The Jesuit Relations: Natives and Missionaries in Seventeenth-Century North America (Bedford Series in History & Culture) [Paperback]

Allan Greer (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0312167075 | ISBN-13: 978-0312167073 | Publication Date: February 7, 2000 | Edition: First Edition

As a 73-volume library, the original The Jesuit Relations has long been inaccessible to undergraduate students. Vitally important, the writings of seventeenth-century French Jesuits in Native North America tell the story of early American encounters. This new edition deftly binds them into a thematically arranged, 35-document sampler with a detailed introduction that provides background on these missionaries, the Indians, and their cohabitation in early North America. Colorful journal entries by such fathers as Paul LeJeune, Jean de Brébeuf, Isaac Jogues, and Jacques Marquette describe the Huron, Algonquin, Iroquois, and Montagnais peoples. Eleven images, two maps, a chronology, a bibliography, and questions for consideration supplement these firsthand accounts.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'The Jesuit Relations are among the most scholarly sources for the study of early American history, and they're simply magic in the classroom. Greer's thoughtful translations and his concise, well-informed introduction do justice to these remarkable documents. The gripping, vivid selections from the Relations will fully engage undergraduates, dissolve their stereotypes of both Indians and colonists, and allow them to gain a more nuanced view of life in early America.' - James D. Rice SUNY Plattsburgh 'Once again, Allan Greer has found an engaging way to draw students closer to the cultural encounters occurring in Northeastern North America during the early colonial period. His accessible translations of judiciously selected, generous samples from The Jesuit Relations will help ground fruitful class discussions ranging from the native social organization to the mental worlds of counter-reformation clergymen.' - Catherine Desbarats, McGill University 'The Jesuit Relations is an invaluable source for information about Native Americans in the seventeenth-century Northeast. And where the huge Thwaites edition was suited only to serious scholars, Allan Greer now makes The Relations accessible for modern students. His anthology conveys something of the history of New France, the remarkable zeal of the Jesuit missionaries, and the indigenous worldview of the Huron and Iroquois peoples. Teachers of colonial American history and literature will welcome this book.' - Gordon Sayre, University of Oregon 'Greer has successfully distilled the major themes of The Jesuit Relations into a high-readable volume for undergraduates. The selections present the missionary endeavour in colonial North America from Indian and European views and are sure to provoke classroom conversations on the nature and legacy of the European-Indian encounter.' - Timothy J. Shannon, Gettysburg College 'This is a slim volume well suited to use in the classroom.' - Sixteenth Century Journal

About the Author

ALLAN GREER is professor of history and vice principal of University College at the University of Toronto. Author of The People of New France (1997); The Patriots and the People: The Rebellion of 1837 in Rural Lower Canada (1993); Peasant, Lord and Merchant: Rural Society in Three Quebec Parishes 1740-1840 (1985), he is also the recipient of the John Porter Prize, the Prix Lionel-Groulx, the Sir John A. MacDonald Prize, and the Allan Sharlin Prize. He is currently working on a book on the seventeenth-century Mohawk "saint" Kateri Tekakwitha.

Product Details

• Paperback: 226 pages
• Publisher: Bedford/St. Martin's; First Edition edition (February 7, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312167075
• ISBN-13: 978-0312167073
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #39,539 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #9 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Catholicism > Roman Catholicism
  • #67 in Books > History > Americas > Native American

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, April 27, 2004

By 

Sadie Archer "Sadie" (Philadelphia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Jesuit Relations: Natives and Missionaries in Seventeenth-Century North America (Bedford Series in History & Culture) (Paperback)

If you are student of Native American studies or just interested at all in the early contact of Indians with Europeans this book is perfect. Surprisingly interesting and very helpful in fleshing out an oft shaded part of American/Canadian history. This offers a wonderful though slightly tainted point of view on the customs of specific Indian tribes. My favourite section has to be the writing if father Paul Le Jeune on the non-sedentary tribe of the Montagnaise. Greer's editing is great especially for the non-academic reader (I've read some of the unabridged version which was slightly painful) Maybe I'm just a nerd but I think this book would be entertaining even for those with less than scholarly knowledge on the subject.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Window into Indian life, May 18, 2010

By 

RobRoy (Lakeview, Arkansas) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Jesuit Relations: Natives and Missionaries in Seventeenth-Century North America (Bedford Series in History & Culture) (Paperback)

Any one curious about Indian life must read Jesuit descriptions of their lives among the Indians. The Jesuit priests were missionaries who lived with the Indians in their villages in the 1600s, learned their languages, recorded their culture in great detail, and clearly loved and cared for the native peoples even though naturally repelled by a few of their customs. This 211-page abridgement is fascinating, and includes nice maps and drawings from the period. I found myself wishing it was longer.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Jesuit Relations: natives and missionaries in seventeenth-century North America, April 12, 2011

By 

Thora Kerr "Thora Kerr" (Victoria, BC) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Jesuit Relations: Natives and Missionaries in Seventeenth-Century North America (Bedford Series in History & Culture) (Paperback)

An excellent resource for scholars and others interested in 17th c. Canada. Excerpts from the Jesuit Relations are well chosen - and translated into English made available to a wider audience.