Full Description
The Wyandot were born of two Wendat peoples encountered by the French in the first half of the seventeenth century - the otherwise named Petun and Huron - and their history is fragmented by their dispersal between Quebec, Michigan, Kansas, and Oklahoma. This book weaves these fragmented histories together, with a focus on the mid-eighteenth century.
Author John Steckley claims that the key to consolidating the stories of the scattered Wyandot lies in their clan structure. Beginning with the half century of their initial diaspora, as interpreted through the political strategies of five clan leaders, and continuing through the eighteenth century and their shared residency with Jesuit missionaries - notably, the distinct relationships different clans established with them - Steckley reveals the resilience of the Wyandot clan structure. He draws upon rich but previously ignored sources - including baptismal, marriage, and mortuary records, and a detailed house-to-house census compiled in 1747, featuring a list of male and female elders - to illustrate the social structure of the people, including a study of both male and female leadership patterns. A recording of the 1747 census as well as translated copies of letters sent between the Wyandot and the French is included in an appendix.
Contents
The Eighteenth-Century Wyandot: A Clan-Based Study by John L. Steckley
Preface
Chapter One: Introduction
Chapter Two: Two Questions
Chapter Three: Five Wyandot Strategists of the Late Seventeenth Century: Sastaretsi, Kandiaronk, Sk8tache, the Baron, and Quarante Sols
Chapter Four: Other Nations and the Clans of the Wyandot: Missionaries and Other Strangers Enter Their Midst
Chapter Five: Wyandot Participation in ""Christian"" Rituals
Chapter Six: Wyandot Leadership: Male Political Roles
Chapter Seven: The Political Roles of Wyandot Women
Chapter Eight: A Summary
Appendices
Appendix A: The Census
Appendix B: Wyandot Correspondance
B1: Father Richardie's Introduction to Father Potier
B2: Govenor Longueuil
B3: The Wendat Response
B4: Father Richardie to the Huron of Wendake
B5: Father Richer to Father Potier
Appendix C: N'endi
Appendix D: Festin des Noces
Notes
References
Index
