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FLEUR DE LYS
among themselves to draw near to see what this could be; and, having descried some of our Frenchmen who were felling trees not far from our fort in order to build themselves some houses, they hid behind trees and watched our men a long time, being quite surprised at our clothes and the color of our faces. Some of our soldiers, observing them, signaled to them to approach and to have no fear. They spoke to them m the Iroquois language, as most of our soldiers were, by nation, Canadians who had often had dealings with the Iroquois. After they had spoken to the savages a long time, they approached our men. When the savages had looked at them, a little reassured, our men led some of them to M. d’Hyberville, who received them very well indeed, having food and drink from our supplies given them; but, either because these things were not to their taste or because they were still afraid, they would not eat these things or even touch them. They only kept gazing at us, astonished at seeing white-skinned people, some heavily bearded, some bald-headed, for such in-"deed there were among us. Thus we appeared to be quite different from them, who have very tawny skin and heavy black hair which they groom very carcfully. These savages belonged to a nation called Biloxi; that is why : M. d’Hyberville gave the name Biloxi 14 to the fort we had built in this place. They remained with us two days. M. d’Hyberville gave them several little presents of awls, ^ small mirrors, rings, combs, knives, vermilion and such;
14	Commonly callcd Fort Biloxi, this fort was officially named Fort Maurepas, for Jerome Phelypeaux, Count dc Maurepas. For his assumption of the title Count dc Pontchartrain, see N. M. Miller Surrey, Calendar of Manuscripts in Paris Archives and Libraries Relating to the History of the Mississippi Valley to 1S0) (Washington, 1926-28), I, vi and 57.
4
AND CALUMET
and he had them told the several uses of these things, which they carried off to their village, to their chief.
A week later—as soon as news of the arrival of the French spread among the savages neighboring to these— they came with the chiefs of several villages and sang their calumet of peace, as all the nations do 15 with people whom they have not seen before, but with whom they wish friendship and peace. The calumet is a stick, or hollow cane, about one ell long, decorated all over with feathers of parrtots, birds of prey, and eagles. All these feathers tied together around the stick look just about like several lady’s fans from France joined together. At the end of this stick is a pipe which they call cahimet.
The chiefs of these savages—who were five different nations named the Pascagoulas, the Capinans, the Chic-achas, the Passacolas, and the Biloxi 10—came ceremoni-j ously into our fort, singing the while, to present the calu-: met to M. d’Hyberville, our commander, who did indeed draw some puffs 17 on that calumet after the manner of the savages. Then, as a mark of honor, they rubbed white dirt over the faces of M. d’Hyberville, his brothers, and . several other officers. The feast of the calumet lasted three
15 The description of the calumet, or peace pipe, ceremony docs not appear in the Gentleman of Elvas* account of De Soto’s travels in the South, nor do I recall any allusion made to it in Garcilaso dc la Vega’s Florida del Ynca. The ceremonial calumet must have been introduced among Southern tribes within the century and a half preceding the arrival of the French on the Gulf Coast.
18 The Biloxi Indians, linguistically the most interesting of these tribes, were of Siouan stock. The Capinans, living with the Biloxi and Pascagoula, are callcd Moc-tobi by ethnologists. These three tribes had no more than twenty cabins when Iberville arrived on the Coast. The Passacolas, or Pensacola Indians, lived in the neighborhood of Pensacola, Florida, Sec Frederick Webb Hodge, Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico (Washington, 1907—10), I, 147; and Swanton, Indian Tribes of the Lower Mississippi Valley, p. 306.
17	Iberville was not a smoker.
J