This drawing dates from 1686 and was done by Claude ChauchetiÅre (1645-1709), a Jesuit missionary who sought to evangelize the Iroquois and Hurons at Sault-Saint-Louis (Caughnawaga). It is entitled "The first Six Amerindians arriving after a winter journey from the Oneidas." On the right is the Huron convert Tonsahoten shouldering his rifle. With him is his wife; a bundle is suspended from her headband. The third person is probably a French interpreter working for the missionaries. The steeple and the houses in the background represent MontrÄal. The ox hauling a load of wood over the snow was a common sight In the colony's early years, the administrators anticipated that the Amerindians would abandon their migratory existence, become converted to Christianity, and rapidly assimilate European culture. But these plans did not come to fruition, at least not immediately. The White Man's influence on the Amerindians was disastrous; their culture was destroyed and they were given very little in return for the work that was expected of them as hunters and warriors. Only a few Amerindians agreed to live at the missions and reserves where missionaries attempted to attract them. For a long time they resisted assimilation and sought to maintain their autonomy.
Courtesy: Archives dÄpartementales de la Gironde, Bordeaux
