Page:Joutel's journal of La Salle's last voyage, 1684-7 (IA joutelsjournalof00jout).pdf/162

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Stool, an old Man stretches out his Hands over them, mutters the Words as above, and then the Garments, Bows, Quivers, and Arrows are given to the Persons they belong to. This may be compar'd to Something of a Ceremony of Knighting among them. The same Ceremonies are us'd by them in the cultivating of their Grain and Product, but particularly of the Tabacco, whereof they have a Sort, which has smaller Leaves than Ours; it is almost ever green and they use it in Leaves. This is what we observ'd among the Cenis, whose Customs and Manners differ very little from those of other Nations, which we had seen before, and saw afterwards. As to the Point of Religion, it is not to be infer'd from what I have said above, that there is none throughout that vast Continent: The Account I have given only regards those Nations we saw; there may be others that have some Worship, and I remember I have heard Monsieur de la Sale say, that the Nation call'd Takensa, neighbouring on the Islinois, ador'd the Fire, and that they had Cottages which they made use of, as Temples. Before I conclude this short Account of the Religion, Customs and Manners of the Cenis, which belong'd properly to this Place, it is fit here also to observe, that the Word Nation, is not to be understood, among those Indians, to denote a People possessing a whole Province, or vast Extent of Land. Those Nations are no other than a Parcel of Villages, dispers'd for the Space of fifteen, of twenty or of thirty Leagues at most, which compose a distinct People or Nation; and they differ from one another rather in Language than in Manners, wherein they are all much alike, or at least they vary but little, as has been mention'd above. As for the Names of them, here follow those of such as we travel'd through, or were near the Way we held from our leaving our Habitation near the Bay of the Holy Ghost, till we came among the Cenis. The Spicheats, Kabayes, Thecamons, Thearemets, Kiabaha, Chaumenes, Kouans, Arhau, Enepiahe, Ahonerhopi-*