LETTER XVII.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE PRECIS HISTORIQUES, BRUSSELS.
Fire-worship.
ST.LOUIS, NOVEMBER 14, 1857.
REV. AND VERY DEAR FATHER:
The ancient worship of fire exists among our Indians from time immemorial. It is found in their traditions, as in the history of almost all the nations which have had temples and altars in which was a pyre, a hearth, a brasier, in order to entertain continually the fire used in their sacrifices. The Greeks adored fire under the name of Haitos, and the Latins under the name of Vesta. Father Charlevoix represents the tribes of Louisiana, and especially the ancient tribe of the Natchez, as keeping up a perpetual fire in all their medicine lodges or temples. Among the Moquis of New Mexico the sacred fire is constantly maintained by aged men. They believe that great misfortunes will afflict the whole tribe should the fire be extinguished.
The superstitious devotion to fire was general among the Mexicans at the period of the Conquest. In a book entitled, Inie Calotle in Ilhuicac, or Way to Heaven, printed in 1607 and 1612, we see that each one of the eighteen months of the Mexican year was consecrated to a particular divinity, honored by festivals more or less solemn, and almost always by human sacrifices.
The first month, which begun on the second of February, was consecrated to Altachuala, god of the detention of waters; the second, to the destroying god of nations; the third, to , the god of the waters ; the fourth, to the god of maize ; the fifth, falling about Easter, to the god Tezcatlipoca, which was the Jupiter of the Romans; the ninth was consecrated to the god of war.
The tenth month, called Xocolh-huetzi, began on the 4th of August. Then took place the great feast of the god of fire, or Xuchten-hetli, with numerous human sacrifices. They thrust living men into the flames. When these were half burnt, but still alive, they tore out the heart, in presence of the image of the god. Then they planted in the middle of the court of the temple a lofty tree, around which they performed a thousand ceremonies and sacrifices worthy of the founder of this feast. It lasted longer than the others.
In the eleventh month falls the festival of Toci, mother of the gods; on the twelfth, that of the Coming of the gods; on the thirteenth, the Feasts upon the mountains; the fifteenth month was reserved to the god of war, and the seventeenth to the god of the rains.
The 12th of January commenced, with the eighteenth month, called Itzcali, another feast of fire. Two days previous (the 10th), in the middle of the night, they kindled the new fare before the idol of the god, elegantly ornamented. With this fire they lighted a grand pile. The hunters brought all that they had killed or fished from the waters, and presented it to the priest, who cast it into the furnace. Then all the assistants were obliged to eat very hot the tamalillos, that is to say, little loaves of corn-meal containing a small portion of roasted meat. What was most singular in this festival, is that, three successive years, no human victim was immolated, and the fourth year, the number of victims surpassed that of other feasts. The king in person and the lords presented themselves in the midst of this heap. of corpses to dance, and all sung, with respect and solemnity, the reserved chant, which they call in their language, Neteuhicuicaliztli.
In a Treatise on the Idolatry and Superstitions of the Mexicans, a manuscript of 1629, we perceive that what particularly attracted the veneration of the Mexicans was fire. For this reason this element presided at the birth, and at almost all the actions of life among these victims of error. The infant was born in this superstition. At the moment of its birth, fire was kindled in the room of the mother, and it was maintained four consecutive days, without removing any of it. They believed that if the live coals were drawn out, a cloud would suddenly appear over the eye of the newly -born. On the fourth day, the elders took the child and the fire out of the chamber; then they passed the fire four times around the child's bead, twice in one direction and twice in its opposite. Then 'the new-born infant received its name, which was in general that of the animal or of the element to which its birthday was consecrated, -as the alligator, the serpent, the tiger, the eagle, etc. ; or the water, the fire, the house, etc.
In the different sacrifices, tapers and incense almost always had a share.
We also find among them a mythological recital, which shows that a personage, formerly covered with leprosy, obtained the empire of the future world, for having passed by the ordeal of fire, and was transformed into the sun, to the great disappointment of other great personages who shrank from the test. Is this the cause of their respect for fire, and the reason why they attribute to it a mysterious power ? The Potawatomies say that Chipiapoos, or the Dead-man, is the grand manitou that presides in the' country of souls and there maintains the sacred fire, for the happiness of all those of his race who arrive there. I have spoken of it in my " Oregon Missions," p. 285.*
Fire is, in all the Indian tribes that I have known, an emblem of happiness or of good fortune. It is kindled before all their deliberations. " Having extinguished the enemy's fire," signifies with them, to have gained the victory. They attribute to fire a sacred character, which is remarkable everywhere in their usages and customs, especially in their religious ceremonies. They generally maintain mysterious ideas concerning the substance and phenomena of fire, which hey consider supernatural. To see a fire rising mysteriously, in their dreams or otherwise, is the symbol of the passage of a soul into-the other world. Before consulting the manitous, or tutelary spirits, or before addressing the dead, they begin by kindling the sacred fire. This fire must be struck from a flint, or reach them mysteriously by lightning, or in some other way. To light the sacred fire with common fire, would be considered among them as a grave and dangerous transgression.
The Chippeways of the north kindle a fire on every new tomb, during four successive nights. They say that this symbolical and sacred light illumines their solitary and
obscure passage to the country of souls. The following is the origin of this sacred and funereal fire among this people. I received the legend from the mouth of our worthy Watomika.
A little war-party of Chippeways met some enemies in a large and beautiful plain. The war-whoop was instantly shouted, and the contest commenced. Their chief was a
valiant and distinguished warrior. On this. occasion he sur
(* Longfellow has embodied this legend of Chipiapoos in his poem, " Hiawatha," but ascribes it to a plagiarist, who copied Father De Smet's narrative without the least credit. -Editor.)
passed himself in bravery, and a great number of his enemies fell beneath the redoubled blows of his tomahawk. He was giving the signal and the cry of victory to his braves in arms, when he received an arrow in his breast and fell life less on the plain. The warrior who receives his last blow in the act of combating is never buried. According to the ancient custom, he remains seated on the battle-field, his back resting against a tree, and his face turned in the direction which indicates the flight of his enemies. It was the case with this chief. His grand crest of eagle feathers was properly adjusted on his head,-each plume denoted a trophy or a scalp won in combat. His face was carefully painted. They clothed him and adorned him with his most beautiful habiliments, as though he were yet alive. All his equipment was placed at his side, his bow and quiver of arrows, of which he had made such noble usage in war, reposing on' his shoulder. The post of the brave was planted before him in solemn ceremony. He received all the honors due to an heroic and illustrious warrior. The rites, the chants, the funereal speeches, all, all were celebrated according to the custom of his nation in similar circumstances. His companions at length offered him their last farewells. No one had the slightest doubt of his death,-of the glorious death of their great chief. Were they -deceived? The sequel of the legend will show.
Although deprived of speech and of all other means of giving signs of life, the chief Beard distinctly all the words of the songs and of the discourses, the cries, the lamentations, and the bravadoes of his warriors. He witnessed their gestures, their dances, and all their ceremonies around the "post of honor." His icy hand was sensible to the pressure of the friendly grasp; his lips, though pale and livid, felt the ardor and heat of the farewell embrace and salute, without his being able to return it. Perceiving himself thus forsaken, his anguish became excessive, as also his desire to accompany his companions in their return to the village. When he saw them disappear one after the other, his spirit agitated him in such a manner, that he made a violent movement,be arose, or rather seemed to rise, and followed them. His form was invisible to them. This was for him a new cause of surprise and contradiction, which swelled at once his grief and his despair. However, he determined to follow them closely. Wheresoever they went., he went also. When they marched, he marched; whether riding or on foot, he was in their midst. He camped with them; he slept by their side; he awoke with them. In short, he shared in all their fatigues, in all their troubles, in all their labors. While he enjoyed the pleasure of their conversation, while he was present at their repasts, no drink was presented to allay his thirst, no dishes to appease his hunger. His questions and his responses equally remained without response. "Warriors ! my braves!" cried he, with bitterness and anguish;
"do you not-hear the voice of your chief? Look ! Do you not see my form ? You remain motionless,-you seem not to see and hear me. Stanch the blood which is flowing from the deep wound I have received. Suffer me not to die deprived of aid, to famish amid abundance. O you braves ! whom I led often into the thickest of the fight, who have always been obedient to my voice, already you seem to forget me! One drop of water to quench my feverish thirst, one mouthful of sustenance! In my distress, how dare you refuse me !"
At each halt, he addressed them in alternate supplication and reproach, but in vain. No one understood his words. If they heard his voice, it was rather for them as the passage or the whispered murmurs of the wind of summer through the foliage and branches of the forest, unnoticed and unheeded.
In fine, after a long and painful journey, the war-party arrived on the summit of a lofty eminence, which overlooked the whole village. The warriors prepared to make their solemn entrance. They decorated themselves with their handsomest ornaments, carefully painted their faces, attached to themselves their victorious trophies, especially scalps, which they fastened on the ends of their bows, tomahawks, and lances. Then burst forth a unanimous shout, the cry of joy and of victory of the Chippeways, the "Kumaudjeewug ! Kumaudjeewug ! Kumandjeewug !"-that is to say, they have met; or, they have fought; or, they have conquered. This enthusiastic shout resounded throughout the whole camp. According to custom, the women and children went forth to meet the warriors, in order to honor their return and proclaim their praises. Those who bad lost some members of their family, approached with anxiety and eagerness, to find out whether they were really dead, and to assure themselves that they died valiantly, in battling with the enemy. The old man, bowed by the weight of years, consoles himself for the loss of a son, if be sank like a brave man, arms in band; and the grief of the youthful widow loses all its bitterness when she hears the praises bestowed on the manes of her valiant spouse. The stirring recitals of the combat awaken a martial fire in the hearts of all the youth; and children, yet incapable of understanding the cause of the grand festival, mingle their infantine shouts of joy and gladness with the boisterous and reiterated acclamations of the whole tribe.
Amid all this clamor and all these rejoicing-s, no one was conscious of the presence of the great war-chief. He heard the information that his. near relation and his friends
received concerning his fortunes. He listened to the recital of his bravery, of his lofty deeds, of his glorious death in the midst of his vanquished enemies. He heard them speak of the post of the brave, planted in his honor on the field of battle. "Here I am !" cried he ; "I see ! I walk ! Look at me ! Touch me! I am not dead! Tomahawk in hand, I shall renew my march against the enemy, at the head of my braves; and soon, in the banquet, you will hear the tones of my drum !" No one heard him; no one perceived him.: The voice of the great chief was no more to them than the perpetual din of the falling waters from cascade to cascade at the foot of their village. Impatient, he took the direction of his lodge. There he found his wife in deep despair, cutting, in token of mourning, her long and floating locks, lamenting her misfortune, the loss of a cherished husband, and the desolate state of her orphan children. He strove to undeceive her, and to comfort her with words of tenderness; he sought to clasp his infants in his arms; but here again, vain and futile were his efforts ; they remained insensible to his voice and his paternal caresses. The mother, bathed in tears, sat inclining her head between her hands. The chief, suffering and dejected, besought her to dress his deep wound, to apply to it the herbs and roots contained in his medicinesack; but she moved not; she answered only with tears and groans. Then he approached his mouth close to the ear of his wife, and shouted aloud, "I am thirsty! I am hungry I Give me food and drink!" The woman thought she heard a rumbling in her ear, and spoke of it to her companions. The chief, in his vexation, struck her a severe blow on the brow. She quietly pressed her hand to the stricken place,. and said, " I feel a slight headache."
Frustrated at every step, and in all his attempts to make himself known, the. great chief began to reflect on what he had heard, in his youth, from the distinguished jugglers: He had learned that sometimes the spirit or soul quits the body and wanders up and down at hazard, according to its own will and pleasure. He therefore thought, that perchance his body was lying on the field of battle, and that his spirit only had accompanied the warriors on their return to the village. He ,instantly resolved to return by the path he bad pursued, at a distance of four days' march. The three first days he met no one. In the afternoon of the fourth, when approaching the battle-field, he remarked a fire in the centre of the path which he was following. Wishing to avoid it, he quitted the track ; but the fire, at the same instant, changed position, and placed itself before him. In vain he tried to go from right to left, the same mysterious fire ever preceded him, as if to bar his entrance to the field of battle. " I also," said he to himself, " I am a spirit; I am seeking to return into my body; I will accomplish my design. Thou wilt purify me, but thou shalt not hinder the realization of my project. I have always conquered my enemies, notwithstanding the greatest obstacles. This day I will triumph over thee, Spirit of Fire!" he said, and, with an intense effort, he darted towards the mysterious flame. He came forth from a long trance. He found himself seated on the battle-ground, his back supported against the tree. His bow, his arrows, his clothes, his ornaments,. his war accoutrements, the post of the brave, all were in -the same state and occupied the same position in which his soldiers had left them on the day of strife. He raised his eyes and perceived a large eagle, perched on the highest branch of a tree above his head. Instantly he recognized his manitoubird, the same that had appeared to him in his earlier days, when he came forth from the state of childhood; the bird that he had selected for his tutelary spirit, and of which he.
had always worn a talon suspended from his neck. His manitou had carefully guarded his body, and had prevented the vultures and other birds of prey from devouring it. The chief arose, stood some minutes, but found himself weak and reduced. The blood from his wound had ceased to flow, and he dressed it. He was acquainted with the efficacy of certain leaves and roots suitable for healing bruises. He sought them, gathered them with care in the forest, and crushing some between two stones, applied them. He chewed and swallowed others.
After the lapse of a few days, he felt sufficient strength to attempt to return to his village; but hunger consumed him. In the absence of large animals, he lived on little birds that. his arrows brought clown, insects and reptiles, roots and berries. After many hardships, he arrived at length on the shore of a river that separated him from wife, children, and friends. The chief uttered the shout agreed upon in such circumstances, the shout of the happy return of an absent friend. The signal was heard. A canoe was immediately sent for him. During the absence of the canoe, the conjectures were numerous concerning the absent person, whose friendly voice of approach had just been heard. All those who had belonged to the warlike band,, were present in the camp. The dead alone remained on the field of battle. “Might not the unknown on the other shore be an absent hunter? Or might not this shout prove a bold ruse of an enemy to take the scalps of the rowers ?“ To send a canoe was therefore judged imprudent, because they were not sure of the absence of an individual from the village.
While on the opposite shore all these conjectures were increasing, the war-chief embarks. He soon presents himself before them, amid the acclamations and joyful shouts of all his relatives and friends. The Indians eagerly pour forth from every lodge to shake hands and celebrate the happy return of their chief and faithful conductor. That day will be for them ever memorable and solemn. They return thanks to the Master of Life, and to all the manitous of the Indian calendar, for the preservation and return of their be loved chief. The whole day is consumed in dances, songs, and banquets.
When the first burst of astonishment and universal joy . had a little subsided, and the usual tranquillity was restored to the village, the chief beat his drum in order to convene his people. He related to them the whole story of his extraordinary adventures, and terminated his recital by making known to them, and imposing on them, "the worship of the sacred and funereal fire"-that is to say, the ceremony which consists in maintaining, during four consecutive nights, afire on every newly-closed sepulchre. He told them that this devotion is advantageous and agreeable to the soul of the deceased; that the distance to the country of souls is four long days; that in this journey the soul needs a fire every night in its encampment; that this funereal-fire, kindled on the tomb-by the near relations of the departed, serves to enlighten and warm the soul during its peregrination. The Chippeways believe that when this religious rite is neglected, the soul or spirit is forced to discharge the difficult task of making and maintaining a fire itself, and that with the greatest inconvenience.
Here I am, dear Father, at the close of the legend of the Chippeways. I give it as I received it. I am assured that it is very ancient. The worship of- fire among our Indians springs from the worship of the primitive pagans, who, in order to purify themselves, leaped over fire, either a mysterious one, or lighted in honor of some divinity. The laws of Moses prohibited this practice among the Jews.
Yet, one word more, reverend Father, and I finish this lengthy epistle. If you will read over one of my- former letters, you will there find that in my visit to the Crows, camped at the base of the Rocky Mountains, I was the object of an extreme veneration among these savages. Why, 1 was considered as the bearer or the guardian of the mysterious fire. In effect, I carried a box of phosphoric matches in the pocket of my soutane. The savages perceived that I used them to light my pipe or their calumet. In a second visit I learned the cause, very futile in itself, which had attached such great importance to my poor person.
I receive from time to time news from these poor and unfortunate pagans. They do not forget the visits which they have received, and I certainly never forget these dear children of my heart. They continue to beg, earnestly, every year, that missionaries be sent them to baptize their children and instruct them in the holy faith, which can alone render them happy here and hereafter.
You asked me one day, reverend Father, in an excursion which we made together during my last -visit in Belgium, “What is the degree of civilization of the tribes that you have visited ?" I replied to you: " I do not know all that Europeans wish us to comprehend by the word civilization." These savages are spoken of as. exceptional beings, possessing another nature. They are men like ourselves. They only differ from us because they are ignorant, poor, and un fortunate. But their hearts are so good ! There are some who have much natural ability, and what is more valuable, a great deal of faith and virtue ! Is not the close of my letter a confirmation of what I -said to you ? What gratitude! What desire to know God! If, therefore, there is question of civilization of souls for heaven, oh ! we have no need of European civilizers. Cause prayers to be offered that God may send us missionaries, and we will make them
happy !
I commend all these dear savages, our brethren in Jesus Christ, redeemed by the same blood, and inclosed in the same Sacred Heart-I commend them all most earnestly to your holy sacrifices, and to your kind prayers.
Deign to believe me, with the most profound respect, reverend Father,
Rae. Vae. servus in Christo,
P. J. DE SMET, S. J