Jacques Cartier
Jacques Cartier became the next important explorer of the waters off the east coast of North America. King Francis 1, of France, wanted Cartier to find gold in the New World and a passage to the Far East.
When he and his
crew arrived on the east coast of Canada, Captain Cartier ordered his crew to
set up a huge ten-metre woo
den
cross on the shore. On it they placed a shield with three fleur-de-lys
and a wooden board with the words , "Vivre le Roi de France" (Long live
the King of France.)
A group of St. Lawrence Iroquois watched this scene without saying anything right away. But after the crew returned to their ships, some of the Natives went in canoes towards the ships.
Jacques Cartier
© Public Domain
Credit: National Archives of Canada/C-007298
Source: National Archives of Canada
Cartier describes the scene:
....the chief, dressed in an old black bearskin, arrived in a canoe with three of his sons and his brother; but they did not come so close to the ships as they had usually done. And pointing to the cross he made us a long harangue, making the sign of the cross with his two fingers; and then he pointed to the land all about, as if he wished to say that all this region belonged to him, and that we ought not to have set up this cross without his permission.
Cartier made three voyages to the New World between 1534 and 1542, exploring the coast of present day Newfoundland, the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Prince Edward Island and the St. Lawrence River. Here is Cartier's own account of this first voyage.
....We sailed on-wards with such prosperous weather that upon the tenth day of May we came to New Founde Land where we entered into the Cape of Bueno Vista but because of the great store of ice we were constrained to enter into a haven called St. Catherine's Haven and there we stayed ten days looking for fair weather. In the meantime we mended and dressed our boats.... If the soils were as good as the harbours, it would be a blessing; but the land should not be called the New Land, being composed of stones and horrible rugged rocks; for all along the whole of the north shore, I did not see one cart-load of earth and yet I landed in many places.
Navigator, explorer and 'discoverer' of Canada, Cartier made contact with various aboriginal, or Native people, on his three voyages to North America. He didn't understand that these people believed that they owned and controlled this land. They had lived here for hundreds of years.
In 1534, it was Chief Donnacona of the St. Lawrence Iroquois, who protested when Cartier erected the ten-metre cross on the shores of the Bay of Chaleur.
Despite Donnacona's opposition to European's claim to the land, Cartier and Donnacona came to trust each other. Donnacona even let Cartier take two of his sons back to France. Cartier learned a great deal about the land from the Natives. The Native people benefited from the contact with the Europeans - they began to trade furs for European goods such as mirrors, glass, beads, iron pots and kettles.
On his second voyage in 1535, Cartier found the mouth of the St. Lawrence River. He sailed upriver to Donnacona's village at Stadacona where Quebec city is located today. Though the Iroquois would not go with him, Cartier decided to go further up river anyway, where he found another Iroquois village called Hochelaga - present day Montreal. A little past the village, he was stopped by the Lachine Rapids.
Cartier spent the winter at Stadacona, but relations with the Natives had become less friendly. His men also suffered greatly from scurvy, a disease common among sailors caused by lack of fresh fruit and vegetables containing vitamin C. About one hundred men died. The rest were saved by one of Donnacona's sons who gave them a broth made from the bark and needles of cedar.
It is believed that the name 'Canada' came from a meeting with the Natives on this second voyage. They told Cartier about a great village called 'kanate' or 'kanata' where he might do some trading. This was probably Stadacona. Historians still debate its origins, but the name 'Canada' gradually came to refer to the whole region along the river.
Cartier's third voyage of 1541 was different because he was not in command this time. A large fleet of five ships and one thousand five hundred people set sail to establish a colony. They travelled to Stadacona and Hochelaga. The winter was difficult for them. Scurvy affected most of the settlers. In 1543 they returned to their mother country, ending France's first attempt at establishing a colony in the New World.
Although he had not found a route to the east, Cartier discovered one of the
great rivers of the world which he called 'the river of Canada.' This
river gradually became known as the St. Lawrence.
Cartier
Route map
© National Library of Canada
Source: National Library of Canada
Review questions:
1. Why did Cartier travel to North America? Who sent him and why?
2. What did the Native people think of the newcomers?
3. What was different about Cartier's third voyage?
4. How do you think Donnacona would feel about travelling from his homeland to France?
5. This stamp was issued by the Canadian government in 1934. Why do you think it was issued in that year? What does it show?
6. Cartier's own account of his first voyage tells us some important information about his thoughts of what he saw. Reread his account and try to answer the following:
What is 'prosperous weather'?
What is a haven?
Why did Cartier like about the north shore of the Strait of Belle Isle?
What did he dislike about the north shore?
Why do you think Cartier would write in his journal about the suitability of the land for farming and the quality of the harbours?
7. Write an acrostic poem using the words 'Jacques Cartier' to tell the story of this great explorer.
8. Complete the Review crossword online
Links for those who would like to pursue the explorations of Jacques Cartier:
Great Canadian Explorers -Jacques Cartier
Cartier - Navigator and Explorer
Gander Academy Cartier theme page