2. The Jesuit Relations
• The relations are annual
reports of French missionaries,
efforts to convert “savages” to
Catholicism.
• Documents reflect the biases
the Jesuits had in their
writings.
• Each volume includes news
about progress of the colonies.
• The devastation of epidemics,
wars, and other news of the
natives in north America.
3. The Jesuit Relations
• Their descriptions are very
accurate.
• They describe native
ceremonies with great detail,
even though they didn’t
approve of them.
• Their accounts were accurate
because the Jesuits lived with
the local population and spoke
the language.
• To be able to understand the
Jesuits relationship with the
natives more background is
needed.
4. The Jesuits Relations
• The Jesuits were members
of a religious order of Jesus
• They took vows of poverty
and obedience to
distinguish themselves from
parish priests.
• The Jesuits were founded in
1534 by Spanish ex-soldier
Ignatius of Loyola
• The Jesuits not only
evangelized in the Americas
but were also sent out to
the east and Asia.
5. The Jesuits Relations
• Earliest published Jesuit relations
were written by Father Paul Le
Jeune (1592-1664)
• He traveled to Canada at the age
of forty, at this time the natives
already had some contact with
Europeans.
• The Jesuits were interested in the
natives beliefs and supernatural
entities.
• He would often travel on hunting
trips for large game which would
give him access to the interior of
the country.
• These were done with the settlers
and the native.
6. The Jesuit Relations
• Paul Le Jeune asks natives
questions of their beliefs and
explains their logic.
• From his writing he seems
genuinely interested.
• On these trips Le Jeune learns
about the different beliefs the
natives have, he treats them
poorly, showing he is set on the
Jesuits beliefs.
• He also made many notes on the
natives good qualities and how
some beliefs are similar to
Europeans.
• Their tactics in discipline were
closely observed
7. The Jesuits Relations
• Thanks to the Jesuits the Huron
were the most documented from
all the natives they were in
contact with.
• They were the largest group in
the area.
• The Huron would not move from
camp to camp and were more
stable, staying in the same lands
for a longer period of time.
• This made it easier for the Jesuits
to keep contact with the Huron
and build relationships.
• Not only was the Huron language
documented but religion and
beliefs as well.
8. The Jesuits Relations
• The French did not come
to the new world as
missionaries.
• They often came with
gifts for the natives which
they tended to side with.
• Because the Jesuits
converted so many Huron
this weakened the Huron
community by dividing
them.
9. The Jesuits Relations
• The Jesuits also wrote on
the beliefs of the natives
to natural occurrences.
• They describe the
earthquakes at the time
and the reaction of the
natives.
• This gives some
perspective of the logic of
the Europeans and the
native people.
10. The Jesuits Relations
• Jean de Bredeuf had lots of
writing on the Huron's.
• He explained the beliefs of the
Huron and his beliefs of the
Huron people.
• His claim was that the Huron did
believe in one higher being at
some point in history and the
missionaries are doing the work.
• The Huron actually believed in a
higher entity but it was not the
Jesuits god.
• They didn’t have any form of
higher being or leadership but yet
they still kept order in their
society.
