The Jesuit Relations

Heidi Jones11/25/2011History 140

Introduction: Native North America and the French Jesuits

•The Resuit Relations was know as one of the most important sets of documentary material in the 17th century encounter with the Europeans and the Native North Americans

•The Jesuit Relations were so good at connecting to other cultures because the missionaries came to know the people, they lived in the villages, learned the language, got to know the people, they were also literate.

•The Jesuits were founded by Ignatius of Loyola in 1534, and they sent missionaries to Canada. They were men, “ who sought out personal Christian perfection in a tightly organized association with branches across Catholic Europe and headquarters in Rome. Whereas some others specialized in teaching, hospital work, or monastic contemplation, the Jesuits' activities were multifaceted, encompassing education, literary and scientific activities, pastoral care and overseas missions.”

Introduction: Native North America and the French Jesuits

• The Jesuits traveled nearly everywhere to spread the doctrine to the Natives in the various countries. They went to places not only in Europe, but to Portugal, Asia, China, India, Japan, and Italy. They visited many other places too, but these were some of their’ highlights, because they picked up new missionaries and spreading the gospel was very effective.

• One of their most known and impressive was the Jesuits’ influence on the colonies that were being established by the Europeans. The main natives they

worked with were the Iroquoians and the Algonquians.

It took nearly 2 centuries of missionary work, but the missionaries had dealings with almost all of the Indian Nations in the North East.

The Jesuits had some major successes and some major difficulties too.

Chapter 3- Disease and Medicine• The Jesuits of New France never knew anything about germs, viruses, and immunity.

When they came to the Natives they didn’t know that the old world diseases would consume and kill literally 50% of the population. It was hard for the Europeans to grasp the concept that they carried the immunity in their blood to fight off the infection and the Indians having never been exposed were extremely vulnerable.

• Instead of trying to save the person who was sick physically and relieve them of their pain, the Jesuits were baptizing them to cleanse their souls and relieve the suffering of their pain. However the Natives did not like this , and thought that it was outrageous.

• The Natives, or Indians had their own ways of dealing with the sicknesses, they used a wide variety of medical procedures. Not only did these procedures effect the body but it also effected the mind. The person had to have an interconnection with their interself being, feelings, attitudes. They would try to cure sickness through, “Ceremonies that that recognized and gave dramatic expression to a person’s repressed desires.”

Chapter 1-Montagnais Hunters of the Northern Woodlands

• The earliest Jesuit Relations was written by Father Paul Le Jeune. He was a Protestant who converted to Catholicism. He joined the Society of Jesus and he gained experience as an educator and an administrator in several Jesuit colleges.

• Thankfully to the fur trade, the people had experience with considerable contact with the French by the time Le Jeune met them. He saw their ways of life, how they lived, the way they hunted, practiced rituals and saw their strategies for thriving.

• The Algonquin-Montagnais beliefs and spiritual beliefs and practices. The Natives saw that the forms of life, nature as well as inanimate objects had a spirit and could help or harm humans.

Chapter 1-Montagnais Hunters of the Northern WoodlandsOn the Good Things Which are Found among the Indians 1634

• He writes about the Indians about how amazing seeing they were. Their stature and their attitude was so different then the French people.

• He described how each person in the tribe had a roll and how they all contributed to each others well being.

• The women were to portion out the food, linens, and the supplies, while the men were to hunt and provide.

• He was very surprised about the men and women cooperated together and did not argue about anything. If a woman changes a routine the men respect and honor any changes they may make.

Chapter 3- Disease and Medicine

• The therapeutic techniques that were derived from both the European practices and the rituals the Natives had, their traditions helped everyone to understand the disease.

• One thing that the Europeans were not accustomed to was the rituals of casting out demons or passing them away, removing them from ones’ self.

• The process included a variety of options whether it be paying, in gold, beads, tobacco, or other special commodities. They could also ask an elder to take them to their house and use bark from their home in exchange to be set free. Things that were seen as silly to the Europeans, were normal and exactly what the Natives did when illness struck

Chapter 5- Writings on the Natural Environment

• The Jesuit Relations contained many documentations about the nature around them. This not only included the landscape, flowers, plants, but the stars above. They recorded the comets, eclipses and other “celestial phenomena's.”

• By looking at the nature and the natives view of it, they got a better understanding between the relationship the natives had made between animals, humans, and the cosmos.

• Some Europeans regarded the celestial research as signs from God, and thought that they should or might interpret them as warnings of disasters or things of good fortune.

Chapter 5- Writings on the Natural Environment•There were many catastrophic events that took place during the time of the Jesuits that could not be explained. They made up folk tales to try and explain the events but they didn’t really understand what was happening.

•The Solar Eclipse was first documented in in September of 1663, and the Northern Lights and the “Sun Dogs” were intriguing to many who saw them.

•However the Universal Earthquake in Canada had a great effect on the people in 1662-1663. This earth quake continued on for 6 whole months with after shocks after the huge earthquake that nearly destroyed everything. Not only did this earthquake effect Canada but it effected New France, New England, Acadia, and other far regions. Even though the damage was so severe and property, forests, mountains were all turned upside down no one was killed.

Chapter 6- Missions to the Iroquois• It was the Jesuits main priority, the MISSION to convert the

natives but they had a very difficult time in the beginning due to some issues with territorial land issues and enemies. Eventually however the success came in 1667 when a comprehensive and lasting peace was established.

• The were able to work with the Five Nations of the Iroquois League until about 1684 when the war broke out and they were expelled. But by that time they had converted enough Natives, and those new converts were able to pursue the teaching of the Jesuits in the areas in which the Jesuits were no longer allowed.

• Many of the converts went to live near the French settlements along the St. Lawrence for shelter and comfort. They ended up developing their own district way of life as allies of the King of France as well as being as being residents at St. Lawrence.

Chapter 6- Missions to the Iroquois• The Iroquois Mission was one of the most beautiful churches in the

area. It was considered the finest church in Canada and it resembled the best of the best in France. The large farm surrounding the church helped harvest goods for ceremonial practices as well as for the Indians that attended the church. The woods nearby was were the women collected firewood and the men would hunt also.

• The village was always going in this area because of the way things were run, the love, time, and commitment that they put into the mission really changed the attitude of others. People from other areas were coming down just to join this particular church.

• It was a very structured church and they had three services as well as missionaries that visited everyday to your personal residence. At four AM they would ring the bell for everyone to wake for the five o’clock service. Preceding that service they would have a service for the Indians and then following a service for the children with a lesson for them too.

• Then the pastor would go visit the Indians and the others and explain the message to them in picture books because not all of them could understand the language yet.