Petun to Wyandot: The Ontario Petun from the Sixteenth Century

Table of Contents

vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT.................................................................................................................v RÉSUMÉ ....................................................................................................................vi Editors’ Foreword ...................................................................................................... xxv Foreword................................................................................................................. xxvii Dedication ...................................................................................................... xxvii Acknowledgements and Thanks....................................................................... xxvii Chapter One Background Information ...............................................................................................1 1.0 Overview........................................................................................................1 1.1 Knowing Less..................................................................................................3 1.2 The Method Followed.....................................................................................6 1.2.1 Concerning Written Sources..................................................................6 1.2.2 Concerning Archaeological Sources........................................................8 1.2.3 Spellings,Translations and References.....................................................8 1.2.4 Archaeological Site Names in the Petun Country...................................9 1.2.5 Petun Glass Bead Periods (GBP) .......................................................... 11 1.2.6 The Pre-Fur Trade Period (1500-1580)................................................. 14 1.3 Some Basic Concepts and Understandings..................................................... 16 1.3.1 The Petuns as the Tobacco Nation ....................................................... 16 1.3.2 The Hurons and the Petuns.................................................................. 19 1.3.3 The Petuns as Hurons........................................................................... 23 1.3.4 Ouendat, 8endat,Wendat,Wyandot, the People of the Island ................ 25 1.3.5 The Petun as Wyandot.......................................................................... 29 1.3.6 Wendaké, 8endaké, Huronia, Huronie, the Country of the Hurons and Petuns....................................................................................................... 30 1.3.7 Huron and Petun Tribes, Leagues, Nations and Confederacies .............. 31 1.3.8 Shamans, Sorcerers and Jugglers............................................................ 32 1.3.9 Tionontati, Khionontateronon,Tionontateronon, etc. ........................... 34 1.3.10 Quieunontateronons,Weskarini and Thieves ...................................... 36 1.3.11 The Neutrals ...................................................................................... 37 1.3.12 The Petuns as Neutrals ....................................................................... 39 1.3.13 Wenrôhronons (Wenros) ..................................................................... 40 1.3.14 ‘Iroquois’ and ‘Iroquoian’ ................................................................... 44 1.3.15 The Iroquois Confederacy.................................................................. 45 1.3.16 The Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy....................................... 47 1.3.17 The Date of the Founding of the Iroquois Confederacy ..................... 49 1.3.18 The End of the Dream of the Great Peace.......................................... 51 1.3.19 Traditional Enemies with Common Ancestry: The Wyandot and the Iroquois ................................................................ 51 viii 1.3.20 The Dispersal...................................................................................... 53 1.3.21 The Eastern and Western Wyandots..................................................... 54 Chapter Two Locating the Petun Country........................................................................................ 55 2.0 Introduction.................................................................................................. 55 2.1 Physical Geography ....................................................................................... 55 2.1.1 Mislocating the Petun Country............................................................ 57 2.2 Maps Showing the Petun Country ................................................................ 59 2.2.1 Measurements of Distance.................................................................... 59 2.2.2 On Latitude and Longitude.................................................................. 61 2.3 Primary Source Maps.................................................................................... 61 2.3.1 Samuel de Champlain, 1616 “La Nouvelle France” (Untitled) (Figure 2.3) 61 2.3.2 Samuel de Champlain, 1632,“Carte de la nouuelle france…” (Figure 2.4) 63 2.3.3 Anonymous, 1631-1651,“Description dv Pais des Hvrons” .................. 66 2.3.4 Francesco-Giuseppe Bressani, 1657,“Novae Franciae Accurata Delineatio” (Figure 2.5)............................................................................................... 66 2.3.5 Françesco-Gioseppe Bressani, 1657,“Hvronvm Explicata Tabvla”.......... 68 2.4 Secondary Source Maps ................................................................................ 69 2.4.1 Jean Bourdon (?), ca. 1641,“Novvelle France”...................................... 69 2.4.2 Nicholas Sanson d'Abbeville, 1656,“Le Canada, ou Nouvelle France”.. 70 2.4.3 François Du Creux, 1660,“Tabula Novae Franciae” ............................ 71 2.4.4 Louis-Armand de Lom D’Arce de Lahontan, 1703b,“A General Map of New France Com. call’d Canada”With French Captions Titled “Carte Generale de Canada” (Figure 2.7) ............................................................. 72 2.5 Crossing the Nottawasaga River.................................................................... 74 2.6 Distance and Directional Information to the Petun Country ......................... 75 2.6.1 Descriptions of the Petun Country and their Implications.................... 79 2.7 Ekarenniondi as a Territory and as Lake Huron ............................................. 80 2.8 Trails through the Petun Country.................................................................. 80 2.8.1 Trail #1................................................................................................ 81 2.8.2 Trail #2................................................................................................ 83 2.8.3 Trail #3................................................................................................ 84 2.8.4 Trail #4................................................................................................ 85 2.8.5 Trail #5................................................................................................ 85 2.8.6 Trail #6................................................................................................ 85 2.8.7 Trail #7................................................................................................ 85 2.9 The Routes from the Petun Country to the Neutrals .................................... 86 2.10 Conclusions................................................................................................. 88 Chapter Three ix The Origins of the Petun ............................................................................................ 89 3.0 Searching for the Origins of the Petun.......................................................... 89 3.1 Wyandot Creation Myth................................................................................ 90 3.2 Iroquois Creation and Confederacy Founding Myths Related to the Petun... 96 3.3 Later History: Directions of Mythological and Possible Ancient Origins ........ 98 3.4 The Historical Approach.............................................................................. 100 3.4.1 A Common Ancestry with All Other Iroquoians ................................ 100 3.5 The Anthropological Approach .................................................................... 103 3.5.1 Petun Oral Traditions ......................................................................... 105 3.5.2 Benjamin Slight 1836......................................................................... 109 3.5.3 Charlo and Henry R. Schoolcraft 1837.............................................. 110 3.5.4 James B. Finley 1840 and Nathan Bangs 1839 .................................... 111 3.5.5 Joseph Badger 1845............................................................................ 112 3.5.6 Therese Hunt and Peter D. Clarke 1870 ............................................. 113 3.5.7...