Schwabacher Martin. The Huron Indians

Chelsea Juniors, 1995. — 80 p. — (The Junior Library of American Indians). — ISBN: 0-7910-2489-X.The Huron Indians, also known as the Wendats, flourished for centuries in what is now Ontario, Canada. They were skilled farmers and traders, generous and polite with friends but fierce and warlike with their enemies. A highly spiritual people, the Hurons paid close attention to dreams, which were thought to bear messages from spirits. Dreams told the Hurons how and when to hold their celebrations, how to cure the sick, and even foretold the future.
In the 17th century, French traders arrived offering goods such as metal pots and knives in exchange for beaver furs. The Hurons thrived on the fur trade at first, but within a few decades more than half their population had died from diseases introduced by the French. In 1648, the weakened Hurons were overrun by the Iroquois. The survivors were forced to join Iroquois tribes or flee. Some made their way across the United States to Oklahoma, where they are now known as the Wyandots. Others settled on a reserve in Canada called Wendake. Though they are now scattered far from their ancestral homeland, the Hurons are proud of their history and struggle to keep alive remnants of their unique civilization.