Territory occupied by the St. Lawrence Iroquoians, circa 1535

Laurentian, or St. Lawrence Iroquoian, was an Iroquoian language spoken until the late 16th century along the shores of the St. Lawrence River in Quebec and Ontario, Canada. Iroquoian languages The Iroquoian languages are a Native American language family. ... The Saint Lawrence River (French fleuve Saint-Laurent) is a large west-to-east flowing river in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. ... Motto: Je me souviens (French: I remember) Official languages French Flower White garden lily Capital Quebec City Largest city Montreal Lieutenant-Governor Lise Thibault Premier Jean Charest (PLQ) Parliamentary representation  - House seat  - Senate seats 75 24 Area Total  - Land  - Water    (% of total)  Ranked 2nd 1,542,056 km² 1,183... Motto: Ut Incepit Fidelis Sic Permanet (Latin: Loyal she began, loyal she remains) Official languages English (French has some legal status but is not fully co-official) Flower White trillium Capital Toronto Largest city Toronto Lieutenant-Governor James K. Bartleman Premier Dalton McGuinty (Liberal) Parliamentary representation  - House seat  - Senate seats...

History

Main article: St. Lawrence Iroquoians

The explorer Jacques Cartier observed in 1535 and 1536 about a dozen villages in the valley between Stadacona and Hochelega, the sites of the modern cities of Quebec City and Montreal. Archeologists have unearthed other villages further West, near the eastern end of Lake Ontario. St. Lawrence Iroquoians lived in villages which were usually located a few kilometres inland from the Saint-Lawrence River, and were often enclosed by a wooden palisade. Up to 2000 persons lived in the larger villages. Portrait of Jacques Cartier by Théophile Hamel, ca. ... Events January 18 - Lima, Peru founded by Francisco Pizarro April - Jacques Cartier discovers the Iroquois city of Stadacona, Canada (now Quebec) and in May, the even greater Huron city of Hochelaga June 24 - The Anabaptist state of Münster (see Münster Rebellion) is conquered and disbanded. ... Events February 2 - Spaniard Pedro de Mendoza founds Buenos Aires, Argentina. ... Motto: Don de Dieu feray valoir (Gift of God shall make prosper) Area: 547. ... Hochelega was an Iroquois village in northeastern North America. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... City motto: Concordia Salus (Latin: Well-being through harmony) Province Quebec Mayor Gérald Tremblay Area  - % water 366. ... Lake Ontario seen from near Wolcott, New York Lake Ontario (French: lac Ontario), bounded on the north by Ontario and on the south by Ontarios Niagara Peninsula and by New York State, is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. ...

By the time of the arrival of Samuel de Champlain in 1608, however, there was no longer any trace of the Iroquoians visited by Jacques Cartier some 75 years earlier. The complete disappearance of the St. Lawrence Iroquoians has spawned several theories, including devastating wars with the Iroquois tribes to the south or the Hurons to the West, the impact of Old World contagious diseases or their migration towards the Great Lakes region. Archeological evidence points most strongly to devastating wars with neighbouring Iroquoian tribes, the Huron and the Iroquois. Samuel de Champlain by Théophile Hamel (1870) Samuel de Champlain (about 1580 – 25 December 1635) was a French geographer, draftsman, explorer and founder of Quebec City. ... Events March 18 - Sissinios formally crowned Emperor of Ethiopia May 14 - Protestant Union founded in Auhausen. ... The Iroquois Confederacy (Haudenosaunee, also known as the League of Peace and Power, Five Nations, or Six Nations) is a group of First Nations/Native Americans. ... This article is about the First Nations people, the Wyandot, also known as the Huron. ... The Great Lakes from space The Great Lakes are a group of five large lakes on or near the United States-Canadian border. ... This article is about the First Nations people, the Wyandot, also known as the Huron. ... The Iroquois Confederacy (Haudenosaunee, also known as the League of Peace and Power, Five Nations, or Six Nations) is a group of First Nations/Native Americans. ...

Laurentian Language

Several dialects of Laurentian may have existed in the 16th century in the St. Lawrence River valley. Since only sparse records were made by Jacques Cartier during his voyages, the Laurentians may have indeed spoken several distinct languages. At least one Laurentian word may still be in use today: the word "canada", meaning village in Laurentian. Jacques Cartier used the word to describe both the region and the river that it crosses.

Laurentian Vocabulary

Jacques Cartier published in 1545 a journal of his voyages and included a short list of Laurentian words. Here are some examples (numbers and parts of the human body), as written by Jacques Cartier:

See also

• List of Web sites on the Laurentian language (Native Languages of the Americas Online Resources)

References

• Jacques Cartier. (1545). Relation originale de Jacques Cartier. Paris: Tross (1863 edition). (Vocabulary list on pages 46 to 48)
• Floyd G. Lounsbury. (1978). "Iroquoian Languages," Handbook of North American Indians. Volume 15. Pages 334-343.
• Marianne Mithun. (1979). "Iroquoian," in Lyle Campbell and Marianne Mithun, The Languages of Native America. Austin: University of Texas Press. Pages 140-141. ("Laurentian")
• Marianne Mithun. (1999). The languages of Native North America. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-23228-7 (hbk); ISBN 0-521-29875-X.
• James F. Pendergast. (1998). "The Confusing Identities Atributed to Stadacona and Hochelaga", Journal of Canadian Studies. Volume 32. Pages 149-167.
• Bruce G. Trigger et James F. Pendergast. (1978). "Saint Lawrence Iroquoians", Handbook of North American Indians. Volume 15. Pages 357-361.
• Bruce G. Trigger. (1976). The Children of Aataentisci I: a History of the Uron People to 1660. Montreal: McGill-Queen's Press. Pages 214-228. ("The Disappearance of the St. Lawrence Iroquoians")