Jean Pierron
Encyclopedia
Jean Pierron was a French Jesuit missionary to Canada.
he became an instructor at Reims
and Verdun
. He completed the curriculum in 1665 and spent two years more as an instructor at Metz
.
On his arrival in Canada in June, 1667, he was sent to the Iroquois
mission of Sainte-Marie
. in a letter written the same year he described his impressions of the country, the characteristics and customs of the Iroquois, and expressed an admiration for the Iroquois language, which reminded him of Greek. He arrived at Tionontoguen, the principal village of the Mohawk Nation
, on 7 October 1668, where he replaced Jacques Frémin
. These people were one of the most flourishing of the Iroquois nations: warriors, and difficult to convert.
Father Pierron made use of pictures which he painted himself in order to make his teachings more impressive, and invented a game by means of which the Indians learned the doctrines and devotions of the Church. He taught the children to read and write.
He spent one winter in Acadia
to ascertain if it were possible to re-establish the missions which had been expelled in 1655, and travelled through New England
, Maryland
(which at that time had a Catholic governor, Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore
), and Virginia
. Returning to the Iroquois, he worked among them until 1677 and went to France the following year.
Life
He entered the Jesuit novitiate at Nancy, 21 November 1650, and after studying at Pont-à-MoussonPont-à-Mousson
Pont-à-Mousson is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France.Population : 14,592 . It is an industrial town , situated on the Moselle River...
he became an instructor at Reims
Reims
Reims , a city in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, lies east-northeast of Paris. Founded by the Gauls, it became a major city during the period of the Roman Empire....
and Verdun
Verdun
Verdun is a city in the Meuse department in Lorraine in north-eastern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital of the department is the slightly smaller city of Bar-le-Duc.- History :...
. He completed the curriculum in 1665 and spent two years more as an instructor at Metz
Metz
Metz is a city in the northeast of France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers.Metz is the capital of the Lorraine region and prefecture of the Moselle department. Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, Metz forms a central place...
.
On his arrival in Canada in June, 1667, he was sent to the Iroquois
Iroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
mission of Sainte-Marie
Sainte-Marie
Sainte-Marie is the name of several places. Sainte-Marie is French for Saint Mary.-In Metropolitan France:Sainte-Marie is the name or part of the name of several communes:*Sainte-Marie, Hautes-Alpes, in the Hautes-Alpes département...
. in a letter written the same year he described his impressions of the country, the characteristics and customs of the Iroquois, and expressed an admiration for the Iroquois language, which reminded him of Greek. He arrived at Tionontoguen, the principal village of the Mohawk Nation
Mohawk nation
Mohawk are the most easterly tribe of the Iroquois confederation. They call themselves Kanien'gehaga, people of the place of the flint...
, on 7 October 1668, where he replaced Jacques Frémin
Jacques Frémin
Jacques Frémin was a French Jesuit missionary to Canada.-Life:He entered the Society of Jesus in 1646 and in 1655 set out for the Onondaga mission in Canada...
. These people were one of the most flourishing of the Iroquois nations: warriors, and difficult to convert.
Father Pierron made use of pictures which he painted himself in order to make his teachings more impressive, and invented a game by means of which the Indians learned the doctrines and devotions of the Church. He taught the children to read and write.
He spent one winter in Acadia
Acadia
Acadia was the name given to lands in a portion of the French colonial empire of New France, in northeastern North America that included parts of eastern Quebec, the Maritime provinces, and modern-day Maine. At the end of the 16th century, France claimed territory stretching as far south as...
to ascertain if it were possible to re-establish the missions which had been expelled in 1655, and travelled through New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
(which at that time had a Catholic governor, Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore
Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore
Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore, 2nd Proprietor and 6th and 9th Proprietary Governor of Maryland , inherited the colony in 1675 upon the death of his father, Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore. He had been his father's Deputy Governor since 1661 when he arrived in the colony at the age of 24...
), and Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. Returning to the Iroquois, he worked among them until 1677 and went to France the following year.