Aataenstic: Legendary Woman and Founder of the Huron Indians
The legend of Aataentsic tells us the story of a woman who fell from the sky to bring with her knowledge then unknown to men. This is therefore a founding myth which explains to us in some way how the civilization of the American Indians was created.
More than simply explaining to us a vision of our world, the legend of Aataentsic actually teaches us valuable information about the people by whom it was created: the Hurons.
Associated with life, creation and everything feminine in our world, the one that many Native American peoples still call the mother of humanity has something to surprise us.
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Aataenstic and the legend of the creation of the world
Aataenstic and the legend of the creation of the world
According to the original history of the Hurons, Aataentsic is the name of a woman who lived in the sky a long time ago, in a sort of paradise where nature and trees were kings.
Misfortune and premonition
Living there with her husband, misfortune one day came knocking at our couple's door and the man from Aataenstic fell seriously ill.
It was then that she had a dream where she saw the miraculous sap of a tree healing her dear and tender one. The young woman then left with her ax in search of this remedy.
After several hours of walking, she arrived near a tree that seemed to her to be the one from her dream. Without hesitation, she hit it to split it…
Aataenstic's fall to earth
As soon as it was felled, the tree fell from the clouds to land on our terrestrial world. Not wanting to give up, Aataenstic chased after him and jumped too.
As she fell, a turtle saw her gradually descend towards the earth. Understanding that she could not swim, she asked all the marine animals in the world to bring sand to the surface in order to create a sort of bed on which the young Aataenstic could land without hurting herself.
Shortly after touching the ground, the woman from the sky gave birth to twin sons, Iouskeha and Tawiscaron.
Two very different brothers
Iouskeha was a good being and, when he met humanity, he decided to help them. He thus taught some of them the art of hunting, agriculture and the mastery of fire. These men, you must suspect, formed the first Nation, the first tribe of the Hurons. His brother Tawiscaron was also not favorable to humans and sought to divide them, thus creating the rivers, seas and mountains that separate peoples.
When the two twins grew up, they fought in a terrible battle and, victorious, Iousheka chased away his brother and returned to live with his mother Aataenstic in a cabin lost in the forest of North America.
Legend has it that, if you come across them during one of your walks, these two characters from elsewhere will come to meet you. They will also be able to treat any of your illnesses thanks to the sap of the tree that Aataenstic followed, and even make you several decades younger.
Who are the Hurons?
The Hurons, also known as Wendat or Wyandot, are one of the most famous Native American nations. Formerly living along the St. Lawrence River and near the Great Lakes and Hudson Bay (in what is now Canada), it was the French explorer Jacques Cartier who first encountered them in 1534.
It was he who gave these natives the name Hurons. In old French of the time, the word “hure” actually referred to wild boars. The term “Hurons” thus undoubtedly referred to the characteristic hairstyle of this people, their hair being bristling like the bristles of a wild boar.
Perhaps one of the things the Hurons are most famous for in Europe is their connection to the fur trade. Samuel de Champlain, the famous founder of the colonies of New France, developed close commercial relations with the Huron tribes, who willingly exchanged the skins they harvested for manufactured products that crossed the Atlantic on the ships of the settlers.
These exchanges notably allowed Christian missionaries to maintain privileged relations with these Native American people, who gradually converted to Christianity during the 17th century. When we look at the history of the colonization of Canada, they appear as pioneers. Inuit, Algonquins, Iroquois or Micmas: most of the other indigenous peoples converted after them.
Another thing to know about the Hurons is the particularly tragic side of their history. At war with the Iroquois, one of the most powerful Native American nations of the time, a series of conflicts gradually led the Hurons to undergo a veritable genocide.
Trading for their part with Dutch merchants, the Iroquois got their hands on firearms which gave them a decisive advantage and allowed them to commit terrible massacres among their enemies. From one of the most influential cultures in present-day Canada, the descendants of the Hurons now number only a few thousand.
If you are also interested in Native American cultures and their history, take a look at these few jewels and lucky charms which, being from this civilization, can teach you more about them.
The lessons of this Indian legend
The legend of Aataentsic has many messages within it.
One of the main ones is undoubtedly that of the traditional separation of tasks between men and women in Native American culture.
While Aataentsic is presented to us as a mother who, when her children became adults, began to take on the role of healer, her sons have much more masculine responsibilities.
Iouskeha in fact taught his Amerindian allies the techniques of hunting and agriculture. Without too much surprise, the native hunters saw a great cult in it and ceremonies were linked to it.
His brother Tawiscaron, for his part, represented more of a destructive force linked to combat. Although tradition respected it, large tribes avoided it even in times of war.
All this teaches us that in Huron society, men were both producers, who had to ensure the tribe's food supply, but also warriors, who had to protect it from dangers.
The other fundamental element of the Aataentsic legend is the allegory of the hut hidden in the forest where beings capable of curing any disease live. Very similar to other myths, such as that of the fountain of youth, we see the close link that the Hurons (like all American Indians in reality) maintained with nature : for them, the heart of The forest contained enough to cure every ailment that could affect men.
Conclusion
The Native American legend that we have just discovered together definitely carries astonishing messages. There are undoubtedly others that we can discover if we think about them carefully. If you have any ideas on this subject that you would like to share with us, the comments section is open to you.
As such, a historian specializing in Native American peoples has published a book talking about Aataenstic and its link with the Hurons, Native people of North America and representatives par excellence of the First Nations. This book is often cited as a reference, so do not hesitate to browse it to learn more about Indian tribes (whether from the great plains, lakes or coasts), about the arrival of Europeans on their lands until they were shamefully placed on reservations or on the fur trade.
The indigenous presence in America is thousands of years old and, as the first occupants, the great spirit of their ancestors still watches over them. Even if today they form a culturally “mixed” people, their vision of a just tribal government where the rights of all are respected, their history as nomads or even their spirituality linked to spirits and totems deserve our full attention.
Yes, the Sioux have to teach us about bison culture. The Cheyenne have a unique view of the eagle symbol. The Apaches performed amazing rituals in their tepees. Even though Christopher Columbus changed the course of their history by stealing the power from Indian chiefs, all these customs and this indigenous wisdom are still very present.
In short, I'll see you soon for a next blog article (perhaps even for another of the many Native American legends). Until then, stay well and take care of yourself.
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