Chronology of American Indian History

The French clergy begins ministering to
Indians in New France.
Jessé Fléché, a secular priest, starts preaching Ca-
tholicism to the Micmac Indians and succeeds in
baptizing more than 100. The ceremonies, how-
ever, violate Church law, since the Micmac do not
understand the meaning of baptism. Fléché’s errors
will motivate later French missionaries to make an
effort to learn Indian languages.

June

Samuel de Champlain organizes a cultural
exchange with France’s Indian allies.
At the urging of French explorer Samuel de
Champlain (see entry for 1603), the Algonkin
tribe takes in a young Frenchman named Étienne
Brûlé. Champlain also agrees to send to France
a young Huron Indian, called Sauvignon by
the French. The exchange is meant to help the
French and their Indian allies understand each
other’s culture. Champlain specifically hopes that
Brûlé will master the Algonkin language and that
Sauvignon, upon returning home, will impress
his people with stories of France’s greatness and
power.

1612

The English colonists begin to cultivate
tobacco.
Through a series of experiments, Virginia planter
John Rolfe develops a strain of tobacco for export to
Europe. American Indians have long cultivated to-
bacco for ceremonial use, but their variety, which is
strong enough to produce hallucinations, is deemed
too harsh to sell to Europeans for recreational use.
By 1620, tobacco will become Virginia’s largest
cash crop. The income the crop generates will help
allow the colony to grow quickly, causing increas-
ing threats to Indian peoples in the region. (See also
entry for APRIL 5, 1614.)

1613

The Beothuk are exterminated by the

French and their Micmac allies.

In present-day Newfoundland, Canada, the Beo-

thuk kill 37 French fishermen after a Frenchman

guns down a tribe member. The French retaliate by

arming the Micmac, the Beothuk’s enemies, and

offering bounties for Beothuk scalps. With French

assistance, the Micmac nearly wipe out the Beothuk

tribe. (See also entry for 1829.)

Smallpox strikes the Timucua tribe.

The Timucua Indians of present-day northern

Florida are hard hit by an epidemic of smallpox, a

disease introduced to North America by non-Indi-

ans. With no natural immunities to fight the illness,

more than half of the Timucua will die of smallpox

over the next four years.

Spring

Pocahontas is captured by the English.

While visiting relatives in a neighboring village, Poca-

hontas, the teenage daughter of the Indian leader

Powhatan (see entry for DECEMBER 1607), encoun-

ters an English captain named Samuel Argall. Argall

offers her gifts and leads her onto his ship, where she

is taken hostage. The English refuse to release Poca-

hontas until Powhatan’s people surrender their guns.

When Powhatan declines to meet their de-

mands, Pocahontas is taken to Jamestown (see entry

for MAY 1607), where she is schooled in English

and white customs. Claiming that she is a willing

convert, the English baptize Pocahontas and re-

name her Rebecca. The settlers use her conversion

to convince their English patrons of their success in

bringing Christianity to the Indian “heathens.”

1614

Squanto is kidnapped and taken to Europe.

Englishmen under the command of Thomas Hunt

kidnap about 20 Wampanoag Indians along the coast