Lifeways

The Huron were divided into various clans, living in different parts of Huronia. These were the Rock Clan, the Cord Clan, the Bear Clan, the Deer Clan, and the One House Lodge.

Like their Iroquois neighbors, the Huron built elm-bark longhouses within walled villages. They typically located their villages on high ground near a navigable river and a clear spring. They cultivated the same crops as the Iroquois, mainly corn, beans, squash, and sunflowers for food, and tobacco for smoking. They supplemented their diet by hunting, fishing, and gathering wild plant foods.

Huron pottery pipe

The Huron sometimes drove deer into the rivers or into fenced-in areas, then used bows and arrows to kill them. They often snared beaver with nets. They also snared bears in traps, then fed and fattened them over a period of one or two years before eating them. Tribal members also fished the bay, lakes, and rivers. Unlike the Iroquois, they had birch-bark canoes similar to those of the ALGONQUIANS. They used bone hooks and bone harpoons. They also used huge nets—some 400 yards long—woven from plants called nettles and held in place by stone weights and wood floats. Every fall, Huron men traveled to the islands of Georgian Bay to fish, especially for whitefish. A Preacher to the Fish cast spells to draw the fish to the nets. Tribal members also made annual expeditions to the north to gather ripe blueberries.

The Huron kept fires burning constantly in fire-pits for cooking or warmth. One of their many ritualistic dances was the Dance of Fire. The dancers carried smoldering coals or heated stones in their mouths; they also plunged their arms into boiling water. This was thought to invoke a spirit, or oki, to cure the sick.

When the soil in one area became depleted, or the game became scarce, or wood for building, heating, and cooking ran out, the Huron moved their villages to new sites.

The Huron wore deerskin shirts, breechcloths, leggings, skirts, and moccasins, plus fur cloaks for extra warmth. They often decorated articles of clothing with fringed edges, painted designs, and strips of fur. Sometimes they painted their faces black, red, green, or violet with vegetable and mineral dyes mixed with sunflower oil or bear fat.

The Huron were very affectionate toward their children, praising them for good behavior but rarely scolding them for bad behavior. Mothers carried their babies in wooden cradleboards, cushioned with moss or cattail down. When babies were old enough to eat solid food, mothers would make digestion easier for them by partially chewing the food first.

Children had to start mastering adult skills when they were young. Boys learned how to shoot with bows and arrows and how to throw harpoons, plus other skills of hunting, fishing, and warfare. Girls learned how to plant crops, store food, cook, sew, make pottery, and weave baskets and nets.

When a Huron died, the village held a feast for relatives and friends. The corpse, wrapped in furs, was placed on top of a litter inside the village. Mourning went on for days. After a period of time, villagers carried the litter to a cemetery, where they built a small cabin over the body. They placed food, oil, and tools inside the cabin to help the dead person on his journey to the spirit world. Presents were also given to the relatives to comfort them.

Every 10 years or so, the Huron held the Feast of the Dead. At this celebration, families brought remains of their dead relatives from the cemetery back to the village, scraped the bones clean of any dried flesh, and rewrapped them in furs. The villagers also feasted, told stories about the dead, gave presents to children, and held sporting events.