Shamans and Saints: The Role and Adaptation of Catholic Ritual in the Missions of New France Before the Destruction of Huronia

Abstract

The contact between two cultures produces numerous changes. This occurrence among the Natives of Canada has been examined by numerous authors over the years. In New France, these examinations have typically focused on the Natives and Europeans as uniform groups who made decisions solely for economic and political reasons. The Jesuits, and their efforts to make converts, has been viewed as part of this colonialist effort to make the Natives French. Focused on New France before 1650, this thesis seeks to examine the relationship between Natives and Jesuits as individuals who interacted in a spiritual world which was bounded by tradition and ritual. The Jesuits sought to use their rituals to convert the Natives but were also willing to adapt to Native customs when it was pragmatic and theologically sound. Ritual was an integral factor in the daily lives of the Natives and Jesuits and shaped the contact narrative.