112 BURIAL MOUNDS OF THE NOKTHERN SECTIONS. 
lasts only ten days. During this time they remain lying on their mats wrapped in 
their robes, with their faces against the earth, without speaking or replying to any- 
thing, save Cbay, to those who come to visit them. They do not warm themselves in 
winter or eat warm things; they do not go to the feasts nor go out, save at night, for 
what they need; they cut a lock of hair from the back of the head and declare that 
it is not without deep sorrow, especially when the husband performs this ceremony 
on the death of his wife, or the wife on the death of her husband. Such is the great 
mourning. 
The lesser mourning lasts all the year. When they wish to visit any one, they do 
not salute them nor say Csay, neither do they grease their hair. The women do this, 
however, when commanded to do so by their mothers, who have at their disposal their 
hair, and even their persons. It is also their privilege to send their daughters to the 
feasts, without which several will not go. What I think strange is that during the 
whole year neither the wife nor the husband marries again, else they would cause 
themselves to be talked about in the country. 
The sepulchers are not perpetual, as their villages are only permanent for some 
years, as long as the wood lasts. The bodies remain in the cemeteries only until the 
feast of the dead, which usually takes place every twelve years. During this time 
they do not neglect to honor the dead often. From time to time kettles are boiled for 
their souls throughout the village, as on the day of the funeral, and their names are re- 
vived as often as possible. For this purpose presents are given to the captains to be 
given to him who will consent to take the name of the deceased ; and if the latter was 
of consideration and had been esteemed in the country during his life, he who repre- 
sents him, after giving a grand feast to all the people of the country, to introduce him- 
self under this name, raises a body of free young men and goes to war to accomplish 
some braye feat which will show to the nation that he has not only inherited the name 
but also the bravery and courage of the deceased. 
THE SOLEMN FEAST OF THE DEAD. 
The feast of the dead is the most celebrated ceremony that takes place among the 
Hurons. They give it the name of festival for the reason, as I should say now, that 
when the bodies are taken from the cemeteries each captain makes a “feast to the 
souls” in his village. ‘The most important and magnificent is that of the master of 
the feast, who is for this reason called, par excellence, the “‘ Maistre du Festin.” 
This feast is full of ceremonies, but the chief one is evidently that of “boiling 
the kettle.” This outdoes all the others, and the festival of the dead is spoken of, 
even in the most serious councils, only under the name Chaudiere (the kettle). They 
appropriate to it all the terms of cookery, so that when they speak of hastening or 
retarding the feast they say ‘“‘rake out” or “‘stir up the fire under the kettle;” and 
when any one says “the kettle is overturned,” that means there will be no feast. 
There is generally only one festival in each nation. All the bodies are placed in 
the same grave. I say generally, for this year when the féte des Morts took place the 
kettle-boiling was divided and five villages at this point where we are stationed 
made a separate band and placed their dead in a separate grave. He who had been 
captain of the preceding feast, and who is like the chief at this point, made the ex- 
cuse that his kettle and his feast had been spoiled and that he was obliged to make 
another. But, in fact, this was only a pretext. The real reason of this separation 
is that the great heads of the village have complained for a long time that the others 
took everything to themselves, that they did not share as they wished the knowledge 
of the affairs of the country, and that they were not called to the most secret and im- 
portant councils and to the division of the presents. 
This separation has been followed by distrust on both sides. God grant that it 
cause no hindrance to the spreading of the sacred Gospel. But I must touch briefly 
upon the order and the events of the feast. 
The twelve years or more having expired, the old people and great men of the na- 
