ON THE ETHNOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 5G7 



1. The first series of influences (commercial intercourse and religious 

 preaching) exerted themselves over the ancient Hurons previous to their 

 leaving their old abode in Westei'n Ontario. Commerce introduced into 

 the Huron villages by the early French discoverers, or, at least, greatly 

 developed by them, upset the balance of the traditional system of 'labour 

 of the Hurons, by reducing the relative importance of agriculture as a 

 means of livelihood for them. Thereby the Hurons were rendered less 

 sedentary, more nomadic, less apt to fortify their villages and to hold 

 the country against invaders. The young and able-bodied men were kept 

 much away from home by their hunting and trading expeditions, leaving 

 the towns insufficienuly protected against attack, while themselves heavily 

 laden with furs or other goods, but scantily equipped with arms and 

 ammunition, fell an easy prey to Iroquois war parties. 



Again, commerce, by reducing the importance of agriculture in the 

 labour system of the Hurons, weakened the clan organisation, on which 

 the whole Wyandot social fabric rested. Female clanship was dependent 

 for its strength on the social prestige of the women ; and this in turn was 

 largely dependent on the development of agriculture, which was left to 

 their charge.^ The preaching of the new religious dogmas by the RecoUet 

 and Jesuit missionaries and the conversion to the faith of a number of 

 the Hurons also tended to undo the binding action of clanship. For 

 clanship in its origin was blended with the religious beliefs of these 

 primitive people ; each clan was under the special protection of a pagan 

 myth, and the preaching of the Gospel released the hold which these 

 myths had on the minds of the Hurons. In that way were the strong 

 family ties which bound together the scattered parts of the "Wyandot 

 confederacy loosened, and the Hurons rendered less capable of strong 

 united action. In that way were the Iroquois enabled to defeat one after 

 the other the disconnected groups and bring about the utter dispersal of 

 the Huron nation. Such is the social significance of the facts set forth in 

 the early accounts.^ 



Of the five or six tribes, or suboi'dinate nations, which made up the 

 Wyandot confederacy, only three (the nation of the Bear, that of the 

 Rock, and that of the Rope) repaired towards Quebec. A few years later 

 two of these tribes were forced by the Mohawks and the Onondagas to 

 join their respective nations ; and the nation of the Rope was finally the 

 only one to remain with the French.^ From this sole tribe, very much 

 disorganised and reduced in numbers, and still fui'ther reduced by sub- 

 sequent wars, did the present Lorette community spring. 



2. The physical features of the country about and back of Quebec, 

 characterised by the restricted area of the arable belt and the development 

 of the mountain and forest tract, had the effect of keeping the small 

 Huron group away from agriculture, of turning it more completely towards 

 the chase and those industries dependent on the chase and the forest for 

 their raw material. Thereby the Hurons were prevented from acquiring 

 any greater fitness for heavy and steady labour, and from developing any 

 greater ability or desire to hold land. 



3. The close neighbourhood and competition of the white settlers had 

 two quite distinct effects on the Hurons. On the one hand, their influence 



' P. de Housiers, La, Science iSocialc, 1890, vol. x. p. 111. 



- Champlain, iv. pp. 43,44, 101; Jesuit Eelatio as, Quebec edition, 1G42, pp. 55, 

 56 ; Charlevoix, vol. i. p. 201. 



' Jesuit Belations, 1657, pp. 20 and 23. 



