Tooker] ETHNOGRAPHY OF THE HURON 5 



In its origiiial form, the ethnographic data in the documents is 

 scattered through many volumes and understandably few have read 

 through the sources. This is particularly obvious in the case of the 

 Jesuit Relations. One deterrent to the use of the Jesuit Relations 

 in archeological and ethnographic research is the initial shock of 

 seeing over 70 volumes on a library shelf although only certain of 

 these documents pertain to the Huron. For this compendium, vol- 

 umes 7 through 34 of the Thwaites edition, which cover the years 

 1634 (the beginning of intensive Jesuit proselytizing) to 1649 (the 

 defeat of the Huron by the Iroquois) were used. Of these, Brebeuf's 

 Relation of 1636 is perhaps the most important, but the other Rela- 

 tions, also quite long and detailed, contain valuable ethnographic 

 information sandwiched in between accounts of baptisms, deaths, con- 

 versions, and hardships of life in foreign lands. The material in 

 Bressani's Relation (JR 38-40)^ that repeats data contained in the 

 preceding Relations has not been included ; the principal new ethno- 

 grapliic material in this Relation, that referring to hair styles, paint- 

 ing, and tattooing (JR 38:249-253), and death customs (JR 

 39: 29-33), is included. 



Although the period of intensive Jesuit missionizing in Huronia, 

 1634^50, produced the most extensive collection of material on the 

 Huron, Champlain's and Sagard's shorter accomits, both of which 

 relate to earlier and brief expeditions, contain valuable information. 

 The first such expedition began in the summer of 1615 when Cham- 

 plain and Joseph Le Caron, a Recollet, left for Huronia with different 

 groups of Huron traders; they returned in the summer of 1616. 

 (The Huron made their trips to Three Rivers and Quebec to trade 

 during the summer when the rivers were open ; as the French obtained 

 passage with the Indian traders, they also left and returned during 

 the summer montlis.) At times during the winter of 1615-16, Cham- 

 plain and Le Caron met and both made a visit to the Tobacco League. 

 Although Le Caron's memoirs are not preserved, Champlain's are, thus 

 providing an important source of information about the Huron. 



No missionaries went to Huronia from the summer of 1616 until the 

 summer of 1623, when Le Caron returned accompanied by two other 

 RecoUets, Father Nicolas Viel and lay Brother Gabriel Sagard-The- 

 odat. In the suiimier of 1624, Le Caron and Sagard returned to 

 Quebec. Viel remained in Huronia for another winter and left for 

 Quebec in the summer of 1625, but drowned on the way. This second 

 expedition was reported by Sagard. 



In the summer of 1626, the Recollets were joined by the Jesuits in 

 their activities, and three priests, a Recollet, Joseph de la Roche 

 d'Aillon, and two Jesuits, Jean de Brebeuf and Anne de None, went 



2 For explanation of citation abbreviations, see text, p. 8. 



