Joseph the Huron

This storey of a young Huron guy has come to light again today, much like an unexpected hidden treasure. The account of "Chiwatenwa," retold by author Antoinette Bosco from the archives of the first Jesuit missionaries in Canada, depicts the man (who would one day be baptised "Joseph") in the intriguing intricacies of his tribal culture. Chiwatenwa, powerful and manly, had avoided his colleagues' wife-trading, idle gaming, and dubious superstitions. When Father Jean de Brebeuf arrived in 1637, he heard the Christian faith expounded to him and, seeing the kindness and truth he had intuitively sought, he requested for baptism."Joseph the Believer" becomes a missionary among his own people, presenting the Jesuits' message to the Hurons in language and pictures familiar to them, eliciting openness in some and anger in others. The life of faith in Joseph Chiwatenwa is on trial before his family and native people, with the judgement hanging in the balance. Joseph's story vividly depicts the struggle within human souls and even nations; it refers to a goal beyond the confines of one's own culture: man's meeting with the whole of truth.

Ages 10 +.