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.
Letter by Jean de Lamberville to ?
(Onnontague, August 25, 1682)
de Lamberville, Jean In: Jesuit Relations, vol. 62, pp. 54-107.
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. . .The great success that God is pleased to grant to the weapons of the Iroquois makes them very proud, brave, and enterprising. Last year they Brought 700 Illinois captives all of whom they keep alive. They killed and ate over 600 others on the spot, without counting those whom they burned along the road. They saved the children who could live without the Milk of their mothers whom they had killed; but the others were cruelly roasted and devoured. It is related that they tied living men and women to the stakes, and as fast as their flesh became roasted, they cut it off, and ate it.
Six hundred men, women, and Children of the nation of the chats, near Virginia, surrendered voluntarily, for fear that they might be compelled to do so by force. They bring prisoners from all parts and thereby increase their numbers. They are beginning to attack some of our allies called the Oumiamis,(page 73) a nation of the bay des Puants; and they have already burned 6 or 7 of these, without counting those whom they have massacred. The killing of one of their people, they say, through treachery, by an Oumiamis, will cause their ruin. Three of that tribe were brought here some Days ago, whom it was Impossible to save from the fury of the drunkards. No one could Undertake to bring them to the chapel before they were burned, through fear of being beaten by the drunkards.
They were treated with great cruelty, even by those who had not been drinking. I tried to save them from the hands of those rioters but in vain; for, as soon as I proposed it, I was told not to say another word about it, and that as the anger of the drunkards was so great I would do well to withdraw. Hardly could they be prevented from tearing the prisoners into pieces on their arrival, and only the prospect of the greater torture that was being prepared for them induced the Iroquois to restrain their fury. I nevertheless made an effort to save one who followed the others, in order that, by restoring this captive to Monsieur our governor, we might still honorable arrange matters,- which are tending to a war against the french, unless God intervene.
He was given to a christian woman in the place of her son, who had been killed the previous year in the war against the Illinois. Her relatives, who were poor, at once told her that she must deliver him up, because, as she had no clothes to give him, to save his life would bring her shame; that moreover, if she saved Him she would be the laughingstock of the village, and would pass for (page 75) a woman who had no pity for her son's manes. I went to her and represented to her that the christians adored a God and a Jesus Christ who was full of mercy; that she must have pity on this wretched captive, if she wished God's mercy to be manifested toward Her. She consented very willingly, but the lack of clothing wherewith to cover him seemed to her to be an Insurmountable difficulty. I had thus opportunity to offer her some clothes that madame the marquise de bouche had given me at paris, for such emergencies. On hearing my offer, she gave me her word that his life would be spared. We at once sent off a captain of note, one of my friends (whose nose has been bitten off by the drunkards), to stay the violence of those who might seek to ill-treat him at the entrance of the village; but He himself was beaten and dragged by the hair, and compelled to abandon the prisoner. Nevertheless, he took Courage once more; and, with the assistance of some of his comrades, he succeeded in Bringing him to the dwelling where he awaited him.
We thought that he was in safety there, but the drunkards were informed that we wished to save him. They burst into the cabin, and, in the presence of the christian woman, near whom He sat on a rush mat, they tore off his nails; they crushed all his fingers with their teeth; They cut off the half of one hand and they bit off his ears, which they at once swallowed, quite raw. On my return, I was much Surprised to find him in a state that you can better imagine than I can describe. They tried to drag him outside, to join the other captives who were going to their death-feast, consisting of two boiled dogs- whereof, according to the custom of the country, they did not get a taste.
When I say that this poor captive was about to escape me, I begged him who had defended him to amuse the drunkards, while I went to get the woman who served as My Interpreter, and whom I had told to meet me, in any case, at a certain Spot where I was to find her. But she was afraid to show herself, and therefore hid. Having at last found her, and seeing that her dread of the drunkards made her remain Motionless, I took her by the arm, and, pushing her through the crowd, I drew Her, all trembling near the captive. It was then no easy task to instruct him and make him pray; for a drunkard, more cruel than the others, came in and would have entirely Prevented me from doing so, had he not been flattered by the attentions of the same Captain who was amusing the drunkards. The poor suffered received baptism, in full view of all who were present, after which He was taken to join the others. I Followed him, to make them participate, if possible, in the same grace which he had just received. The crowd and the insolence of the drunkards were so great that, in order not to have the kettle containing the feast overturned, the captives were taken to another place, where there were nearly as many drunkards. The latter began to quarrel among themselves about their bravery; and this gave me an opportunity of approaching the captives, who were kept hidden in an obscure corner by him who had taken care of them. There, under favor of the darkness, baptism turned them into children of Light. These poor victims several times named and invoked Jesus Christ, whom my Interpreter had just announced to them. They lifted their mutilated hands to heaven; and these good people covered me with blood, by (page 79) of caressing me and giving me proofs of their gratitude. I gave Them in secret two or three prunes to eat, to allay the thirst from which they suffered after losing so much blood; for, besides what I have related above, very deep Incisions, of the Length of a cubit, had been made upon their bodies. They died like Brave men, and uttered not a groan, except when their sides and their eyes were burned or when some finger not already fractured was broken.
Three Days afterward, they brought a captive woman who had been taken with the others. She endured the same tortures; she received the same grace of baptism in the chapel, whither she was led by two warriors and by an old man of note. These are all people whose good services, as well as those of my Interpreter, We must acknowledge. We must, also, have for friends the greatest drunkards, the most cruel and most brutal men, because they can oppose many obstacles and do much harm, on occasion. And, as the village is the largest one in the Iroquois country, it is not without difficulty that we avoid offending the minds and win the friendship of so many people.
Hardly is this butchery ended when we hear from afar Koue, Koue, Koue; these are shouts of rejoicing and victory, which denoted the coming of as many Captives as the number of times that they are repeated. In fact, these were 3 more Oumiamis, whom another band of Onnontagues, who had been away for a year were Bringing with them. This was afresh cause of rejoicing for the village, at seeing that the death of one of their people had been Avenged by the capture of several slaves.
I at once held a little council with 3 of the most notable persons; and represented to them that to seek to exterminate an entire nation that had the friendship and esteem of the french, was to carry too Far the resentment for the death of one man. Then I was told that these were neither Algonquins nor Outaouates, who alone were comprised in the number of our allies; But that, if I wished to do anything for the captives, I must win the head of the family of Those who were bringing them in. They added that, while I should be speaking to him, they would go to meet the victorious party, in order to warn them to bring the Slaves by a different road from that by which the rioters and drunkards expected them. The Head of the family, who is a catechumen, consented to everything that we asked of him; and, when we went out together on a height, we saw that a crowd was going toward his dwelling. He hastened thither at once. It was the youngest of the three Captives who had been brought to his cabin by a secret road. But when he saw that he could not defend him against the violence of the drunkards, and as he knew that I wished, with some Justice, that he should be spared, He brought him to our house. When I perceived this from the place where I was, I hastened thither, to prevent as far as I could this captive, who had not yet been given to any one, from being injured. I could not arrive in time to save a finger-nail that was torn out at our door, without its being possible to defend him. For bothe the drunkards and those who were not Drunk at once assailed us; and, to satisfy them, It was necessary to make him sing according to custom. Among Those who had entered, both drunkards and (page 83) others, there were some of our friends who had authority, and who helped us to resist those who Wished to cut off his fingers and to beat him. We were greatly Embarrassed during the whole day, for we dared not leave the captive, who would certainly, without us, have been reduced to such a state that we could not have hoped to save his life. We were compelled to hide him for two Days, so as not to be always struggling with the drunkards, and even in danger of losing our lives.
All this happened during the time when the great war-fire against the Illinois and Oumiamis was being rekindled.
Last winter, they brought to tonnontouant the bones of a captain of renown, who, while returning from the war with the Illinois, had wandered from the main body of the Iroquois army, and had been (page 95) killed among the Kiskakons by some Illinois who found him there. The tonnontouans brought his head here with great ceremony. They spoke very eloquently about avenging his death upon the Kiskakons, our allies. The Onnontagues, the Agnies, the onneiouts, and the geiogouens cast the blame upon the Illinois, for they were the authors of the murder.
Preparations are being made to start for this war, in which the Oumiamis will not be spared unless Monsieur our governor, attend the matter as soon as possible, and come to an understanding with the Iroquois- who have never had a larger store of weapons and of munitions of war than they have this year.
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