St. Marie Among the Hurons

One of the activities I did while I was away was to visit St.Marie Among the Hurons. We visited the Wendat-Jesuit village back when we were much younger when visiting Uncle Bert's cottage. I find the story of the Jesuits' failed missionary pursuit intriguing. For a variety of reasons it failed. There was the Wendat people's conflict of feeling that they had to give up their culture in order to become Christians. There was also the Iroquois dislike of the Huron (Wendat) and their want for trade with the French. As with most native people, there was also the sickness brought by the Europeans due to the exposure to disease. In any event, the conflicts resulted in the murder of Jesuits, the burning of the mission, and the destruction of the Wendat. While the effort to spread Christianity was honourable and genuine, the result was devastating to the native population.

The village the Jesuits created was interesting since it reflected the diversity between European ideas and lifestyle versus aboriginal beliefs and lifestyle. I loved the canal system that was created with a series of mini locks for the couriers de bois (fur traders) could enter the village safely.

I have also included some photos of the village as it looks today and three pictures of our family's visit to the mission 40 years ago.