i899-'oo Transactions 79 



The latter half of this century, and particularly' the last 

 twenty-five years, witnessed the rise and spreading through- 

 out Canada of the world-wide commercial and industrial evolu- 

 tion, that is, the introduction of machinery, the building of rail- 

 roads and canals, the extension of great transportation agencies. 

 Man's powers of production and distribution have thereb}' been 

 increased a hundred-fold. Distance has been suppressed, so to 

 speak ; and each locality is now afforded the opportunit}' to 

 develop and pursue on a large scale those industries for which it 

 is best adapted by its natural resources or its social conditions. 



The commercial and industrial evolution w^as the death-blow 

 to some of the minor industries of Lorette, but into others it in- 

 stilled a new life. Competition put a stop to the manufacture of 

 toboggans and of lacrosses ; but a new industrj', fancy basket- 

 making, taken from the Montagnais and the Abenakis, some ten 

 or fifteen years ago, was introduced ; and considerable impetus 

 was given to the making of snowshoes and moccasins and to the 

 dressing of hides. On an average, 10 to 15,000 hides are cut an- 

 nually at lyorette. In 1898, 140,000 pairs of moccasins were made, 

 and about 7,000 pairs of snowshoes. Instead of the ver}' small 

 family workshop of old, we now see vaster collective workshops 

 run by outside employers of some means. 



Not only do the Huron villagers depend for their support al- 

 most entirely on the revenue derived from the various manufact- 

 uring industries ; but a number quite as large of French Cana- 

 dians settled in the village of St. Ambroise close by, look to the 

 same pursuits for a living. Snowshoe making is the only indus- 

 try of the Indians which the Hurons have kept to themselves, 

 not more than two French Canadians being trained in the art. 



In turn, this ver}^ development of the manufacturing indus- 

 tries reacted on the old forms of labour and caused their further 

 decline. Henceforth, assured of constant emplo3anent at eas}' 

 work, the Hurons gave up almost entirely agriculture, which had 

 long been neglected, and ev^en the chase, which had been dwind- 

 ling awa}' of late years. 



Despite the evolution of their labour s^^stem, and not- 

 withstanding a few individual cases of transformation, the Hurons 

 of lyorette as a whole still exhibit traits retained from their prim- 

 itive social status. For instance, the men, generally speaking. 



