00 TRANSACTIONS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. [VOL. I. 



dagues^'' '■'' Goyogouins" '•'' Onneyouths" and ^'' Tsonnonthoumis." The 

 Indian name of the Hurons was " Wyandotts." The French changed this 

 name into that of" Huron," which is derived from a French word " hure," 

 because of the rugged locks of unkempt hair of the people of that race. 

 It may be said of the Hurons that of all the Indian races in Canada they 

 were not the most warlike, and yet they suffered the most from Indian 

 wars. Their great enemies, the Iroquois, were at war with this nation 

 from the earliest period of Indian history on the continent. Why were 

 the Iroquois enemies of the Hurons ? It was not because of any Poca- 

 hontas escapade, or because of the avenging spirit of the braves in revenge 

 for an abducted maiden of either tribe. The real reason of their differences, 

 their lamentable disao-reements culrainatino; in exterminatino; war, must be 

 ascribed to other causes. 



The French made a permanent settlement in Canada in the year 1603, 

 six years before the Dutch possessed themselves of New Netherlands, now 

 called New York. When the French arrived they found the Five 

 Nations there at war with the Adirondacks. The Adirondacks and the 

 Hurons were allies, and it was that alliance which at that time brought 

 them into conflict with the Iroquois, or Five Nations. The Honourable 

 Cadwallader Golden, one of Her Majesty's Counsel and Surveyor-General 

 of New York, when it was a British province, with great accuracy of 

 statement wrote a history of the Five Nations of Canada, which (as he 

 described) " are the barrier between the English and French in that part of 

 the world, with particular accounts of their religion, manners, customs, 

 laws and government, their several battles or treaties with the European 

 natives, their wars with the other Indians." 



I shall adopt this author in giving an account of the origin of the war 

 between the Iroquois and Hurons, which was in progress on the coming in 

 of the French. 



Mr, Colden says, " The French settled at Canada in the year 1603. 

 They found the Five Nations at war with the Adirondacks, which they tell 

 us was occasioned in the following manner : The Adirondacks formerly 

 lived three hundred miles above Troies Rivieres, where now the Utawas are 

 situated ; at that time they employed themselves in hunting, and the Five 

 Nations made the planting of corn their business. By this means they 

 became useful to each other by exchanging corn for venison. The Adiron- 

 dacks, however, valued themselves, as delighting in a more manly employ- 

 ment, and despised the Five Nations in following business, which they 

 thought only fit for women. But it once happened that the game failed in 

 the Adirondacks, which made them desire some of the young men of the 

 Five Nations to assist them in hunting. These young men soon became 



