HURON INDIANS IN MICHIGAN

THE HURON INDIANS WERE ORIGINALLY FROM CENTRAL ONTARIO, BETWEEN THE SOUTHERN END OF GEORGIA BEE. IN THE 1650'S THEY WERE DISPERSED. SOME OF THE HURON SPENT 50 YEARS WANDERING THROUGH THE WISCONSIN, MINNESOTA, AND MICHIGAN. BY THE1700'S THEY MOVED TO OHIO AND WERE CALLED WYANDOT. BY 1840 THEY WERE SENT TO KANSAS. ONLY ONE GROUP MOVED TO THE GREAT LAKES. MOST ARE LIVING NEAR KANSAS CITY. BY 1530'S THE HURON POPULATION WAS ABOUT 40,000, AND THEY LIVED IN 16 TO 25 VILLAGES. AFTER ANGLO CONTACT THEY WERE AFFECTED BY WARS AND EPIDEMICS.

THE HURONS AND WYANDAT ARE THE SAME PEOPLE. AFTER THEIR DISPERSAL IN 1649. THE HURON WERE NOT KILLED OR CAPTURED. ONE SETTLED IN QUEBEC AND ONE MOVED TO OHIO. A VILLAGE COULD HAVE OVER 1000 FOLKS. THEY WERE FORTIFIED BECAUSE OF CONSTANT WARFARE. ABOUT 1100 A.D. THE IROQUOIAN PEOPLE BEGAN LARGE SCALE AGRICULTURE. THE HURON DIET RELIED ON BEANS SQUASH AND CORN. VILLAGES WERE RELOCATED EVEY 20 YEARS AS THEIR LAND FERTILITY DECREASED.

THEY ORGANIZED INTO CLANS BASED UPON MOTHER'S DESCENT. ONE LARGE ONE LARGE GROUP CALLED WYANDOT WERE GOVERNED BY CHIEFS OF EACH CLAN THE FARMLAND WAS OWNED BY HURON MATRILINEAL CLANS. THEY WERE HELD EVERY 10 YEARS, THE FEAST OF THE DEAD WAS HELD. THEY REBURIED FOLKS WHO DIED SINCE THE LAST 10 YEARS INTO A COMMUNAL CEREMONIAL BURIAL. THE HURON USED CANOES TO TRAVEL GREAT DISTANCES AND TRADE THEIR CROP SURPLUS WITH OTHER TRIBES.

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