Saint Jean de Brébeuf (1593–1649)

The Huron Carol, illustrated by Frances Tyrell

Composed in the early 1640s by the Jesuit missionary Father Jean de Brébeuf, the hymn Jesous Ahantonhia ("Jesus, he is born") is a retelling of the Nativity story in the Wyandot/Huron language, one which seeks to present the story of Jesus' birth in indigenous Huron terms. In this version of the well-known tale, God is known as Gitchie Manitou, the Baby Jesus is born in a "lodge of broken bark," and the strangers who are first drawn to the child by angels are hunters, rather than shepherds. Three chiefs from afar brings gifts of fox and beaver pelt, rather than the more traditional offerings of gold, frankincense and myrrh. The hymn concludes with an invitation to the sons of Manitou, to "kneel before the radiant Boy / who brings you beauty, peace and joy."

The text of this beautiful picture-book presentation of de Brébeuf's hymn is taken from the English translation done in 1926 by J.E. Middleton. Each two-page spread features a verse of the hymn on one side, with a full-page illustration on the other. The accompanying music, with lyrics in English, Wyandot/Huron and French, is included at the rear of the book, along with a brief postscript describing the history of the Huron Carol. Having looked at Ian Wallace's picture-book presentation of this song back in 2010, I have been meaning to track down this earlier version by Frances Tyrrell for some time. I'm glad I did, as the illustrations are simply lovely. The chilly wintry scenes are done in shades of blue and white, contrasting nicely with the warmer brown shades of the human figures. As she explains in her postscript, Tyrrell has been careful to create authentic scenes - her three chiefs from afar are arrayed in the regalia of the Kootenay, the Sioux, and the Shawnee, making them as 'exotic' to the Huron of the seventeenth century, as the three kings would have been to the people of the Near East in Jesus' day - while the borders around the blocks of text contain lovely depictions of the flora and fauna to be found in the region (Ontario) where the Huron lived. All in all, this presentation of The Huron Carol is worth seeking out, for anyone interested in picture-book versions of Christmas carols (a pet hobby of mine), or in indigenous versions of Christmas traditions.… (mer)

The Huron Carol, illustrated by Ian Wallace.

After reading David Bouchard's An Aboriginal Carol - which sets out an adapted version of Jesuit missionary Jean de Brébeuf's 1643 Huron Carol, in both English and Inuktitut - earlier this month, I immediately began looking around for the original version. This lovely picture-book from Canadian children's author/illustrator Ian Wallace sets out the English translation of de Brébeuf's Huron carol, done in 1926 by Jesse Edgar Middleton, accompanied by gorgeous watercolor artwork. The sheet music for the carol is included at the rear, along with the original Huron verse, and its French translation.

As with the Bouchard book, I thought it was quite interesting to see the traditional Nativity story translated into an indigenous American idiom. The baby Jesus comes into the world in a "lodge of broken bark," rather than a stable; and is visited by chiefs who bring him fox and beaver pelts, rather than the Three Magi with their gold, frankincense, and myrrh. I did wonder how accurately the Middleton translation captured the original Huron, but leaving that question aside, I was pleased with this lovely little holiday book, and think it a perfect title to add to the shelf with all the picture-book retellings of We Three Kings and Silent Night.… (mer)