Wendat Society and French Colonization

Overview of Samuel de Champlain, Etchen Brule, and the Wendat People

Last class content recap
- Samuel de Champlain and Etchen Brule recently met the Wendat people.
- Brule participated in cultural exchanges, living first with the Algonquin and later with the Wendat.
- A young man named Savignon (Algonquin), lived with the French and spent a winter in France.
- Savignon's history ends there, unlike that of Brule.

Historian Francis Back's depiction of a Wendat village
- Architecture: Longhouses accommodate extended families.
- Defensive Structures:
- Surrounded by a wall called a palisade, serving defense purposes.
- Inner defensive mechanisms include an extended wall to discourage direct attacks.
- A platform on the wall allowed defending members to shoot arrows or dump boiling water on attackers.
Context of warfare
- The area around the Great Lakes, particularly Southern Ontario, faced ongoing conflict, pre-dating and escalating during European contact.

The Wendat were primarily agriculturalists growing corn as a staple crop.
Settlements:
- Villages were semipermanent.
- Farming techniques involved clearing fields, burning logs, and using ash to fertilize the soil. This practice produced fertile conditions for 15-20 years.
- Once the soil's nutrients decreased, they would either move to new locations or shift farming fields.
Roles of Women:
- Women were the main farmers in Wendat society.
Demography:
- Total population estimates ranged between 30,000 and 40,000.
- Some villages held populations of approximately 4,000.

The Wendat were central to vast trade networks, engaging in commerce with tribes illustrated on maps (French, Inuit, Algonquin).
Products Traded:
- Cornmeal traded with neighbors in exchange for various furs.
- The Algonquin relied on cornmeal for survival during harsh winters.
- Cornmeal stored in caches served as emergency supplies.

Champlain's intervention in 1615 against the Haudenosaunee
- Initial raids in 1609 and subsequent efforts in 1615 were significant engagements.
- Two notable raids:
- 1609: Surprise attack at Lake Ticonderoga using firearms shocked the Haudenosaunee, leading to their retreat. Champlain concealed among allies.
- 1615: A siege against a Haudenosaunee village that was less successful than the first raid, resulting in Champlain being injured (two arrows in his knees).
Motivation for Raids with Algonquin and Inuit:
- The French needed to ally with the Algonquin against Haudenosaunee attacks.
- Champlain's demand for direct trade with the Wendat marked a shift in relationships in 1615.

Complexity of Trade Dynamics:
- French fur trade began to grow, with settlements expanding slowly (900 French settlers by 1645 in Quebec).
- War between French and Haudenosaunee affected French settlement and development.
The Haudenosaunee formed alliances with the Dutch fur traders, further complicating French interests.
European interests shifted as Dutch fur trade grew, affecting the entire fur economy, increasing competition and tensions.

As fur trade boomed:
- Many indigenous groups became reliant on French goods, including firearms, amplifying conflicts.
Consequences for Wendat:
- Engagement in the fur trade was ultimately detrimental, leading to societal changes and disruptions.

Introduction of missionaries:
- Recollects arrived first in 1615, perceived as ineffective due to failure to connect with Indigenous cultures.
- Struggled with lifestyle adaptations and cultural respect,
- Allowed recruitment of other orders (Jesuits) in 1625, who were more suited for missionary work.
Jesuit Approaches:
- Jesuits integrated more effectively into Indigenous cultural contexts.
- Learning the Wendat language and employing syncretism to introduce Christianity slowly.

European diseases began to spread among Wendat due to lack of immunity, with epidemics starting around 1639.
Estimate: from 30,000-40,000, Wendat population dropped to approx. 10,000 within a decade due to high mortality from introduced diseases like smallpox and influenza.
Cultural and Social Disruption:
- Loss of elderly individuals meant loss of knowledge.
- Social unrest resulting from disease prompted confusion about contagion, leading to blame among community members, including against French partners.

A segment of the Wendat population converted to Christianity during this period, with various motivations including:
- Jesuit cultural sensitivity and efforts to communicate effectively.
- Belief that baptism might offer protection against diseases.
- Economic Incentives:
- Converts received preferential treatment from French, influencing social dynamics among non-converted populations.
- Firearms were provided only to baptized converts, incentivizing many to support conversion efforts.
Result: A division within Wendat society due to differing religious beliefs, impacting raiding and community cohesion.

Weakened by disease and internal discord, the Wendat faced sustained assaults by the Haudenosaunee.
Factors for Haudenosaunee aggression:
- Historical cultural ties and misunderstandings concerning the rejection of peace offers.
- Desire to grow population through adoption practices, and trading dynamics motivating pursuits of control.
Resulting Dispersal of Wendat People:
- Secondary study from the 1640s showed declining Wendat unity as communities were severely affected by attacks, forcing many to flee or assimilate into neighboring groups and cultures, including the French.

The decline and dispersal of the Wendat led the French to fill the void left in the fur trade and agricultural roles previously held by the Wendat.
Expansion of the French population and increased engagements with the Haudenosaunee due to conflicts catalyzed during these changes.
Notable population growth of French settlers from around 1,000 in the early 1650s to over 3,300 by 1662 are indicative of new economic dynamics in the aftermath of Wendat decline.
Final Note:
- These developments highlight the complexities and ramifications of colonial encounters, highlighting the tragic outcomes for indigenous populations in the context of European colonization strategies.