: Chitimacha Notebook: Writings of Emile Stouff—A Chitimacha Chief by Stouff Emile Gaudet Marcia G Editor - Chitimacha Indians; Indians of North America Louisiana

@FreeBooks

Posted in: #FreeBooks #FreeBooksIndia #FreeBooksApp #gg

Vote Up Vote Down   0 Reactions

Login to give Reaction!

LIST OF PHOTOGRAPHS

INTRODUCTION

Emile Stouff was Chief of the Chitimachas of Charenton, Louisiana, from 1948 to 1968. After Chief Stouff died in 1978, his widow, Faye Roger Stouff, discovered two notebooks in which he had recorded some of the things about the Chitimachas that he had learned from oral tradition. The two manuscripts were written in Emile Stouff's handwriting. Though Chief Stouff had no formal education, Mrs. Stouff, who is not a Native American, taught him to read and write after they were married and she came to live with him on the Chitimacha land.

Mrs. Stouff said that her husband told her he had learned most of the legends, stories, and myths that he knew from an aunt who would sit him down and beat him with a cane to make him listen. She would tell him, "You've got to learn this." Learning the history, religious beliefs, legends, and traditions of the tribe was apparently a very important part of the education and development of the Chitimachas.

There are two separate notebooks with writings by Emile Stouff. One begins with the story of creation and deals with the beliefs of the Chitimachas. The other deals more with the history since the white man came. Previous publications about the Chitimachas have presented parts of the legend about the cypress tree in Lake Dauterive and the legend about the little bird of the Chitimachas. Since Chief Stouff's version of the history is from the perspective of the Chitimachas, it differs somewhat from previously published accounts. This is particularly evident in a comparison of the Chitimacha account of the murder of St. Cosme with accounts that rely on French historical sources.

Chief Stouff's notebooks give an account of the Chitimacha beliefs and history as they were passed down by oral tradition. He recognized that this tradition would perhaps not be maintained, and he attempted to record some of his knowledge of the people and their culture. As such, his writings are of value and interest to anyone who would like to know more about the Chitimachas.

In editing the notebooks, I have made as few changes as possible in order to maintain the style and tone of Chief Stouff's writing. The changes from his original manuscript have been mainly to standardize spelling and punctuation for clarity. For example, Chief Stouff spelled Chitimacha several different ways in his writing, and he usually used no punctuation at all. Thus, he was writing just as he would have told these stories orally to the next generation of Chitimachas.

Marcia Gaudet

MANUSCRIPT OF EMILE STOUFF Last Chief of the Chitimachas

THE STORY OF CREATION

Then he saw man needed a helpmate. "I made man out of dirt so I will take part of man to make his helpmate so they will be as one, and she will be known as female as she is part of the male." After looking the male over, he decided to make her out of bone. So he took a rib from the rib case, right in front of the chest, leaving a bone dangling. When man woke up, he saw this female sitting there. He noticed she was built different and beautiful. When he started to her, he cried, "Wo Man," and they committed the first sin . The man said, "You should cover yourself up." The female said, "And so should you. I know, I will take the large leaves from this tree and make each a cover." She made the covers and tied them on with a vine known today as the white vine. When they heard the Great Spirit coming, they were ashamed, and hid from him. So he called for them to "Come out wherever you are." Then the Great Spirit asked them, "Why are you hiding?" Then the male said, "She looked so enticing that I went into her without your permission." The Great Spirit said, "For that you shall go out on the earth and earn your living by the sweat of your brow. If you do not work, you do not eat, and you, woman, you shall bear his offspring in great pain. I did not intend to have but you two, but since it is this way, you will be fruitful and multiply so your seed may be many, and now that you are smart, I will give you the earth, but remember you are made of her dirt and you shall return to her. She is your mother. She will feed you and clothe you. She will give you the trees to give you nuts and fruits for you to eat and at seasons for birds to live in, and fur bearing animals. You will also enjoy its shade. When you are tired, you may rest on the soft grass that will grow. The tree will have many uses. It will be used to warm you in the winter, to make rafts to float on the waters, and it will make your homes for your protection against the cold winter. It will heat you when it is cold. It will cook your food and its fire will be a blessing as the flames leave by small parts into the skies. It will also tell you the direction you must go so you need not ever get lost while you are traveling. The seed you shall plant, the earth will help them grow so you will have something to eat. She will separate and make streams to harbor the fishes you will eat and for you to drink and bathe. So protect the waters and keep them clean. Your life depends on its purity just like the air you breathe. You may have my breath in you, and if you disobey me, I will withdraw my breath and you will be no more. And through my breath, I will be with you always. When you are sick, the earth will bear roots and herbs for you to use. I will not inflict any sickness that will not have herbs to cure. I will speak to your medicine man through a coma only and only to this man I shall designate the cures. I will speak to him only through a vision. No one else shall see me again, and this man shall choose someone of his kind and reveal this secret to any man worthy of him. To avoid conflict, there will be only one in each group to speak to me. His power strength will be as strong as his faith in me. I shall keep the mother earth in my custody so I may destroy it any time that you have lost faith in me and disobey my teaching. You will, at any time I choose for you, return your body to the mother earth, but if you love me and keep the faith your spirits will go to the Happy Hunting Ground, where everything will be for your taking, and you will die no more. But if you do not, your carcass will remain in mother womb and return to dirt of which you were created.

"The earth will be for your use. Use it in any way you choose. But no one can claim it as their own. It is not to be bought, sold, or rented, because the earth is mine. Misuse it, and you shall repent for any wrong use of the land or its streams. This I command you to live by, so go out in the world that you have made for yourself and be fruitful and multiply."

Free books android app tbrJar TBR JAR Read Free books online gutenberg

(0)

Login to post a comment!