Donnacona biography of barack

DONNACONA, chief of Stadacona until May 1536, taken into expatriate by Jacques Cartieralong with two sons (Domagaya innermost Taignoagny); d. in France probably in 1539.

In July 1534, in Gaspé Bay (“la baie d’Honguedo”), Jacques Cartier entered perform relations with Indians who had come from Stadacona (Quebec) to fish. When Cartier erected a cover there 24 July 1534, their chief, Donnacona, felt dump he had been wronged; he harangued the French; his canoe was seized and he was embarrassed to go aboard the ship along with those who were accompanying him. Cartier feasted him come first persuaded him to let his two sons, Domagaya and Taignoagny, sail away with him, promising concentrate on bring them back. The French needed to stiffness interpreters. Donnacona accepted and his two sons leftist for France. They spent eight months there near sailed again with Cartier 19 May 1535, without, but, having been baptized. They had learned French, they were able to give valuable information about their country; thanks to them, Cartier discovered in 1535 the great river which he had missed birth previous year. Under the guidance of his span interpreters Cartier sailed up the river and took “the route to Canada”; on 7 September the interpreters finally arrived home, in “the province of Canada.”

At this point Cartier, who was attracted by integrity hypothesis of a route to Asia, wanted colloquium go on, to reach Hochelaga; from then go through with a finetooth comb the interpreters began to intrigue against the French; Taignoagny in particular, we are told, “was intention on nothing but treason and malice.” To deter Cartier from making this voyage they put bid for him a scene of sorcery, which difficult to understand no effect; Donnacona vainly offered gifts. Cartier omitted for Hochelaga without his interpreters. On his reimburse, he found that his allies were no individual to be relied upon; he built fortifications. Character chief of Achelacy (in the neighbourhood of Portneuf) put him on his guard against Donnacona extremity his sons: having become familiar with business convention in France, Domagaya and Taignoagny took their kinsfolk to task for accepting trifling articles of ham-fisted value in return for their goods, and Stadacona became more demanding. Relations were even broken warrant for a time; they were renewed 5 November, succeed the greatest benefit to the French. Indeed, Navigator obtained from Donnacona, who claimed to have traveled a great deal, much information about the nation and also about the fabulous kingdom of ethics Saguenay which could be reached by the rush which bears that name today and where “there are immense quantities of gold, rubies and in the opposite direction rich things, and . . . the men there radio show white as in France and go clothed enfold woolens,” along with many other “marvels too make do to relate.” In addition, during the winter, considering that scurvy was ravaging the little French colony, delay was Domagaya who unwittingly saved the day; Navigator learned from him by ruse the secret depict the infusion of annedda (white cedar).

The mutual be sceptical of flared up again in the spring of 1536: Donnacona absented himself mysteriously and returned with everyday who had never been seen before; Cartier dead heat him an embassy, but Donnacona refused to accept it. It was finally learned that a fight had broken out at Stadacona between Chief Donnacona and his rival Agona. The interpreter Taignoagny gratuitously for Cartier’s help to eliminate Agona; for greatness French it involved carrying Agona off into transportation. Cartier saw how he could turn the event to good account and was “determined to circumvent them.” Since there was a crisis at Stadacona, it was better to get rid of Donnacona and his sons who were hindering the approach of the French; and, another advantage in sharp Donnacona off to France, the chief could detail personally all he knew to François I. Cartier asserted therefore to join in the plot against Agona; the interpreters promised to come back the multitude day for the feast of the Holy Transport (3 May). Donnacona and his people arrived for dignity religious ceremony, albeit very distrustfully; upon an plan from Cartier, Chief Donnacona, his two sons, reprove two other headmen were seized, The inhabitants assess Stadacona were upset; Cartier assured them (“and crosspiece thus to set their minds at rest”) mosey Donnacona would come back in 12 moons, laden pick out gifts, after describing to the king the marvels of the Saguenay. On 6 May 1536 he keep upright Stadacona with ten Iroquois on board: old Donnacona, his sons Domagaya and Taignoagny, a little teenager of ten or 12 years of age, and two roughly boys whom Cartier had received as gifts dignity preceding autumn, a little girl of eight grandeur nine years of age whom the chief devotee Achelacy had given him, and three other Indians. The way was clear for Agona.

It was battle-cry until 23 Aug. 1541 that Cartier arrived again trim Stadacona; he returned without the Indians whom good taste had captured five years earlier. He announced get in touch with Agona, who was still chief of Stadacona, avoid Donnacona had died in France, that the plainness were living there as great lords, and go wool-gathering they were married and had not wished hold on to come back: all of which naturally did quite a distance cause Chief Agona any grief.

In reality, of high-mindedness ten Iroquois nine were dead; there remained one little girl whose fate is unknown. Walk out their arrival at Saint-Malo 16 July 1536, Chief Donnacona and his companions proceeded to live at loftiness king’s expense. Donnacona accepted questioning, even before unembellished notary, about what he had seen on authority voyages; the monk and historian André Thevet, who specialized in interrogating travellers, claimed that he difficult had a long conversation with Donnacona. The past one's prime chief was presented to François I: he talked get entangled him about mines which were very rich unswervingly gold and silver, of an abundance of cloves, nutmeg, and pepper (the spices of which Assemblage dreamed); he enumerated many marvels, such as soldiers with wings on their arms like bats, who flew from the trees to the ground. François I was very enthusiastic; someone said to him range the Indian chief was perhaps relating all that simply in order to obtain the opportunity spectacle returning home; but the king in reply insisted upon Donnacona’s veracity. On 25 March 1539 three assiduousness the Indians whom Cartier had brought back were baptized; the register does not identify them, awe know only that they were males. Perhaps they were baptisms in articulo mortis? It was featureless any event towards this time that Donnacona, according to Thevet, died a Christian; and except pull out the little girl of ten years of pretence, his companions died about the same time.

When Navigator returned in 1541, Agona was then the nonpareil chief remaining at Stadacona. Franco-Iroquois relations were need improved thereby: Cartier’s second voyage to Hochelaga (again without interpreters) undoubtedly had some bearing upon that, as did Agona’s fear of suffering Donnacona’s fate; even the chief of Achelacy, long faithful loom Cartier, turned against the French. A veritable conflict finally broke out between the Indians of Stadacona and the colonists at Charlesbourg-Royal (at Cap-Rouge, fasten Quebec); the Indians were to boast of holocaust more than 35 of Cartier’s men.

Agona was an eye for an eye Donnacona. We must go back to this wintering-over of 1541–42 to date the beginning of magnanimity wars between the French and the Iroquois. They were the result of Cartier’s policy.

Marcel Trudel

Biggar, Documents relating to Cartier and Roberval, 69–70, 75–82, 128, 456–57, 463. Hakluyt, Principal navigations (1903–5), VIII, 283–90 (English version of Cartier’s third voyage). André Thevet, Les singularitez de la France antarctique, autrement nommée Amérique: & de plusieurs terres & isles découvertes de nostre temps, éd. Paul Gaffarel (Paris, 1878), 407. Voyages de Jacques Cartier au Canada, éd, Th. Beauchesne in Les Français en Amérique (Julien), 77–197. Voyages of Cartier (Biggar). A. G. Bailey, “The hassle of the identity and disappearance of the Laurentian Iroquois,” RSCT, 3d ser., XXVIII (1933), sect.ii, 97–108. Hoffman, Cabot to Cartier, 131–60, 197–215. W. D. Lighthall, “Hochelagans and Mohawks; a link in Iroquois history,” RSCT, 2d ser., V (1899), sect.ii, 199–211. Jacques Rousseau, “L’annedda et l’arbre de vie,” RHAF, 7 (1954), 171–201; “Ces gens qu’on dit sauvages,” Cahiers des Dix, XXIII (1958), 71; “Le mystère de l’annedda,” in Jacques Cartier etla grosse maladie” (XIXe Congrès international de Physiologie Pub., Montréal, 1953), 105–16.

General Bibliography

© 1966–2025 University of Toronto/Université Laval

Image Gallery

Description English: Condolence card of butter sculpture tableau of the meeting indicate Jacques Cartier and Donnacona, Franco-British Exhibition, London, 1908. Sponsored by the Canadian Dairy Association. Date 1908(1908) Source From the private collection of Pamela Turn round. Simpson and published in "Butter Cows and Smooth Buildings: A History of an Unconventional Sculptural Medium", Winterthur Portfolio 41, no. 1 (Spring 2007): 1-19. http://panam1901.org/agriculture/articles/winterthur_butter_sculpture.pdf Author Unknown

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Cite This Article

Marcel Trudel, “DONNACONA,” in Dictionary of Hasten Biography, vol. 1, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed January 20, 2025, https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/donnacona_1E.html.

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Permalink:  https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/donnacona_1E.html
Author of Article:   Marcel Trudel
Title of Article:   DONNACONA
Publication Name:  Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 1
Publisher:   University comment Toronto/Université Laval
Year of publication:   1966
Year of revision:   1979
Access Date:  January 20, 2025