Summary Of The Orenda By Joseph Boyden

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Joseph Boyden explores the dramatic and dynamic tensions in New France during the seventeen century though the relationship between the First Nations and the early contacts with the Jesuits in his book The Orenda. The book follows the three main characters, the Huron Warrior named Bird, the young Iroquois girl named Snow Falls and the French Jesuit missionary named Christophe or “Crow” and explores their lives during this time period with one another and with enemy groups.The author Joseph Boyden presents an accurate picture of early Canadian history in regards to the European-Native relationship between the First Nations and Europeans represented through the relationship between the Huron People and the French Jesuits as well as the war …show more content…

The Iroquois received guns which were “new technologies one almost unrecognizably different from any possessed by the Iroquoian people” as they never had any weapon quite like this before whereas the Huron didn’t obtain guns till later on. Though “the arming of the Iroquois soon resulted in the French supplying guns to their allies as well” and so the Huron were now supplied guns. In terms of an Arms race, the Iroquois “were able to obtain guns in greater numbers than were the Huron who are allied to the French”. As though the Huron were now supplied guns “It was decided no doubt under Jesuit influence, that guns should be made available only to those who had become christians”and “they were afraid that guns might fall into the hands of non-christians or apostates and be used against the Jesuits and their assistants”. Due to this, “guns appeared to have been made available to the Huron in moderate numbers” as many of the Huron didn’t convert right away. Though as mentioned before the Iroquois received guns in greater numbers and this was because of the English and Dutch(who were the ones supplying the guns to the Iroquois) not caring and more specifically with the Dutch, they “were prepared to take risks with the Iroquois trading partners and to arm them in the hope of greater commercial gain”. Due to this, there is a technological imbalance between the Iroquois and the Huron as one group is constantly getting more weapons than the other. Boyden accurately portrays the technology of guns in the story as it is shown that the Huron group does not have guns where as the Iroquois does until Bird is given a gun to Samuel De Champlain in order to “battle the common enemy the Iroquois and

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