5. A Happy Surprise. In the Land of Cannibals. Taming the Wild Nature. Native Piety. Withdrawal of the Jesuits From New York Territory

In view of the terrible and bloody end of the first missionary attempt, was the zeal of the missionaries not weakened for the holy work? It was even strengthened. “The Jesuits never retreated a step; but as in a brave army new troops come forward in place of the fallen, so among them there was never a lack of heroism and enterprise for the cause of the cross and French dominion”[1]. Having failed in the Huron country, they decided to transfer their mission to the midst of the most terrible and bloodthirsty savages, the Iroquois, and attempt to bring this untamed scourge of the entire mission under the gentle yoke of the gospel.

After the final devastation of the Huron country, the Iroquois roamed for several more years, finishing off the scattered remnants of the wretched people and taking them captive. Their audacity now knew no bounds, and they seriously threatened the French colonies themselves. Colonists did not dare venture outside the fort walls, for the Iroquois like wild beasts lay in wait in the forests for human prey. Finally, however, continuous years of war had considerably exhausted their bloodthirsty instincts, and when they once suffered a slight defeat in a skirmish with the French, they decided to enter into peace negotiations with them. The French were delighted and hastened to seize the opportunity to free themselves from such dangerous enemies. They accepted the peaceful proposal and sent ambassadors to conclude peace. The ambassadors were, of course, fearless Jesuits. In 1654, the Jesuit Lemoyne set out for the country of the Iroquois, the tribe of the Onondaga[2]. His path lay along the bloody trails of the Jesuits Jogues, Bressani, and thousands of Huron captives and martyrs, but no fears could stop the Jesuit from the exploit of missionary work. He boldly appeared in the village of the tribe and was rewarded for his courage. There he met entire thousands of Huron captives, most of whom were Christians, knew him personally, and therefore greeted him with joy. He immediately celebrated mass for them, gave communion to many, and baptized children and adults who had not yet been baptized. The Jesuit saw a remarkable sight. These Christian captives, whom the Jesuits had mourned as lost, proved to be a fruitful seed of Christianity amid the fierce Iroquois. Thanks to them, Christianity succeeded in opening a path in the savage consciousness of the fierce conquerors, and to the Jesuit’s amazement, they were inclined to accept baptism. With joyful news, Lemoyne returned to Quebec and laid out prospects for the conversion of the Iroquois. In the following year, the Jesuits Dablon and Chaumonot set out to the Iroquois and established a permanent missionary station. The Native peoples received them warmly, and the Huron captives enabled them to quickly build a chapel, in which divine worship began. “Instead of marble and precious metals,” writes Dablon in his diary, we used only bark; but the path to heaven is as open through a roof of bark as through vaults of gold and silver[3]. Gradually other tribes began to accept Christianity, and Jesuits continually arrived from Quebec, establishing new stations in various settlements of the savages. The pagan darkness seemed to fear the light and was dispelled by it everywhere. But paganism was still strong among the Iroquois, and at any opportunity it could take revenge on the bearers of Christianity. When many baptisms had already been performed among the Iroquois, their shamans began to preach to the people that this baptism was sorcery that killed children. “What these French black robes call baptism,” they said, is evil sorcery committed to consume our children. Our salvation consists in their immediate death. The dark night is the most suitable time for this. This thought spread like lightning among the Iroquois, and in a secret night meeting they resolved to kill all the black robes. The infernal plot would certainly have been carried out, had the Jesuits not learned of the danger threatening them in time. Their resourcefulness saved them from inevitable death. They, as had happened once before, prepared a feast for their would-be executioners. The gluttonous savages, naturally, did not refuse to come to the feast offered by their destined victims, and while they were thus occupied with eating, the Jesuits quietly got into prepared canoes and fled, heading for Quebec, which was their only protection. This was March 20, 1658, three years after the missionaries had penetrated into the Iroquois country[4].

This event was the occasion for war between the Iroquois and the French, and it continued for two years with savage ferocity. The Iroquois took French and their Native allies captive and burned them according to custom, which the French for their part answered with cruelty toward Iroquois captives. But for all that, the war did not have the makings of lasting long. Among the Iroquois, a strong Christian faction already existed, which sympathized with the French and desired peace with them. An important leader was a Christian and at every opportunity protested against the burning of captives, did not allow the missionary chapel to be destroyed, and enabled the Huron captives to pray fearlessly in it and sing sacred hymns. As a result, one of the most peaceful tribes (the Onondaga) inclined toward peace with the French; other tribes followed them, except the fierce Mohawks, who continued the war for several more years, until finally, abandoned by all, they too were forced to conclude peace, signed in Quebec on August 31, 1666. The Jesuits waited impatiently for this moment and again took up the holy work. A year after the peace was concluded, three Jesuits set out for the country of the most untamed and terrible enemies of Christianity—the Mohawks, who more than other Iroquois tribes were hostile to Christianity and the French, and who more than others burned and tortured Christian captives, among whom were the Jesuits Jogues and Bressani. But the blood of martyrs does not shed in vain; it was a fruitful seed of Christianity. The Mohawks, despite all the wildness of their savage nature, proved receptive to the persuasion of the missionaries, and conversions among them became so frequent that the Jesuits requested assistants from Quebec. Gradually, the network of missionary work was spread throughout the entire Iroquois country, and in the heart of present-day New York, in a land of the most terrible barbarism and cannibalism, the proper celebration of the Roman Catholic mass began. In 1670, sixteen years after the opening of missionary work among the Iroquois, the cross was already raised high over the entire country of these savages, and especially among the Mohawks, who seemed to be the most hopeless and hardened barbarians. Among them a remarkable process of spiritual rebirth was particularly evident. The former wild nature struggled strongly with the new beginning and yielded. From among the converted Iroquois, some came forth who were ready to endure all torments from their pagan brothers for their faith and patiently bore them. Even examples of virtue appeared, a source of wonder to the missionaries themselves. In this respect, the Iroquois maiden Catherine Tekakwitha was particularly famous, whom the Jesuits called the New Genevieve[5].

The Jesuits, however, did not long enjoy the fruits of their labor. In 1664, the territory of present-day New York came under English rule, which brought with it new policies regarding the Native peoples and Jesuits. English rulers began to jealously regard the influence that France, through the Jesuits, had over the Native peoples, and their first act was to undermine this influence. Particularly zealous in this regard was the governor Dongan. From the moment he took office (1683), he resolved to expel the French Jesuits from his territory, and for this purpose began to stir up the Native peoples against the Jesuits, promising them to give them “better fathers” of English Jesuits and build them churches. His efforts were not fruitless; the French Jesuits began to suffer insults and violence and finally had to withdraw from the field of their many years of labor[6].

Thus ended the missionary work among the New York State of the French missionaries. The honor of enlightening this dark land of wild barbarism belongs first to them. They were the first to open a path here for Europeans. It was a bloody and dangerous path, but through their self-denial they succeeded in transforming ferocious cannibals, whose enjoyment and occupation consisted in hunting humans and burning them, into obedient Christians. The fruits of their labor are visible to this day. The remnants of the ancient Native peoples, still living in New York State, preserve the faith of their first teachers and remain unmoved by any persuasion from Protestant missionaries[7].