Le Grand Voyage du Pays des Hurons 1632 Gabriel Sagard

Gabriel Sagard, O.M.R., ( ''fl.'' 1614–1636) was a

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

lay brother Lay brother is a largely extinct term referring to religious brothers, particularly in the Catholic Church, who focused upon manual service and secular matters, and were distinguished from choir monks or friars in that they did not pray in choir, ...

and

Recollect The Recollects (french: Récollets) were a French reform branch of the Friars Minor, a Franciscan order. Denoted by their gray habits and pointed hoods, the Recollects took vows of poverty and devoted their lives to prayer, penance, and spiri ...

friar, a reform branch of the

Order of Friars Minor The Order of Friars Minor (also called the Franciscans, the Franciscan Order, or the Seraphic Order; postnominal abbreviation OFM) is a mendicant Catholic religious order, founded in 1209 by Francis of Assisi. The order adheres to the teachi ...

known for their strict poverty. He was among the first Christian missionaries to

New France New France (french: Nouvelle-France) was the area colonized by France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Great Britain and Spa ...

, and is notable for his writings on the colony and on the

Hurons The Wyandot people, or Wyandotte and Waⁿdát, are Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands. The Wyandot are Iroquoian Indigenous peoples of North America who emerged as a confederacy of tribes around the north shore of Lake Ontario w ...

(or Wendat). Sagard's origins, and the dates of his birth and death are obscure. Some historians say he was christened Théodat, others believe that Théodat was his religious name, which, however, is less likely as his signature on his works is under the name of Gabriel (see illustration). Sagard arrived in

28 June 1623. He was sent to accompany Father Nicholas Viel, where they joined four other members of their Order who had been there since 1615, led by Father Denis Jamet. In August, Sagard traveled to a

Huron Huron may refer to: People * Wyandot people (or Wendat), indigenous to North America * Wyandot language, spoken by them * Huron-Wendat Nation, a Huron-Wendat First Nation with a community in Wendake, Quebec * Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawato ...

village on the southern shore of

Lake Huron Lake Huron ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrologically, it comprises the easterly portion of Lake Michigan–Huron, having the same surface elevation as Lake Michigan, to which it is connected by the , Straits of Mack ...

, where he began his missionary work and study of the

Huron language Wyandot (sometimes spelled Wandat) is the Iroquoian language traditionally spoken by the people known variously as Wyandot or Wyandotte, descended from the Tionontati. It is considered a sister to the Wendat language, spoken by descendants of t ...

. In July 1624, he was ordered by his superiors to return to France. All record of him ends some time around 1636. Sagard seems to have either left the Order or he may simply have died while still a friar. Sagard worked with the Hurons. Sagard is remembered for his writings on New France and the Hurons-

Wyandot people The Wyandot people, or Wyandotte and Waⁿdát, are Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands. The Wyandot are Iroquoian Indigenous peoples of North America who emerged as a confederacy of tribes around the north shore of Lake Ontario ...

, ' (Paris, 1632). His ' (1636) included a revised and expanded ' and ' (Dictionary of the Huron Language). An English translation of ' by historian George M. Wrong was published by the Champlain Society in 1939 as ''Sagard's long journey to the country of the Hurons''. It is available online at the Champlain Society website. An authoritative edition of the dictionary of the Huron languageSagard’s Dictionary of Huron
/ref> was edited by

John Steckley John L. Steckley (born March 13, 1949) is a Canadian scholar specializing in Native American studies and the indigenous languages of the Americas. Steckley has a PhD in Education from the University of Toronto. He taught at Humber College in Tor ...

and published in 2009. The

geographic township The term township, in Canada, is generally the district or area associated with a town. The specific use of the term to describe political subdivisions has varied by country, usually to describe a local rural or semirural government within the co ...

Sagard Sagard is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. History Sagard is first mentioned in 1250 as ''Zagard''. The name of the municipality of Sagard comes from the Slavic and means something lik ...

in Quebec, Canada, was named in his honour.

References

External links

''Sagard's Dictionary of Huron''
- The earliest and one of the most complete dictionaries of the Huron language *
"Gabriel Sagard"
''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
Champlain Society Digital Collection
* *
Excerpt from ''The Long Journey to the Country of the Hurons''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sagard, Gabriel Roman Catholic missionaries in New France Recollects Roman Catholic missionaries in Canada French Roman Catholic missionaries Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown Franciscan missionaries French Franciscans