THOMAS. ] BURIAL CEREMONIES OF THE HURONS. als 
occasion. Each one repairs to some one of the cabins; all find a place to put their bun- 
dies ; this is done without confusion. At the same time the captains hold a council to 
decide upon the time that the company shall spend in this village. All the bodies 
of the dead of eight or nine villages were taken to Rochelle on Saturday of Pentecost; 
but the fear of bad weather obliged them, as I have said, to postpone the ceremony 
till Monday. We were lodged a quarter of a league from there, at the old village, 
in a cabin where there were at least a hundred skeletons hung up to the poles, some 
of which smelled stronger than musk. 
Monday at midday, word was sent that they were ready and that the ceremony 
would begin. The bundles of skeletons were at once taken down and the friends un- 
folded the wrappings to say their last farewells. Their tears flowed anew. I admired 
the tenderness of one woman towards the remains of her father and children. She is 
the daughter of a captain who died at a great age and who formerly occupied a high 
position in the country. She combed his hair; she touched the bones one after another 
with as much affection as if she would haye given them life; she placed near him 
his Atsatonesai, that is, his packet of rods (bichettes) of the council, which are all 
the books and papers of the country. As for her children, she put upon their arms 
bracelets of shells and glass beads and bathed their bones with her tears. She could 
hardly be separated from them, but they were in haste, and it was necessary to start 
at once. The one who carried the body of this old captain walked at the head, the 
men following and then the women. They marched in this order until they arrived 
at the grave. 
The following is the arrangement of this place: There was a space about as large 
as the Place Royale at Paris. In the center was a large grave about 10 feet (pieds) 
deep and 5 fathoms (brasses) in diameter, round it a scaffolding and a sort of stage 
nicely made, from 9 to 10 fathoms (brasses) in diameter and 9 or 10 feet high; above 
the stage there were seyeral poles raised and well arranged, and others laid across 
them on which to hang all the bundles of skeletons. The entire bodies, as these 
were to be placed at the bottom of the grave, were laid under the scaffolding the day 
before, resting on bark, or mats raised on stones to the height of a man around the 
grave. The whole company arrived with the bodies about an hour after midday, and 
divided into parties according to the families and villages, and laid their bundles 
upon the ground, almost as the pots of earth were made at the village fairs; they 
also unfolded their robes and all the offerings they had brought and hung them upon 
the poles which extended for from 500 to 600 fathoms (toises); there were nearly 
twelve hundred gifts which remained thus on exhibition for two whole hours, to give 
strangers an opportunity to see the riches and magnificence of the country. I did 
not find the company as great as I had expected ; there were not more than two thou- 
sand persons. About 3 o’clock each one fastened up his bundles and folded his 
robes. Meanwhile each captain, in order, gave a signal,and all immediately took 
up their bundles of bones, ran as if at the assault of a city, mounted upon this stage 
by means of ladders which were placed all aronnd, and hung them (the bundles) to 
the poles; each village had its department. This done, all the ladders were taken 
away. Some of the captains remained upon the platform and spent the rest of 
the afternoon, until 7 o’clock, in announcing the lists of presents which were given 
in the name of the deceased to some particular persons. For instance, they would 
say, here is what such a one, deceased, gives to a certain relative. 
About 5 or 6 o’clock they lined (pauerent) the bottom of the grave and bordered it 
with large new robes, the skins of ten beavers, in such a way that these extend 
more than a foot out of it. As they were preparing the robes which were to be used 
for this purpose, some of them descended into the grave, and came from it with their 
hands full of sand. I inquired what this ceremony meant, and learned that they 
believed that this sand will render them happy at their games (au ieu). 
Of the twelve hundred offerings that had been exhibited on the platform, forty- 
