A Memoir of Jacques Cartier cont...Hochelaga and the Abnakis

The next place they visited was the heavy agricultural area that led into the town Hochelaga which was near a mountain the French named Mont Royal. This was actually an enclosed town that even had a gate for the single entrance into town. Cartier even sounded impressed by the defensiveness of the town. He also talks about the long houses, corn flour that they used to make round cakes which they bake on stones, the method they use to smoke there meat, and the fact that the most precious thing to this tribe are the shells they use for their wampum. Cartier describes the way they get the shells is by of someone who has been sentenced to death and cutting large gashes in their body. They placed the body in the bottom of the river where the shells live and leave it there for up to 12 hours. When they take up the body we are able to gather what they need of the shells that have grown into the gashes. Once again Cartier mentions that the women are very physically curious and touch the Frenchman without shame, very curious.

One of the oddest things was the leader (I think that’s who he was) started bringing sick people to the captain for the captain to touch and “heal”. Many gifts were given afterwards, a feast was had, and then some of the people led the Frenchman on the mountain. While there, their guides made reference to silver coming from the river, but said evil folks named Agojuda were there, and that they warred with each other all the time. The Agojuda’s armor was described as wood laced together by cords woven together. I found reference to Samuel de Champlain mentioning the Agojuda as well and in notes scholars said that judging from the slat armor mentioned this was likely the Ouendat (Huron). Cartier and the other sailors were hoping the mountain held copper, but the Abnakis (Abenaki) insisted that came from Saguenay. After the walk to the mountain Cartier and his men went to return to their boats and when the Abnakis saw that they were tired, they carried the sailors. When the French men left the people follow them along the river, seeming sad to see them go.

It wasn’t until several days later that Cartier mentions Taignoagny and Dom Agaya who came with many others to welcome them further down on what the Frenchman named the Whip River. Cartier seem to doubt the sincerity of the welcome. They insisted that the Frenchman come see the Donnacona who apparently were located in a different place than they had been when the sailors had visited before. The captain gave the men knives and other things of small value, and to the women he presented gifts of tin rings. While there the captain was also shown by the Donnacona the “skins of five men’s heads stretched upon wood like the skins of parchment” and were told the skins were from a group called the Toudamans who they were at war with, and who had unexpectedly attacked them. A group that just happened to be located at the place the Abnakis said that the copper came from. Saguenay. Looking into the Iroquois and armor they were, it seems more likely that the Toudamans wore actually of that group, so it is possible the term Agojuda may have meant Iroquois not Huron.

As a side note the mention of the wood slat armor is very interesting to me, and may require a bit more research as a possible option for my own armor. To my knowledge my tribe didn't wear any armor in battle, at least nothing that would fit the standards of SCA armor, so this would slat armor might be a possible solution. I have seen the wood slat armor mentioned before while doing research on First Nations, and the Russians were said to have some contact with people called the Tlingit who wore wooden armor. Here's an example of that I found...

DvD: Explorers of the World; French Explorers pt 3 - Samuel de Champlain

The next voyage by Samuel de Champlain didn’t happen until 1603, which is a tad off of the SCA time period range, but just in case I’m going to cover it anyway. One of the reasons it took so long for them to return was the war brewing between Spain and France. There was a new king on the throne, Henry IV, and he was the one who sent Champlain back to the New World, with far less resources than previous explorers had at their disposal. Because of lack of funds the king gave fur traitors a monopoly to encourage them to colonize the area. This was the core of the mission given to Champlain in 1603. I find myself wondering how strict the SCA 1600 cut off date is… whether there’s a bit of wiggle room to play with this time period. Anyway, back to Champlain.

 He had already traveled to places like Mexico, Cuba, and Panama where he built a canal connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Champlain followed Cartier’s route up the St. Lawrence River to Québec before returning to France. He made 12 more trips after that to the New World to explore and to write about what he saw. As far as research goes this is a good sign because there might be a translated version of his journals like there is for Cartier. In his further journeys he traveled from Nova Scotia past Maine and to Cape Cod. Is believed if the French had not had a run-in with local natives in the area they might have built their colony there. If they had done that they would’ve beat the pilgrims by 15 years. They ended up building a colony near Nova Scotia called Port Royal. That became the first permanent French colony in the New World.

 Champlain did not establish his Québec settlement until 1608 which was an important location for the St. Lawrence River trade route. This was in the territory of the Huron and the Algonquin. Champlain was smart enough to know the only way the settlement was to survive was to make allies of his new neighbors. Further up the St. Lawrence was the Iroquois’s territory, and they were another matter. This tribe was the traditional enemy of the Huron and Algonquin. Champlain was wounded several times fighting the Iroquois because of his being allied with their enemies. He also traveled the Ottawa River into what is now Ontario and even as far is New York State. Explored, and colonized, and traded in these areas. I was pleased to learn that not only did Champlain draw excellent maps during his travels but he gave detailed accounts of his adventures and of the people he encountered which is another reason for me to try to get copies of his journals. Champlain explored northeast North America until his death in 1635.