1. Theme 5 Part 1:
The Jesuit Relations
Kendra Lacasella
History of the Americas Online
November 26,2011

2. The Jesuit Relations: Introduction
• Reports from the • These reports covered:
Society of Jesus (French Epidemics, Progress of
Missionaries). Jesuits, Customs of
• They were published Natives, and
annually between 1632 Colonization progress.
and 1673.
• These reports described
the efforts of the Jesuits
to convert “pagan
savages to Catholicism.

3. The Jesuit Relations: Introduction
• The Relations were • The Society of Jesus was
written by Europeans not like by everyone.
and were focused for – Protestants, secular
Europeans. deists, Jansenists, and
– But the natives voices others were just a few
were not shut out. There who didn’t agree with
was a different point of The Society of Jesus.
view in the Jesuits as
they learned more about
the culture of natives.

4. The Jesuit Relations: Ch. 1
• Father Paul Le Jeune • The Montagnais
(1591-1664) was the Described:
first superior of the – These natives made a
New France mission, system of beliefs.
and the pioneer author • Nipinouke brought spring
and summer and
of the Relations. Pipinoukhe brought the
– He accompanied cold season.
Montagnais on hunt for
game, but the journey
was difficult.

5. The Jesuit Relations: Ch. 1 cont.
• How to settle disputes
and discipline children:
– Europeans were used to
administrating to
discipline children, the
Huron’s used present
giving to the injured side
to amend the child's
behavior.

6. The Jesuit Relations: Ch. 2
• Language: • Religion, Myth, and Ritual:
– This discussed how there was – Many of the Huron's
such diversity and the different imaginations were very
origins of languages. interesting and impressive and
– Natives lacked important words they have faith in the their
and this made is difficult for the dreams.
Jesuits to explain things. – Dreams are a key feature in
• Law and Government their way of life.
– The natives lives were very
political and civic.
– They were able to live
peacefully together and
establish villages.
– They held counsels almost
every day which improved their
language.

7. The Jesuit Relations: Ch. 2 cont.
• The Ononharoia: • The Huron Feast of the
– For the mad persons. dead:
– It starts with someone going – It was the most
through the cabins to tell that
they have dreamed. renowned ceremony
– Then the people of the village among the Huron’s.
begin to give him gifts which – The natives recognized
help him or her become the immortality of the
better and not a manic
soul and in time they
anymore.
would be able to see the
need for Christian
salvation.

8. The Jesuit Relations: Ch. 3
• The Jesuit relations are a • The Influenza Epidemic of
good sources of 1637:
information about the – Village after village
spread of different succumbed, and the
diseases. number of dead multiplied.
– This devastated the
• Disease and Medicine: Huron’s. They suspected
– Shamans helped the sick to that the possible cause of
recover when illnesses this sickness was the
struck. presence of the French.
– Huron’s attributed illness
to both natural and super
natural causes.

9. The Jesuit Relations: Ch. 3 cont.
• Smallpox struck the
Huron’s in 1639:
– It “mowed down” the
native populations with
shocking efficiency.
– More Huron’s perished in
1639 than in the plague.
– It disfigured and killed
people by the thousands
– The signs were oozing red
sores, lassitude, and fever.

10. The Jesuit Relations: Ch. 5
• Explanations of a Solar • The Moral qualities of
Eclipse (by the Animals:
Montagnais): – Animals were an
– It was believed that it embodiment of vices
was a man getting angry and virtues.
with a wicked women,
the man threatened the
woman her heart
trembles, causing the
eclipse in the sky.

11. The Jesuit Relations: Ch. 5 cont.
• Earthquakes, Comets,
and other Prophetic
signs:
– 1663 was active
environmentally and the
Relations documented
all of the activity really
well.
– In New France and earth
quake struck that left
aftershocks occurring
over a six-month period.