Relation des missions des PP. de la Compagnie de Iesus dans les isles, & dans la terre ferme de l'Amerique Meridionale. Divisée en deux parties. Avec une introduction à la langue des Galibis Sauvages de la terre ferme de l'Amerique

SOUTH AMERICA CARIBBEAN. Pelleprat, Pierre, S.J. (1606-1667)

Edité par Chez S. Cramoisy & G. Cramoisy, Paris, 1655

A propos de cet article

A fine copy in its original binding of 17th c. mottled French calf, spine gilt and with red morocco label (minor wear to the spine.) Fine and fresh with just the occasional small rust spot. Engraved arms of the dedicatee, Nicolas Fouquet, on the second leaf. First edition of this rare relation describing the Jesuit missions in the Caribbean and on the South American mainland, providing one of the earliest systematic accounts of the Lesser Antilles and Guiana. Much of the book is based on the author's firsthand experiences. He describes the foundation of churches, the conversion of enslaved Africans and Indigenous nations, Indigenous culture, the moral and physical trials of evangelization, and the natural history of the islands and mainland. Of special importance is the third part of the work: the author's grammar and vocabulary of the Galibi language, one of the earliest printed studies of a South American Indigenous language. Pelleprat explains the purpose of understanding Galibi: "I have composed a small grammar and vocabulary of the Galibi language, so that our Fathers who shall come after me may speak to these peoples in their own words and more easily win their souls to God." In 1651, Pierre Pelleprat was sent from France to the Antilles, joining Fathers Denys Mesland, François Gueymeu, and Guillaume Aubergeon. The Jesuits served the indigenous Amerindians, enslaved Africans, and Irish and French settlers. Two years later, Pelleprat and Mesland sailed for the mainland, where they established a mission on the Guarapiche River near the Gulf of Paria. After Mesland's departure was, Pelleprat remained alone, continuing his missionary work and studying the local language. Illness forced him to return to the islands in 1654. He petitioned to return to Europe but was denied and instead lived out the remainder of his life in Mexico, dying at Puebla de los Angeles in 1667. The preface outlines the establishment of the Jesuit mission in the French Caribbean following the founding of Martinique and Guadeloupe in 1635. Pelleprat recounts the arrival of the Jesuits and their efforts to learn the native languages in order to communicate doctrine, record confessions, and translate prayers. His descriptions of the climate, geography, and local governance of the islands are accompanied by remarks on Indigenous customs, domestic life, and religious beliefs. Pelleprat portrays the Indigenous inhabitants with clarity and sympathy. They are "without guile or malice. and capable of every good doctrine. They are neither cruel nor treacherous, as some have claimed; rather they are generous and easily moved to affection when treated with kindness." He notes the Galibis skill in painting and weaving: "They take great care in painting their bodies and in making their cotton cloths, which they dye with beautiful colors." The author records local fishing and hunting practices, the use of pirogues (canoes) along the coasts, and the construction of dwellings raised above ground: "They live by fish and roots, in houses built upon poles to guard against the waters and the reptiles." He marvels at the beauty and richness of South America: its landscape, flora and fauna: "the trees of these islands bear fruit twice a year, and the soil is so rich that it needs only to be turned over to yield harvests beyond expectation". The Galibi Language Pelleprat's introduction to the Galibi language is one of the earliest printed attempts to describe and translate a South American Indigenous language. He explains the purpose of understanding Galibi: "I have composed a small grammar and vocabulary of the Galibi language, so that our Fathers who shall come after me may speak to these peoples in their own words and more easily win their souls to God." Pelleprat opens by justifying his study as a means to conversion, writing that "the barbarous nations. are so docile and so well disposed to receive the Gospel that they await only its preaching." His goal is not philologi.

N° de réf. du vendeur 5394

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: Relation des missions des PP. de la Compagnie de Iesus dans les isles, & dans la terre ferme de l'Amerique Meridionale. Divisée en deux parties. Avec une introduction à la langue des Galibis Sauvages de la terre ferme de l'Amerique
• Éditeur: Chez S. Cramoisy & G. Cramoisy, Paris
• Date de parution: 1655
• Reliure: Hardcover
• Édition: SOLE EDITION.
• État de l'article: Fine