The Seven Nations of Canada 1660-1860: Solidarity, Vision, and Independence in the St. Lawrence Valley

Wendake, Odanak, Wôlinak, Pointe-du-Lac, Kahnawake, Kanesatake, and Akwesasne are communities located all along the St. Lawrence River valley and its tributaries. They have been home to descendants of the Huron-Wendat, Algonquin, Nipissing, and Iroquois nations. The one point these First Nations have in common is that their ancestors were allies of the French and had converted to Christianity.

Historians have generally ignored these nations that the French administrators described as "domiciled Indians" ("sauvages domiciliés"). Jean-Pierre Sawaya carefully studied how an alliance of such diverse "missions" was created, developed and conducted to become The Federation of Seven Fires or The Seven Nations of Canada.

How did this confederation come about? Who took part and what were their roles? The answers are mined in the massive colonial archives. The Seven Nations of Canada is original research at its best, combining detailed analysis and systematic investigation, that has enabled the author to dispel the tenacious colonial myth about irrational, submissive, and fatalistic Indigenous peoples. Readers will discover forward-looking peoples motivated by a deep desire for independence and solidarity.