu linn, 

 thr*'e times, loiij; drawn out. ami made with respect. Ail the nation repli<'s 

 to tliis salutation with nine other hou lion's, winch are not at all confused, 

 so that at the ninth he sets foot to earth and seats himself on his thr<»ne. 



All the warriors whom he has left liehiiul follow hinv at their leisure but 

 without stopping, and there remain in all the cabins of the nation only old meu 

 :ind old women who are no longer able to walk, and the sick. There are but 

 too many of these old people to whom life has become insuiijiortable although 

 the body is in very good health, but their legs refuse service. The guardians 

 of the eternal lire do not leave the temple." Their wives carry them some of 

 the dishes prepared of this grain to eat. 



The great Sun lets his warriors rest and gives time for making the new fire, 

 which comes from a violent rubbing of wood against wood. Any other fire 

 would be itiofaiie. During this interval the great Sun remains with the other 

 Suns or princes, each of whom is ornamented with a little diadem, the feathers 

 which surmount it being not more than 4 inches long and all equal. Only the 

 great war chief who was at that time brother of the great Sun was distinguished 

 from the otht-r Suns. lie had a large white feather fastened to his hair, at 

 the end of which was a red tuft which carried a tassel of the same color. 

 This feather extended above the others in his diadem by about 2 inches. 



When this great war chief sees that all the warriors await orders at the doors 

 of the cabins behmgiug to their families, he goes with 4 warriors previously 

 chosen and named to distribute the grain to the women. He presents himself 

 with them before the throne and says to the great Sun : " Speak, I aw^ait your 

 word." 



Then this sovereign rises, conies out of his cabin, and bows toward the four 

 quarters of the world, commencing with the south.- As soon as the chief and the 

 warriors have gone to the granary, he raises his arms and his hands toward 

 heaven, whither he dii'ects his looks, and says : " Give the grain," and at once 

 seats himself. The great war chief thanks him by a single hou, long draw-n out, 

 and goes on. The princes and princesses whose cabins are near thank him 

 also by three hou's. Then all the meu do the same thing, repeating it nine 

 times, but three at a time with a little time between. The women and all 

 the young people of both sexes keep a profound silence and prepare their 

 baskets to go after the grain. They go to the granary as soon as the thanks 

 of the people have been given. 



During the time of the thanksgivings, the four warriors with their great chief 

 having arrived, each ascends a ladder, they quickly take the covering off of 

 the granary, throw the pieces aside, and give grain to the female Suns and 

 afterward to all the women who present themselves, indifferently. As soon as 

 they have received it they run and flee as if they had stolen it. Those who have 

 remained in the cabins place themselves in front of the others and seem to 

 wish to snatch it from them. They empty it on skins and husk it quickly. 

 Scarcely h;tve they enough of it to make one crushing than they i>ut it into 

 their mortars or mills to shell it. The pot is on the fire with boiling water or 

 water ready to boil. They throw this meal into it and hasten to cook it. As 

 soon as it is cooked they await the word to eat it, and they never touch any 

 of it before. 



"Nevertheless in 1721 Charlevoix found the guardian absent from the temple, probably 

 attending a feast ; see p. 160. 



