Dispersed but Not Destroyed: A History of the Seventeenth-Century Wendat People by Kathryn Magee Labelle (review)

Many have heard the story of the Huron peoples’ destruction at the hand of the Iroquois in 1649. Many historians have expounded on this narrative, citing disease and war as the catalysts for the demise of the Wendat people. In Dispersed but Not Destroyed, Kathryn Magee Labelle examines the creation of the Wendat displacement and dispersion as the solution to these challenges of disease and war. Labelle has taken on the unenviable task of rectifying a number of errors in the classic narrative. She demonstrates that the demise of the Wendat was grossly exaggerated. Addressing the population decline as precipitated by the battles and sickness, Labelle takes the reader on a journey with the Wendat people out of Wendake (their traditional territory) to new homelands and situations.

She begins with the title, referring to the Wendat (the term used by these people to identify themselves) rather than using the more recognizable term Huron (“a European-derived label”). For some the use of certain descriptors like Wendat in this book may be questionable. Some may ask why the author has moved away from the more commonly recognized term “Huron.” The term Huron is derived from the Old French word hure which means bristling hair with the collective plural suffix –ron. As a slang the term meant boar’s head. Used by the French to describe the Wendat referencing their hair style. “Wendat” is how the people speak of themselves, “Wendake” is the place or territory that these people recognized in their origin stories (a vast territory across what is now Oklahoma, Detroit, Ontario and Quebec) and “Wadowek” references statements pertaining to the place or the people (like Canadian).

Labelle adds her voice to the Wendat voices of the past. The mission of Dispersed but Not Destroyed is to retell and personalize the narrative of the Wendat peoples. Throughout the book she shares the names and stories of specific Wendat individuals. This helps the reader to envision the diaspora, not as a conquest, but rather as a method of maintaining cultural integrity within the Wendat Confederacy through accommodation and resiliency. She presents the diaspora as a transformation into a new era in which the Wendat leaders continued to appear at negotiations and diplomatic missions. Labelle shares personalized accounts of Wendat during this time of upheaval. She illustrates Wendat life in the seventeenth century, showing the true difficulties in maintaining a people, and a nation. In one example, she presents the opposing perspectives of two Wendat headmen, Taretande (Southern Bear nation) and Aenon (Northern Bear nation). Both struggled to find the right way of ensuring the continuation of their people; one attempted to sever relations with the settler population, whereas the other looked to enhance and expand these associations. Labelle shows that these opposing approaches had a singular common goal, the survival of the nation.

The book comprises three main parts. The first looks at resistance. This is the fight against disease and a declining population, including the struggle with Iroquois adversaries and the settler religion (which demanded conversion for guns). The second part addresses relocation of the population and the selection of new territories. The third speaks to the diaspora and its consequences. The altered approach to leadership, women, and the Wendats’ power as an intermediary and a diplomatic player within the trade market of the St. Lawrence are considered.

Labelle makes a point of asserting women’s continued authority during the sickness, war, and resettlement. Throughout the book she attempts to express women’s influence within Wadowek society. This is a difficult task, as much of the material available for the book is written from a Eurocentric, male-centric perspective. Therefore, in chapter 9, she specifically addresses how woman maintained their power and influence despite their changing circumstances. She connects Wendat women’s power to the land and describes how this power was maintained despite the loss of Wendake territory.

It...