Wampum (shell beads)

Le Lundy sur le midy, on vint auertir qu'on se tinst prest, qu'on alloit commencer la ceremonie; on détache en mesme temps ces pacquets d'ames, les parens les déueloppent derechef pour dire les derniers adieux; les pleurs recommencerent de nouueau. I'admiray la tendresse d'vne femme enuers son pere, & ses enfans; elle est fille d'vn Capitaine, qui est mort fort agé, & a esté autrefois fort considerable dans le Pais; elle luy peignoit sa cheuelure elle manioit ses os les vns apres les autres, auec la mesme affection que si elle luy eust voulu rendre la vie; elle luy mit aupres de luy son Aetaonesay, c'est à dire son pacquet de buchettes de Conseil, qui sont tous les liures & papiers du Pais. Pour ses petits enfans elle leur mit des brasselets de Pourcelaine & de rassade aux bras, & baigna leurs os de ses larmes; on ne l'en pouuoit quasi separer, mais on pressoit, & il fallut incontinent partir. Celuy qui portoit le corps de ce vieux Capitaine marchoit à la teste, les hommes suiuoient, & puis les femmes, ils marchoient en cét ordre, iusques à ce qu'ils arriuerent à la fosse.

On Monday around noon, word came that people should be ready: the ceremony was about to begin. At once the bundles of souls were untied, and the relatives unwrapped them again to say their last farewells. The weeping began all over again. I admired the tenderness of one woman toward her father and her children. She is the daughter of a chief who died very old and was once very important in the country. She combed his hair and handled his bones one by one, with as much love as if she had wanted to bring him back to life. Beside him she placed his Aetaonesay, his bundle of council sticks, which are all the books and papers of the country. On the arms of her little children she put bracelets of shell beads and glass beads, and she bathed their bones with her tears. She could hardly be pulled away from them, but people were pressing them to hurry, and they had to leave at once. The man carrying the body of the old chief walked at the head. The men followed, and then the women. They marched in this order until they reached the pit.

Sur les sept heures ils descendoient les corps entiers dans la fosse: nous eusmes toutes les peines du monde d'en aborder; iamais rien ne m'a mieux figuré la confusion qui est parmy les damnez. Vous eussiez veu décharger de tous costez des corps à demy pourris, & de tous costez on entendoit vn horrible tintamarre de voix confuses de personnes qui parloient & ne s'entendoient pas: dix ou douze estoient en la fosse & les arrangeoient tout autour les vns aupres les autres. Ils mirent tout au beau milieu trois grandes chaudieres qui n'estoient bonnes que pour les ames; l'vne estoit percée, l'autre n'auoit point d'anse, & la troisiéme ne valloit gueres mieux: i'y vis fort peu de colliers de Pourcelaine; il est vray qu'ils en mettent beaucoup dans les corps. Voila tout ce qui se fit cette iournée.

Around seven o’clock they lowered the whole bodies into the pit. We had all the trouble in the world getting near it. Nothing has ever shown me more clearly the confusion among the damned. On every side you would have seen half-rotted bodies being let down. On every side you heard a horrible din of voices, people talking and not hearing each other. Ten or twelve men were in the pit, laying the bodies all around it, side by side. In the very middle they put three big kettles that were good only for souls: one had a hole in it, another had no handle, and the third was hardly any better. I saw very few shell collars there. It is true that they put many with the bodies. That is all that was done that day.