Donnaconna
Donnaconna was the chief of the Iroquoian village of Stadacona, located near present-day Quebec City, during the early 16th century. He gained historical significance through his interactions with French explorer Jacques Cartier, particularly during Cartier's first expedition to North America in 1534. Donnaconna resisted Cartier's presence and was forcibly taken aboard a French ship, while his two sons were captured to serve as interpreters. Throughout their encounters, Donnaconna sought to protect his territory from French encroachment, even attempting to mislead Cartier regarding the location of valuable resources. His leadership faced a significant challenge when Cartier conspired with Donnaconna's rival, leading to the chief's eventual capture and further straining relations between the French and the Stadaconans. Although Donnaconna later had the opportunity to meet King François I of France, his hopes for return were dashed, as he died in France without ever seeing his homeland again. His story highlights the complexities of early European exploration and the impact on Indigenous leaders and communities.
Donnaconna
- Born: Unknown
- Birthplace: Unknown
- Died: c. 1539
- Place of death: France
Category: Principal chief
Tribal affiliation: Huron
Significance: Donnaconna was the first Indian leader of note to resist the French incursion into tribal territory in present-day Canada
When the French explorer Jacques Cartier erected a cross at the Iroquoian village of Stadacona (present-day Quebec City) in July, 1534, the village chief, Donnaconna, strenuously objected. Cartier forced him aboard his French ship on the banks of the St. Lawrence River adjacent to Stadacona; after some negotiations, Cartier released him but took Donnaconna’s two sons, Domagaya and Taignoagny, captive. They were taken to France to become interpreters for Cartier, whose plans included exploring further up the St. Lawrence River to the Iroquoian village of Hochelaga (now Montreal) and beyond.
Cartier returned from France the following year with Donnaconna’s sons, feasted with the chief, and planned an expedition to Hochelaga with his two young interpreters. The boys, however, intrigued against Cartier in an attempt to prevent French penetration of the interior of the continent. Cartier ventured without them and relations between the French and Stadaconans worsened. Donnaconna told Cartier of the “kingdom of the Saguenay” along the river of that name in what is now eastern Quebec, where he would find “immense quantities of gold, rubies and other rich things.” Donnaconna was trying to divert the explorer from the St. Lawrence Valley and from his nation’s territory. Although Domagaya inadvertently saved the French crew of more than one hundred from death by scurvy through a white cedar bark cure, Cartier connived with Donnaconna’s rival Agona to oust Donnaconna from his role as chief. Cartier seized the deposed leader, his two sons, and seven other Stadaconans. On May 6, 1536, Cartier left for France with these ten captives. None of them returned to their homeland; all but one died soon after arrival in France. Before his death, however, Donnaconna received an audience with King François I and told him of great gold and silver mines and spices such as nutmeg, cloves, and pepper, which existed in northern North America. Donnaconna probably concocted this fiction in order to be released and allowed to return home. The former chief also was interviewed by the monk and cosmologist André Thevet, who later wrote extensively about Donnaconna’s homeland. When Cartier next ventured to Stadacona in 1541 without Donnaconna, his sons, or any of the other captives, the Stadaconans, including chief Agona, grew increasingly wary. War broke out between them and the French in 1542.