Abstract
The relationship between the French and the Odawa was a tumultuous one when compared to other Native-French relationships. This can be largely attributed to the European misperception of Odawa cultures and fierce independence. This was especially true in their dealings with women. When the French Jesuits arrived as missionaries to the Odawa, they found little cooperation with their mission to convert the “savages” to Christianity. Eventually, they came to view the vulnerable women, primarily mothers and widows, as their doorway into influencing the larger Odawa population. They could play on the desperation of these women, then use them as examples of Christian virtue to influence, subjugate, and eventually convert the “sinful, sexual” women and the men who were seeking wives and gain a strong foothold in the Native population.
Recommended Citation
Morningstar, Eric
(2022)
"All For The Glory of God: Reconstructing the Jesuit Perception of Odawa Female Identity in New France, 1660-1675,"
The Hilltop Review: Vol. 13:
Iss.
1, Article 9.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/hilltopreview/vol13/iss1/9
