Iroquois settlement of the north shore of Lake Ontario
Between 1665 and 1670, seven Iroquois settlements on the north shore of
Arrival
The northern shores of
After the destruction of the Huron in southern Ontario the Iroquois began to make more frequent excursions on the northern shores of Lake Ontario. In the 1660s, the Iroquois began to expand their settlements north. A number of theories try to explain why the Iroquois began settling the northern shores of Lake Ontario. Economic reasons are considered the strongest motivation. By the 1640s the
The Iroquois settlement into Ontario was part of a broader expansion of Iroquois groups in the mid 17th century. During this time the Iroquois also moved into what is today
Description
The seven villages that were settled on the northern shores of Lake Ontario from east to west are:
- Ganneious (likely misprint for the French Gannejout(s)—OneidaNapanee
- Kente ("prairie" or "meadow"[6]) - on the Bay of Quinte
- Kentsio ("abounding in fish"[6]) - on Rice Lake
- Ganaraske ("at the spawning-place"[6]) - on the site of present-day Port Hope
- Ganatsekwyagon ("among the birches"[6]) - at the mouth of the Rouge River
- Teiaiagon ("It crosses the stream."[6]) - at the mouth of the Humber River
- Quinaouatoua (or Tinawatawa) - Near modern-day Hamilton
Little is known about the seven villages due to an absence of detailed archaeological evidence. The most comprehensive archaeological evidence gathered to date is from Bead Hill, which is believed to be the site of Ganatsekwyagon along the Rouge River.
The villages do share some common traits that are evident from the available sources. The northern villages were likely seasonal campsites prior to becoming larger settlements. They are located at strategic points controlling access to Lake Ontario and near seasonally abundant fish and games. Six of the seven villages are all located on the best agricultural land found along the northern shores of the lake, according to the
The villages were also significant staging points for hunting parties moving north and for fur trading. The villages were the scene of extensive trade between both French, Dutch, English, and Ottawa traders and the Iroquois. The villages were also the site of violence due to the exchange of fur for liquor. There are number of incidents that record instances of maiming and death at Ganneious, Teiaiagon, and Ganatsekwyagon due to drinking.
As in other Iroquois settlements longhouses were in parallel to each other and surrounded by palisades. The estimated size of the villages varies from 500 to 800 persons. The villages would have had 20 to 30 structures. Quinaouatoua, was perhaps the smallest with a population of less than 100 in the fall of 1669.[7]
The villages were settled by different tribes. The Seneca settled the westernmost villages of Quinaouatoua,
settled Ganneious along the eastern edge of the lake. The villages were connected to each other by a system of trail and water routes.While each village is identified with one group, there is a strong likelihood that the villages continued a common Iroquois practice of incorporating and adopting large groups of outsiders into settlements. For example, a
Relations with the French
In 1668, the French began to visit the Iroquois villages to convert the local population to
Relations between the Iroquois du Nord and the French were tense due to the intermediate conflicts known as the Beaver Wars. The villages were settled during a time of relative peace. In 1673 when the French established their first settlement along Lake Ontario, Fort Frontenac, in present-day Kingston, Ontario, many Iroquois from the nearby village of Ganneious resettled closer to the Fort.[10] Relations deteriorated as the political situation in present-day New York state changed, and in 1687 the French attacked the Iroquois, destroying villages in both New York state and along the northern shores of Lake Ontario.
The establishment of Fort Frontenac also appears to have shifted influence from Ganatsekwyagon to Teiaiagon. Most evidence indicates that Ganatsekwyagon was the more important settlement on the north shore due to its strategic position on the Rouge River arm of the Toronto Carrying-Place Trail. Following the construction of Fort Frontenac, Teiaiagon became more travelled for two reasons. First, the construction of the fort shifted the Iroquois toward the western route around Lake Ontario and second the French anchored at Teiaiagon instead of Ganatsekwyagon due to the superior anchorage for French trade barques.[11]
Abandonment
In Anishinaabe oral tradition holds that the Iroquois abandoned their villages north of Lake Ontario following a number of decisive battles won by the Anishinaabe in south and central Ontario during the Beaver Wars. In the Great Peace of Montreal, signed in 1701, the Iroquois Confederacy agreed to remain on the south shore of Lake Ontario. By 1701 the Anishinaabe group called the Mississauga had moved into the area between Lake Erie and the Rouge River.[12]
The easternmost villages of Kente and Ganneious were reportedly destroyed in 1687 by
Following the abandonment of the north of Lake Ontario by Iroquois some French geographers incorrectly place the Iroqouis du Nord and their villages on maps of southern Ontario as late as 1755. This would cause confusion among historians in the future when the Mississauga took possession of the northern shore of Lake Ontario.[15]
Historical maps showing Iroquois settlement on the north shore
The following maps show evidence of the Iroquois settlements on the north shore of Lake Ontario.[16]
- Plans des forts faicts par le RegimentlCarignan salieres sur la Riviere de/Richelieu dicte autrement des Iroquois en/la Nouvelle France. Le Mercier. 1666. 1 printed map. France, Minis&e des Colonies, No. 493; Public Archives of Canada (hereafter PAC), National Map Collection (hereafter NMC), H3/901/1666
- "Carte du Lac Ontario . . .," Galinee. 1670. 1 ms. map. France, Archives des Cartes et Plans de la Marine imperiale; PAC, NMC, A/902/1670. In: Plans, Cartes, Vues et Dessins relatifs h 1’Histoire de la Nouvelle France. P. L. Morin. Paris, 1852–53, V. 1, No. 15; J. H. Coyne "Exploration of the Great Lakes, 1669-70 . . ." Ontario Historical Society Papers and Records, V. 4, Toronto, [1903]
- "Carte de la decouverte du Sr Jolliet . . .," [Jolliet]. [1674]. 1 ms. map France, Bibliothèque Nationale (hereafter BN), Service hydrographique, Recueil 67, NO. 52; PAC, NMC, Ph/900 [1674-1701]
- "Carte de la descouverte du Sr Jolliet . . .," [Jolliet]. 1674–51. 1 ms. map. France, Service Historique de la Marine, Bibliothèque, (hereafter SHM, B), 4044B, No. 37; PAC, NMC, H2/903/ [1675]
- "Carte g[e]ne[ra]lle de la France septentrionnale, contenant la decouverte du Pays des Ilinois . . .," [Franquelin]. 1678. 1 ms. map. France, SHM, B, Recueil66, No. 11; PAC, NMC, H3/900/[16781]
- "Carte/pour servir a l’Cclaircissement/du Papier Terrier/de la Nouvelle France", Franquelin. 1678. 1 section of a ms. map. France, BN, Cartes et plans, Service hydrographique, pf. 125, div. 1, p. 1; PAC, NMC, H2/900/1678
- "Cartes des Grands Lacs . . .," Franquelin. 1679. 1 ms. map. France, Depot des cartes et plans de la Marine, Service hydrographique, Bibliothèque (hereafter DMSH, B) Recueil 67, No. 43; PAC, NMC, H3/902/1679
- "Carte du tours du Saint-Laurent . . .," Belmont. 1680. 1 ms. map. France, BN, Geographic, Ge. DD. 2989, Ministere des affaires etrangeres, Depot geographique, Archives, No. 8662; PAC, NMC, H1/902/[1680]
- [Carte des Grands Lacs] "Lac Ontario/Ott/De Frontenac." Bernou. 1680. 1 of a series of 6 ms. maps. France, DMSH, B, Recueil 67, No. 47; PAC, NMC, H3/902/[1680]
See also
Notes
- ^ Jordan (2013), p. 37.
- ^ Pendergast (1998).
- ^ Myrvold (1997), p. 13-14.
- ^ a b Adams (1986), p. 8.
- ^ a b Jordan (2013), p. 37-39.
- ^ ISBN 9781487584504. Retrieved Feb 18, 2022.
- ^ Konrad (1981), p. 138.
- ^ "Settlers to Prince Edward County: A historical examination of who they were and why they came". Naval Marine Archive: The Canadian Collection. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
- ^ Marcel 2006.
- ^ Adams (1986), p. 9.
- ^ Konrad (1981), p. 134.
- ^ Fairburn (2013), p. 36.
- ^ Barr (2006), p. 87.
- ^ Myrvold (1997), p. 18.
- ^ Schmalz (1991), p. 29.
- ^ Konrad (1981), p. 130.
References
- Adams, Nick (1986). "Iroquois Settlement at Fort Frontenac in the Seventeenth and Early Eighteenth Centuries" (PDF). Ontario Archaeology. 46. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 September 2017. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
- Barr, Daniel P. (2006). Unconquered: The Iroquois League at War in Colonial America. Westport CT: Praeger Publishers. ISBN 978-0275984663.
- Fairburn, Jane (2013). Along the Shore: Rediscovering Toronto's Waterfront Heritage. Toronto: ECW Press. ISBN 978-1770410992.
- Jordan, Kurt A. (2013). "Incorporation and Colonization: Postcolumbian Iroquois Satellite Communities and Processes of Indigenous Autonomy". American Anthropologist. 115 (1): 29–43. .
- Konrad, Victor (1981). "An Iroquois frontier: the north shore of Lake Ontario during the late seventeenth century". Journal of Historical Geography. 7 (2): 129–144. .
- Marcel, C.M.W (6 August 2006). "Iroquois origins of modern Toronto". counterweights. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
- Myrvold, Barbara (1997). The people of Scarborough : a history (PDF). Toronto: City of Scarborough Public Library Board. ISBN 0968308600.
- Pendergast, James F. (1998). "The Confusing Identities Attributed to Stadacona and Hochelaga". Journal of Canadian Studies. 32 (4): 149–167. S2CID 141363427.
- Schmalz, Peter S. (1991). The Ojibwa of Southern Ontario. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 978-0802067784.
- "Settlers to Prince Edward County: A historical examination of who they were and why they came". Naval Marine Archive: The Canadian Collection. Retrieved 5 February 2014.