fTooker] 



ETHNOGRAPHY OF THE HURON 65 



HUNTING 



Hunting was important to the Huron. Although occasionally the 

 priests write of the scarcity of game and fresh fish in Huronia (cf. 

 JR 7 : 223 ; 17 : 17 ; S 82) , they do so usually when stressing the hard- 

 sliips of life among the Indians. In other places, they mention an 

 abundance of game and fish (JR 11: 7; 15: 153), perhaps in an 

 attempt to advertise the country. 



Hunting probably varied with area and season. Game was scarce 

 except during the autumn ( JR 13 : 109, 113, 255 ; cf. JR 8 : 149) when 

 some hunted deer, bear, and beaver (C 81). There is mention of an 

 Indian hunting beaver about the end of the autumn ( JR 26 : 249) . In 

 another report, the Jesuits speak of the difficulty the Huron had in 

 observing Lent, for this was the time when the hmiters returned and 

 the only time they had a little meat ( JR 17 : 141-143 ; cf . JR 21 : 197— 

 the supply of meat was great among the Neutral for one year because 

 of heavy snows that facilitated hunting). They also speak of 

 game as being scarce during Lent, that the hunters had to travel 200 

 to 300 leagues in order to find bears, deer, and "cows" [JR 15 : 183 ; 

 perhaps "wild cows" were deer (cf. JR 29: 221)]. In another place 

 the Jesuits speak of hunting as being no longer successful, for the mild 

 weather had ceased early in February and it was not the season for 

 game (JR 13: 263). These apparent contradictions indicate that 

 hunting took place in the late fall and early winter.^^ They also 

 indicate that game was scarce near the villages and that the Indians 

 had to travel considerable distances to obtain it. This interpretation 

 explams why the missionaries often went without meat; their 

 servants could not travel on long hunting expeditions, although occa- 

 sionally they could take game and birds nearby. 



Bears and deer were hunted (JR 15: 99, 183; 23: 63; 30: 53) with 

 bow and arrow ( JR 26 : 313) or traps ( JR 30 : 53 ; C 85) . 



Animal drives were probably important.^ In one place where deer 

 and bears were abundant, four or five hundred Indians formed a line 

 in the woods extending between points which jutted into the river. 

 With bow and arrow in hand, they marched, shouting and making 

 much noise in order to frighten the animals, until they reached the 

 end of the point. There the animals were forced either to pass through 

 the line and be shot by the hunters or to go into the water. Indians 

 in their canoes easily approached the animals swimming along the 



*' Fall was also the Iroquois hunting season, the Indians returning to the village before 

 the Midwinter Ceremonial (Jackson 1830 a : 34 ; Morgan 1901(1): 337; De. C. Smith 

 1889 b: 282). 



1 Iroquois deer drives also have been described (Jackson 1830 b : 26 ; Morgan 1901(1) : 

 336). Jesse Cornplanter said that communal hunts were held only in preparation for 

 ceremonials (Quain 1961 : 252 n.). 



