The Past of the Wendats Indian Tribes In Canada

Past of the Wendats Indian Tribe

Brief History

The Wendats first settled at the north of Lake Ontario, forced by the Iroquois to moved here around the 1400 A.D. They quickly took advantage of their new location, between the territory of the hunter-gatherer of the north and the farming tribes of the south, through trading. They quickly formed a kind of confederacy in the area between four tribes. Those tribes were the Attignaquantan (Bear tribe), the Tahontaenrat (White Ears or Deer tribe), the Attingneenongnabac (Barking Dog or Cord tribe), and the Arndoroninon (Rock tribe). The purpose of this treaty was to ensure peace between the four tribes so they could preserve their little trade empire and secure themselves against the constant threat posed by the Iroquois.

During the 16th century, They enter in contact with the French explorer Samuel De Champlain, after this meeting they quickly became trustful trading partners, and it is also at this period that they received their name of Huron. This name came probably from the habit that the Wendats warriors had to wear a boar-like air style, as Huron resemble the French word hure, meaning Boar’s head.Unfortunately, this time of peace and trade ends in 1649 when the Iroquois, jealous of the Wendats success with the Europeans, start to attack them significantly. They force the Wendats to run away from the area again. Some go to the upper lake Michigan while others move near Quebec city. Saying that safety is not always in number if you don’t have the will to face your problems.

Religion

The Wendats, like the rest of the first nations, believe that everything has a soul even the small twig on the road has a personality. Those beliefs were the reasons why they performed many rituals like offering tobacco to rocks, so they don’t damage their canoes. Or they didn’t disturb the bodies of dead animals, not wanting to attract their wrath. Indeed, they also believed that the afterlife doesn’t exist. So, when someone dies their soul stays in the living world.They even celebrate their deceased when they move to another location so that the dead ancestors can go to the "Village of the  Dead" somewhere in the west. Ironically, the Europeans invaders came from the opposite direction. We all know how the relationship between the first nations and the colonizer ended. Does this mean that if the western dead-spirits are intending to protect them, the eastern spirits are coming to bring them to their end? During their numerous rituals to appease or communicate with various spirits, they were making use of items like Okis (masks), Charms and amulets. They also interpreted dreams.

The Villages

All villages follow some common structure like a fortification, a workshop, a longhouse and even an area for agriculture. Everything had simple shapes, and light local materials were uses like furs, wood and bones. This style of construction was due to their nomadic lifestyle. Even if they were living in a particular area, they remained nomadic due to natural factors like floods or lack of foods.However, the Wendats had also specific buildings like a guests house for outsiders who came to the village for trade. This house was necessary for the Wendats to survive since trading was their primary source of benefits.

Activities

The Wendats were also growing their food. They were producing corn, squash, beans and even tobacco. The technique that the Wendats used in agriculture is called “Slash and Burn.” The men would cut down branches from trees before putting its base on fire. Then the women would plant the seeds where it burned. The ash left by the burning would act as a fertilizer and help plants grow.Finally, the Wendats were also making their canoes for their trading activity. Those canoes followed the classic long and narrow structure used by the natives and had a capacity of 6-10 passengers.Games were also part of Wendats daily life, but they didn’t only have a recreative purpose. Indeed boy’s games were meant to improve their skills like stench, agility or coordination. On the other hand games for girls were focused on child care-taking, food preservation and farming, and yes, unlike Europeans, agriculture was mostly held by women within the Wendat tribe. 

Bonus

all of those pieces of information and pictures came from my visit to the Wendats village that is located in the city of Midland Ontario. If you like this post, here is the link to a different one.