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Chitimacha to French, 1720
Speech Context
This speech was deilvered to M. de Bienville in New Orleans to bring peace between the Chitimacha and French in the Louisiana territory. A missionary had been killed, the Abbe de St. Come, and the Chitimacha presented their message, answered to the terms of the French, in order to present the calumet, or pipe of peace.
Speech
My heart laughs for joy on seeing myself before thee; we have all of us heard the word of peace which thou have sent us: the hearts of our whole nation laugh for joy on that occasion; the women, forgetting that instant all that passed, have danced; and the children have leapt like young roe-bucks. Thy words shall never be forgotten, and our descendants will remember it as long as the ancient word shall last: as the war has made us poor, we have been obliged to make a general hunt or chase, in order to bring thee some furs: but we were afraid of going to any great distance, less the other nations should not yet have heard thy word; nor are we come hither but trembling all the way, till we saw thy face.
How glad are my eyes and my heart to behold thee this day. Our presents are small, but our hearts are great to obey thy word; at thy commands thou shall see our legs run and leap like those of the stags, to do as thou shalt please.
How beautiful is the sun today, in comparison with what it was when thou were angry with us! How dangerous is one villain! Thou knowest, that a single has killed the chief of prayer, whose death has caused that of our, best warriors: we have only old men, and women with their children remaining, who all stretch out their arms towfard thee as to a good father. The gall that formerly filled thy heart, has given way to honey; the great spirit is no longer irritated against our nation; thou has required the head of a villain from our hands, and in order to obtain peace we have sent it thee.
The sun was red before, all the roads were full of thorns and briars; the clouds were black, the water troubled and stained with our blood; our women lamented without intermission the loss of their relations, and daring not venture to go and fetch wood for preparing our victuals; at the 1east shriek of the birds of night all our warriors were on foot; they never slept without their arms; our huts were abandoned, and our fields lay fallow; we had all of us empty stomachs, and our faces looked long and meagre; the game and wild fowl fled far from us; the serpents angrily hissed at us; and the birds that perched near our habitations seemed, by their doleful notes, to sing us songs of death.
Today the sun is bright, the sky is serene; the clouds are vanished, the roads covered with flowers; our gardens and fields shall henceforth be cultivated, and we will offer their first fruits to the great spirit; the water is so clear that we see ourfelves in it; the serpents fly from us; the birds amuse us by the sweetness and harmony of their songs; our wives and children dance, and forget to eat and to drink; the whole nation laughs for joy, to see us walk on the fame road with thyself and the French; the same sun shall light us, we shall have but one and the same speech, and our hearts shall make but one; we will kill them that shall kill the French; our warriors shall hunt to make them subsist and we will eat together: Will not that be good? What does thou say to it, father?
How glad are my eyes and my heart to behold thee this day. Our presents are small, but our hearts are great to obey thy word; at thy commands thou shall see our legs run and leap like those of the stags, to do as thou shalt please.
How beautiful is the sun today, in comparison with what it was when thou were angry with us! How dangerous is one villain! Thou knowest, that a single has killed the chief of prayer, whose death has caused that of our, best warriors: we have only old men, and women with their children remaining, who all stretch out their arms towfard thee as to a good father. The gall that formerly filled thy heart, has given way to honey; the great spirit is no longer irritated against our nation; thou has required the head of a villain from our hands, and in order to obtain peace we have sent it thee.
The sun was red before, all the roads were full of thorns and briars; the clouds were black, the water troubled and stained with our blood; our women lamented without intermission the loss of their relations, and daring not venture to go and fetch wood for preparing our victuals; at the 1east shriek of the birds of night all our warriors were on foot; they never slept without their arms; our huts were abandoned, and our fields lay fallow; we had all of us empty stomachs, and our faces looked long and meagre; the game and wild fowl fled far from us; the serpents angrily hissed at us; and the birds that perched near our habitations seemed, by their doleful notes, to sing us songs of death.
Today the sun is bright, the sky is serene; the clouds are vanished, the roads covered with flowers; our gardens and fields shall henceforth be cultivated, and we will offer their first fruits to the great spirit; the water is so clear that we see ourfelves in it; the serpents fly from us; the birds amuse us by the sweetness and harmony of their songs; our wives and children dance, and forget to eat and to drink; the whole nation laughs for joy, to see us walk on the fame road with thyself and the French; the same sun shall light us, we shall have but one and the same speech, and our hearts shall make but one; we will kill them that shall kill the French; our warriors shall hunt to make them subsist and we will eat together: Will not that be good? What does thou say to it, father?
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