Black Robe

“Black Robe” tells the story of the first contacts between the Huron Indians of

Quebec and the Jesuit missionaries from France. The Jesuits purpose was to convert

natives to Catholicism, “saving their souls”. Those first Jesuit priests were very brave in

their pursuit, driven by a burning faith and an absolute conviction that they were doing

what God wanted. Only much later was it apparent that the European settlement of North

America led to the destruction of the original inhabitants, not their salvation. Author,

Brian Moore, describes a journey by two French men, Father Laforgue and Daniel

Davost, in 17th century Canada on a mission to relieve a dying priest. Through this

journey we see Father Laforgue’s relationship grow with the natives. Despite his love for

them, he shared the same beliefs as most Europeans at the time, that natives were

“Savages” and “Barbarians”, with no faith or spirituality. Moore’s representation ...