HURON INDIANS

THESE INDIANS WERE ALSO KNOWN AS WYANDOT WHO ORIGINALLY INHABITED CENTRAL ONTARIO. THEY FOUGHT WITH THE IROQUOIS. IN 1650 THEY SPLIT INTO TWO GROUPS AFTER BEING DRIVEN FROM THEIR LANDS. THE FIRST GROUP TRAVELLED TO QUEBEC. THE LARGE ONE MOVED TO THE OHIO VALLEY. DURING THE 1840'S THE GOVERNMENT MOVED THEM TO KANSAS AND I'M SURE IT TOOK MANY YEARS TO GET USED TO THIS NEW LAND BASE. THERE WERE 40,000 HURON PRIOR TO EUROPEAN ARRIVAL. IN 1600'S WHEN THE FRENCH ARRIVED THERE WAS A CONFEDERACY OF FOUR MAIN HURON. BANDS, OF 20 VILLAGES. THEY BUILT FORTIFIED SETTLEMENTS OF UP TO 1000 MEMBERS. THEY FOUGHT WITH NEIGHBORS TRIBES AND EUROPEANS. BY 1640 THERE WERE ONLY 10,000 HURONS. SOME MOVED WITH OTHER TRIBES AND A FEW THOUSAND MOVED TO KANSAS. THE HURON LIVING IN THE U.S. ARE KNOWN AS WYANDOT AND ARE FOUND PRIMARILY IN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA.



THE HURON WAS THE 1ST GREAT CONFEDERACY AND ABOUT 1560 PEOPLE WERE JOINED BY THE ARENDAHORIN AND ANOTHER TRIBE. THEY HAD CLANS IN THEIR SOCIETY. THEIR GOVERNMENT WAS A COUNCIL CHOSEN BY CLAN MOTHERS.

THEY WERE A SPIRITUAL PEOPLE WHO BELIEVED IN A GOD. THEY HAD A CEREMONY THAT WAS UNIQUE TO THEM - A FEAST OF THE DEAD. THEY HAD IT ONCE EVERY 10 YEARS. IT ALLOWED THE SOULS OF DEPARTED TO ENTER THE SPIRITUAL REALM.

IN 1609 THE HURON ENTERED AN ALLIANCE WITH THE FRENCH AGAINST THE IROQUOIS. THE HURON SIGNED A TRADE AGREEMENT WITH THE FRENCH. THE HURON SIGNED AN AGREEMENT WITH THE FRENCH. THE HURON WERE THE INTERMEDIARIES BETWEEN THE FRENCH AND OTHER TRIBES.

FRANCISCAN MISSIONARIES DID NOT SUCCEED IN BUILDING A MISSION IN HURON TERRITORY IN 1615. HOWEVER, ONE WAS BUILT IN 1634.

THE HURON AND IROQUOIS CONTINUED TO QUARREL AND EVENTUALLY IROQUOIS TOOK THEIR TERRITORIES. THE REMAINING HURON MOVED TO WISCONSIN. AFTER 1832 THEY WERE MOVED TO KANSAS. THEY ARE ALL CALLED WYONDOT TODAY ABOUT 4000 LIVE IN CANADA AND THE U.S.


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