Auoindaon facts for kids
Auoindaon was an important chief of the Wyandot people, also known as the Huron. His village, Quieunonascaranas, was located in their homeland, Wendake, near what is now Midland, Ontario. Auoindaon formed friendships and alliances with French priests who came to the area as missionaries. One of the most famous was Gabriel Sagard. When Sagard first arrived, the people of Quieunonascaranas warmly welcomed him. In 1623, Auoindaon's village was quite large, with about 300 families living in nearly 40 longhouses.
Gabriel Sagard was a French missionary who traveled through New France (which is now Canada). He became the first religious historian in Canada. Sagard spent a lot of time with the Huron people. He wrote detailed accounts of their customs and beliefs. It was during this missionary work that Sagard met Auoindaon. Sagard's writings, like "The Long Journey to the Country of the Hurons," offer some of the best information about the Huron way of life long ago.
Auoindaon and Sagard became good friends. Auoindaon welcomed Sagard as a guest. Sagard wrote that Auoindaon even offered to let him stay the night. Auoindaon was worried that Sagard might be harmed by Iroquois warriors. The Iroquois had recently passed through the village.
Auoindaon invited Sagard to join an annual fishing trip. This trip was a very important part of Huron culture. People would set out fishing nets at night. In the morning, they would pull in their catches. Everyone slept in wigwam-style shelters near the nets. A special "fish-preacher" was also there. This person would speak to the fish and sing hymns. They hoped this would guide the fish into the nets. Other rituals were performed too. For example, people would throw tobacco into a fire while singing and saying special words. The fish caught on this trip were used for many things. Much of the fish was boiled to make oil. Some was cleaned and hung up to dry. This yearly fishing trip was a time of great fun and celebration for everyone.
Building Sainte-Marie among the Hurons
In 1623, Auoindaon gave permission for missionaries to build a new settlement. This mission was called Sainte-Marie-au-pays-des Hurons, or Sainte-Marie among the Hurons. It was built very close to Auoindaon's village, Quieunonascaranas. The mission officially started in 1639. It was the first non-Native settlement in Ontario. It became a very important missionary center. It served as a main hub for the Jesuits traveling between different missions. Sainte-Marie among the Hurons was active from 1639 to 1649.
Because the Huron village and the mission were so close, problems began to grow. Some people in Quieunonascaranas welcomed Christianity and the missionaries. But others wanted to keep their traditional beliefs. Many Huron people blamed the missionaries for new diseases. They also felt the missionaries were weakening the power of their traditional healers, called shamans.
Auoindaon became convinced that the Europeans were "oki." Oki were powerful spirits or forces for the Huron. He believed this because a long rainstorm stopped right after a cabin was finished. The term "oki" could mean many things. It could refer to good or bad spirits. It also meant respected prophets, gods, angels, or even demons.
Changes in Leadership and New Arrivals
After 1630, Auoindaon is no longer mentioned in historical records. His leadership role seems to have been taken by a man named Aenons. We don't have clear proof if Auoindaon and Aenons were the same person. In 1633, more Jesuit priests planned to settle near Sainte-Marie among the Hurons. However, when they arrived, the people of Quieunonascaranas did not greet them as warmly as they had in 1625. This was surprising, as Quieunonascaranas was the first village to have a resident priest. Around this time, Quieunonascaranas began to lose its political and social importance. Over time, Aenons moved the community to the Toanche area.
The Huron Nation and European Contact
The Huron were a large community living in what is now Ontario, Canada. They were also known as the Wendat or Wyandot. When Europeans first arrived, the Huron were a strong community. They had an estimated 25,000 people. But as more and more European settlers came, the Huron population dropped to about 9,000. This was mainly because of diseases like smallpox and measles. The Huron had no natural protection against these new illnesses.
At one point, the Huron had been allies with the Iroquois. But after a series of attacks, the Huron were forced to leave their homeland. This was the situation when the Huron first met Europeans. They were still enemies with the Iroquois. The Huron had strong trade, social, and political ties with many tribes in the Ottawa Valley. These tribes included the Petun, Algonquin, Nipissing, Neutral, and Odawa.
The Huron community would move their villages every ten years or so. They did this when natural resources, like good soil for crops and firewood, became used up. They also formed their own group of allied tribes along the northern coast of Lake Ontario. Trading was very important to the Huron. Their trade relationships gave them access to valuable items. These included seashells, wampum (beads made from shells), copper, and tobacco.
The Huron accepted and helped French missionaries. They did this to build good trade relationships. The first French missionaries to arrive were the Recollects. They were a group of French friars. The Recollect missionaries arrived around 1615. However, within ten years, the Jesuits replaced them in 1625. It was these Jesuits who received permission from Chief Auoindaon to start building Sainte-Marie among the Hurons near the Huron village of Quieunonascaranas.
