Cultural Significance of the Huron Carol
A History of the Huron Carol
The Huron Carol, or “Jesus Ahatonnia” was written by the French Jesuit Father Jean de Brébeuf in the 1640s. Though the theme is Christian, the birth of Jesus Christ, Brébeuf’s lyrics tries to avoid the use of inappropriate vocabulary. For example, angels are termed ‘sky people’ and the three kings are ‘Elders’.
Although the carol is not representative of the Wendat culture before the mid-seventeenth century, it is described by John Steckly as “a song embedded in the first meeting of European and Aboriginal people.” Steckley speaks of a “Huron girl named Therese” who sang the carol during her illness over Christmas Eve.
Later, Paul Tsawenhohi Picard (1845-1905) who was a chief, rewrote the lyrics. He was strongly influenced by Christian traditions and European vocabulary, such as “devil” instead of “spirit,” and “angels in heaven” as opposed to the sky people.
The most well-known lyrics for The Huron Carol is by Jesse Edgar Middleton (1872-1960). Middleton’s version, published in 1927 as The First Canadian Christmas Carol, begin with
“Twas in the moon of winter time
When all the birds had fled,
That mighty Gitchi Manitou
Sent angel choirs instead.”
Upon first listen, you hear of Gitchi Manitou, a figure not of Wendat or another Iroquoian language but Ojibwe language.
Though Middleton's lyrics are still prominent, there has been a recent upturn in indigenous work using the carol. From people asking for their representations to be performed in Wendat, staying truer to the language and culture, to various native retellings (in Plains Cree and Mi’kmaw), Jesus Ahatonnia has remained a strong feature of Wendat culture and is a good entry point for those looking to learn more about its history.
Contributors:
Coco
Daniel
Andrew
önenh,
Students of LIN458
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