AUGUST 2, 1701

HURON CHIEF KONDIORANK (GASPAR SOIAGA) DIED WHILE NEGOTIATING PEACE OF MONTRÉAL

In 1697, negotiations began to end decades of conflicts between the French and their Aboriginal allies and the Iroquois. By virtue of his leadership, Wendat (Huron) Chief Kondiaronk, nicknamed “The Rat” by the French for his many ruses in negotiations, convinced leaders of other tribes to send envoys to Montréal in the summer of 1701 to negotiate a peace treaty. At the meeting of August 1, 1701, Kondiaronk, age 52, weakened by a fever that had afflicted several other chiefs, made a decisive speech. Immediately, he was transported to Montréal’s Hôtel-Dieu hospital where he passed away only a few hours later. Converted to Catholicism by the Jesuits, Kondiaronk, who was respected by tribal leaders and Europeans alike, received a funeral in Notre Dame Cathedral. The cortege was comprised of the Governor of Montréal, French staff officers, warrior chiefs, and members of the clergy. The day after the funeral, the Great Peace of Montreal was signed by the French and the First Nations.

Sources:

“Kondiaronk, Broker of the Great Peace of Montreal,” Pointe’ a Calliere.  Retrieved 10/9/2023,         https://pacmusee.qc.ca/en/stories-of-montreal/article/kondiaronk-broker-of-the-great-peace-of-montreal/

Wikipedia

Sketch:  Authors unknown, 1919.  Likely Public Domain, alternatively Fair Use. Source:  Drake,Francis S. (Francis Samuel), 1828-1885 Dowd, Francis Joseph, 1876- ), Indian History for Young Folks (New York: Harper brothers, 1919).