Marquette Mission Site - St. Ignace, Michigan

Huron and Ottawa

The Tionontate Huron, a group closely related to and allied with the Huron tribe, along with groups of Ottawa arrived in the Straits of Mackinac with Father Marquette in 1670. For ease of discussion, we have referred to the Tionontate Huron simply as Huron throughout these pages. The Huron are most frequently discussed in relationship to the Mission de St. Ignace because it is this group that maintained their village location during most of the time period of interest. The Ottawa fairly quickly moved some distance from the mission and eventually moved three-quarters of a league away and the Jesuits established a new mission in this village.

One of the unfortunate outcomes of culture contact between various European and Native groups was incitement of violence as tribes vied for economic and political power. The Iroquois in particular were extremely effective with their long ranging and violent attacks. Many groups in the northeast and mid-continent left their homelands and took refuge with other groups in order to avoid the Iroquoian attacks. The Tionontate and Ottawa were driven from their homelands around the Georgian Bay in 1649 and continued their migration for approximately twenty years before settling in what is now St. Ignace. As can be seen on the map, the Huron had briefly been in the area around 1650. They soon moved as far west as the Mississippi River where they encountered conflict with the Dakota, and by the mid-1660s had settled in what is now Wisconsin in the Chequanegon area of Lake Superior. Here, the Jesuits (Fathers Allouez and Marquette) established the Mission of Saint Esprit (Holy Spirit). Increasing conflict with the Dakota and the promise of French protection led to the move back to the Straits of Mackinac and eventually the establishment of the Mission of St. Ignace on Moran Bay.

At their new location the Tionontate Huron and Ottawa participated in the fur trade while maintaining many of their traditional ways of life. They lived in extended family groups within longhouse structures. Labors of agriculture, fishing, hunting, raising children and other aspects of village life occupied much of their time. While engaging in trade with the French perhaps supplying much of the food (corn, game, fish) and supplying other labor needs (sewing, processing furs) the Native Americans sought profitable exchange. At the same time these same provisions were given freely within the extended family groups of the village. Liaisons, particularly between Indian women and French men, were probably common. The impact of Christianity is difficult to assess. Some appear to have embraced the faith or at least adopted parts of it into their own culture, but traditional beliefs and values also persisted and when observed were a source of consternation for the Jesuits.

Many of the Huron left the settlement in 1701 to accompany Cadillac and pursue new fur trading and other opportunities at the new Fort Ponchartrain at present day Detroit. Later in time the Huron at Detroit were called Wyandot or Wendot.

From a letter by Father Marquette:

"I did not fail during The autumn to go and visit them in Their Fields where I instructed Them and made Them pray to God, and told Them what they had to do. I also made frequent and regular visits to them, — especially those who, owing to their advanced age, could not come to The Chapel. A Blind woman, who had formerly been instructed by Reverend Father Brébeuf, had not during all those years forgotten her prayers; she daily prayed to God that she might not die without grace, and I admired her sentiments. Other aged women, to whom I spoke of hell, shuddered at it, and told me that they had had no sense in Their former country, but that they had not committed so many sins since they had been instructed."