Maple History: A Canadian History Podcast

New France was slowly attracting colonists in 1660 but one of the young women who came to the colony in those early days soon became tormented by demons set upon her by a jilted suitor. There were many people who tried to help her but the successful exorcist may come as a surprise.Sources:The Possession of Barbe Hallay: Diabolical Arts and Daily Life in Early Canada by Mairi CowanMarie-Emmanuel Chabot, o.s.u., “GUYART, MARIE, named de l’Incarnation (Martin),” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 1, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed July 1, 2026, https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/guyart_marie_1E.html.Mary Dunn, "Sixteen and Possessed," Spiritus: A Journal of Christian Spirituality 22, no. 2 (Fall 2022): 232-251.

In 1636 the last great Wendat Feast of the Dead was held in what is now Ontario. The Wendat Confederacy only had a few years left before the devastation of the diseases brought by European colonizers and the war with the Haudenosaunee brought the Wendat to their knees. The Jesuit priest, Jean de Brebeuf recorded the events and his admiration for the ritual in the Jesuit Relations which is where we get much of the information about this particular ceremony and a greater insight into the Wendat world as it was on the precipice of disaster.This episode is going out early to subscribers and will be out next week to regular listeners.Sources:The Children of Aateantsic: A History of the Huron People to 1660 by Bruce TriggerHuron Wendat: The Heritage of the Circle by Georges E. SiouiThe Huron-Wendat Feast of the Dead: Indian-European Encounters in Early North America by Erik R. Seeman

Is Isola by Allegra Goodman Worth Reading? - Reese Witherspoon Book Club ReviewI told the story of Marguerite de la Rocque de Roberval and how she was marooned on the Isle of Demons off the coast of Quebec in 1541. Isola is a fictionalized version of that story by Allegra Goodman and in this bonus episode I let you know if it is worth a read. If you have read the book, let me know if you agree with my assessment. Did you feel the same way or do you think I'm way off the mark?

Adam Dollard des Ormeaux’s last stand at Long Sault became one of New France’s most enduring legends but the real battle was far messier. This week, I look at what actually happened at Long Sault, why the French lost so badly, and how a military disaster became a foundational myth.The 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 Labelle

What made New France so hard to establish? A look at the realities of early settlement and slow colonial growth.Fischer, David Hackett. Champlain’s Dream: The European Founding of North America. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2008Jacques Mathieu, “HÉBERT, LOUIS,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 1, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed April 15, 2026, https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/hebert_louis_1E.html.Ethel M. G. Bennett, “HÉBERT, GUILLEMETTE (Couillard de Lespinay),” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 1, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed April 15, 2026, https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/hebert_guillemette_1E.html.

The Jesuit priest Father Jean de Brebeuf spend over 20 years in Wendake and New France with a deep desire to suffer for the glory of God. Saving souls and martyrdom were never far from his mind. When the Haudenosaunee made there large scale attack in 1649 martyrdom also came knocking for Jean de Brebeuf. Or was it martyrdom at all?****Very graphic descriptions of torture in this one - I didn't leave anything outSources:Crosses in the Sky: Jean de Brébeuf and the Destruction of Huronia by Mark BourrieThe Children of Aateantsic: A History of the Huron People to 1660 by Bruce TriggerThe Jesuit Relations: A Biography by Micah TrueCarson, James Taylor. “Brébeuf Was Never Martyred: Reimagining the Life and Death of Canada's First Saint.” Canadian Historical Review 97, no. 2 (June 2016): 222-243. utppublishing.com 

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.