Author: Bryan

Étienne Brûlé comes to Huronia – Oct. 16th Orillia (Couchiching Park) Oct. 17th Midland (Huronia Museum)

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Huronia 1610 – We have been notified via the moccasin telegraph that Étienne Brûlé will be arriving with Chief Iroquet and his people within the next week and a half. Iroquet has set off from his Algonquin homeland in the lower Ottawa valley for the fall hunt and plans to follow through to winter with the Rock Nation of the Wendat somewhere near the Narrows at the current city of Orillia. Iroquet will be accompanied by Champlain’s young servant Étienne Brûlé.

We have responded to this notice and have arranged for a couple of receptions for the earliest European tourist to visit our region.

The first event will be held at the foot of the Champlain monument in Orillia shortly after 1:00 PM on Saturday October 16th.
see below for a tentative list of the program for Orillia

The second event will be hosted by the Huronia Museum in the Huron/Wendat Native village longhouse in Midland shortly after 1:00 PM Sunday October 17th.

As the museum will be open during this event those wishing to attend will be required to pay the normal admission fee.

Come and help celebrate the 400th anniversary of Étienne Brûlé’s arrival and raise the awareness of the local community to its rich history.

Étienne Brûlé came to New France as a teenager in the employ of Samuel de Champlain.  He volunteered to go and live with the natives to learn their language and customs.  He lived among the Hurons for most of the rest of his life.  He is the first European to visit Huronia and is believed to be the first European to see all of the Great Lakes. Sadly he left no written record of his travels and experiences.  Our view of him is only through the writings of Champlain, Sagard, and Brebeuf.  The picture portrayed of him in the Jesuit Relations is not especially flattering and has sadly coloured much of the subsequent history of this early explorer.

The Brûlé events are sponsored by the Ontario Archaeological Society’s Huronia Chapter and the Huronia Museum.

Further reading:  Étienne Brûlé, Immortal Scoundrel, by James Herbert Cranston 1949, is the key book available about Brule.

Orillia Program  Draft

Étienne Brûlé reception – Orillia – Couchiching Park Champlain monument – Saturday October 16th 1PM

(background  – drum and 17th century flute music (Marg & Laura Bolton from Orillia Folk Society) MC – John Raynor

1:00 PM – flag ceremony and greetings to Brûlé (various flags presented & tied to common pole)

  1. Rama – welcome to their traditional territory (Rama Chief or designate)
  2. Wendat – welcome to their ancient homeland (statement from Grand Chief of Wendake, flag presented by Adrian)
  3. The Crown – welcome to Brûlé as intrepid explorer of Canadian frontier.(Bruce Stanton MP)
  4. The Province – welcome Brule as Ontario’s first foreign visitor. (Garfield Dunlop MPP)
  5. City of Orillia – welcome Brûlé as Orillia’s first tourist. (Mayor or designate)
  6. Metis Nation – welcome Brûlé with statement re birth of a new Nation (Marg Raynor or designate from MNO.) – followed by a Voyager song by Marg.
  7. Brûlé (Quebec flag) as a gift to his hosts.

1:30 PM – feature – Brule scripted interview – Hugh Barnett

2:00 PM – song – “Earth Beneath Our Feet” – as segue into archaeology. (Brûlé interviewed by Packet & Times as this goes on.2:15 PM – Importance of archaeology as the forensic science of history – Orillia’s obligation to identify, set aside and protect these sites as icons of it’s ancient past and rich history. Intro of Champlain project and 2015 anniversary (John Raynor)

2:25 PM – Thank you for attendance & invite to inquire further (Huronia Chapter pamphlet) – wish Brûlé well on his 12 leagues or 48 km trip to Midland. – flags would be retired at this time.

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War of 1812 vintage Brown Bess Musket restored

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The British Army’s Brown Bess Musket was in use for over a hundred years with many incremental changes in its design. These versions include the Long Land Pattern, Short Land Pattern, India Pattern, New Land Pattern Musket, Sea Service Musket and others. This type of musket would have been in use during the War of 1812 in Upper Canada.  Further research may  help place it precisely in the inventory of the British Forces of that era in Canada.

This is an India Pattern in .75 calibre with a 39 inch barrel. The metal portions are almost all original, the wood stock was replaced and a lot of clean up and the additon of a few appropriate small parts and some reproduction parts (leather sling, bayonet and sheath) and the great skill of gunsmith, John Mansell, brought the badly damaged original back to excellent condition. Thanks, John.

In the slide show below you will see Curator Jamie Hunter and Gunsmith John Mansell.

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48-Hour Film Challenge

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Are you a local film maker looking for a challenge?  Step right up.

Think you’ve got what it takes to make a film in 48 hours?  Prove it.

What: 48-Hour Film Challenge.  Make a movie in only 48 hours.

Where: Huronia Museum and Ouendat Village, Midland, Ontario

When: Filming – November 19-21.  Screening – November 26.  Deadline for registering your team is November 12.

Cost: The team entry fee is $20, and includes entry to the festival, a blank DVD for submitting your film, and two tickets to the screening.

Tickets for the screening are $10 each.

How: Find a team of ten people or fewer.  This includes everyone that will be involved in the making of your film, such as writers, camera operators, actors, etc.  (You may have to take on multiple roles.)  Choose a team leader.  Your team leader is responsible for registering your team and paying the team entry fee before the November 12th deadline.

On November 19, all teams will meet at the Huronia Museum at 6:30 PM to fill in their registration forms.  At 7:00 PM, each team will receive their challenge pack, which will contain the following four things:

1)      A genre (Example:  Romance, Sci-Fi, horror, etc.)

2)      A theme (Example:  Jealousy, double-cross, love, etc.)

3)      A word or phrase that must be included in your film

4)      A prop that must feature somehow in your film

At this point, you will have until 7:00 PM on Sunday, November 21 to complete your film and deliver it to the designated drop-off location.  All entries received after that time are not eligible for competition, but may be screened at the discretion of the festival organizers.

You may record your film in any format you wish, but the competed film must be delivered on the DVD provided to you as an .avi, .mov, .mp4, or .mpeg file of the highest quality possible.  This will be projected on screening night, so make it look good!

So gather your friends, grab your camera and get yourself down to the Huronia Museum.  Be creative and have fun!

For more information about the 48-Hour Film Challenge, call Bryan at the Huronia Museum at (705) 526-2844 or email compley@gmail.com.

Registration Form (PDF)