Wendake

By students Anthony McKinney and Mason Roy (with photos by Program Director Dr. Jeanette Landin)

Well, this is it. Our final excursion. This one goes in depth on Native American history. I arrived at the building and saw elements of the Wendat tribal symbols, namely the turtle and the moose. 

After seeing that, our guide Diego showed us the ropes. In the first room, we were presented with a short film titled "The Wendat Bible." In the beginning, we were introduced to a woman who was carried by swans and appeared to be pregnant. Then a frog came out and spat out something towards her and went back into the water. The world of the great turtle was expanding, the narrator said. As it is an Indigenous belief, this belongs in the spiritual beliefs culture category because it wasn’t just an ordinary culture, but a series of stories by natives, as the Algonquian and Iroquoian tribes use the term "turtle island" as America's nickname. It was also common to have other clans, but it was the deer that were most important. Seven brothers wanted bread with corn flour, but the chef didn’t make it, and instead constellations appeared. 

I also saw a long house which stored over 16,000 residents, as well as the fact that it was 30 to 100 meters long, and it went along the river and Ocha Loga. It had a tall, pointed fence to keep out intruders and protect the families living in the long house. 

To nourish the people, what was only available was corn, squash, and beans. They believe what they were eating came from the three sisters. This represents the culture of food, as this was the food we were eating back in those days, as well as how we would adapt. 

This class is a lot of things. Sometimes things are smooth and easy going and happy, sometimes it’s chaotic, but I am happy to say this excursion is an amazing conclusion to this study abroad experience.