1. THEME 4 JESUIT RELATIONS James Smith III

2. INTRODUCTION The Jesuit Relations are the “most important set of documentary materials on the seventeenth-century encounter of Europeans and Native Americans”. These were annual reports on the attempts of French missionaries to convert “savages” to Catholics.

3. INTRODUCTION The Jesuit Relations were written by members of the Society of Jesus; the members of Society of Jesus were different from other priest because of their oath of poverty and obedience to the scripture. The members helped found French Canada in the 1700s and traveled around the world from Asia to the Americas. The reports are important to not only Canadian/European culture but also to American Culture.

4. MONTAGNAIS HUNTERS OF THE NORTHERN WOODLANDS When discussing the native American tribe of the Montagnais, many Jesuits wrote about the care for nature. The Montagnais had many ceremonies that revolved around their belief that everything had a spirit of some kind. This belief made them not feed their dogs certain food from other animals, since they thought it would make them disobedient. Father Paul Le Jeune, a member of the Jesuit

5. MONTAGNAIS HUNTERS OF THE NORTHERN WOODLANDS The Montagnais tribe was a very peaceful tribe, they did not believe in killing one another. Among some of their beliefs was that Shamans could answer the questions of anyone during special rituals that would give the Shaman visions of the future. Their government was centered around their Chief, all decisions had to be approved by him

6. DISEASE AND MEDICINE In 1637 a disease epidemic hit the Huron Indians, it is believed to be influenza. As the disease spread it killed about fifty percent of all the Huron Indians. During this time the medical differences between the natives and the Jesuits became clear.

7. DISEASE AND MEDICINE The Huron natives believed that when someone was sick it meant that their spirit was not completely balanced. This belief was the basics of the treating of the sick. They believed in being social: playing sports and fufilling the wishes of the person who was sick. The Jesuits on the other hand saw themselves as saviors of the soul rather than doctors. So they believed in trying to “save” people were very sick. They also used their European knowledge of bleeding and keeping those who were sick isolated. This didn’t stop the spread of the flu and other diseases and soon the Jesuits were banned from the tribe.

8. DIPLOMACY AND WAR The Jesuits were never real conquers instead they were priest trying to deliver the message of god to the “savages”, so they never got the complete approval of the many native tribes that encountered. But this didn’t stop the French from coming and wars between the many Indian Nations.

9. DIPLOMACY AND WAR Although there were wars between the Native cultures before the Jesuits and the French arrived. After their arrival the wars intensified because of European weaponry. These wars were often interrupted by quick truces and peace treaties. During this time Canada began to rise as a superpower in its region, while European nations began to make their presence known.

10. WRITINGS ON THE NATURAL ENVIROMENT As the French and other countries made their way through Canada many Jesuits were finally allowed to make notes of the things they saw in nature, this included: comets and the northern lights.

11. WRITINGS ON THE NATURAL ENVIROMENT During the year of 1663, there was a period where nature was unleashed. There were many earthquake and “violent aftershocks” for about six months. The French took these events as acts of god. In response the Jesuits told the French to pray, since no one had a clear view on whether it was a good sign or bad one.