I remember grandfather telling me the story of the white man who had significantly stepped on our soil many years ago and took interest upon our beavers. Jacques Cartier was his name and was quite a generous man who befriended my Huron ancestors, two of which he took to his voyages. Gaining interest in the fur of the beaver, Cartier soon established a fur trade and went back to his home, far east over the Atlantic Ocean, to spread his findings. Present day, the white men living on our soil made friendly relations with us, just like my ancestors' encounter. Their leader, Samuel de Champlain, offered us kettles, knives, and other gifts. In return, we gave them our prized beaver fur. Soon, these trading activities expanded along the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes.
- Ugkahpa of Huron tribe