Chap. III. of the FRENCH in A M ERICA, 
35i 
if we may truft to fome of our ovVn Cotmtty, as Well as 
rally given to Leiidnefs*, but their Virtue is not Proof 
. againft fome of our Toys when prefented to them, as 
: Needles, Knives, and more particularly Strings of Beads, 
: whereof they make Necklaces and Bracelets : That 
Temptation is rarely refifred by them ; and the lefs, be- 
caufe they have no Religion or Law to prohibit that 
i Praftice. It is true, their Hufbands, when they take 
them in the Fad, foinetimes do punifti them, either by 
Separation, or otherwife. 
The Country of thefe Indians being generally warm, 
lalmoft ail of them go naked, unlefs when the North 
Wind blows; then they cover themfelves with a Buffalo’s 
Hide, or a Goat’s-fkin Card. The Women wear nothing 
but a Skin, or fome Sort of Clout, hanging round them 
like a Petticoat, and reaching half way down their I.egs 
before and behind : On their Heads they wear nothing 
but their Hair platted and knotted behind. As for their 
Temper, it may be faid of thefe as of all other Indians of 
that great Continent, that they are not mifchievous, un- 
lefs wronged or attacked, in which Cafe they are fierce 
and revengeful. They watch all Opportunities to be re- 
venged, and never let any flip when offered, which is the 
Caufe of their being continually at War with their Neigh- 
bours, and of that martial Humour fo predominant 
among them. As to the Knowledge of God, they did 
not feem to us to have any fixed Notion of him ; it is 
true, we met with fome in our Way, who, as far as we 
could judge, believed there was fome fuperior Being 
which was above all things, and this they teffified by 
lifting up their Hands and Eyes to Heaven, yet without 
any Manner of Concern, or believing that the faid exalt- 
ed Being does regard at all what is done here below. 
Flowever, none of them having any Places of Worfhip, 
Ceremonies, or Prayers, to manifefl: their Devotion, it 
may be faid of them all, that they have no Religion at all, 
at leaft, thofe that we faw. They obferve fome Ceremo- 
nies it is true, but whether they have any Regard to a 
j fuperior Being, or whether they are only popular, and 
; proceeding from Cuftom, is what we were not able to 
) difcover. Thofe Ceremonies are as follow ; When the 
1 Corn is ripe, they gather a certain Quantity in a Balket, 
I which is placed on a Stool dedicated to that Ufe, and 
;■ ferving only upon thefe myfferious Occafions, which they 
) have a great Veneration for. The Balket with the Corn 
I being placed on the venerated Stool, one of the Elders 
i holds out his Hands over it, and talks a long Time •, 
'.after which, the faid old Man diflributes the Corn 
i< among the Women, and no Perfon is allowed to eat of 
: the new Corn till eight Days alter the Ceremony. This 
[ feems to be in the Nature of offering, or bleffing, the firfl; 
'i Fruits of their Harveft. 
i At their Affemblies, when the Sagamite, or Pottage, 
c which is the moft elfential Part of their Meal, is boiled 
. in a great Pot, they place that Pot on the Stool above- 
(I mentioned, and one of the Elders ftretches out his Hands 
•over it, muttering fome Words between his Teeth for a 
Dconfiderable Time, after which they fall to eating. When 
[ the young Folks firfl; take upon them, to be Soldiers, their 
; Garment, confifliing of fome Skin or Clout, together with 
1 their Bow, Quiver, and Arrows, are placed on the fame 
c Stool, an old Man ftretching out his Hands over them, 
’.muttering the confecrating Words, and then the Gar- 
i ments. Bows, Qiiivers, and Arrows, are given to the 
I Perfons they belong to. The fame Ceremonies are ufed 
3 by them in the cultivating their Grain and Produd, but 
f:of the Tobacco particularly. 
There is one Particular relating to thefe People, which 
1 he does not mention ; and that is, the flrong and gene- 
^ral Paffion for Liberty, which prevails through the whole 
Nation; which is born, and grows up, with them, go- 
3iverns all their Adions, and is never to be extinguiflied 
■ but with their Lives. It is their Notion of Liberty, that 
induces them to prefer their own Manner of living, to 
■ that of the Europeans ; and they fay fometimes, what is 
j:not altogether deftitute of good Senfe, that if they pof- 
fels fewer Conveniences, they have the lefs Trouble in 
acquiring what they think neceffary, and confequently 
]the more Time to themfelves, which their middle-aged 
5ind old Men ufually fpend in converfmg together; and 
the French Writers^ there are as great Politicians among 
them; as in any Nation in Europe^ the italians themfelves 
not excepted. There is another Indian Nation of whom 
Mr. Joutel has given us a Relation, which deferves to 
be confidered, becaufe they are thought to be Very difi 
ferent in their Manners from the Iroquois, 
5. As for the Manners and Cuftoms of the Illinois^ 
they are, in many Particulars, the fame as thofe of the 
other Nations before-mentioned ; they are naturally fierce 
and revengeful, and among them; the Toil of fowing; 
planting, carrying of-Burdens, and doing all other things 
that belong to the Support of Life; appertains peculiar- 
ly to the Women ; the Men have no other Bufmefs, but 
going to the Wars and hunting. The Nations I have 
fpoken of before, are not at all, or very little, addided 
to thieving, but it was not fo with the Illinois ; it be- 
hoves every Man to watch their Feet as well as their 
Hands, for they know how to turn any thing out of the 
Way very dextroufly. They are fubjed to the general 
Vice of other Indians^ v/hich is, to boafl: very much of 
their warlike Exploits, that is the main Siibjed of their 
Difcourfe, and they are very great Liars. They pay a 
Refped to the Dead, as appears by their Care in bury- 
ing them ; This is alfo pradifed among the AccanceaSj 
but they differ in this Particular : That the Accanceas weep 
and make their Complaints for fome Days, whereas the 
Chahouanous^ and other People of the Illinois Nation, do 
jufl: the contrary ; for when any of them die, they wrap 
them up in Skins, and then put them into Coffins, made 
of the Barks of Trees; then fing and dance about them 
for twenty-four Hours ; thole Dancers tying Gourds 
about their Bodies, with fome Indian Wheat in them, to 
rattle and make a Noife ; and fome of them have a 
Drum, made of a great earthen Pot, on which they ex- 
tend a Goat-llcin, and beat thereon with a Stick ; during 
that rejoicing, they throw their Prefents on the Coffin ; 
fuch as Bracelets, Pendants, or Pieces of Earthen-ware, 
and Strings of Beads, encouraging the Singers to perform 
their Duty well. If any Friend happens to come thither 
at that Time, he immediately throws down his Prefents, 
and falls a finging and dancing like the reft. When the 
Ceremony is over, they bury the Body with Part of the 
Prefents, making Choice of fuch as may be moft proper 
for it : They alfo bury with it fome Store of Indian 
Wdieat, with a Pot to boil it in, and repeat the lame 
Ceremony at the Year’s-end. 
With refpe6l to this People, there is a very large and 
curious Account in the Travels of Father Marquette,, a 
Man of good Senfe and fair Chara6ler ; and .therefore I 
fliall fubjoin it, that we may not be obliged to dwell 
longer upon this SubjeCc. His Account in his ov/n 
Words runs thus : “ The Word Illinois^ in their Lan- 
“ guage, fignifies Men, as if they fliould look upon the 
“ other Savages as Beafts ; and truly it may be confeffed, 
“ that they are not altogether in the wrong, for they 
“ have more Humanity than' all the other Nations that I 
“ have feen in America ; the Ihort Time I remained with 
“ them, did not permit me to inform myfelf as much as 
“ I defired of their Cuftoms and Manners, but here is 
“ what I was able to obferve : They are divided into 
“ feveral Villages, whereof fome are very remote from 
“ thofe that I have feen, they call them Perouarea. But 
“ as they live fo far one from the other, their Language 
“ is alfo very different : However, it is a Dialed: of the 
“ Algonquin, and therefore we were able to underftand 
“ what they faid, and to converfe with them. They are 
“ good-natured Men, tradable and eafy. They keep 
“ feveral Wives, and yet they are exceeding jealous"; 
“ they obferve with very great Care their Behaviour, and 
“ if they find them in any Fault as to their Chaftity, they 
“ cut their Nofes and Ears ; and I faw feveral of them, 
“ who carried upon their Faces thefe Marks of their In- 
“ fidelity. 
“ The Flinois are very well fhaped, and very dextrous. 
“ They are good Marks-men with their Arrows and 
‘‘ fmall Guns, with which they are fupplied by the Sa- 
“ vages, and have a Commerce with the Europeans. This 
makes them formidable to the other Nations, inhabiting 
i. m 
