Maple History: A Canadian History Podcast

March 16, 1649 was a fateful day for the Wendat Confederacy. An attack by the Haudenosaunee led to difficult decisions needing to be made for the survival of the Wendat people. SourcesThe Children of Aateantsic: A History of the Huron People to 1660 by Bruce TriggerNatives and Newcomers: Canada's Heroic Age Reconsidered by Bruce TriggerDispersed But Not Destroyed by Kathryn Magee LabelleBlackhawk, Ned. “The Destruction of Wendake (Huronia), 1647–1652.” In The Cambridge World History of Genocide, edited by Ned Blackhawk, Ben Kiernan, Benjamin Madley, and Rebe Taylor, 243–266. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2023.Blick, Jeffrey P. “The Iroquois practice of genocidal warfare (1534–1787).” Journal of Genocide Research3, no. 3 (2001): 405–429.Otterbein, Keith F. “Huron vs. Iroquois: A Case Study in Inter-Tribal Warfare.” Ethnohistory 26, no. 2 (Spring 1979): 141–152.Magee, Kathryn. “They Are the Life of the Nation: Women and War in Traditional Nadouek Society.” The Canadian Journal of Native Studies 28, no. 1 (2008): 119–138.

A fragile peace fails and the destruction of the Wendat Confederacy begins. In this episode, we cover the legendary battles, the winter assault on St. Ignace and St. Louis, and the catastrophic losses that sent thousands fleeing to Ste. Marie. Part One of a two-part series.SourcesThe Children of Aateantsic: A History of the Huron People to 1660 by Bruce TriggerDispersed But Not Destroyed by Kathryn Magee LabelleNatives and Newcomers: Canada's Heroic Age Reconsidered by Bruce TriggerBlick, Jeffrey P. “The Iroquois practice of genocidal warfare (1534–1787).” Journal of Genocide Research3, no. 3 (2001): 405–429.Otterbein, Keith F. “Huron vs. Iroquois: A Case Study in Inter-Tribal Warfare.” Ethnohistory 26, no. 2 (Spring 1979): 141–152.Magee, Kathryn. “They Are the Life of the Nation: Women and War in Traditional Nadouek Society.” The Canadian Journal of Native Studies 28, no. 1 (2008): 119–138.

The epidemics have ravaged both the Wendat and the Haudenosaunee but they are still competing in trade with the Europeans to get a hold of coveted goods. This leads to increasing violence and changes in warfare practices.SourcesThe Children of Aateantsic: A History of the Huron People to 1660 by Bruce TriggerDispersed But Not Destroyed by Kathryn Magee LabelleThe Ambiguous Indigenous Empire but Francis JenningsNatives and Newcomers: Canada's Heroic Age Reconsidered by Bruce TriggerBlackhawk, Ned. “The Destruction of Wendake (Huronia), 1647–1652.” In The Cambridge World History of Genocide, edited by Ned Blackhawk, Ben Kiernan, Benjamin Madley, and Rebe Taylor, 243–266. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2023.Blick, Jeffrey P. “The Iroquois practice of genocidal warfare (1534–1787).” Journal of Genocide Research3, no. 3 (2001): 405–429.

As Christianity spread among the Wendat, faith became a fault line. This episode explores the growing conflict between converts and traditionalists, and how spiritual change reshaped community life during a moment of crisis.Sources:The Children of Aateantsic: A History of the Huron People to 1660 by Bruce TriggerCrosses in the Sky: Jean de Brébeuf and the Destruction of Huronia by Mark BourrieDispersed But Not Destroyed by Kathryn Magee LabelleThe Huron-Wendat Feast of the Dead by Erik R. SeemanNatives and Newcomers: Canada’s Heroic Age Reconsidered by Bruce G. TriggerHuron Wendat: The Heritage of the Circle by Georges E. Sioui

A brief portrait of Hélène Boullé, whose life is often reduced to a line in Champlain’s story. This episode pauses to look at her on her own terms. Sources:Marie-Emmanuel Chabot, o.s.u., “BOULLÉ, HÉLÈNE, named de Saint-Augustin (Champlain),” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 1, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed October 26, 2025, https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/boulle_helene_1E.html.Raymonde Litalien, “CHAMPLAIN, SAMUEL DE,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 1, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed October 26, 2025, https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/champlain_samuel_de_1E.html.Landry, Marc-André. “L’histoire singulière d’Hélène Boullé : mariée à de Samuel de Champlain alors qu’elle n’avait que 12 ans.” Le Journal de Montréal, May 31, 2025. https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2025/05/31/lhistoire-singuliere-dhelene-boulle-mariee-a-de-samuel-de-champlain-alors-quelle-navait-que-12-ansFischer, David Hackett. Champlain’s Dream: The European Founding of North America. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2008