THE OHIO VALLEY-GREAT LAKES ETHNOHISTORY
ARCHIVES: THE MIAMI COLLECTION
It is noted that the following work from the Miami Archives should be read and
considered within the historical context in which it was composed and printed.
The opinions expressed and the language used do not reflect the opinions or
standards of the Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology, but are, rather,
indicative of thought in that historical moment during which the document was
published.
Enclosure in Letter to Frontenac, November 9, 1680
La Salle, Robert, Sieur de In: Margry, Pierre: Découvertes et
Etablissements des Francais, vol. 2, French
Series, vol. 1,
The French Foundations, Illinois
State Historical
Library, Springfield, pp. 1-16.
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(In French): pp. |
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(Eng. transl.): pp. |
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(page 11F)
D'allouez(see fn. 1) qui les a batisez a quitté
les Ilinois, a mains que son bâton qu'il a laissé bien envelopé pour marque que
cette terre luy apartient n'ait quelque vertu extraordinaire. Voila les seuls
Chrestiens que je sache qui n'y peuvent etre que in fide Ecclesia.
Le Pere D'Allouez s'est retiré dans un village Composé partie de Miamis, partie de Mascoutins et D'Ochiatinens qui ont abandonné leur ancien Vilage et le plus grand nombre de leurs parens pour faire alliance avec les Iroquois et faire avec Eux la guerre aux Ilinois. Pour cela ils en envoierent Cinq l'Est&eacte; passé et une femme en Ambassade- avec une lettre du P. Dallouez. La fin de leur Ambassade etoit d'exciter les Iroquois a s'unir a Eux pour faire la guerre aux Ilinois, Il y avoit 24. jours que cette affaire se negocioit lorsque j'arrivay a Tanochioragon Vilage des Sonnoutouans,(see fn. 2) mais comme l'on scut que j'etois a Cannargaro(see fn. 3) ou etoit le P. Raffux,(see fn. 4) Il vint la nuit suivante une femme de ce (page 12F) Vilage qui avoit eté autrefois prise aux Miamis, dire a Ces Ambassadeurs qu'on leur Casseroit la teste et qu'ils eussent a fuir de peur peut etre que moy y etant je ne pusse apprendre la fin de cette Ambassade.
Il est pourtant vray que Les Iroquois n'avoient pas envie de leur faire du mal Car quoique cette fuite dust les rendre suspecs ils furent bien receus quand on les eust attrapez, mais ils me voulurent point parler tant que je fus là.
Depuis aiant trouvé ces memes Ambassadeurs en leurs Pais dont l'un parloit Huron J'en scus des choses que je veux croire etre de l'invention de la malice sauvage. Neantmoins des que la nouvelle a eté portée au village ou est le P. D allouez que j'etois arrivé aux Ilinois, on a deputé le Nommé Monceau, un des Chefs qui a apporté sous terres quatre grandes Chaudieres, douze haches et 20. Couteaux aux Ilinois pour dire que j'etois frere de l'Iroquois, Que je respirois de son haleine, que je mangeois les serpens de son Païs, Qu'ils m'avoiët donné une Seine po. les enveloper (page 13F) d'un costé pendant que les Iroquois venoient de l'autre, Que j'etois hay de toutes les Robes noires qui m'abandonnoient ne me regardant que comme un Iroquois- Que j'avois deja voulu tuer les Miamis, que j'en avois pris deux prisonniers et que j'avois de la medecine po. empoisonner tout le monde.
Il me fust aisé de detruire toutes ces farissetez et peu s'en fuilust que ce pauvre Monceau n y demeurast po. les gages. Luy aiant eté repondu que c'etoit luy qui avoit le serpent Iroquois sous la Lange, que ces Camarades qui y avoient eté en Ambassade en avoient apporté et n'avoient pu fumer dans le meme Callumet sans respirer les halesnes Iroquoises. si je ne m'etois opposé Les Ilenois auroient tué ce Monceau.
Voice une autre affaire ou je soupconne un piege Et qui est apparemment une suite du desir que l'on avoit que Monseigneur le Comte de frontenac fist la guerre aux Iroquois quand on a veu qu'il abandonnoit l'Ilionis. L'ardeur avec la quelle les Iroquois vouloient luy faire la guerre s'est tout aussi tost rallentie, Quoy (page 14F) qu'en effet il y en soit allé quelques uns en Guerre C'est ce que l'on cache aux Outaouaes afin qu'ils continuent d'y aller en traite et que les Iroquois les prenant pour des Ilinois ils les tuent afin de brouiller, bien plus on a negocie en sorte que le plus grand nombre des Miamis qui sont nos alliez vinssent s'habituer avec les Ilinois afin que l'Iroquois ne peut fraper l'un sans l'autre et que Monseigneur le Comte fust obligé ou d'abandonner ses alliez ou de faire la guerre aux Iroquois pour empescher qu'ils ne la fissent aux Ilinois. Peut-etre est ce un jugement temeraire mais pourtant ce petit nombre de Miamis chez lesquels s'est retiré le P. D allouez voiant que les Iroquois ne commencent pas la guerre assez tost contre les Ilinois ont tué cet hiver des Iroquois pour la hater et ont couppé les-doigts a un Sonnontouan qu'ils ont apres renvoié en son Païs por dire que les Miamis se joignent aux Ilinois pour tuer les Iroquois. Il peut être que la connoissance qu'auroit le P. Dallouez de la mauvaise inclination de ces Sauvages et de leur trahison, est ce qui l'oblige à les quitter comme il devoit faire ce printemps.
Cependant Je suis seure d'arrester cette guerre principalement si Monseigneur le Comte vient cette année pleurer les morts des Onnontaez, aiant empesché les Ilinois de partir po. venir chercher les Iroquois et obtenu d'Eux qu'ils me rendroient quelques Esclaves qu'ils ont Ce que les Iroquois aiant appris de moy m'en ont paru fort contens.
Il ne faut pas s'etonner que les Iroquois parlent d'aller en guerre contre Nos alliez puis qu'ils en recoivent tous les ans des insultes. J'ay veu a Missilimakinac aux Pouteatamis, aux Miamis les depouilles at les chevelures de plusrs Iroquois que les Sauvages de ces lieux là ont ont tuez en trahison a la Chasse ce printemps dernier et le precedent, ce qui n'est pas ignoré des Iroquois, Nos alliez aiant eu l'imprudence de le chanter en leur presence lorsqu'ils etoient en traite chez eux, comme j'ay veu a Missilimakinac aux Pouteatamis qui dansant avec le Calumet se vantoient de ces trahisons tenant ces chevelures pendües à leur bras a la veue de trois Agniez qui y etoient en traite.
Je ne saurois ommettre la rencontre que j'ay faite d'un Sauvage de la Nation des Loups(see fn. 5) et des motifs de la difficulté qu'il avoit à se determiner dans le choix de Notre Religion ou de celle des Anglois par les deux differences qu'il trouve entre les Apostres, quelques Missionnaires de ce Païs et Ministres Anglois, voiant que ces derniers n'imitent point la chasteté des Apostres, et les premiers estre fort eloignez de leur detachement par la recherche qu'ils font des richesses Et enfin la consolation qu'il a eüe aprenant l'amour que les Peres Recollets ont pour la pauvreté ce qui l a Determiné a venir chercher le bapteme dans le choix de Notre Religion.
Il y a aux Ilinois quantité de Perroquets verds plus petits que ceux des Isles et de la grosseur de Ceux d'Afrique.
[Translation]
(page 11E)
d'Allouez,(see fn. 1) who baptized them, has
left the Illinois, unless a staff which he has left wrapped up behind to
indicate that this country is to be the field of his labor, has any extraordinary
virtue. These are the only Christians I know who cannot but be in the faith of
the church.
Father d'Allouez has retired to a village composed partly of Miami and partly of Mascouten and Wea who have abandoned their old village and most of their kinsmen in order to make an alliance with the Iroquois and along with them carry on war against the Illinois. For that reason they sent five men and a woman last summer as an embassy with a letter from Father d'Allouez. The purpose of their embassy was to urge the Iroquois to join them in making war on the Illinois. This matter had been under negotiation for twenty-four days when I arrived at the Sanchoiragon village of the Seneca,(see fn. 2) but as it was known that I was at Kanagaro(see fn. 3) where Father Raffeix(see fn. 4) was, a woman who had (page 12E) once upon a time been captured by the Miami came from this village to tell the ambassadors their heads would be broken, and they had better flee, fearing perhaps that by my being there I might learn the object of this embassy.
It is nevertheless true that the Iroquois had no desire to harm them for, although their flight was bound to raise suspicions against them, they were well received after they had been ensnared, but they had no desire to talk so long as I was present.
Having since met in their own country these same ambassadors, one of whom spoke Huron, I became aware of things which I wish to believe were the invention of Indian maliciousness. However, when the news that I had arrived in the Illinois had been carried to the village where Father d'Allouez is, a man called Monceau, one of the chiefs, who carried four large copper kettles, a dozen hatchets, and twenty knives secretly to the Illinois, was sent to say that I was a brother to the Iroquois, that I was breathing his breath, that I ate the serpents of his country, that they had given me a net to hem them in from one side while the (page 13E) Iroquois came from the other, that I was abhorred by all the black-robes, who, regarding me as an Iroquois, had given me up, that I previously had wished to kill the Miamis, that I had taken two prisoners, and that I possessed a drug to be used in poisoning them all
It was easy for me to disprove all these lies, and this poor Monceau was almost obliged to stay there as a hostage, he having been told that it was he that had the Iroquois serpent under his tongue, that his comrades who had been sent there as ambassadors had brought some and had not been to smoke the same calumet without inhaling the breath of the Iroquois. If I had not intervened, the Illinois would have killed Monceau.
Here is another matter wherein I suspect a trap and which is apparently a sequel of the desire which they have that Monseigneur the Comte de Frontenac make war on the Iroquois if it becomes apparent that he has abandoned the Illinois. The vehemence with which the Iroquois wished him to make war is entirely abated although, in fact, there are some who have taken (page 14E) the warpath, a fact which is concealed from the Ottawa in order that they may continue to go to trade, and that the Iroquois, taking them for the Illinois, may kill them in order to embroil them. Moreover, negotiations am being carried on that the greater part of the Miami, who are our allies, will come to live with the Illinois. Thus the Iroquois could not fall upon one without the other; and thus Monseigneur the comte might be compelled either to abandon his allies or make war on the Iroquois in order to prevent them from warring on the Illinois. Perhaps this is rash judgment, but nevertheless the small number of Miami, among whom Father d'Allouez has retired, seeing that the Iroquois did not begin the war soon enough against the Illinois, have killed some of the Iroquois this winter in order to precipitate it, and have cut off the fingers of a Seneca, whom they then sent back to his own country to say that the Miami joined with the Illinois to kill Iroquois. Perhaps the knowledge which Father d'Allouez must have had of the evil intentions of these savages and of their bad faith is what is obliging him to leave them as he was to do this spring.
However, I am certain of stopping this war, especially if Monseigneur the comte will come this year to lament for the deaths of the Onondaga, as I have prevented the Illinois from going in search of the Iroquois and obtained of them the return of some slaves that they have; the Iroquois learning this of me appeared perfectly satisfied.
It is not to be wondered at that the Iroquois speak of waging war against our allies inasmuch as they receive affronts from them every year. I have seen, among the Potawatomi and Miami at Michillimackinac, the spoils and scalps of numerous Iroquois whom the Indians from this region had treacherously killed while hunting last spring and earlier; which is not unknown to the Iroquois, our allies having the imprudence of celebrating this feat in their presence while they were trading among them, as I have seen Potawatomi at Michillimackinac who, dancing with the calumet boasted of this treachery, holding up the scalps at arm's length in the sight of three Mohawk who were there to trade.
(page 16E) I cannot omit a conversation that I had with an Indian of the Mahican(see fn. 5) tribe as to the causes of his difficulty in choosing between our religion and that of the English on account of the two differences which he found between the apostles, some of the missionaries of this country and the English ministers. He perceived that the latter did not imitate the celibacy of the apostles and the former were far removed from their disinterestedness, judging by their pursuit of riches. Finally, he found consolation in seeing the Recollect fathers' love for poverty which determined him to come to seek baptism in our religion.
Many green parrakeets, smaller than those of the islands and large as those
of Africa, are to be found in Illinois.
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1 (p. 11, fn. 1) Claude Jean Allouez, S. J., 1622-1689.
2 (p. 11, fn. 2) The Seneca tribe of the Iroquois confederacy.
3 (p. 11, fn. 3) Kanagaro, a Seneca town, destroyed during Denonville's expedition of 1687. Handbook of American Indians, 1:649.
4 (p. 11, fn. 4) Pierre Raffeix, S. J. 1633 [?]-1724. He devoted a number of years to the Cayuga and Seneca missions. R. G. Thwaites, Jesuit Relations, 47:319-320.
5 (p. 16, fn. 1) The Mahican, called Loups by the French, at one time lived along the upper Hudson River, but pressure of the Iroquois, along with other causes, pushed them westward. Handbook of American Indians, 1:786.
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