Hail Brave Hearts
The never ending adventure to voyage and discovery to meet and greet the new people, to learn their ways. Peace among us is a priority, gifts and exchange, routes of travel and a path to the new world. Discover, trade and progress, learn the language, the customs, the society. There are many peoples, many societies, many worlds to discover. Come with this explorer into the heart of our land and meet the people, listen to their stories, share their passions, learn their wisdom. This is New France, in 1615, with an exploration into the aboriginal territories of Ontario, as far as Georgian Bay and Lake Nippissing, in search of a route to the Orient.
The Orient. That spell binding, alluring destination of dreams. Silk, spices, riches. The Orient! Find the route through Canada, we know it’s there. Yes, it is, but not this time. Not in 1615, when the world was forested and filled with mighty, turbulent rivers, with rapids and waterfalls to portage. Not in 1615 when every few hundred kilometers brought new nations of aboriginals to meet and negotiate with. As skilled and brilliant as these explorers were, the land is too large, the peoples too many, the dangers too difficult and the demands too great. Still, the path to the Orient exists, but the people need to know these explorers, before extending such a substantial gift as the whereabouts of this sought after trail.
Travel and travel and travel, is a must. Explore the world around and before you. Go to these uncharted lands. Bring peace, negotiation and prosperity with you, if you can. It’s a daunting mission, to be the explorer, to discover and collaborate with people of unknown character. Meeting them in their own land, on their own terms. Peace and skilled negotiation. The intellect soars as the negotiations are successful and the peoples minds are set at ease, with this friend. Gratitude for such necessary gifts, as some burdens are lifted and some work is eased. Sharing and caring, the beginning of a new world. The start of a new land. This is now New France, being explored and documented and carefully mapped. Each river that is traveled, each new tribe that is encountered, each new language that is spoken and the forest of trees, plants and animals to marvel at as well. All carefully described, by this well educated person, who knew the land so well.
This is the life of a great explorer, Samuel de Champlain. His mission of discovery was so successful that it formed peaceful and prosperous relations with several aboriginal tribes and the French people, who earnestly sought common bonds and well intended relationships with the people of the new world. The needs for these negotiations for the fur traders were high. In the end Champlain died in Quebec city with only 150 settlers living in the colony.
With the explorer, came the missionaries. Jesuit priests from France, intent on bringing Christianity to the people of Canada. This seemed necessary for the aboriginals to understand the religion of the French people so that they would have a common bond in humanity to share. Peace among the people, brothers in Christ. Although the aboriginals had their own religion, with their own after life, it was deemed essential to bring these people to Jesus. Such was the quest of the Jesuits who pursued this mission to the ends of their lives.
https://routechamplain.ca/en/listings/carhagouha-1615-site-of-first-mass-in-ontario/
written by Dr. Louise Hayes
February 28, 2020