Maple History: A Canadian History Podcast

New France was slowly attracting colonists in 1660 but one of the young women who came to the colony in those early days soon became tormented by demons set upon her by a jilted suitor. There were many people who tried to help her but the successful exorcist may come as a surprise. Sources: The Possession of Barbe Hallay: Diabolical Arts and Daily Life in Early Canada by Mairi Cowan Marie-Emmanuel...

In 1636 the last great Wendat Feast of the Dead was held in what is now Ontario. The Wendat Confederacy only had a few years left before the devastation of the diseases brought by European colonizers and the war with the Haudenosaunee brought the Wendat to their knees. The Jesuit priest, Jean de Brebeuf recorded the events and his admiration for the ritual in the Jesuit Relations which is where we...

Is Isola by Allegra Goodman Worth Reading? - Reese Witherspoon Book Club Review I told the story of Marguerite de la Rocque de Roberval and how she was marooned on the Isle of Demons off the coast of Quebec in 1541. Isola is a fictionalized version of that story by Allegra Goodman and in this bonus episode I let you know if it is worth a read. If you have read the book, let me know if you agree wi...

Adam Dollard des Ormeaux’s last stand at Long Sault became one of New France’s most enduring legends but the real battle was far messier. This week, I look at what actually happened at Long Sault, why the French lost so badly, and how a military disaster became a foundational myth. The Children of Aateantsic: A History of the Huron People to 1660 by Bruce Trigger Natives and Newcomers: Canada's He...

What made New France so hard to establish? A look at the realities of early settlement and slow colonial growth. Fischer, David Hackett. Champlain’s Dream: The European Founding of North America. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2008 Jacques Mathieu, “HÉBERT, LOUIS,” in  Dictionary of Canadian Biography , vol. 1, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed April 15, 2026,&nbsp...

The Jesuit priest Father Jean de Brebeuf spend over 20 years in Wendake and New France with a deep desire to suffer for the glory of God. Saving souls and martyrdom were never far from his mind. When the Haudenosaunee made there large scale attack in 1649 martyrdom also came knocking for Jean de Brebeuf. Or was it martyrdom at all? ****Very graphic descriptions of torture in this one - I didn't le...

March 16, 1649 was a fateful day for the Wendat Confederacy. An attack by the Haudenosaunee led to difficult decisions needing to be made for the survival of the Wendat people. Sources The Children of Aateantsic: A History of the Huron People to 1660 by Bruce Trigger Natives and Newcomers: Canada's Heroic Age Reconsidered by Bruce Trigger Dispersed But Not Destroyed by Kathryn Magee Labelle Blackh...

A fragile peace fails and the destruction of the Wendat Confederacy begins. In this episode, we cover the legendary battles, the winter assault on St. Ignace and St. Louis, and the catastrophic losses that sent thousands fleeing to Ste. Marie. Part One of a two-part series. Sources The Children of Aateantsic: A History of the Huron People to 1660 by Bruce Trigger Dispersed But Not Destroyed by Kat...

The epidemics have ravaged both the Wendat and the Haudenosaunee but they are still competing in trade with the Europeans to get a hold of coveted goods. This leads to increasing violence and changes in warfare practices. Sources The Children of Aateantsic: A History of the Huron People to 1660 by Bruce Trigger Dispersed But Not Destroyed by Kathryn Magee Labelle The Ambiguous Indigenous Empire bu...

As Christianity spread among the Wendat, faith became a fault line. This episode explores the growing conflict between converts and traditionalists, and how spiritual change reshaped community life during a moment of crisis. Sources: The Children of Aateantsic: A History of the Huron People to 1660 by Bruce Trigger Crosses in the Sky: Jean de Brébeuf and the Destruction of Huronia by Mark Bourrie...

A brief portrait of Hélène Boullé, whose life is often reduced to a line in Champlain’s story. This episode pauses to look at her on her own terms. Sources: Marie-Emmanuel Chabot, o.s.u., “BOULLÉ, HÉLÈNE, named de Saint-Augustin (Champlain),” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography , vol. 1, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed October 26, 2025, https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/boull...

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In the 1630s, epidemics spread through Wendake and caused profound loss. This episode looks at how those outbreaks unfolded and how Wendat communities lived through that decade. Sources: The Children of Aateantsic: A History of the Huron People to 1660 by Bruce Trigger Crosses in the Sky: Jean de Brébeuf and the Destruction of Huronia by Mark Bourrie Dispersed But Not Destroyed by Kathryn Magee La...

The Huron Carol is the first Canadian Christmas Carol but the version we are most familiar with isn't the one that would have been sung by the early Wendat Christian. The original version written by Jean de Brébeuf has a much stronger connection to the Indigenous people he worked with, and when we listen to that version, we can hear not just a Christmas story, but an attempt to bridge two very dif...

Étienne Brûlé was one of the most important young men in the early days of New France. He acted as an interpreter and liaison between the Wendat Confederacy and the French traders and colonizers led by Samuel de Champlain. This was not an easy world to navigate and he made plenty of enemies. Eventually those enemies caught up with him and he suffered a fate he couldn't talk his way out of. Sources...

It is a battle for survival between D'Aulnay's forces and Françoise and La Tour's embattled garrison. This episode is a story of betrayal, bravery, and ambition that brings us an early Canadian heroine we will never forget. Books: Faragher, John Mack. A Great and Noble Scheme: The Tragic Story of the Expulsion of the French Acadians from Their American Homeland. New York: W. W. Norton, 2005. MacDo...

Charles St Etienne de La Tour had lived in Acadia since he was a teenager and had been working to build this nascent French colony when another man, Charles de Menou d'Aulnay Charnize came with ambitions and an ego. These rival ambitions would slowly grow into full antagonism and then violence. Books: Faragher, John Mack. A Great and Noble Scheme: The Tragic Story of the Expulsion of the French Ac...

The English had made progress with colonization in North America but they had eyes on Quebec too. In 1629 they made their move and things went terribly for the French colonists and Champlain over the next few years. Sources: Champlain's Dream by David Hackett Fischer The Children of Aateantsic: A History of the Huron People to 1660 by Bruce Trigger Natives and Newcomers: Canada's "Heroic Age" Reco...

The Jesuits came to Quebec on a mission in 1625 to save souls and not to make friends. Champlain's Dream by David Hackett Fischer The Children of Aateantsic: A History of the Huron People to 1660 by Bruce Trigger Natives and Newcomers: Canada's "Heroic Age" Reconsidered by Bruce Trigger Huron Wendat: The Heritage of the Circle by George E. Sioui The Jesuit Relations: Natives and Missionaries in Se...

Some familiar faces return to Acadia where they are welcomed back by the Mi'kmaq but new people join the colony and it does not go well. Sources: John Mack Faragher, A Great and Noble Scheme: The Tragic Story of the Expulsion of the French Acadians from their American Homeland . 2005 Thorp, D. B. (1996). Equals of the King: The Balance of Power in Early Acadia. Acadiensis, 25(2), 3. Retr...

The Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) got a shocking introduction to Europeans in 1609 when Champlain joined a raid into Haudenosaunee territory but they were quick to learn how to seek out other European allies for their benefit. When the Dutch arrived they sought out a trade relationship but so did the Mahican who also lived in the same area as some of the Mohawk. This episode will discuss the early days...

Champlain is back and forth between France and Canada as he tries to find his way into the well established trade and kinship networks of the Wendat. He also gets married and his choice of bride isn't great. Sources: Champlain's Dream by David Hackett Fischer The Making of Canada: An Epic History in Twenty Extraordinary Lives by Greg Koabel The Children of Aateantsic: A History of the Huron People...

*This episodes contains a detailed account of torture. Champlain steps dramatically into a complex world of ancient kinship networks, complex diplomacy, and a long simmering war when he founds the city of Quebec in 1608. He finally meets the powerful Wendat people and assists them and their allies in a famous battle against the Haundenosaunee in the heart of Mohawk territory. Sources: Champlain's...

We take a look at the Beothuk people in this episode from their ancient beginnings on the island of Newfoundland to their demise through disease, starvation, and murder. It is a tragic story of the effects of colonization on a small population on an unforgiving land. Sources Books: Beothuk: How Story Made a People (Almost) Disappear by Christopher Patrick Aylward A History and Ethnography of the B...

In this episode, we explore the early French attempts to settle in what would become Acadia, from Saint Croix to the more promising shores of Port-Royal. Who were the people who came? What were they hoping for? And how did they survive in a land already home to the Mi’kmaq? Join us as we discuss the story of one of the first European settlements in what is now Canada and the important relationship...