Name ______________________________________ Period _______
1699 Iberville’s Journal: Primary Sources
March 2 - ...I steered SSE crossing a bay 2 leagues...wind NNE and heavy and seas so high that I could not keep to seaward, nor could I run for the shore, the water in the area being too shallow. I remained at sea, lying to with my longboats, my canoes being aboard them, and heavy seas often spilling into our longboats. After I had held the SE course for 3 hours in order to double a rocky point (later learned this was mud!), as night was coming on and the foul weather continuing so that we could not endure without going to the shore during the night lest we perish at sea, I stood for those rocks in order to run ashore by day to save my men and my longboats. When drawing near to the rocks to take shelter, I became aware that there was a river. I passed between two of the rocks in 12 feet of water, the seas quite heavy. When I got close to the rocks, I found fresh water with a very strong current. I found the mouth of the river 28 leagues south of the place where the ships are.
Underline or highlight where you find the answers in Iberville’s journal.
1. What event is being described in the above passage? The where sailing threw America and they found the Mississippi river in Louisiana.
2. How did poor weather cause Iberville to make this important discovery? It steered him to the Mississippi river and he had to take shelter and he found the mouth.
3. What words or phrases show what Iberville had discovered? When I got close to the rocks, I found fresh water with a very strong current. I found the mouth of the river 28 leagues south of the place where the ships are.
Iberville's expedition arrives at the boundary between the Ouma (now called the Houma tribe) and the Bayogoula and see a spectacular red pole adorned with skulls of animals (the pole was used as a boundary marker and this is now the site of present day Baton Rouge which literally means "red stick"). Much celebrating is done with the Indians and the Houma and Bayogoula Indians use the opportunity to redefine their peace with each other. The chiefs render many speeches and celebrations are constant. Iberville spends some time documenting the names of the many Indian tribes in the area and seems to show a keen interest in them. This verbatim passage is his notes on their lodgings, appearance and ways:
March 17-25- Huts...some big others small, roofed with split canes joined together quite neatly, there are no windows. These huts get their light from above through a hole 2 feet in diam. and are without paving or flooring except sand and dry dirt. Their beds are on 4 posts, raised 2 feet above the ground with crosspieces of red wood nearly as thick as one's arm, on which a mat is spread, made of small canes bound
