The Orenda is a historical novel by Canadian author Joseph Boyden . It was published by Hamish Hamilton in 2013.
120-564: The novel takes place in what was to become Canada in the early 17th century and is narrated by a Huron warrior named Bird, a young Iroquois girl named Snow Falls, and a French Jesuit missionary named Christophe. Bird's family has been murdered by members of the Haudenosaunee tribe. In retaliation he vows to kill at least a hundred members of that tribe per victim. During one of his retaliatory attacks he captures Snow Falls, whom he decides to raise as his own daughter. Snow Falls cannot shake
240-524: A Canadian and Huron militia against a much larger Iroquois force; none of the Canadians survived, although they did turn back the Iroquois invasion. In 1627, Quebec had only eighty-five French colonists and was easily overwhelmed two years later when three English privateers plundered the settlement. In 1663, New France finally became more secure when Louis XIV made it a royal province, taking control away from
360-616: A cross in the Gaspé Peninsula and claimed the land in the name of King Francis I . It was the first province of New France. The first settlement of 400 people, Fort Charlesbourg-Royal (present-day Quebec City ), was attempted in 1541 but lasted only two years. French fishing fleets continued to sail to the Atlantic coast and into the St. Lawrence River, making alliances with Canadian First Nations that became important once France began to occupy
480-400: A daughter and news comes that Bird's village has been attacked leaving only 30 or so survivors. The Haudenosaunee attack the colonists' village a few days later. After a three-day battle the Haudenosaunee are successful in taking over the village. Carries an Axe and his father are killed in the battle. Snow Falls and Delilah are poisoned by a Jesuit who has already been through the torture of
600-856: A decorated Wendat-Huron soldier of World War II whose name in French was Jean-Baptiste Lainé. All four Lainé brothers, from the Huron-Wendat Reserve in Wendake, Quebec, fought through and survived the WWII. Each of the sites had been surrounded by a defensive wooden palisade , as was typical of regional cultures. Four Wendat ancestral village sites have been excavated in Whitchurch-Stouffville . The large Mantle site had more than 70 multifamily longhouses . Based on radiocarbon dating, it has been determined to have been occupied from 1587 to 1623. Its population
720-586: A division of the Attignawantan. The largest Wendat settlement and capital of the confederacy, at least during the time of Jean de Brébeuf and the Jesuits was located at Ossossane . When Gabriel Sagard was among them however, Quienonascaran was the principal village of the Attignawantan, when Samuel de Champlain and Father Joseph Le Caron were among the Hurons in 1615, a village called Carhagouha may have been
840-596: A game with the French to ensure that they would ally with the Huron-Wendat against Haudenosaunee-Iroquois aggression. Later, and directly before his death at 52, he led the 1701 final Indian congress between many of the different Indigenous nations, creating the Great Peace of Montreal , a peace treaty between New France and 39 First Nations of North America that ended the Beaver Wars . On September 5, 1760, just prior to
960-422: A greater audience for his preaching, including an older women he names Delilah and a young boy he names Aaron. The little audience he gains is quickly taken away when Bird and members of a neighbouring village depart for the summer on a trading mission. When a drought nearly destroys the village's three sisters tensions between the villagers and Christophe and his fellow priests quickly escalate. He decides to throw
1080-573: A gun from French traders in Canada. Therefore, they were unprepared, on March 16, 1649, when a Haudenosaunee war party of about 1,000 entered Wendake and burned the Huron mission villages of St. Ignace and St. Louis in present-day Simcoe County , Ontario, killing about 300 people. The Iroquois also killed many of the Jesuit missionaries, who have since been honored as North American Martyrs . The surviving Jesuits burned
1200-563: A neighbouring village before leaving. There she sees her former tribe, the Haudenosaunee , torturing members of the village from afar and realizes she no longer belongs to them. Meanwhile, her brother leaves them to rejoin his tribe after telling Christophe that his men have been raping him. She and her party are overtaken by Haudenosaunee who try to rape her and kill the rest of the men but they are saved by herself and Carries an Axe. Bird and Snow Falls leave, but later return to ask for guns and more protection from their French allies. Christophe
1320-409: A plague even worse than the one from three years before. One to two thirds of the members of his village die, Bird sends Snow Falls along with Carries an Axe travel to the colonist's village to protect her. After the plague has passed, on his way to retrieve her, he hears that a huge neighbouring village of allies has been destroyed by the Haudenosaunee who are on their way to attack his own village. He
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#17330854508631440-407: A self-sufficient colony with a population of 24,594. Mainly due to natural increase and modest immigration from Northwest France ( Brittany , Normandy , Île-de-France , Poitou-Charentes and Pays de la Loire ) the population of Canada increased to 55,000 according to the last French census of 1754. This was an increase from 42,701 in 1730. By 1765, the population approached 70,000. By 1714,
1560-500: A significant disadvantage when firearms were available to them, and when available, their possession of firearms made them a larger target for Iroquois aggression. After 1634 their numbers were drastically reduced by epidemics of new infectious diseases carried by Europeans, among whom these were endemic. The weakened Wendat were dispersed by the war in 1649 waged by the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, then based largely south of
1680-522: A single nation, but a confederacy of several nations who had mutually intelligible languages. These self-governing nations included: The Attinniaoenten and Hatingeennonniahak first allied in the 15th century. Arendaenronnon joined them about 1590, and the Atahontaenrat join around 1610. The fifth group, the Ataronchronon may not have attained full membership in the confederacy, and may have been
1800-498: A slow decline. The natural abundance of furs had passed and it could no longer meet market demand. This eventually resulted in the repeal of the 25 percent sales tax that had previously aimed at curbing the administrative costs New France had accumulated. In addition, dwindling supply increased black market trading. A greater number of indigenous groups and fur traders began circumventing Montreal and New France altogether; many began trading with either British or Dutch merchants to
1920-490: A ten-day mass to pray for rain, and to his surprise he is successful and a few of the villagers return to evening prayers. However, after Gosling cures a sick woman in front of the entire village, the people turn on Christophe and his fellow priests once more. In a desperate move he throws a feast for the entire village, but that too is unsuccessful. Bird returns from his trading village with three prisoners. The two older men are tortured to death, but Snow Falls begs Bird to adopt
2040-419: A tobacco pouch behind the back, a pipe in the hand; around their necks and arms bead necklaces and bracelets of porcelain; they also suspend these from their ears, and around their locks of hair. They grease their hair and faces; they also streak their faces with black and red paint. The total population of the Huron at the time of European contact has been estimated at 20,000 to 40,000 people. From 1634 to 1640,
2160-489: Is also informed that Christophe, Aaron, Snow Falls, her new brother, and Carries an Axe were last seen on their way to the now destroyed village in an attempt to gather converts. The final section of the novel begins with Snow Falls, Gosling and Carries an Axe arriving at the colonists' village. Despite Bird believing it will be a refuge, it is just as diseased and miserable as the other infected villages. Snow Falls desires to leave but Christophe asks that she watch him preach in
2280-399: Is compared to the near-universal use of European iron tools by Iroquois groups in the area. Huron trade routes were consistently pillaged by raiders, and the lack of firearms discouraged the Hurons' trade with the French, at least without French protection. As a result of their lack of exposure, the Huron did not have as much experience using firearms compared to their neighbors, putting them at
2400-464: Is now Texas . The colony was devastated by disease, and the surviving settlers were killed in 1688, in an attack by the area's indigenous population . Other parts of Louisiana were settled and developed with success, such as New Orleans and southern Illinois , leaving a strong French influence in these areas long after the Louisiana Purchase . Many strategic forts were built there, under
2520-589: Is to come if he fails to return the girl and a meeting is set for him to return her to them. However, because of an accident of Christophe's, the arranged meeting to return Snow Falls does not go as planned. Bird and his companions murder the party and when an opportunity to allow Christophe to die presents itself, Bird finds himself saving his life. Bird's party makes their way to New France where they are greeted by Champlain . Bird asks for his help in defeating their mutual Haudenosaunee enemies. Champlain agrees, and gives Bird one gun, asking in return that Bird, and
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#17330854508632640-678: Is to molest, or interrupt them in returning to their Settlement at LORETTE; and they are received upon the same terms with the Canadians, being allowed the free Exercise of their Religion, their Customs, and Liberty of trading with the English: – recommending it to the Officers commanding the Posts, to treat them kindly. Given under my hand at Longueuil, this 5th day of September 1760. By the Genl's Command, JA. MURRAY. JOHN CONAN, Adjut. Genl. The treaty recognized
2760-414: Is unable to give them more aid and is struggling to lead his village after discovering that members of his order may have been raping young converts and are drinking alcohol against his orders. Meanwhile, on this visit, Snow Falls is raped by Aaron who has become addicted to alcohol and shortly after becomes pregnant. She decides to marry Carries an Axe and raise the child as their own despite being unsure who
2880-529: The Missouri Republican reported that the judges of the election were three elders who were trusted by their peers. The Wyandot offered some of the floating sections of land for sale on the same day at $ 800. A section was composed of 640 acres (2.6 km ). Altogether 20,480 acres (82.9 km ) were sold for $ 25,600. They were located in Kansas, Nebraska, and unspecified sites. Surveys were not required, with
3000-502: The Compagnie des Indes in 1718, once again highlighted the economic importance of the fur trade. This merchant association, like its predecessor the Compagnie des Cent Associés, regulated the fur trade to the best of its abilities imposing price points, supporting government sale taxes and combating black market practices. However, by the middle half of the 18th century the fur trade was in
3120-683: The Company of One Hundred Associates . In the same year the Société Notre-Dame de Montréal ceded its possessions to the Seminaire de Saint-Sulpice . The Crown paid for transatlantic passages and offered other incentives to those willing to move to New France as well, after which the population of New France grew to three thousand. In 1665, Louis XIV sent a French garrison, the Carignan-Salières Regiment , to Quebec. The colonial government
3240-780: The Fortress of Louisbourg . The population rose slowly but steadily. In 1754, New France's population consisted of 10,000 Acadians , 55,000 Canadiens , and about 4,000 settlers in upper and lower Louisiana ; 69,000 in total. The British expelled the Acadians in the Great Upheaval from 1755 to 1764, and their descendants are dispersed in the Maritime provinces of Canada and in Maine and Louisiana , with small populations in Chéticamp, Nova Scotia , and
3360-409: The Haudenosaunee and believes that death is preferable. Her child, her mother-in-law, and her mother-in-law's baby are all adopted into the Haudenosaunee tribe. Christophe is tortured to death. Bird, Gosling and a handful of his village are able to escape and survive on an island in the 'Sweet Water Sea' where Bird buries Snow Falls. Gosling gives birth to twins, a boy and a girl, and tells him that
3480-780: The Iroquoian language family . In Canada, the Huron-Wendat Nation has two First Nations reserves at Wendake, Quebec . In the United States, the Wyandotte Nation is a federally recognized tribe headquartered in Wyandotte, Oklahoma . There are also organizations that self-identify as Wyandot. The Wendat emerged as a confederacy of five nations in the St. Lawrence River Valley, especially in Southern Ontario, including
3600-727: The Magdalen Islands . Some also went to France. After the Seven Years' War (which included the French and Indian War in America), France ceded the rest of New France to Great Britain and Spain in the Treaty of Paris of 1763 (except the islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon ). Britain acquired Canada, Acadia, and French Louisiana east of the Mississippi River , except for the Île d'Orléans , which
3720-716: The Saint Lawrence River and Acadian Peninsula with a population around 15,000 to 16,000. The first population figures for Acadia are from 1671, which enumerated only 450 people. After the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, New France began to prosper. Industries such as fishing and farming, which had failed under Talon, began to flourish. A "King's Highway" ( Chemin du Roy ) was built between Montreal and Quebec to encourage faster trade. The shipping industry also flourished as new ports were built and old ones were upgraded. The number of colonists greatly increased. By 1720, Canada had become
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3840-540: The Seven Years' War of 1756–1763 – started with a British campaign in 1758 and ended with the region being put under a British military regime between 1760 and 1763. Britain's acquisition of Canada became official with the 1763 Treaty of Paris that concluded the Seven Years' War. According to the staples thesis , the economic development of New France was marked by the emergence of successive economies based on staple commodities, each of which dictated
3960-468: The precontact Wendat occupied the large area from the north shores of most of the present-day Lake Ontario , northward up to the southeastern shores of Georgian Bay . From this homeland, they encountered the French explorer Samuel de Champlain in 1615. They historically spoke the Wyandot language , a Northern Iroquoian language. They were believed to number more than 30,000 at the time of European contact in
4080-565: The "Flathead" Catawba got them in trouble with their former ally the Odawa . In August 1782, the Wyandot joined forces with Simon Girty , a British soldier. On August 15 through 19, 1782, they unsuccessfully besieged Bryan Station in Kentucky (near present-day Lexington). They drew the Kentucky militia to Lower Blue Licks , where the Wyandot defeated the militia led by Daniel Boone . The Wyandot gained
4200-418: The 1580s, French trading companies had been set up, and ships were contracted to bring back furs. Much of what transpired between the indigenous population and their European visitors around that time is not known, for lack of historical records. Other attempts at establishing permanent settlements were also failures. In 1598, a French trading post was established on Sable Island , off the coast of Acadia, but
4320-660: The 1610s to 1620s. In 1975 and 1978, archaeologists excavated a large 15th-century Huron village, now called the Draper site , in Pickering, Ontario near Lake Ontario . In 2003 a larger village was discovered five kilometres (3.1 mi) away in Whitchurch-Stouffville ; it is known as the Mantle Site and was occupied from the late 16th to early 17th century. It has been renamed the Jean-Baptiste Lainé Site, named in honor of
4440-536: The 16th century, the lands were used primarily to extract natural resources, such as furs, through trade with the various indigenous peoples. In the seventeenth century, successful settlements began in Acadia and in Quebec. In the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht , France ceded to Great Britain its claims over mainland Acadia, Hudson Bay, and Newfoundland. France established the colony of Île Royale on Cape Breton Island , where they built
4560-569: The 1840s, most of the surviving Wyandot people were displaced to Kansas Indigenous territory through the US federal policy of forced Indian removal . Using the funds they received for their lands in Ohio, the Wyandot purchased 23,000 acres (93 km ) of land for $ 46,080 in what is now Wyandotte County, Kansas from the Lenape. The Lenape had been grateful for the hospitality which the Wyandot had given them in Ohio, as
4680-513: The 6,000 non-indigenous population of Louisiana by the end of French rule. Around 1523, the Florentine navigator Giovanni da Verrazzano convinced King Francis I to commission an expedition to find a western route to Cathay (China). Late that year, Verrazzano set sail in Dieppe , crossing the Atlantic on a small caravel with 50 men. After exploring the coast of the present-day Carolinas early
4800-528: The Acadian population had expanded to over 2,500 and to about 13,000 people by the end of the 1750s. This was mostly from natural increase rather than immigration that affected other French settlements. European population of Louisiana is estimated at 5,000 by the 1720s. This would dramatically change in the mid-1730s with the loss of 2,000 French settlers and the introduction of African slaves. Enslaved men, women and children represented approximately 65 percent of
4920-680: The Algonquin words ka-ron ("straight coast") or tu-ron ("crooked coast"). In the late 17th century, elements of the Huron Confederacy and the Petun joined and became known as the Wyandot, a variation of Wendat. Early theories placed the Wendat's origin in the St. Lawrence Valley . Some historians or anthropologists proposed the people were located near the present-day site of Montreal and former sites of
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5040-588: The Delaware in 1843. Also, the government granted 32 "floating sections", located on public lands west of the Mississippi River. In June 1853, Big Turtle , a Wyandot chief, wrote to the Ohio State Journal regarding the current condition of his tribe. The Wyandot had received nearly $ 127,000 for their lands in 1845. Big Turtle noted that, in the spring of 1850, the tribal chiefs retroceded the granted land to
5160-554: The English colonies instead. The Catholic Church, and missionaries such as the Recollets and the Jesuits , became firmly established in the territory. Richelieu also introduced the seigneurial system , a semi-feudal system of farming based on ribbon farms that remained a characteristic feature of the St. Lawrence valley until the 19th century. While Richelieu's efforts did little to increase
5280-562: The English colonies. In 1627, Richelieu founded the Company of One Hundred Associates to invest in New France, promising land parcels to hundreds of new settlers and to turn Canada into an important mercantile and farming colony. He named Champlain as the Governor of New France and forbade non- Catholics to live there. Consequently, any Protestant emigrants to New France were forced to convert to Catholicism, prompting many of them to relocate to
5400-519: The French arrived, the Huron had already been in conflict with the Haudenosaunee Confederacy (Five Nations) to the south. Once the European powers became involved in trading, the conflict among natives intensified significantly as they struggled to control the lucrative fur trade and satisfy European demand. The French allied with the Huron because they were the most advanced trading nation at
5520-439: The French presence in New France, they did pave the way for the success of later efforts. Simultaneously, the English colonies to the south began raiding the St. Lawrence Valley, also capturing and holding Quebec until 1632. Champlain returned to Canada that year and requested that Sieur de Laviolette found another trading post at Trois-Rivières , which Laviolette did in 1634. Champlain died in 1635. On 23 September 1646, under
5640-626: The Great Lakes in New York and Pennsylvania. Archaeological evidence of this displacement has been uncovered at the Rock Island II Site in Wisconsin. By May 1, 1649, the Huron had burned 15 of their villages to prevent their stores from being taken and fled as refugees to surrounding areas. About 10,000 fled to Gahoendoe (now also called Christian Island). Most who fled to the island starved over
5760-650: The Huron (Wendat) as a distinct nation and guaranteed that the British would not interfere with the nation's internal affairs. In 1990, the Supreme Court of Canada, ruling in R v Sioui , found that the Huron-British Treaty of 1760 was still valid and binding on the Canadian Crown . Accordingly, the exercise of Wendat religion, customs, and trade benefit from continuing Canadian constitutional protection throughout
5880-571: The Huron were devastated by Eurasian infectious diseases, such as measles and smallpox, which were endemic among the Europeans. The Indigenous peoples of North America had no acquired immunity to these diseases and suffered very high mortality rates. Epidemiological studies have shown that beginning in 1634, more European children emigrated with their families to the New World from cities in France, Britain, and
6000-406: The Huron, either from the French huron ("ruffian", "rustic"), or from hure ("boar's head"). According to tradition, French sailors thought that the bristly hairstyle of Wendat warriors resembled that of a boar . French fur traders and explorers referred to them as the " bon Iroquois " (good Iroquois). An alternate etymology from Russell Errett in 1885 is that the name is from
6120-565: The Iroquoian term Irri-ronon ("Cat Nation"), a name also applied to the Erie nation. The French pronounced the name as Hirri-ronon , and it gradually became known as Hirr-on , and finally spelled in its present form, Huron . William Martin Beauchamp concurred in 1907 that Huron was at least related to the Iroquoian root ronon ("nation"). Other etymological possibilities are derived from
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#17330854508636240-400: The Lenape had been forced to move west under pressure from Anglo-European colonists. The Wyandot acquired a more-or-less square parcel north and west of the junction of the Kansas River and the Missouri River . A United States government treaty granted the Wyandot Nation a small portion of fertile land located in an acute angle of the Missouri River and Kansas River, which they purchased from
6360-505: The Netherlands, which had endemic smallpox. Historians believe the disease spread from the children to the Huron and other nations, often through contact with traders. So many Huron died that they abandoned many of their villages and agricultural areas. About half to two-thirds of the population died in the epidemics, decreasing the population to about 12,000. Such losses had a high social cost, devastating families and clans, and disrupting their society's structure and traditions. Before
6480-405: The Ohio Valley, and the St. Lawrence River Valley), Acadia (the Gaspé Peninsula, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, St. John's Island , and Île Royale -Cape Breton), Hudson Bay (and James Bay ), Terre-Neuve (south Newfoundland), and Louisiana ;. The 1715 Treaty of Utrecht resulted in the relinquishing of French claims to mainland Acadia, the Hudson Bay and Newfoundland, and the establishment of
6600-399: The Wendat-Huron through their lineage from the Attignawantan, the founding nation of the Confederacy. After their defeat in 1649 during prolonged warfare with the Five Nations of the Haudenosaunee , the surviving members of the confederacy dispersed; some took residence at Quebec with the Jesuits and others were adopted by neighboring nations, such as the Tionontati or Tobacco to become
6720-421: The Wolves. Considering that they formed the nucleus of the nation later known as the Wyandot, they too may have called themselves Wendat. There were ongoing hostilities between the Iroquoian Wendat and the Haudenosaunee , another Iroquoian confederacy, but the Wendat had good relations with the Algonquin . Tuberculosis became endemic among the Huron, aggravated by their close and smoky living conditions in
6840-468: The Wyandot joined three other tribes – the Odawa, Potawatomi , and Ojibwe people – in signing the Treaty of Detroit , which resulted in a major land cession to the United States. This agreement between the tribes and the Michigan Territory (represented by William Hull ) ceded to the United States a part of their territory in today's [outheastern Michigan and a section of Ohio near the Maumee River . The tribes were allowed to keep small pockets of land in
6960-542: The Wyandot were free (that is, they had been accepted as US citizens) and without the restrictions placed on other tribes. Their leaders were unanimously pro-slavery , which meant 900 or 1,000 additional votes in opposition to the Free State movement of Kansas. In 1867, after the American Civil War , additional members were removed from the Midwest to Indian Territory . Today more than 4,000 Wyandot can be found in eastern Kansas and northeastern Oklahoma . New France New France ( French : Nouvelle-France )
7080-434: The Wyandot. Afterward, they occupied territory extending into what is now the United States, especially Michigan, and northern Ohio. In the 1830s, they were forced west to Indian Territory (Kansas and finally northeastern Oklahoma) due to U.S. federal removal policies. They are related to other Iroquoian peoples in the region, such as their powerful competitors, the Five Nations of the Iroquois who occupied territory mostly on
7200-399: The authorization Jacques Le Neuf de la Poterie . In 1650, New France had seven hundred colonists and Montreal had only a few dozen settlers. Because the First Nations people did most of the work of beaver hunting, the company needed few French employees. The sparsely populated New France almost fell to hostile Iroquois forces completely as well. In 1660, settler Adam Dollard des Ormeaux led
7320-401: The capital. Modern-day Elmvale , Ontario developed near that site. The Wendat called their traditional territory Wendake . Closely related to the people of the Huron Confederacay were the Tionontate, an Iroquoian-speaking group whom the French called the Petun (Tobacco), for their cultivation of that crop. They lived further south and were divided into two moitiés or groups: the Deer and
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#17330854508637440-501: The capitulation of Montreal to British forces, Brigadier-General James Murray signed a "Treaty of Peace and Friendship" with a Wendat chief then residing in the settlement of Lorette . The text of the treaty reads as follows: THESE are to certify that the CHIEF of the HURON tribe of Indians, having come to me in the name of His Nation, to submit to His BRITANNICK MAJESTY, and make Peace, has been received under my Protection, with his whole Tribe; and henceforth no English Officer or party
7560-591: The colony of Île Royale , now called Cape Breton Island, where the French built the Fortress of Louisbourg . The European population grew slowly under French rule, thus remained relatively low as growth was largely achieved through natural births, rather than by immigration. Most of the French were farmers, and the rate of natural increase among the settlers themselves was very high. The women had about 30 per cent more children than comparable women who remained in France. Yves Landry says, "Canadians had an exceptional diet for their time." The 1666 census of New France
7680-419: The command of Pierre LeGardeur , Le Cardinal arrived to Quebec with Jules (Gilles) Trottier II and his family. Le Cardinal, commissioned by the Communauté des Habitants , had arrived from La Rochelle, France . Communauté des Habitants at the time of Trottier traded fur primarily. On 4 July 1646, by Pierre Teuleron, sieur de Repentigny, granted Trottier land in La Rochelle to build and develop New France, under
7800-442: The early 17th century, this Iroquoian people called themselves the Wendat, an autonym which means "Dwellers of the Peninsula" or "Islanders". The Wendat historic territory was bordered on three sides by the waters of Georgian Bay and Lake Simcoe . Similarly, in other Iroquois languages, such as Cayuga , refer to this nation as Ohwehnagehó:nǫˀ "Island dwellers". Early French explorers referred to these Indigenous Peoples as
7920-433: The early 17th century. Some Huron decided to go and meet the Europeans. Atironta , the principal headman of the Arendarhonon nation, went to Quebec and allied with the French in 1609. The Jesuit Relations of 1639 describes the Huron: They are robust, and all are much taller than the French. Their only covering is a beaver skin, which they wear upon their shoulders in the form of a mantle; shoes and leggings in winter,
8040-419: The economy. The fur trade itself was based on a commodity of small bulk but high value. Because of this it managed to attract increased attention and/or input capital that would otherwise be intended for other areas of the economy. The Montreal area witnessed a stagnant agricultural sector; it remained for the most part subsistence orientated with little or no trade purposes outside of the French colony . This
8160-437: The father of her child is. Shortly thereafter Gosling reveals she is pregnant as well. After discovering that their corn crop has been infected, leaving them with minimal supplies for winter, Bird, and the rest of his village are forced to go to the colonists' village where supplies are more plentiful. Soon after arriving, Aaron goes missing and is discovered to have hanged himself. The following winter Snow Falls gives birth to
8280-456: The first shot of his arquebus . This military engagement against the Iroquois solidified Champlain's status with New France's Huron and Algonquin allies, enabling him to maintain bonds essential to New France's interests in the fur trade. Champlain also arranged to have young French men live with local indigenous people, to learn their language and customs and help the French adapt to life in North America. These coureurs des bois ("runners of
8400-535: The following year, he headed north along the coast, eventually anchoring in the Narrows of New York Bay . The first European to visit the site of present-day New York, Verrazzano named it Nouvelle-Angoulême in honour of the king , the former count of Angoulême . Verrazzano's voyage convinced the king to seek to establish a colony in the newly discovered land. Verrazzano gave the names Francesca and Nova Gallia to that land between New Spain (Mexico) and English Newfoundland. In 1534, Jacques Cartier planted
8520-560: The good food conservation conditions during the winter; and an adequate wheat supply in most years." Consequently, colonial women bore about 30% more children than comparable women in France. Besides household duties, some women participated in the fur trade, the major source of money in New France. They worked at home alongside their husbands or fathers as merchants, clerks, and provisioners. Some were widows who took over their husbands' roles. Some even became independent and active entrepreneurs. The French extended their territorial claim to
8640-467: The government. They invested $ 100,000 of the proceeds in 5% government stock. After removal to Kansas, the Wyandot had founded good libraries along with two thriving Sabbath schools . They were in the process of organizing a division of the Sons of Temperance and maintained a sizable temperance society . Big Turtle commented on the agricultural yield, which produced an annual surplus for the market. He said that
8760-522: The high ground and surrounded Boone's forces. Also in late 1782, the Wyandot joined forces with Shawnee , Seneca , and Lenape in an unsuccessful siege of Fort Henry on the Ohio River . During the Northwest Indian War , the Wyandot fought alongside British allies against the United States. Under the leadership of Tarhe , they were signatories to the Treaty of Greenville in 1795. In 1807,
8880-530: The historic St. Lawrence Iroquoian peoples. Wendat is an Iroquoian language. Early 21st-century research in linguistics and archaeology confirm a historical connection between the Wendat and the St. Lawrence Iroquois. But all of the Iroquoian-speaking peoples shared some aspects of their culture, including the Erie people, any or all of the later Haudenosaunee, and the Susquehannock. By the 15th century,
9000-488: The inhabitants of New France. In December 1627 the Company of New France was recognized and given commercial rights to the gathering and export of furs from French territories. By trading with various indigenous populations and securing the main markets its power grew steadily for the next decade. As a result, it was able to set specific price points for furs and other valuable goods, often doing so to protect its economic hegemony over other trading partners and other areas of
9120-633: The knowledge that he murdered her family and rejects him as an adoptive father. Christophe is another captive that Bird calls Crow, keeping him in the belief that he will be of use in future trades with other colonialists. Christophe feels that the Hurons who captured him are savage and godless and tries to convert them to Christianity . While Christophe's initial efforts are mocked because of his physical frailty and poor understanding of their language, Bird begins to grow suspicious when his lover, Gosling, warns Bird that Christophe will soon begin converting members of
9240-615: The land. French merchants soon realized the St. Lawrence region was full of valuable fur -bearing animals, especially the beaver , which were becoming rare in Europe . Eventually, the French crown decided to colonize the territory to secure and expand its influence in America. Acadia and Canada (New France) were inhabited by indigenous nomadic Algonquian peoples and sedentary Iroquoian peoples. These lands were full of unexploited and valuable natural resources, which attracted all of Europe. By
9360-609: The late 17th century, the Huron (Wendat) Confederacy merged with the Iroquoian-speaking Tionontati nation (known as the Petun in French, also known as the Tobacco people for their chief commodity crop). They may originally have been a splinter colony of the Huron, to their west to form the historical Wendat. The Huron Range spanned the region from downriver of the source of the St. Lawrence River, along with three-quarters of
9480-477: The longhouses. Despite this, the Huron on the whole were healthy. The Jesuits wrote that the Huron effectively employed natural remedies and were "more healthy than we". The earliest written accounts of the Huron were made by the French, who began exploring North America in the 16th century. News of the Europeans reached the Huron, particularly when Samuel de Champlain explored the Saint Lawrence River in
9600-457: The members of his village, listen to Christophe and accept more priests into their community. Meanwhile, Snow Falls is attacked by a French guard, saved from being raped by Christophe. As a punishment, the man who assaulted her is whipped and Bird and his men, taking this as a sign of loyalty, take two more priests on the return voyage to their village. The section ends with the Iroquois attacking
9720-555: The mission after abandoning it to prevent its capture. The extensive Iroquois attack shocked and frightened the surviving Huron. The Huron were geographically cut off from trade with the Dutch and British by the Iroquois Confederacy, who had access to free trade with all the Europeans in the area especially the Dutch. This forced them to continue to use lithic tools and weapons like clubs, bows and arrows, stone scrapers, and cutters. This
9840-462: The more distant fur-hunting tribes. Still, the coureurs kept thrusting outwards using the Ottawa River as their initial step upon the journey and keeping Montreal as their starting point. The Ottawa River was significant because it offered a route that was practical for Europeans, by taking the traders northward out of the territory dominated by the Iroquois . It was for this reason that Montreal and
9960-528: The nascent France's colonial empire , Louis XIV sponsored single women, virtuous, physically fit, and aged between 15 and 30 years, known as the King's Daughters , or, in French, les filles du roi , to move to New France. The King paid for their passage and granted goods or money as their dowries upon their marriage to single settlers. Approximately 800 women, primarily from the impoverished Parisian, Norman, and West-Central families, relocated during 1663–1673. By 1672,
10080-473: The new staple good that would strengthen and drive New France's economy, in particular that of Montreal , for the next century. The trading post of Ville-Marie , established on the current island of Montreal, quickly became the economic hub for the French fur trade. It achieved this in great part due to its particular location along the St. Lawrence River . From here a new economy emerged, one of size and density that provided increased economic opportunities for
10200-500: The next summer they will live with her people, the Anishnaabe . The Orenda received positive reviews upon publication. The National Post called it "a timeless [novel]; born a classic". Quill & Quire dubbed it a "magnificent literary beast". The novel was a shortlisted nominee for the 2013 Governor General's Award for English fiction . The novel was also longlisted for the 2013 Scotiabank Giller Prize , but failed to make
10320-560: The north shore of Lake Ontario . Their original homeland extended to Georgian Bay of Lake Huron and Lake Simcoe in Ontario, Canada and occupied territory around the western part of the lake. The Wyandotte Nation (the U.S. Tribe) descends from remnants of the Tionontati (or Tobacco/Petun) people, who did not belong to the Wendat (Huron) Confederacy. However, the Wyandotte have connections to
10440-410: The northern shore of Lake Ontario, to the territory of the related Neutral people , extending north from both ends to wrap around Georgian Bay. This became their territorial center after their 1649 defeat and dispossession. Kondiaronk gained fame from 1682 through 1701 as a skilled diplomat and brilliant negotiator of the Huron-Wendat, famed for his skilled argumentation. Initially, Kondiaronk played
10560-434: The only vestige of French rule being the tiny islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon , an overseas collectivity of France , although Quebec remains predominately French-speaking. In the United States, the legacy of New France includes numerous place names as well as small pockets of French-speaking communities. New France had five colonies or territories, each with its own administration: Canada (the Great Lakes region,
10680-461: The orders of Governor Louis de Buade de Frontenac . Forts were also built in the older portions of New France that had not yet been settled. Many of these forts were garrisoned by the Troupes de la Marine , the only regular soldiers in New France between 1683 and 1755. The Conquest of New France (French: La Conquête ) – the military Conquest of New France by Great Britain during
10800-498: The political and cultural settings of the time. During the 16th and early 17th centuries New France's economy was heavily centered on its Atlantic fisheries. This would change in the later half of the 17th and 18th centuries as French settlement penetrated further into the continental interior. Here French economic interests would shift and concentrate itself on the development of the North American fur trade . It would soon become
10920-486: The population had reached 355. Champlain allied himself with the Algonquin and Montagnais peoples in the area, who were at war with the Iroquois , as soon as possible. In 1609, Champlain and two French companions accompanied his Algonquin, Montagnais, and Huron allies south from the St. Lawrence Valley to Lake Champlain . He participated decisively in a battle against the Iroquois there, killing two Iroquois chiefs with
11040-406: The population of New France had risen to 6,700 people, a marked increase from the population of 3,200 people in 1663. This rapid demographic growth was predicated both on the high demand for children and on the ready supply of natural resources to support them. According to Landry, "Canadians had an exceptional diet for their time. This was due to the natural abundance of meat, fish, and pure water;
11160-502: The seigneurial system by forcing the seigneurs to reside on their land and limiting the size of the seigneuries, intending to make more land available to new settlers. Talon's attempts failed since very few settlers arrived and the various industries he established failed to surpass the importance of the fur trade. The first settler, brought to Quebec by Champlain, was the apothecary Louis Hébert and his family of Paris. They expressly came to settle and remain in New France so as to make
11280-520: The selling of the furs, quickly promoted the growth of complementary second and tertiary sectors of the economy. For instance a small number of tanneries was established in Montreal as well as a larger number of inns, taverns and markets that would support the growing number of inhabitants whose livelihood depended on the fur trade. Already by 1683 there were well over 140 families and there may have been as many as 900 people living in Montreal. The founding of
11400-430: The settlement viable. Waves of recruits came in response to the requests for men with specific skills, e . g ., farmers, architects, and blacksmiths. At the same time, the government encouraged intermarriages with the indigenous peoples and welcomed indentured servants , or engagés sent to New France. As couples married, cash incentives to have large families were put in place and proved effective. To further strengthen
11520-427: The settlers as Acadians . In 1608, King Henry IV sponsored Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Mons and Samuel de Champlain as founders of the city of Quebec with 28 men. This was the second permanent French settlement in the colony of Canada . Colonization was slow and difficult. Many settlers died early because of harsh weather and diseases. In 1630, there were only 103 colonists living in the settlement, but by 1640,
11640-492: The shortlist. The novel was selected for the 2014 edition of Canada Reads , where it was championed by journalist Wab Kinew . On March 6, 2014, the novel won the competition. Wyandot people The Wyandot people (also Wyandotte , Wendat , Waⁿdát , or Huron ) are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands of the present-day United States and Canada . Their Wyandot language belongs to
11760-750: The south and to the west of the American colonies late in the 17th century, naming it for King Louis XIV, as La Louisiane . In 1682, René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle explored the Ohio River Valley and the Mississippi River Valley , and he claimed the entire territory for France as far south as the Gulf of Mexico . La Salle attempted to establish the first southern colony in the new territory in 1685, but inaccurate maps and navigational issues led him to instead establish his Fort Saint Louis in what
11880-478: The south side of Lake Ontario but also had hunting grounds along the St. Lawrence River . They are also related to the neighboring Erie , Neutral Nation, Wenro , Susquehannock , and Tionontate — all speaking varieties of Iroquoian languages , but traditional enemies of the Five Nations of the Iroquois. At various points in history these other nations have also engaged in trade and warfare with one another. In
12000-648: The south. By the end of French rule in New France in 1763, the fur trade had significantly lost its importance as the key staple good that supported much of New France's economy for more than the last century. Even so, it did serve as the fundamental force behind the establishment and vast growth of Montreal and the French colony. The coureurs des bois were responsible for starting the flow of trade from Montreal , carrying French goods into upper territories while indigenous people were bringing down their furs . The coureurs traveled with intermediate trading tribes, and found that they were anxious to prevent French access to
12120-557: The territory and to benefit from the settlement of Kansas by white settlers. Walker and others promoted Kansas as the route for the proposed transcontinental railroad. Although the federal government did not recognize Walker's election, the political activity prompted the federal government to pass the Kansas–Nebraska Act to organize Kansas and Nebraska territories. An October 1855 article in The New York Times reported that
12240-547: The territory frequented by the tribe during the period the treaty was concluded. In the late 17th century, elements of the Huron Confederacy and the Petun joined and became known as the Wyandot (or Wyandotte), a variation of Wendat. (This name is also related to the French transliteration of the Mohawk term for tobacco.) The western Wyandot re-formed in the area of southern Michigan but migrated to Ohio after their alliance with
12360-546: The territory. The Treaty of Brownstown was signed by Governor Hull on November 7, 1807, and provided the Indigenous nations with a payment of $ 10,000 in goods and money along with an annual payment of $ 2,400 in exchange for an area of land that included the southeastern one-quarter of the lower peninsula of Michigan. In 1819, the Methodist Church established a mission to the Wyandot in Ohio, its first to Native Americans. In
12480-509: The thrift of the Wyandot exceeded that of any tribe north of the Arkansas line. According to his account, the Wyandot nation was "contented and happy", and enjoyed better living conditions in the Indigenous territory than they had in Ohio. By 1855 the number of Wyandot had diminished to 600 or 700 people. On August 14 of that year, the Wyandot Nation elected a chief. The Kansas correspondent of
12600-598: The time. The Haudenosaunee tended to ally with the Dutch and later English, who settled at Albany and in the Mohawk Valley of their New York territory. The introduction of European weapons and the fur trade increased competition and the severity of inter-tribal warfare. While the Haudenosaunee could easily obtain guns in exchange for furs from Dutch traders in New York, the Wendat were required to profess Christianity to obtain
12720-536: The title becoming complete at the time of location. The Wyandot played an important role in Kansas politics. On July 26, 1853, at a meeting at the Wyandot Council house in Kansas City , William Walker (Wyandot) was elected provisional governor of Nebraska Territory , which included Kansas. He was elected by Wyandot, white traders, and outside interests who wished to preempt the federal government's organization of
12840-429: The travelling party who are saved by Bird's new gun. The second part of the novel begins three years after the end of the last section. Bird's village has been decimated by a plague. The only thing saving their village from being attacked by their enemies is that they too have been infected. It is now a race to see who can recover the quickest. In the time that has passed Snow Falls has slowly grown accustomed to life in
12960-513: The tribe. At Gosling's suggestion, Bird makes a plan to allow Christophe to be murdered by the Haudenosaunee when he and a band of warriors go to visit the French colonists to participate in trade that summer. On the journey Snow Falls decides to make it so Bird can never forget her; she does this by cutting off his pinky finger in the night and mistakenly her own as well. Bird has the opportunity to do away with Christophe when members of Snow Falls' village attack members of his, promising that worse
13080-450: The village. Knowing that soon she will begin menstruating, the women take her in to teach her their customs. She becomes especially close to Gosling, who promises to teach her magic. Snow Falls also develops a crush on a boy around her age, Carries an Axe, but he shows no interest in her. The boy does give Snow Falls a raven he shot as a present, which she and the women of the village preserve. Meanwhile, Christophe has slowly been collecting
13200-482: The winter, as it was an unproductive settlement and could not provide for them. After spending the bitter winter of 1649–50 on the island, surviving Huron relocated near Quebec City, where they settled at Wendake . Absorbing other refugees, they became the Huron Confederacy . Some Huron, along with the surviving Petun, whose villages the Iroquois attacked in the fall of 1649, fled to the upper Lake Michigan region, settling first at Green Bay, then at Michilimackinac . In
13320-634: The woods"), including Étienne Brûlé , extended French influence south and west to the Great Lakes and among the Huron tribes who lived there. Ultimately, for the better part of a century, the Iroquois and French clashed in a series of attacks and reprisals. During the first decades of the colony's existence, only a few hundred French people lived there, while the English colonies to the south were much more populous and wealthy. Cardinal Richelieu , adviser to Louis XIII , wished to make New France as significant as
13440-477: The youngest boy into their family and he agrees. The boy becomes strange after watching his clans men tortured. Bird also brings with him news from the governor of New France who informs Christophe and his fellow priests they are to have enough supplies and fellow priests to form a new village. Bird ends up sending his new adoptive son to live with the priests and they also gain a handful of converts from neighbouring villages. The new arrivals seem to bring with them
13560-423: Was a prime example of the handicapping effect the fur trade had on its neighbouring areas of the economy . Nonetheless, by the beginning of the 1700s, the economic prosperity the fur trade stimulated slowly transformed Montreal. Economically, it was no longer a town of small traders or of fur fairs but rather a city of merchants and of bright lights. The primary sector of the fur trade , the act of acquiring and
13680-579: Was divided into the districts of Quebec (around what is now called Quebec City ), Trois-Rivières , and Montreal ; Hudson Bay ; Acadia in the northeast; Terre-Neuve on the island of Newfoundland ; and Louisiana . It extended from Newfoundland to the Canadian Prairies and from Hudson Bay to the Gulf of Mexico , including all the Great Lakes of North America . The continent-traversing Saint Lawrence and Mississippi rivers were means of carrying French influence through much of North America. In
13800-441: Was estimated at 1500–2000 persons. Canadian archaeologist James F. Pendergast states: Indeed, there is now every indication that the late precontact Huron and their immediate antecedents developed in a distinct Huron homeland in southern Ontario along the north shore of Lake Ontario . Subsequently, they moved from there to their historic territory on Georgian Bay , where Champlain encountered them in 1615. The Wendat were not
13920-450: Was granted to Spain with the territory to the west. In 1800, Spain returned its portion of Louisiana to France under the secret Treaty of San Ildefonso , and Napoleon Bonaparte sold it to the United States in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, permanently ending French colonial efforts on the American mainland. New France eventually became absorbed within the United States and Canada, with
14040-654: Was reformed along the lines of the government of France, with the Governor General and Intendant subordinate to the French Minister of the Marine. In 1665, Jean Talon Minister of the Marine accepted an appointment from Jean-Baptiste Colbert as the first Intendant of New France. These reforms limited the power of the Bishop of Quebec , who had held the greatest amount of power after the death of Champlain. Talon tried reforming
14160-480: Was the territory colonized by France in North America , beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Great Britain and Spain in 1763 under the Treaty of Paris . A vast viceroyalty , New France consisted of five colonies at its peak in 1712, each with its own administration: Canada , the most developed colony, which
14280-464: Was the first census conducted in North America. It was organized by Jean Talon , the first Intendant of New France , between 1665 and 1666. According to Talon's census there were 3,215 people in New France, comprising 538 separate families. The census showed a great difference in the number of men at 2,034 versus 1,181 women. By the early 1700s, the New France settlers were well established along
14400-446: Was unsuccessful. In 1600, a trading post was established at Tadoussac , but only five settlers survived the winter. In 1604, a settlement was founded at Île-Saint-Croix on Baie François ( Bay of Fundy ), which was moved to Port-Royal in 1605. It was abandoned in 1607, re-established in 1610, and destroyed in 1613, after which settlers moved to other nearby locations, creating settlements that were collectively known as Acadia , and
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