AN ANCESTRAL CULTURE, A FASCINATING HISTORY
In the first half of the XVIIth century, the Huron Wendat, who occupied the territory at the south of Georgian Bay, in the present province of Ontario, became important partners of the French pertaining to the fur trade. They then inhabited about thirty villages, which numbered 40,000 residents.
Sorely tried by famine, conflicts and contagious diseases transmitted by the Europeans, they had to quit their ancestral lands, Huronia, around 1660. Several among them were adopted by neighbouring peoples and some went towards Québec.
In 1697, after numerous displacements, approximately 150 persons settled for good on the banks of the Akiawenrahk (Saint-Charles River), on the actual site of Wendake. Later on, others joined them.
The actual Wendake is located at the heart of the City of Québec. The Huron population originating from Wendake is approximately 3,000 individuals, of which 1,300 reside on the territory which covers approximately one hundred hectares.
Share ou treasures with the whole world
A non-profit organization, active since August 2006, Tourisme Wendake was set up by the Council of the Huron Wendat Nation, with the intention of:
- promoting tourism and all activities related to this process ;
- making all gestures and carry out all steps in order to upgrade, in matters of tourism and culture, the current context taking precedence within the Huron Wendat Community of Wendake ;
- promoting the Native culture in all its forms or guises.
Tourisme Wendake is located in the Hôtel-Musée Premières Nations.
ANIMATED VILLAGE ? WENDAKE WELCOMES YOU!
The heart of the Huron Wendat beats at the rhythm of the Kabir Kouba Waterfall, a natural site of rare beauty, which presents, as the seasons go by, an awe-inspiring scene, continually renewed. Why be astonished when, as soon as 1697, the Huron Wendat established, in this location, their village. A path, starting on the side of Place des Nations, gives access and allows to hear the roar of the gushing water and become captivated by the exceptional natural location of this canyon of 42 metres deep.
Old Wendake offers a different light on the planning and architecture: all the houses face towards the South-East, presenting their fa?ade to the back of the neighbouring house. A patrimonial journey was created; it allows visitors to discover its oldest houses.
The Notre-Dame-de-Lorette church is certainly ?the? gem of Old Wendake. Rebuilt a few years after the fire of 1862, according to the plans and architecture of the first chapel built in 1730, it contains treasures that recall the faith of the Wendake Christian community, actually still very alive.
The Maison Arouanne and the Maison Tsawenhohi, by their architecture, testify, in their own way, of the adaptability of the Huron Wendat Nation to a way of life that is different from that of the first inhabitants.
At all times, the Huron Wendat were good craftsmen and great trades people. The tradition is still carried on today. They will greet you with pleasure in their moccasins, snowshoes, leather and other businesses. The welcoming sense of the Huron Wendat is legendary.
The traditional Site “Onhoü Chetek8e” will have you discover the way of life and history of the Hurons from yesterday to this day.