The priest, acting as a missionary, would venture into the interior in search of Native people to whom he might minister. The Jesuits sought large populations of Indians and established missions among those populations. Sainte Marie Among the Huron in Canada was one such establishment, as was the Mission Saint Ignatius Loyola in present-day St. Ignace, Michigan.

Because the Jesuits worked alone, or at the most in teams of two, their missionary styles were very subtle. The priests lived among the Native peoples as guests to the people. To win converts, it was important for the Jesuits not to antagonize their host, but rather cooperate with them as much as possible. One activity practiced by the Jesuits was offering "conversion" inducements to Indians as a means of introducing them to Christianity. Priests carried many of the same trade items as fur traders did. These were to soften Native sentiments toward Christianity, as well as buy food supplies from the better equipped forest residents.

Unlike the classic stereotype, the earliest French explorers did not wander into the forests as bold hunters. They relied heavily on the graciousness of their Native hosts to supply the food needed for survival. It was not until much later that the image of the American frontiersman emerged as the "great white hunter" and "Indian fighter." The earliest explorers relied heavily on the Native Americans for their survival needs.

The Jesuits used jewelry to secure converts, as well as supplies, from the Native people they encountered. This jewelry is commonly called trade silver today. Though Jesuit rings, as they were originally intended, do not normally belong in this category, the ring concept did make its way into the secular trade as merchants realized how popular rings were among the tribes.

The links to the right lead to information about some of the trinkets used by both Jesuits and traders for trade with the Native people of North America.

Bruce Nail
January 2002