|
The St. Lawrence Iroquoians were a First Nations people who lived from the 14th century to about 1580 concentrated along the shores of the St. Lawrence River in present-day Quebec and Ontario, Canada, and New York State, United States, although their territory extended east. They spoke Laurentian languages, a branch of the Iroquoian family. They were believed to have numbered up to 120,000 people in 25 nations.〔("St. Lawrence Iroquoians: Corn People" ), 2006-2007 Exhibit, Pointe-à-Callière, Montreal, accessed 14 March 2012〕 However, this much higher estimate of the number Lawrence Iroquoians is disputed. The traditional view is that they disappeared because of late 16th century warfare by the Mohawk nation of the ''Haudenosaunee'', who wanted to control fur trade in the valley.〔(Bruce G. Trigger, "The Disappearance of the St. Lawrence Iroquoians" ), in ''The Children of Aataenstic: A History of the Huron People to 1660'', vol. 2, Montreal and London: Mcgill-Queen's University Press, 1976, pp. 214-218, 220-224, accessed 2 Feb 2010〕 But other possibilities, including climate change, wars with various Algonquin tribes and exposure to European diseases, may have been equally important. Knowledge about the St. Lawrence Iroquoians has been constructed from the studies of surviving oral accounts of the historical past from the current Native people, writings of the French explorer Jacques Cartier, earlier histories, and anthropologists' and other scholars' work with archaeological and linguistic studies since the 1950s.〔(James F. Pendergast. (1998). "The Confusing Identities Attributed to Stadacona and Hochelaga" ), ''Journal of Canadian Studies'', Volume 32, p. 149, accessed 3 Feb 2010〕 Archaeological evidence has established this was a people distinct from the other regional Iroquoian peoples, the Five Nations of the ''Haudenosaunee'' and the Wendat (Huron). Recent archaeological finds suggest distinctly separate groups may have existed among the St. Lawrence Iroquoians as well. ==Historical issues== For years historians and other scholars debated the identity of the Iroquoian cultural group in the St. Lawrence valley which Jacques Cartier and his crew recorded encountering in 1535–36 at ''Stadacona'' and ''Hochelaga''. An increasing amount of archaeological evidence since the 1950s has settled some of the debate. Since the 1950s, anthropologists and some historians have used definitive linguistic and archaeological studies to reach consensus that the St. Lawrence Iroquoians were peoples distinct from nations of the Iroquois Confederacy or the Huron.〔Pendergast (1998), "Confusing Identities", pp. 156-157〕 Since the 1990s, they have concluded that there may have been as many as 25 tribes among the St. Lawrence Iroquoians, who numbered about 120,000 people.〔 They lived in the river lowlands and east of the Great Lakes, including in present-day northern New York and New England.〔(Claude Chapdelaine, "The St. Lawrence Iroquoians, 1500CE" ), ''Wrapped in the Colours of the Earth. Cultural Heritage of the First Nations'' Exhibition Catalogue, Montreal: McCord Museum, 1992〕 Before this, some argued that the people were the ancestors or direct relations of historic Iroquoian groups in the greater region, such as the Huron or Mohawk, Onondaga or Oneida of the Five Nations of the ''Haudenosaunee'' encountered by later explorer Samuel de Champlain. Since the 18th century, several theories have been proposed for the identity of the St. Lawrence River peoples. The issue is important not only for historical understanding but because of Iroquois and other indigenous land claims. In 1998 James F. Pendergast summarized the four major theories with an overview of evidence: *Huron-Mohawk Option: Several historians combined data from early French reports, vocabulary lists and oral histories of accounts by Native tribes to theorize the early inhabitants were Iroquoian-speaking Huron or Mohawk, two well-known tribes in later history. There has not been sufficient documentation to support this conclusion according to 20th-century standards. In addition, archaeological finds and linguistic studies since the 1950s have discredited this theory.〔Pendergast (1998), "Confusing Identities", pp. 150-153〕 *Mohawk Identity Option: Based in part on material from the 18th century, Mark Linn-Baker and Lars Sweenburg developed a theory that the Mohawk (in some cases, they also postulated Onondaga and Oneida) had migrated and settled in the St. Lawrence River valley before relocating to their historic territory of present-day New York. Pendergast says that attribution of Stadacona or Hochelaga as Mohawk, Onondaga or Oneida has not been supported by the archaeological data. "Since the 1950s a vast accumulation of archaeological material from Ontario, Quebec, Vermont, Pennsylvania and New York State consistently has provided compelling evidence to demonstrate that neither the Mohawk, the Onondaga, nor the Oneida homelands originated in the St Lawrence Valley."〔Pendergast (1998), "Confusing Identities", pp. 153-154〕 *Laurentian Iroquoian and Laurentian Iroquois Identity: based on language studies, with material added since 1940;〔Pendergast (1998), "Confusing Identities", pp. 155-156〕and *St. Lawrence Iroquoian and St. Lawrence Iroquois Identity: Since the 1950s, anthropologists, archaeologists, linguists and ethnohistorians have combined multidisciplinary research to conclude that "a wholly indigenous and discrete Iroquoian people were present in the St Lawrence Valley when Cartier arrived. The current anthropological convention is to designate these people St Lawrence Iroquoians, all the while being aware that on-going archaeological research indicates that several discrete Iroquoian political entities were present in a number of widely dispersed geographical regions on the St Lawrence River axis."〔 As noted, anthropologists and some historians have used definitive linguistic and archaeological studies to reach consensus that the St. Lawrence Iroquoians were a people distinct from nations of the Iroquois Confederacy or the Huron, and likely consisted of numerous groups. Pendergast notes that while Iroquoians and topical academics have mostly reached consensus on this theory, some historians have continued to publish other theories and ignore the archaeological evidence.〔Pendergast (1998), "Confusing Identities", pp. 158-159〕 The St. Lawrence Iroquoians did share many cultural, historical, and linguistic aspects with other Iroquoian groups; for example, their Laurentian languages were part of the Iroquoian family and aspects of culture and societal structure were similar. The St. Lawrence Iroquoians appear to have disappeared from the St. Lawrence valley some time prior to 1580. Champlain reported no evidence of Native habitation in the valley. By then the ''Haudenosaunee'' used it as a hunting ground and avenue for war parties. As the historian Pendergast argues, the determination of identity for the St. Lawrence Iroquoians is important because, "our understanding of relations between Europeans and Iroquoians during the contact era throughout Iroquoia hinges largely upon the tribe or confederacy to which Stadacona and Hochelaga are attributed."〔Pendergast (1998), "Confusing Identities", p. 149〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「St. Lawrence Iroquoians」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|