Donnacona

Donnacona, St. Lawrence Iroquois leader (d in France probably in 1539), headman of the village of STADACONA [near Québec City] during Jacques CARTIER’s voyages of 1534-36, protested when Cartier raised his cross in Gaspé in July 1534. He was seized, then feted by Cartier, and agreed to let his sons Domagaya and Taignoagy return with Cartier to France. In 1535 Cartier reached Stadacona and despite Donnacona’s entreaties, pushed on to HOCHELAGA [Montréal]. Feeling betrayed, Donnacona broke off relations, leaving the French to fend for themselves during the ensuing winter. Cartier used a dispute between Donnacona and a rival as a ruse to draw Donnacona into a meeting, seized him, his sons - 10 captives in all - and carried them off to France. Donnacona was presented to King Francis I, to whom he repeated tales of a rich Kingdom of Saguenay. Donnacona’s death in France further embittered relations between the French and the inhabitants of Stadacona.

Stadacona

Iroquois village located at the present site of Québec City.

Longhouses

The longhouse, typical of northern Iroquoian peoples, sheltered a number of families. It was 8 m wide and could be up to 90 m long.

Sweat lodge

The Sweat Lodge, also known as Inipi, is an Aboriginal ceremony of care and purification. Used by the Aboriginal people of North America, it allows them to connect with the four elements: earth, water, fire and air.

White cedar

The white cedar, called annedda by the Aboriginal peoples, was used to ward off evil spirits and to cure scurvy (rich in vitamin C).

Animal skin drying process

Aboriginal peoples made their clothing from animal skins. They used deer, moose, hare, beaver, otter, sable, caribou and even bear skins.

Birchbark canoe

The birchbark canoe was the principal means of water transportation for the Aboriginal peoples. Light and maneuverable, these canoes were perfectly adapted to summer travel through the network of shallow streams, ponds, lakes and swift rivers.

Jacques Cartier

Born in 1534 in Saint-Malo, Brittany, Jacques Cartier sailed to Canada three times, in 1534, 1535 and 1541. On July 24, 1534, he planted a 30-foot cross on the site of Gaspé and claimed the region for King Francis I of France, thus becoming the first navigator to officially claim the land and call it Canada, an Iroquois word that probably means village. Despite this ambitious claim, Cartier was unable to establish a colony in the territory he discovered, and died in Saint-Malo in 1557.

Grande Hermine

Of the three ships under his command (Grande Hermine, Petite Hermine and Émérillon), Jacques Cartier used the main vessel as his temporary winter camp.

Jacques Cartier’s winter camp

The Cartier-Brébeuf National Historic Site of Canada commemorates the period in 1535-1536 when Jacques Cartier and his shipmates wintered on the north shore of the Rivière Saint-Charles.

Glass beads

Matachias, or strings of highly coloured beading made of wood, ceramic or glass, were highly prized by the natives. Women adorned themselves with them on many occasions—ceremonies, weddings, dances, festivals, warrior homecomings, funerals, etc.

Peace pipe

The peace pipe is also the focus of tribal solidarity and power. It is used for burning tobacco mixed with herbs like sage in order to ratify alliances, bring needed rain and to attest contracts and treaties.

Tobacco

Tobacco was used to create a “bridge” between the world of men and the spirit world. It was smoked in a pipe usually made of stone or clay.

Mocassins

Moccasins were fashioned from tanned wild animal hides. Moccasin decorations often provide spiritual protection in the form of certain symbols, which remind the wearer of sacred places, beings or teachings.