R E L A T I O N
DE CE QVI S’EST PASSÉ
EN LA
NOVVELLE FRANCE
sur la miʆʆion de la Campagnie de I É S V S
EN
C A N A D A .
Letter of Father Francois du Peron of the Society of Jesus, to Father Joseph Imbert du Peron, his Brother, Religious of the same Society. (Copied from the autograph preserved in MSS. Soc. Jesu.) At the village of la Conception de Nostre Dame, this 27th of April, 1639.
| (15:155) So much for the cultivation of the land, which is the occupation and employment of the Huron women; that of the men is fishing, hunting, trading with the French and other neighboring tribes, such as the tobacco nation, the Neutral nation, that of the Sault, that of the " raised hair," that of the "stinking people," etc.1 | Voilà pour ce qui est de la terre, qui est l'occupation et l'employ des femmes huronnes: celle des hommes, c'est la pêche, la chasse, la traite aux françois et autres nations voisines, comme la nation du petun, la nation Neutre, celle du Sault, celle des cheveux relevés, celle des gents puants, etc. | |
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| Father Paul Le Jeune |
Relation of the occupations of the Fathers of the Society of Jesus, who are in the Huron land, a country of New France. From the month of June, 1638, to the month of June, 1639. Addressed to the Reverend Father Paul le jeune, Superior of the Missions of the Society of Jesus, in New France.
| (16:253) We have also thought of setting apart some for the study of new languages. We were considering three other languages, of Peoples that are nearest to us,— that of the Algonquins, scattered on all sides, both to the South and to the North of our great Lake; that of the neutral Nation, which is a main gateway for the Southern tribes; that of the Nation of the Stinkards,2 which is one of the most important openings for the Western tribes, and somewhat more for the Northern. But we have not yet found ourselves strong enough to keep our acquisitions, and at the same time to dream of so many new conquests; so we have judged it wiser to defer the execution of this plan for some time longer, and to content ourselves, meanwhile, with seizing the opportunity that God has sent to our doors,— that of entering a nation of the Neutral language through the arrival in this country of the Weanohronons, who have taken refuge here, as we shall relate hereafter, and who formed one of the Nations allied with the neutral Nation. | Nous auons auſſi penſé d'appliquer quelques-vns à la connoiſſance de nouuelles langues. Nous iettions les yeux fur trois autres des Peuples plus voiſns; ſur celles des Algonquains eſpars de tous coſtez, & au Midy; & au Septentrion de noſtre grand Lac: Sur celle de la Nation neutre qui eft vne maiſtreſſe porte pour les païs Meridionaux; fur celle de la Nation des Puants, qui eſt vn paſſage des plus conſiderables pour les païs Occidentaux, vn peu plus Septentrionaux: Mais nous ne nous fommes pas trouuez encore aſſez forts pour conferuer l'acquis, & ſonger enſemble à tant de nouuelles conqueſtes; de forte que nous auons iugé plus à propos de differer l'execution de ce deſſein encore [24] pour quelque temps, & de nous contenter cependant de prendre l'occaſion que Dieu nous enuoyoit à noſtre porte, d'entrer en quelque nation de la langue des Neutres, par l'arriuée en ce païs des 8eanohronons, qui s'y ſont refugiez, comme nous dirons cy-apres; leſquels faifoient vne des Nations aſſociées à la Nation neutre. |
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| Father Vimont Giving the First Mass at Ville Marie |
RELATION OF WHAT TOOK PLACE IN NEW FRANCE IN THE YEAR M. DC. XL [1640]. Sent to the Reverend Father Provincial of the Society of Jesus of the Province of France. By Father Bartbelemy Vimont, of the same Society, Superior of the Residence of Kébec.
| (18:231) Passing this smaller lake, we enter the second fresh-water sea, upon the shores of which are the Maroumine [Menominee]; and still farther, upon the same banks, dwell the Ouinipigou, a sedentary people, who are very numerous; some of the French call them the "Nation of Stinkards," because the Algonquin word "ouinipeg" signifies ''bad-smelling water,'' and they apply this name to the water of the salt sea,—so that these peoples are called Ouinipigou because they come from the shores of a sea about which we have no knowledge; and hence they ought not to be called the nation of Stinkards, but the nation of the sea. In the neighborhood of this nation are the Naduesiu, the Assinipour, the Eriniouai, the [M]asaouakoueton, and the Pouutouatami.3 These are the names of a part of the nations which are beyond the shores of the great river saint Lawrence and of the great lakes of (233) the Hurons on the North. I will now visit the Southern shores. I will say, by the way, that sieur Nicolet, interpreter of the Algonquin and Huron languages for the Gentlemen of new France, has given me the names of these nations, which he himself has visited, for the most part in their own country. All these peoples understand Algonquin, except the Hurons, who have a language of their own, as also have the Ouinipigou, or people of the sea. | paſſant ce plus petit lac on entre dans la ſeconde mer douce, fur les riues de laquelle ſont les Maroumine, plus auant encore ſur les meſmes riues habitent les Ouinipigou peuples ſedentaires qui ſont en grand nombre, quelques François les appellêt la Nation des Puans, à cauſe que le mot Algonquin ouinipeg ſignifie eau puante. Or ils nomment ainſi l'eau de la mer ſalée, ſi bien que ces peuples ſe nommêt Ouinipigou, pource qu'ils viennent des bords d'vne mer dôt nous n'auons point de cognoiſſance, & par conſequent il ne faut pas les appeller la nation des Puans, mais la nation de la mer, és enuirons de cette nation ſont les Nadveſiv, les Amnipour, les Eriniouai, les Raſaouakoueton, & les Pouutouatami. Voila les noms d'vne partie des nations qui ſont au delà des riues du grand fleuue ſaindt Laurent, & des grands lacs des Hurons du coſté du Nord. Ie viſiteray tout maintenant le coſté du Sud, ie diray en paſſant que le ſleur Nicolet interprete en langue Algonquine & Huronne, pour Meſleurs de la nouuelle Frâce, m'a donné les noms de ces nations qu'il a viſité luy meſme pour la pluſpart dans leur pays, tous ces peuples entendent l'Algonquin, excepté les Hurons, qui ont vne langue à part, comme auſſi les Ouinipigou ou gens de mer. |
RELATION OF OCCURRENCES IN NEW FRANCE IN THE YEAR 1642 AND 1643. Sent to Rev. Father JEAN FILLEAU, Provincial of the Society of Jesus, in the Province of France. By REV. FATHER BARTHELEMY VIMONT, of the same Society, Superior of all the Mission.
(23:277) He was finally recalled, and appointed Agent and Interpreter. While in the exercise of this office, he was delegated to make a journey to the nation called People of the sea, and arrange peace between them and the Hurons, from whom they are distant about three hundred leagues Westward. He embarked in the Huron country, with seven Savages; and they passed by many small nations, both going and returning. When they arrived at their destination, they fastened two sticks in the earth, and hung gifts thereon, so as to relieve these tribes from the notion of mistaking them for enemies to be massacred. When he was two days' journey from that nation, he sent one of those Savages to bear tidings of the peace, which word was especially well received when they heard that it was a European who carried the message; they despatched several young men to meet the Manitouiriniou,— (279) that is to say, "the wonderful man." They meet him; they escort him, and carry all his baggage. He wore a grand robe of China damask, all strewn with flowers and birds of many colors. No sooner did they perceive him than the women and children fled, at the sight of a man who carried thunder in both hands,— for thus they called the two pistols that he held. The news of his coming quickly spread to the places round about, and there assembled four or five thousand men. Each of the chief men made a feast for him, and at one of these banquets they served at least sixscore Beavers. The peace was concluded; he returned to the Hurons, and some time later to the three Rivers, where he continued his employment as Agent and Interpreter, to the great satisfaction of both the French and the Savages, by whom he was equally and singularly loved. |
... il fut enfin rappellé & eſtably Commis & Interprete. Pendant qu'il exerçoit cet[t]e charge, il fut delegué pour faire vn voyage en la nation appellée des Gens de mer, & traiter la paix auec eux, & les Hurons, deſquels ils ſont eſloignés, tirant vers l'Oiieſt d'enuiron trois cents lieuës. Il s'embarqua aux pays des Hurons auec ſept Sauuages, ils paſſerent par quantité de petites nations, en allant & en reuenant, lors qu'ils y arriuoient, ils fichoient deux baſtonens [sc. baſtons en] terre, auquel ils pendoient des preſens, afin d'oſter à ces peuples la penſée de les prendre pour ennemis, & de les maſſacrer. A deux iournées de cette nation il enuoya vn de ces Sauuages porter la nouuelle de la paix, laquelle fut bien receuë, nommément quand on entendit que c'eſtoit vn European qui portoit la parole, on depeſcha plu ſleurs ieunes gès pour aller au deuant du Manitouiriniou, c'eft à dire de l'homme merueilleux: on y vient, on le conduit, on porte tout ſon bagage, il eſtoit reueftu d'vne grande robbe de damas de la Chine, toute parfemée de fleurs, & d'oyſeaux de diuerſes couleurs: Si toſt qu'on l'apperceut, toutes les femmes & les enfans s'enfuirent, voyant vn homme porter le tonnerre en ces deux mains. C'eſt ainſi qu'ils nommoiêt deux piſtolets qu'il tenoit, la nouuelle de ſa venue s'eſpandit incontinent aux lieu circonuoiſins, il ſe fiſt vne affemblée de quatre ou cinq mil hommes, chacû des principaux fiſt sô feſtin, en l'vn deſquels on ſeruit au moins ſix vingt Caſtors, la paix fut conclue, il retourna aux Hurons, & dela à quelque tẽps aux trois Riuieres, où il continua ſa charge de Commis & Interprete auec vne ſatisfaction grande des François & des Sauuages, deſquels il eſtoit eſgalement & vniquement aymé ... |
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| Father Paul Ragueneau |
Relation of what occurred in the Mission of the Fathers of the Society of JESUS in the Huron country, in New France, in the years 1647 and 1648. Sent to Reverend Father Estienne Charlet, Provincial of the Society of JESUS in the Province of France. By Father PAUL RAGUENEAU of the same Society, Superior of the Huron Mission.
| (33:149) A Peninsula, or a rather narrow strip of land, (151) separates that superior Lake from a third Lake, which we call the Lake of the Puants, which also flows into our fresh-water sea by a mouth on the other side of the Peninsula, about ten leagues farther West than the Sault. This third Lake extends between the West and Southwest,—that is to say, between the South and the West, but more toward the West,—and is almost equal in size to our fresh-water sea. On its shores dwell other nations whose language is unknown,— that is, it is neither Algonquin nor Huron. These peoples are called Puants, not because of any bad odor that is peculiar to them; but, because they say that they come from the shores of a far distant sea toward the North, the water of which is salt, they are called '' the people of the stinking water.'' But let us return to our fresh-water sea. On the South shore of this fresh-water sea, or Lake of the Hurons, dwell the following Algonquin Tribes: Ouachaskesouek, Nigouaouichirinik, Outaouasinagouek, Kichkagoneiak [all bands or clans of the Ottawa],4 and Ontaanak, who are all allies of our Hurons. With these we have considerable intercourse, but not with the following, who dwell on the shores of the same Lake farther toward the West, namely: the Ouchaouanag, who form part of the Nation of fire; the Ondatouatandy [Oto] and the Ouinipegong, who are part of the Nation of the Puants. |
Vne Peninſule ou deſtroit de terre aſſez petit, ſepare ce Lac ſuperieur d'vn autre troiſiéme Lac, que nous appellons le Lac des Puants, qui ſe deſcharge auſſi dans noſtre mer douce, par vne emboucheure qui eſt de l'autre coſté de la Peninſule, enuiron dix lieuës plus vers l'Occident que le Sault. Ce troiſiéme Lac s'eſtend entre l'Oueſt & le Sud-oueſt, c'eſt à dire entre le Midy & l'Occident, plus vers l'Occident, & eſt quaſi égal en grandeur à noſtre mer douce: & eſt habité d'autres peuples d'vne langue inconnuë, c'eſt à dire qui n'eſt ny Algonquine, ny Hurone. Ces peuples ſont appellez les Puants, non pas à raiſon d'aucune mauuaiſe odeur qui leur ſoit particuliere, mais à cauſe qu'ils ſe diſent eſtre venus des coſtes d'vne mer fort éloignée, vers le Septentrion, dont l'eau eſtant ſalée, ils ſe nomment les peuples de l'eau puante. Mais reuenons à noſtre mer douce, du coſté du Midy de cette mer douce, ou Lac des Hurons, habitent les Nations ſuiuantes, Algonquines, Ouachaskeſouek, Nigouaouichirinik, Outaouaſinagou[e]k, Kichkagoneiak, Ontaanak, qui ſont toutes alliées de nos Hurons, & auec leſquelles nous auons aſſez de commerce; mais non pas auec les ſuiuantes, qui habitent les coſtes de ce meſme Lac plus éloignées vers l'Occident: Sçauoir les Ouchaouanag, qui ſont partie de la Nation du feu, les Ondatouatandy & Ouinipegong, qui ſont partie de la Nation des Puants. |
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| Father Francesco Bressani | Cardinal Juan de Lugo |
A BRlEF ACCOUNT OF CERTAIN MISSIONS Of the Fathers of the Society of Jesus in New France, BY FATHER FRANCESCO GIOSEPPE BRESSANI, of the same Society, TO THE MOST EMINENT AND REV. SIGNOR, CARDINAL DE LUGO, AT MACERATA, By the Heirs of Agostino Grisei. 1653.
The original language is Italian.
| (38:239) A Peninsula, or Strip of land, divides this lake from the one which is called "lake of the Stinkards",— people so named by reason of having formerly inhabited the shores of the sea, which they call Stinking water, and who have a language altogether unknown to us. | Vna Peniſola, ò Stretto di terra diuide queſto lago da quello, che chiamano de Puzzolenti, gente cosi detta per hauer altre volte habitato le ſpiagge del mare, che loro chiamano Puzzolente, & hanno vna lingua a noi affatto ſconoſciuta. |
Relation of what occurred in the Mission of the Fathers of the Society of JESUS, in the country of New France, from the Summer of the year 1653 to the Summer of the year 1654. Sent to the Reverend Father Nicolas Royon, Provincial of the Society of JESUS in the Province of France.
| (41:79) All these peoples have forsaken their former country and withdrawn to the more distant Nations, toward the great lake which we call " the lake of the Stinkards," because they dwell near the Sea,—which is salt, and which our Savages call "stinking water." This lake is toward the North. The devastation of the Huron country having made them apprehensive of a like misfortune, and the fury of the Iroquois having pursued them everywhere, they thought to find security only by retreating to the very end of the world, so to speak. | Tous ces peuples ont quitté leur ancien païs, & ſe ſont retirez vers les Nations plus eſloignées, vers le grand lac, que nous appellons des Puants, à cauſe qu'ils habitent proche la Mer, qui eſt ſalée, & que nos Sauuages appellent l'eau puante, c'eſt du coſté du Nord. La deſolation du païs des Hurons, leur ayât ſait aprehender vn ſemblable mal-heur; & la fureur des Iroquois les ayant pourſuiuy par tout, ils n'ont pas creu eſtre aſſeurez, qu'en s'éloignant, pour ainſi dire, iuſques au bout du monde. |
| (41:185) Another says that on certain Islands in the Lake of the people of the sea,—who are inappropriately called by some " the Stinkards,"5 — there are many peoples whose language strongly resembles the Algonquin; and that it is only nine days' journey from this great Lake to the sea separating America from China. It is also said, if some one were found willing to send thirty Frenchmen to that country, not only would many souls be won to God, but also a profit would be derived in excess of the outlay required for the maintenance of the Frenchmen sent out, since the best furs come in the greatest abundance from those regions. Time will reveal to us that which as yet we know only from the report of some Savages, who assure us that they have seen with their eyes what they express with their mouths. | Vn autre dit que dans des Iſles du Lac des gens de mer, que quelques-vns appellent mal à propos les Puants, il y a quantité de peuples [156] dont la langue a grand rapport auec l'Algonquine: Qu'il n'y a que neuf iours de chemin depuis ce grand Lac iuſques à lamer, qui ſepare l'Amerique de la Chine: Et que s'il ſe trouuoit vne perſonne, qui vouluſt enuoyer trente François en ce païs-là, non ſeulement on gagneroit beaucoup d'ames à Dieu; mais on retireroit encor vn profit qui ſurpaſſeroit les deſpenſes qu'on ſeroit pour l'entretien des François qu'on y enuoyeroit, pource que les meilleures pelleteries viennent plus abondamment de ces quartiers-là. Le temps nous découurira ce que nous ne ſçauons encor que par le rapport de quelques Sauuages, qui nous aſſeurent auoir veu de leurs yeux ce qu'ils expriment de leur bouche. |
Relation of what occurred in the Mission of the Fathers of the Society of JESUS, in the Country of New France, in the years 1655 and 1656. Sent to the Rev. Father Louys Cellot, Provincial of the Society of JESUS in the Province of France.
| (42:221) In the second place, there are in the Northern regions many Lakes which might well be called fresh-water Seas, the great Lake of the Hurons, and another near it, being as large as the Caspian Sea. In the third place, we were told of many Nations surrounding the Nation of the Sea which some have called ''the Stinkards,'' because its people formerly lived on the shores of the Sea, which they call Ouinipeg, that is, "stinking water." The Liniouek, their neighbors, comprise about sixty Villages; the Nadouesiouek have fully forty; the Pouarak, at least thirty; and the Kiristinons surpass all the above in extent, reaching as far as the North Sea.6 The Country of the Hurons, which had only seventeen Villages, extending over about as many leagues, maintained fully thirty thousand people. (42:223) A Frenchman once told me that he had seen, in the Country of the people of the Sea, three thousand men in an assembly held to form a treaty of peace. All those Tribes make war on other more distant Nations,—so true is it that men are Wolves toward men, and that the number of fools is infinite. These fools practice mutual slaughter, each wishing to prescribe the law to the other. Let us be patient with Barbarians, who know not God; but those who profess to know him, and who are well aware that he is a God of peace, that his abode is one of peace, and that it is his will to govern mankind as a peace-loving Solomon,— those, I say, are much more guilty. | Secondement, il y a quantité de Lacs au quartier du Nord, qui paſſeroient bien pour des Mers douces, & le grand Lac des Hurons, & vn autre qui luy eſt voiſin, ne cedent point à la Mer Caſpie. En troiſiéme lieu, on nous a marqué quantité de Nations aux enuirons de la Nation de Mer, que quelques-vns ont appellé les Puants, à cauſe qu'ils ont autrefois habité ſur les riues de la Mer, qu'ils nomment Ouinipeg, c'eſt à dire eau puante. Les Liniouek, qui leur ſont voiſins, ſont enuiron ſoixante Bourgades. Les Nadoueſiouek, en ont bien quarante. Les Pouarak, en ont pour le moins trente. Les Kiriſlinons paſſent tous ceux-là en eſtenduë; ils vont iuſques à la Mer du Nord. Le Païs des Hurons, qui n'auoit que dix-ſept Bourgades dans l'eſtenduë de dix-ſept lieuës, ou enuiron, nourriſſoit bien trente mille perſonnes. Vn François m'a dit autrefois, qu'il auoit veu trois mille hommes dans vne aſſemblée, qui ſe fit pour traiter de paix, au Païs des gens de Mer. Tous ces Peuples ſont la guerre à d'autres Nations plus éloignées; tant il eſt vray, que les hommes ſont des Loups à l'egard des hommes; & que le nombre des ſous eſt infiny. Ces ſous ſe tuent, ſe voulant donner la loy les vns aux autres. Patience pour des Barbares, qui ne connoiſſent pas Dieu; mais ceux qui ſont proſeſſion de le connoiſtre, & qui ſçauent qu'il eſt vn Dieu de paix, que ſa demeure eſt dans la paix, & qu'il veut gouuerner les hommes, comme vn Salomon paciſique: ceux-là, dis-je, ſont bien plus coupables. |
Relation of what occurred in the Mission of the Fathers of the Society of JESUS in the country of New France, from the Summer of the year 1657 to the Summer of the year 1658.
| (44:247) "The second Nation is composed of the Noukek, Ouinipegouek, and Malouminek. These people are but a very short distance from the Village of Saint Michel, or from the Oupouteouatamik. They reap, without sowing it, a kind of rye which grows wild in their meadows, and is considered superior to Indian corn. About two hundred Algonquins, who used to dwell on the Northern shores of the great Lake or the Fresh-water sea of the Hurons, have taken refuge in this place." | La ſeconde Nation eſt des NouKeK, des OuinipegoueK, & des MaloumineK. Ces peuples ſont fort peu éloignez du Bourg de Saint Michel, ou des Oupouteouatamik. Ils recueillent ſans ſemer, vn certain ſeigle, qui vient naturellement dans leurs prairies, qu'on tient eſtre meilleur que le bled d'Inde. C'eſt icy, où enuiron deux cent Algonquins, qui demeuraient ſur les riues du grand Lac, ou de la mer Douce des Hurons, du coſté du Nord, ſe ſont refugiez. |
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| A Fox Indian, Father Claude-Jean Allouez, and Nicolas Perrot |
Relation de ce qvi s'est passé .... en la Novvelle France, les années 1669. & 1670. CHAPTER XII. OF THE MISSION OF SAINT FRANCOIS XAVIER ON THE "BAY OF STINKARDS," OR RATHER "OF STINKING WATERS." Letter from Father Allouez, who has had charge of this Mission, to the Reverend Father Superior.
| (54:205) On the following day, I celebrated holy Mass, at which the French, to the number of eight, paid their Devotions. As the Savages had gone into winter quarters, I found here only one Village of different Nations — Ousaki, Pouteouatami, Outagami, Ovenibigoutz [i.e., Ouinipegouk] —about six hundred souls. A league and a half away was another, of a hundred and fifty souls; four leagues distant, one of a hundred souls; and eight leagues from here, on the other side of the Bay, one of about three hundred souls. | Le lendemain je celebray la ſainte Meſſe, où les François au nombre de huit, firent leurs Devotions. Les Sauvages ayant pris leur quartier d'hyver, je ne trouvay icy qu'un Bourg de diverſes Nations, OuſaKi, Pouteoiiatami, Outagami, Ovenibigoutz, environ ſix cens ames; à une lieuë & demie, un autre de cent cinquante ames, à quatre lieuës, un de cent ames, à huit lieuës d'icy, de l'autre bord de la Baye, un d'environ trois cens ames. |
| (54:237) On the thirteenth I crossed the Bay to go to find the Ovenibigoutz in their Clearings, where they were assembling. The next day, I held council with the Old men and the youth, and proclaimed the Gospel to them, as I had done to the others. About thirty years ago, all the people of this Nation were killed or taken captive by the Iliniouek, with the exception of a single man who escaped, shot through the body with an arrow. When the Iliniouetz had sent back his captive countrymen to inhabit the country anew, he was made Captain of his Nation, as having never been a slave. They speak a peculiar language which the other Savages do not understand; it resembles neither the Huron nor the Algonquin. There are, they say, only certain tribes of the Southwest who speak as they do. I learned some words from them, but more especially the Catechism, the Pater, and the Ave. I visited them in their cabins and instructed them, doing the same to the Pouteouatamis who live with them; and both asked me, with gifts, to come and instruct them in the following Autumn. | Le treiziéme je traverſay l'Ance pour aller trouver les Ovenibigoutz à leurs Deſerts, où ils s'aſſembloient. Le lendemain je tins conſeil avec les Vieillards, & la jeuneſſe, & leur annonçay l'Evangile comme j'avois fait aux autres. Il y a environ trente ans que tous ceux de cette Nation furent tuez ou amenez priſonniers par les IlimoucK [se. Iliniouek] à la reſerve d'un ſeul homme qui échappa, percé d'une flêche à travers le corps. Il a eſté fait Capitaine de ſa Nation, comme n'ayant jamais eſté eſclave, les Ilinioiietz ayans renvoyé ſes compatriotes captifs, pour habiter derechef le pays. Ils parlent une langue particuliere, que les autres Sauvages n'entendent pas: elle n'approche point ny du Huron ny de l'Algonquin. Il n'y a, diſent-ils, que certains peuples du Sur-Oueſt qui parlent comme eux. I'en ay appris quelque mots; mais ſur tout, le Catechiſme, le Pater, & Y Ave. |
Relation de ce qui s'est passé .... en la Nouvelle France, les années 1670. & 1671.
| (55:183) This Mission embraces eight different Nations, or even more, if we include some unsettled tribes which sustain relations to it. The first to receive our attention, and the best instructed in the faith, are the people living at the head of the Bay commonly called des Puans. This name, which is the same as that given by the Savages to those who live near the sea, it bears perhaps because the odor of the marshes surrounding this Bay somewhat resembles that of the sea; and, besides, there can hardly be more violent blasts of wind on the Ocean than are experienced in this region, accompanied by very heavy and almost continual thunder. Four Nations make their abode here,— to wit, the people named Puans [Stinkards], who have always lived here as in their own country, and who have been reduced to nothing from their very flourishing and populous state in the past, having been exterminated by the Ilinois, their enemies; the Pouteouatami, the Ousaki, and the nation of the Fork [Ottawa] also live here, but as foreigners, driven by their fear of the Iroquois from their own territories, which lie between the Lake of the Hurons and that of the Ilinois. | Ette Million embraſſe huit Nations differentes, ou meſme davantage, qui voudroit comprendre quelques peuples moins ſedentaires, qui y ont rapport. Les premiers cultivez, & les plus inſtruits en la ſoy, ſont ceux qui demeurent dans le fonds de la Baye, communément appellée des Puans, elle porte ce nom, qui eſt le meſme que les Sauvages donnent à ceux, qui habitent proche de la mer, peut-eſtre parce que l'odeur des mareſcages, dont cette Baye eſt environnée, a quelque choſe de celle de la mer; & d'ailleurs il eſt difficile qu'il ſe ſaſſe ſur l'Ocean des coups de vent plus impetueux, que ceux qui ſe ſont reffentir en ce lieu, avec des tonnerres extremement violens, & preſque continuels. Quatre Nations y ſont leur reſidence, à ſçavoir ceux qui portent le nom des Puans, & qui y ont toujours demeuré, comme en leur propre païs. D'un peuple tres-floriſſant & tres nombreux qu'ils eſtoient, ils ſont preſque reduits à rien, ayant eſté exterminez par les Ilinois leurs ennemis; Les Pouteoiiatami, les OuſaKi, & ceux de la Fourche y demeurent auſſi; mais comme eſtrangers, la crainte des Iroquois les ayant chaſſez de leurs terres, qui ſont entre le Lac des Hurons, & celuy des Ilinois. |
Relation de ce qui s'est passé .... en la Nouuelle France, Les années 1672 et 1673.
| (58:41) The four villages where we are, in all of Which that holy tree has brought forth fruits for Heaven; and of beholding The mission of saint francois at The bay des puants, where are The pouteouatami, The saki, The ouenibigouc, The Oumalouminik, The outaoussinagouc [Sinago Ottawa], and others. Each tribe has its special Dialect. | Les quatre bourgades ou nous sommes en toutes Lesquelles ce saint arbre a produit des fruits pour Le Ciel, et La mission de saint françois de La baye des puants ou sont Les pouteouatami Les saKi, Les ouenibigouc, Les OumalouminiK, Les outaoussinagouc &c, Chacun sa Langue particuliere. |
RELATION OF WHAT OCCURRED MOST REMARKABLE IN THE MISSIONS OF THE FATHERS of the Society of Jesus, IN NEW FRANCE, in the years 1676 and 1677.
EXTRACT FROM A LETTER OF FATHER LOUIS ANDRÉ,
WRITTEN FROM THE BAY DE PUANTS ON
THE 20TH OF APRIL, 1676.
| (60:203) Afterward, I stopped with the puants, where 12 Children Received baptism, as well as an old man who died not long after. I shall not Relate here all the obstacles that the Devil raised up against me, and how he availed himself of the effrontery of some savages to revenge himself for the prey that I Snatched from him through those Baptisms. This year, we have among the puants 7 or 8 families from a nation who are neutral Between our Savages and the nadoessi, who are at war. They are called aiaoua, or nadoessi mascouteins.7 |
Enſuitte mEſtant arreſté chez les puants 12 Enfants Receurent le bapteſme etvn vieillard qui mourut peu apres Ie ne Rapporteray point icy tous les troubles que le Diable m'a ſuſcitté et côe il seſt feruy des impertinences de quelques ſauuages pour ſe vanger de la proye que je luy Enlevois par ces Bapteſmes Nous auons vû [vû omitted—con. MS.] cette année chez les puants 7 ou 8 nations neutres [8 familles d'une nation neutre — con. MS.] Entre nos Sauuages et le nadoeſſi qui ſont en guerre. on les appelle aiaoiia ou maſcouteins nadoeſſi ... |
 |
| The Death of Father Rale, August 23, 1724 |
Letter from Father Sebastien Rasles [Rale], Missionary of the Society of Jesus in New France, to Monsieur his Brother. Narantsouak, this 12th of October, 1723.
| (67:161) As soon as I saw the coming of spring I left Missilimakinak, that I might go the country of the Illinois. I found on my way many Savage Tribes, among them the Maskoutings, the Sakis, the Omikoues [Amikwas], the Ouinipegouans, the Outagamis, and others. All these Tribes have their own peculiar language; but, in all other respects, they do not differ in the least from the Outaouacks [Ottawas]. A Missionary who lives at the bay des Puants, makes excursions, from time to time, to the homes of these Savages, in order to instruct them in the truths of Religion. | Aussitôt que je vis arriver le printemps, je partis de Missilimakinak pour me rendre chez les Illinois. Je trouvai sur ma route plusieurs Nations Sauvages, entr'autres les Maskoutings, les Sakis, les Omikoues, les Iripegouans [sc. Ouinipegouans], les Outagamis, etc. Toutes ces Nations ont leur langage particulier; mais, pour tout le reste, ils ne diffèrent en rien des Outaouacks. Un Missionnaire qui demeure à la baie des Puants, fait de temps-en-temps des excursions parmi ces Sauvages, pour les instruire des vérités de la Religion. |
Notes to the Text
1 (247) Gens puants: the French appellation of a tribe called, by the Algonkins, Ouinipigou (modernized as Winnebago). Le Jeune thus explains the origin of the name (Relation of 1640, chap, x.): "Some Frenchmen call them the Nation of Stinkards [Puans], because the Algonquin word ouinipeg signifies bad-smelling water, and they apply this name to the water of the salt sea,— so that these peoples are called Ouinipigou, because they come from the shores of a sea about which we have no knowledge; consequently they ought not to be called the nation of Stinkards, but the nation of the sea."—Cf. Butterfield's Disc, of N. W., p. 38. Shea was the first to identify the gens de mer, of the Relations, with the Winnebagoes; see his Discovery of Mississippi Valley (N. Y., 1853), pp. xx., xxi.
The Winnebago tribe — of Dakota stock, and thus tribally isolated among their Algonkin neighbors — inhabited the Fox River valley of Eastern Wisconsin, and the shores of Green Bay. They were known to early writers, by report, as engaged in trade with the Canadian tribes. Champlain's map of 1632 locates the Nation des Puans on a lake of the same name, northwest of Lake Huron; they (248) may have been thus placed only through ignorance of the region west of Lake Huron,— or Lac des Puans may have been intended for Lake Winnipeg, the modern form of ouinipeg. Sagard (Canada, p. 201) mentions the Cheveux-Releves (Ottawas) as enterprising traders, whose voyages extended as far as the Nation des Puants, a distance of more than 500 leagues. Du Creux's map names Lake Michigan Magnus Lacus algonquinorum, seu Lacus Foetentium, "the Great Lake of the Algonquins, or Lake of Stinkards." The first white man to visit the Winnebagoes, so far as known, was Jean Nicolet (vol. viii., note 29), possibly in 1634-35. Brébeuf tells us (vol. x., p. 83, and note 6) that in 1636 the Aweatsiwaenrrhonons (the Huron equivalent for gens puants) were on hostile terms with the Amikoués, "having broken the treaty of peace" that had been made (presumably through Nicolet's agency) between those tribes. They were also frequently at war with the Hurons and other tribes; and the Relation of 1671 (chap. v.) states that the Winnebagoes had at one time been almost exterminated by the Illinois.
In 1669, the Jesuits began their labors with this tribe, the mission of St. Francis Xavier (vol. i., note 57) being founded by Allouez. This mission was sustained during more than half a century; among its laborers were Jean André Antoine Silvy, Charles Albanel, Jean Enjalran, and Jean Chardon.
2 Nation des Puants: the Winnebago tribe (vol. xv., note 7).
3 Ouinipigou = Winnebagoes (vol. xv., note 7): Naduesiu = Sioux; Assinipour = Assiniboines. All these are branches of the Dakota stock.
Maroumine = Menomonees; Eriniouai = Illinois; Pouutouatami = Pottawatomies,— all Algonkin tribes. Rasouakoueton is probably equivalent to Mascoutins, R being a misprint for M.
4 Kichkagoneiak: the Kiskakons. These people, though often mentioned in the Relations as a nation, were not a separate tribe, but only constituted the "Short-tailed Bear" clan of the Ottawas. The name Kichkagon is derived, not from any root suggestive of the bear as their totem, but from the Algonkin word Kiska, "to cut," —alluding to the abbreviated tail of the bear; hence the French soubriquet Queues coupies, "Cut tails," sometimes given to this clan.—J. G. Henderson.
Late in the 17th century, these Kiskakon Ottawas were at Sault Ste. Marie and Mackinac; in 1745, they had extended as far southward as Detroit. The Relation of 1669 (chap. vi.) mentions the labors among them of Menard and Allouez.
5 See account of the Winnebago tribe in vol. xv., note 7.
6 The tribe here called Puants were the Winnebagoes (vol. xv., note 7); the Liniouek, the Illinois (vol. xxiii., note 9); the Nadouesiouek, the Sioux (vol. xxiii., note 8); the Kiristtnons, the Crees (vol. xviit., note 15).
Pouarak (Poualac): an abbreviated form of Assinipoualak, which, according to the Relation of 1658, means "warriors of the rock," modernized as Assiniboin. A tribe of Siouan stock, dwelling west of the Crees, on the Saskatchewan and Assiniboin rivers.
7 Aiouas (Ayoes, Ayowois): modernized into Iowas; a Siouan tribe, living in Southern Minnesota when first known by white men. The appellation given them in our text means "Nadoessi (or Sioux) of the prairies;" and they were on friendly terms with the other Sioux tribes. Perrot says (Tailhan's ed., p. 85) that the Ottawas, fleeing in 1656-57 from the Iroquois, were hospitably received by the Ayoës; and when he established himself upon the Mississippi (1685), he maintained friendly relations with the latter tribe. An enumeration of the savage tribes of New France, in 1736, places the Ayowois south of the Missouri River (probably an error for the Minnesota), and estimates their number at 80 warriors (400 to 500 souls).— See N. Y. Colon. Docs., vol. ix., p. 1055.
Source
The Jesuit relations and allied documents; travels and explorations of the Jesuit missionaries in New France, 1610-1791; the original French, Latin, and Italian texts, with English translations and notes. Edited by Reuben Gold Thwaites. 73 Vols. (Cleveland: Burrows Bros. Co., 1896-1901).