The Jesuits of France came to North America with some knowledge of what they should and should not do. They knew that they should first study the language and culture of the Native people, instead of directly trying to force the Indians into submission. This may be the reason why people think that the French were allies of the Indians- they did not simply come to colonize them with guns and take over their land. This was depicted on Page 10 of “The Jesuit Relations: Natives and Missionaries in Seventeenth-Century North America”, when Le Jeune said, “It was an empire not of domination and subjection, but of multi-stranded commercial/ diplomatic links between France and the different Indian nations”. Their strategy was a contrast to the Spanish
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The few instances of understanding between the Jesuits and the Indians in the Jesuit Relations occur when the Indians’ rituals have some sort of affiliation to, or can be potentially applicable to Christianity. This can be seen in Jean de Brebeuf’s admiration of the ‘Feast of Dead’ ritual carried out by the Hurons. The Hurons had an elaborate ritual in which on one day (chosen by the village) they would unearth all the bodies of the dead from the past year for their relatives to see. Consequently, depending on how recently the family member died, they would either change the robe, or strip them off their robes and flesh to the bone. While talking about the ‘Feast of Dead’, Brebeuf asks his readers, “Is that not a noble example to inspire Christians…?” (Page 64). He wanted the Christians to learn from the way the Indians cared for their dead. In his opinion, if Christians too could inculcate similar values of charity, then they could go on to perform fruitful works of mercy towards others. It was an absolutely extraordinary feat for a Jesuit to admit that Christians could learn something from the Indians, however it also highlights an important characteristic about the Jesuits. They could only appreciate a religious ritual if it was in agreement with their religious beliefs- anything else, however plausible was unimaginable for them to accept. This is a major contrast to the Indians, who were prepared to consolidate Christianity into their own religious beliefs. This difference is further highlighted in the Jesuits’ response to the Hurons’ medicinal tricks and the contrasting approach of the Hurons to the Christian concept of Heaven and
The few instances of understanding between the Jesuits and the Indians in the Jesuit Relations occur when the Indians’ rituals have some sort of affiliation to, or can be potentially applicable to Christianity. This can be seen in Jean de Brebeuf’s admiration of the ‘Feast of Dead’ ritual carried out by the Hurons. The Hurons had an elaborate ritual in which on one day (chosen by the village) they would unearth all the bodies of the dead from the past year for their relatives to see. Consequently, depending on how recently the family member died, they would either change the robe, or strip them off their robes and flesh to the bone. While talking about the ‘Feast of Dead’, Brebeuf asks his readers, “Is that not a noble example to inspire Christians…?” (Page 64). He wanted the Christians to learn from the way the Indians cared for their dead. In his opinion, if Christians too could inculcate similar values of charity, then they could go on to perform fruitful works of mercy towards others. It was an absolutely extraordinary feat for a Jesuit to admit that Christians could learn something from the Indians, however it also highlights an important characteristic about the Jesuits. They could only appreciate a religious ritual if it was in agreement with their religious beliefs- anything else, however plausible was unimaginable for them to accept. This is a major contrast to the Indians, who were prepared to consolidate Christianity into their own religious beliefs. This difference is further highlighted in the Jesuits’ response to the Hurons’ medicinal tricks and the contrasting approach of the Hurons to the Christian concept of Heaven and