Quebec City and the First Nations (American Indians)

The First Nations (the name given in Canada for American Indians) have been in the area of Quebec City since the end of the last ice age (Wisconsinian) approximately 10 000 years ago. The French explorer, Jacques Cartier first met Iroquoians in 1534 and came back the next year where winter stranded him in Quebec City. A site worth visiting. In 1608, Champlain established a colony on the site of the actual city of Quebec. From there he allied himself with the Wendats near lake Huron. When war with other Iroquoian nations nearly exterminated them, the Wendats came back to Quebec City where they settled in a village called Wendake (pop 2100). The Wendats welcome visitors and there a number of sites one can visit in the village.

The description that follows is a proposition. All visits can be tailored to meet your timetable and your interests. First we visit parc Cartier Brebeuf. This is the place where Jacques Cartier (1535-1536) was forced to hibernate. Next we visit Wendake, home of the Wendats. We start off by visiting the traditional site. A Wendat guide will explain the traditions, the history, tools and religious beliefs of the early Wendats, before he talks about the modern day lifestyle of the Wendats. There are other sites to visit in Wendake, for instance, the historical church and the Kabir Kouba falls and canyon. Or last stop will be at the Jesuit Mission. The French tried (and succeeded in many cases) to convert the First Nations to Catholicism. The religious aspect of the relations between First Nations, the missionaries and the Europeans is fundamental to the understanding of the history of the First Nations since the arrival of the first Europeans.