Huron-Wendat Nation mulls dropping Huron from official name, citing link to colonization

Members of the Huron-Wendat Nation in Wendake, near Quebec City, will soon decide whether to drop the word Huron from their official title, with a consultation being held at the end of April. 

Grand Chief Pierre Picard, who was elected in October, said dropping the word is part of the process of decolonization and a way for the nation to reclaim its identity.

"The word Huron was imposed on us by the colonizers," Picard said. 

"Wouldn't it be important to appropriate for ourselves the name Wendat while letting go of the name given to us by the colonizers," he mused. 

Picard has taken to introducing himself publicly as the grand chief of the Wendat Nation.

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According to historian Denys Delâge, a professor emeritus in sociology from Université Laval, Europeans began using the word in the early 1600s, which derived from the French term hure, referring to a wild boar's mane.

"At the same time, Huron refers to someone who's a bit vulgar," added Delâge. 

"It's always the colonizer who names them, but they had their own belonging, they had their own name."

Nadine Gros-Louis, political and communication advisor at the political and diplomatic office of the Grand Chief Wendat Nation, says the word Wendat, on the other hand, is often interpreted to mean "people of the island." 

She said that definition supports the "Wendat creation myth."

Picard said while he believes there's wide support in his community for an official name change, the consultation on April 26 is only a first step. 

If there's a general consensus, he said, resolutions will need to be adopted and a file submitted to Indigenous Services Canada — a process that could take several more months.