A lovely copy of this scarce work concerning late seventeenth-century gift exchange between the Huron-Wendat and Abenaki Nations in Canada, and the Jesuits of France.
Renewed interest in this topic was sparked by the 1841 pilgrimage of Ignace Bourget, Bishop of Montreal, to Chartres to see the relics of the Virgin. When in the crypt of the cathedral, he recognised two wampum belts bearing Latin devotions, which had been presented by Huron-Wendat converts in 1678. The rediscovery of these gifts inspired an investigation by local historian Lucien Merlet, and the present publication includes transcripts of the letters which had accompanied them, outlining their intended purpose of diplomatic exchange. One of those letters, pp.23-24 is in the Abenaki language.
The two plates are of the “Voile de Sainte Iréne”, a woven altar cloth incorporating indigenous symbols and motifs. The book is printed on blue paper, possibly in tribute to the Virgin Mary.
Pilling, 2570; Sabin, 47977; TPL, 5810; Lande, 632. cf. Margaret Bruchac, ‘Encounters in the Cathedral: Revisiting the Huron-Wendat Wampum Belt at Chartres, France’ (Accessed 21 July 2023).
