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People

Donnacona

Chief of Stadacona. Cartier seized him in May 1536 and took him to France, where he died, probably in 1539.

d. c. 1539

Winter at Stadacona and the Cedar Cure

Jacques Cartier’s second voyage, Brief récit (Paris, 1545), on the winter of 1535–1536 at Stadacona · events of December 1535 to April 1536; printed 1545

17.2

Le Capitaine voyant le dit Domagaya sain et guéri fut fort joyeux, espérant par lui sçavoir comme il s'étoit guéri, à fin de donner aide et secours à ses gens. Et lorsqu'ils furent arrivez près le Fort, le Capitaine lui demanda comme il s'estoit guéri de sa maladie : lequel Domagaya repondit, qu'avec le jus des feuilles d'un arbre, et le marc, il s'estoit guéri, et que c'étoit le singulier remède pour cette maladie. Lors le Capitaine demanda s'il y en avoit point là entour, et qu'il lui en montrast pour guérir son Serviteur qui avoit pris la dite maladie en la maison du Seigneur Donnacona : ne lui voulant déclarer le nombre des Compagnons qui estoient malades. Lors le dit Domagaya envoya deux femmes avec notre Capitaine pour en querir, lesquelles en apportèrent neuf ou dix rameaux, et nous montrèrent qu'il falloit piler l'écorce et les feuilles du dit bois, et mettre le tout bouillir en l'ean, puis boire de la dite eau de deux jours l'un, et mettre le marc sur les jambes enflées et malades, et que de toutes maladies le dit arbre guérissoit ; et s'appelle le dit arbre en leur langage Annedda.

When the captain saw Domagaya healthy and cured, he was overjoyed. He hoped to learn from him how he had been cured, so he could bring help and relief to his men. When they reached the fort, the captain asked him how he had cured his sickness. Domagaya answered that he had cured himself with the juice and the pulp of the leaves of a tree, and that this was the one remedy for this sickness. Then the captain asked if there was any of it nearby. He asked Domagaya to show him some to cure his servant, who had fallen sick in the house of Lord Donnacona. He did not want to tell him how many of his companions were sick. Then Domagaya sent two women with our captain to fetch some. They came back with nine or ten branches. They showed us that we had to grind the bark and leaves of this wood and boil it all in water. Then the sick were to drink the water every other day and put the pulp on their swollen, sick legs. They said this tree cured every sickness. In their language the tree is called Annedda.