Top of page

Book/Printed Material Relation of what Occurred in New France in the Year 1634. Relation de ce qvi s'est passé en la Novvelle France en l'année 1634

About this Item

Title

  • Relation of what Occurred in New France in the Year 1634.

Other Title

  • Relation de ce qvi s'est passé en la Novvelle France en l'année 1634

Summary

  • Relation de ce qui s'est passé en la Nouvelle France en l'année 1634 (Relation of what occurred in New France in the year 1634) is without doubt the finest of the Jesuit Relations published in Paris between 1632 and 1673. Written by the French missionary Paul Le Jeune (1592-1664), the work is known for its literary quality as well as its observations on the Montagnais Indians. Born near the city of Châlons-sur-Marne, in the region of Champagne, Le Jeune spent two years, between 1613 and 1615, as a Jesuit novice. He then studied philosophy at the Collège Henri IV de La Flèche where he met Father Énemond Massé (1575-1646), who had returned from Acadia. Massé sparked in Le Jeune an interest in faraway missions. Ordained a priest in 1624 and named superior of the Jesuit mission in Canada in 1631, Le Jeune arrived in Quebec the following year and kindled a great missionary spirit in the colony. Eager to learn Indian languages, he decided, in the winter of 1633-34, to follow a group of Montagnais on a trek across their hunting grounds. For nearly six months, he endured cold, hunger, and exhaustion from long marches on snowshoes. During the journey, he faced mockery and at times outright hostility from the principal shaman of the Montagnais, Carigonan, which some historians have argued that Le Jeune helped to provoke. The journey convinced Le Jeune that permanent settlement of the Indians was indispensable to their conversion. Upon conclusion of the voyage, Le Jeune wrote the magnificent Relation of 1634. In addition to displaying his talent as a writer, Le Jeune offered an account of Montagnais society in the 17th century of exceptional ethnographic interest. The author of many other Relations, Le Jeune remained superior of the Jesuit mission at Quebec from 1632 to 1639. He returned to France in 1649 to take up the position of mission procurator for New France, an office that he occupied until 1662.

Names

  • Le Jeune, Paul, 1592-1664 Author.

Created / Published

  • Paris : Sébastien Cramoisy, 1635.

Headings

  • -  Canada--Quebec
  • -  1634
  • -  Algonquin Indians
  • -  Description and travel
  • -  Ethnography
  • -  France in America
  • -  France--Colonies
  • -  Indians of North America
  • -  Indigenous peoples
  • -  Jesuits
  • -  Manners and customs
  • -  Missionaries
  • -  Montagnais Indians
  • -  New France
  • -  Saint Lawrence River Valley

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  Original resource extent: 342 pages.
  • -  Reference extracted from World Digital Library: Kenneth M. Morrison, The Solidarity of Kin: Ethnohistory, Religious Studies, and the Algonkian-French Religious Encounter (Albany, New York: State University of New York Press, 2002).
  • -  Original resource at: National Library of France.
  • -  Content in French.
  • -  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.

Medium

  • 1 online resource.

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021667013

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress is unaware of any copyright or other restrictions in the World Digital Library Collection. Absent any such restrictions, these materials are free to use and reuse. Researchers are encouraged to review the source information attached to each item. For information on contacting WDL partner organizations, see this archived list of partners

The Library asks that researchers approach the materials in this collection with respect for the culture and sensibilities of the people whose lives, ideas, and creativity are documented here.

Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

More about Copyright and other Restrictions

For additional information and contact information for many of the partner organizations, see this archived capture of the World Digital Library site from 2021.

For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Le Jeune, Paul, Author. Relation of what Occurred in New France in the Year. Paris: Sébastien Cramoisy, 1635. Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021667013/.

APA citation style:

Le Jeune, P. (1635) Relation of what Occurred in New France in the Year. Paris: Sébastien Cramoisy. [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021667013/.

MLA citation style:

Le Jeune, Paul, Author. Relation of what Occurred in New France in the Year. Paris: Sébastien Cramoisy, 1635. Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021667013/>.