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B. The Wendat People
From HCO Jr
| Part 1. First People of Canada → A. Turtle Island → B. The Wendat → C. The Siksika → D. The Haida → E. The Dene → F. The Inuit → G. The Cree → H. The Ojibwa → I. The Mi'kmaq |
| Wendat - Gallery | Stories & Texts | Web Links | Vocab | Student Activities | Class Projects |
The Wendat
Contents |
The Wendat nation used to live in southern Ontario. They had villages between Lake Simcoe and Georgian Bay. They were part of a large confederacy or group of other First Nations.
Three other nations, the Petuns, Neutral and Eries, were part of the Wendat Confederacy.
The Wendat people spoke an Iroquoian language. Other Iroquoians were the
- Mohawk
- Cayuga
- Oneida
- Onondaga
- Seneca
These nations made up the Five Nations of the Iroquois (or Haudausaunee). All of these nations belonged to the same cultural group so they lived a similar lifestyle.
The word "wendat" means "people who live on the back of a great turtle." The Wendat believed that the back of this great turtle was an island that supported the whole world.
Europeans used to call the Wendat the “Huron.” This was from a French word “huré.” The huré was a wild boar (pig) in France. The hair on the back of its neck was very stiff and stood straight up. Huron men wore their hair the same way. Huron is not the proper name for the Wendat.
Environment of the Wendat
Wendat people lived in an area called the Great Lakes Lowland. This part of Ontario has warmer weather than many other parts of Canada. Summers are longer (3 months) with very hot temperatures. Winters are cold with a lot of snow. There are many lakes and rivers.
When the Wendat lived in this region there were large forests. These forests had many different trees in them. In fact there were more types of trees in this part of Canada than anywhere else. Different types of berries and other fruit grow wild in this ecosystem.
Many animals live in this part of Canada. Deer, bear and small game lived here. There were many birds, ducks and geese also.
This part of Canada also has very good soil. Different vegetables can be grown here because of the soil. Warm summers and rain also help people grow different crops here.
Wendat Life and the Four Seasons
The Wendat did certain things during certain seasons. This allowed them to be successful.
During the spring the Wendat started farming. Wendat people grew three different crops: beans, squash and corn. These were also called The Three Sisters. Only women worked in the fields.
During the spring the men would hunt or fish. Fishing was an important activity in the spring time.
Summer
During the summer the women would continue to tend the fields. Men would hunt and fish. In the early summer men would travel long distances in their canoes to trade with other First Nations. Other nations could not grow corn. Wendat men traded corn with other nations for fish, furs and other things.
Autumn
During the autumn months the women would harvest the corn, beans and squash, and gather wild rice and plants. Men would hunt deer.
Winter
During the winter the Wendat lived in their villages. They ate the food they hunted and grew over the spring and summer. They also traded with other First Nations. Nipissing people, who lived near the modern city of North Bay, would travel to Wendat territory. They would spend the winter near Lake Simcoe. Nipissing people brought dried fish to trade for Wendat corn.
Men hunted in the late winter. Deep snow made it hard for animals to run away. This made it easier for the men to hunt deer and moose.
Wendat Life
Technology
Wendat people developed different types of tools to use the natural resources in the environment.
They made stones and animal bones into knives and scrapers. They used these to skin animals for their fur. Then they stretched the fur on a frame to dry it out.
They also used scrapers to take off bits of meat and fat off the fur so it would not rot and be useless.
Women also used hollowed out logs to grind corn. They stood the log on its end. They they poured the corn into a small hole at the top of the log. They they got a small, straight branch. They pressed this hard into the hole, lifted it up, and then pressed down hard again. This was called a mortar and pestle. It ground the corn into flour for baking.
Wendat men used certain tools. They hunted with a bow and arrow. They built fences to trap deer. Men also built other types of traps to catch different kinds of animals.
Wendat people also used snow shoes and toboggans in the winter. They made snow shoes from a piece of wood they bent into a circle. They wove many strips of leather into a web inside the wooen circle. People put their feet on the strips of leather and tied the snow shoe to their feet. This allowed them to walk over deep snow without sinking.
Wendat people did not have a lot of metal. They had some copper but it was very rare. Without metal they had to cook their food differently than we do. When they needed hot water they would put water in a birch bark container. Women would take hot rocks from the fire and drop them into the water. Very slowly this would make the water hot.
Wendat Villages
The Wendat lived in large villages. Some villages had 2000 or more people living in them. Villages were close to rivers or lakes. This made it easer for the Wendat to travel by canoe.
Large walls made of tree trunks surrounded each village. These were called palisades. These walls helped to protect the village if it was attacked by enemies.
Farm fields were just outside the palisades. Fields were close in case the village was attacked. People could run into the village quickly.
In the villages were longhouses. Entire families lived together in the longhouse: grandparents, parents, children, aunts and uncles. Longhouses were built from long tree branches and covered in large pieces of bark. Inside were cooking fires, benches and beds, and racks to store food on.
Wendat would live in a village for fifteen to twenty years. After that time the soil in the fields would be useless. They could not grow any more crops. The entire village would pack everything it had and move to a new location.
Clans and Families
Wendat people had families that were similar to ours. They had a mother and father and children. Wendat families were different than ours because they were extended families. This means that all the members of a family lived together: grandparents, parents, children, aunts and uncles.
Wendat families were matrilineal. This means children belonged to their mother’s family. If a young man married a girl he would move in with her family. His new family became his wife’s family. He also joined his wife’s clan.
There were eight clans in Wendat society:
• Turtle
• Wolf
• Bear
• Beaver
• Deer
• Hawk
• Porcupine
• Snake
Men and women from the same clan could not marry each other. Sometimes small villages were occupied by only one clan. In large villages a clan would live together in one part of the village
Wendat Food
Farming and Wild Food
Wendat people ate a variety of food. The environment and farming provided the Wendat with wild food (i.e.: food that grows naturally) and food that they grew in their fields.
Wendat farm fields were not like farm fields today. The Wendat cut down trees but could not take the stumps out of the ground. Wendat women planted between the stumps. Long sticks with sharp stones or animal bones were used like hoes. It broke up the soil and helped the plants grow.
Farming was hard work. Women weeded the fields and kept animals away that would eat their food.
Wendat people grew corn, beans and squash. They also grew pumpkins. Some historians think that farming gave the Wendat 75% of all the food they needed. Women were very important in Wendat life because they did all the farming.
Vegetables were also dried in the autumn and eaten through the winter time. Wendat people had to work very hard to gather enough food for the winter. If they did not they could starve.
Wendat people also gathered wild berries and other food from the environment. At certain times of year certain berries ripen in the wild. Raspberries, blueberries, and others were collected by women and children. These were eaten or dried for the winter.
They also gathered wild roots, mushrooms and seeds to eat. A lot of food can be gathered from the wild if you know what to look for.
In the spring the men and women would collect maple sap from maple trees. This was boiled to make maple syrup.
Hunting and Fishing
Men hunted a lot of different animals. Deer and moose were important animals. One moose would provide over 100 kilograms of meat.
Small animals such as beaver, otter, ducks, and geese were also hunted. Men also fished at certain times of the year. Fish was eaten or dried for the winter. Women prepared and dried the fish.
Men built fishing weirs. These were small fences made of sticks. They were placed in the river. Fish became trapped in these areas. The men then used spears to catch the fish. They also used fishing hooks (made from animal bones) to catch fish.
Hunting and fishing was very important. Hunting hides to make clothes. People also need protein. Wendat did get protein from the beans grown by the women. Meat was also needed or there would not be enough food for a village. Wendat men and women both worked very hard to make sure the village was well fed.
Clothing
Wendat made their clothes from animal hides. Deer hides provided leather. Animal furs, such as beaver pelts and bear skins, were made into warm winter clothing. Wendat people wore large fur robes in the winter. Deer leather was also made into gloves and moccasins. Moccasins were shoes made of deer leather. They were lined with fur for the winter.
Wendat made sewing thread out of animal sinew. Sinew is what connects your muscles to your bones. Sinew was dried and stretched into sewing thread. Sharp animal bones were used as needles.
Travel
Wendat people traveled a great deal. Usually men left the village. They did this to hunt, fish, and trade, attack an enemy village, or just for adventure.
A young tree would be cut down. Its branches would not be very thick. They would also bend easily. The branches would be bent into the right shape for the canoe.
These branches were tied to stakes that were put into the ground. Once the wood was in place the builder would start attaching large sheets of birch bark. Tree roots were used to sew the bark together. Tree roots were pulled out of the ground and torn into smaller strips.
Once the bark was sewn together the Wendat used tree sap from pine trees to seal the canoe. Once the sap dried it acted like glue. It kept water out of the canoe and helped hold the bark together.
In the wintertime the Wendat used snowshoes and toboggans. There is more information about these in the section on technology.
Games
The Wendat had different games. Some of them were played inside in the winter. Animal bones and stones were used like dice.
Each person has a stick with a small net at the end. Each team tries to get the small wooden ball or rock. They throw and catch it with the sticks. Teams score goals by throwing the ball into the other team’s net. The team with the most goals wins.
Wendat Economy
Trade
First Nations traded with each other. Long before Europeans arrived in Canada there was a large trading network in Canada. People did not trade right across the country, but they did trade over a very large area.
First Nations traded to get things they did not have. The Wendat traded with many First Nations. Nipissing people traded with the Wendat. Nipissings had a lot of fish in their territory. They traded dry fish with the Wendat. The Wendat traded corn and tobacco in return.
Wendat people could get things from as far away as Lake Superior. In that area there was a copper mine. First Nations thought copper was a very special material. It was made into jewelry and other things.
Wendat villages were in a very good location for trade. They could travel south to get things like tobacco. They could also travel north to get better furs and fish. Wendat people were middle people in this trade. They had access to trade goods that other people could not get. They would take these things and then trade them with other people.
A very important trade good came from the modern island of Manhattan. This was called wampum. These were beads. They were made from a special type of clam that lives near the island. These beads were used to decorate special clothes. They were also used to make wampum belts. These will be discussed later in the section on government.
Wendat Religion
Wendat people, like many First Nations, believed that the world was full of spirits. All living things even the wind, the earth and the rocks had spirits in them. The most important spirit was the sky spirit. Very powerful spirits were called oki.
They performed different rituals to keep these spirits happy. Before farming the Wendat had certain rituals. Wendat hunters had rituals before they hunted, and after they killed an animal. If these rituals were ignored the spirits would become angry. The result would be bad crops or not finding any animals to hunt.
The most important ritual was the Feast of the Dead. When the Wendat had to move their village they took all the bones from their cemetery. Bodies were not in the ground, but placed on wooden platforms above the ground.
Women placed the bones in bags made of beaver pelts. The bags were taken by the village to a large pit. For three or four days ceremonies and rituals were held. At the end all of the bones were placed in the pit. Gifts and tools were also placed in the pit. The Wendat believed the souls of the dead needed these things in the afterlife.
At the end the pit was filled with soil. Then a large feast was then held for the entire village. Now the village could be moved and the souls of the dead would be at rest.
Shamans performed the rituals. The Wendat believed that Shamans could communicate with spirits. Shamans used magic to cure the sick. They also used different plants to cure sickness. Shamans could also use their powers to cause sickness. The Wendat believed that sickness was caused by spirits or magic.
Dreams were very important to the Wendat. They believed that dreams came from spirits or from their soul. Wendat people believed they had to figure out their dreams and do what it told them to do. For example, if a dream told a man to perform a ritual he had to do so.
False Face and Corn Husk Societies
Only men could wear a mask. They usually had a dream about a mask or spirit. This meant that spirit wanted them to wear the mask. A man who had a dream could become a member of the False Face Society.
Masks were carved right from living trees. It would then be removed from the tree. It was painted by the man and made ready for use in rituals and ceremonies.
Women looked after the masks. When a mask was not being used it was stored in a special container. Masks were always stored looking downwards.
One mask represents the story of a contest between two powerful shamans. One shaman was very powerful. One day a stranger challenged him to a contest to see who had the greatest power. The stranger said each would use their powers to move an entire mountain. Whoever moved it the furthest and fastest would win.
The stranger tried first. He used his powers and made the mountain shake, but it did not move. The powerful shaman tried next. He made the mountain move so fast that it hit the stranger in the face and broke his nose.
Using his powers the shaman healed the stranger who became known as Old Broken Nose. The stranger stayed with the shaman and learned many things from him. Old Broken Nose became a great healer after he studied and learned all he could from the shaman.
Sometime the Wendat and other Haudausaunee made masks from corn husks. This was the Corn Husk Society. Corn husk masks were used for different ceremonies.
Wendat Government
Wendat had chiefs in every village. Each clan in the village had its own chiefs. There were two kinds of chiefs: civil chiefs and war chiefs.
Women had a lot of power over civil chiefs. Every clan was led by a clan mother. She helped select who would be a civil chief. When someone became a chief they did not keep the position forever. If they did not do a good job they could be replaced.
Civil chiefs had power when the village was at peace. He held councils with other important men in the village. Clan mothers also had power over what happened in the village. Chiefs could not do what they wanted as leaders. They ruled on consensus. This means everyone on the council had to agree with a decision.
Civil chiefs decided when certain rituals were held. They made sure people followed the laws and rules of the village.
War chiefs were in charge when the Wendat were at war. They made decisions about attacking the enemy and how to defend the villages. War chiefs would meet in the winter to decide if their warriors would attack any enemies. Councils were held in the winter because there was no war in the winter. It was too cold for people to fight, and it was too hard for them to travel.
All chiefs had to be good at oratory. Oratory is public speaking. Chiefs had to convince the people that their ideas were right. They used their words to make strong arguments before the councils. Oratory was also important when elders told stories and legends.
Wampum
Some people think that wampum was used as money by First Nations. This is not true. Wampum was very sacred to First Nations people. The Wendat and other Iroquois speaking people used it to record important information.
Wampum was made of leather and beads. Beads were made from a small round clam shell found only on the mid-Atlantic coast . The beads were different colours too. Women would sew the beads into the belts to make designs.
These pictures told a story. Sometimes it was a legend. Other times the story was about an agreement the Wendat signed with other First Nations. Certain men were trained to read the wampum belts and tell the story to the village.
| Part 1. First People of Canada → A. Turtle Island → B. The Wendat → C. The Siksika → D. The Haida → E. The Dene → F. The Inuit → G. The Cree → H. The Ojibwa → I. The Mi'kmaq |
| Wendat - Gallery | Stories & Texts | Web Links | Vocab | Student Activities | Class Projects |
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