In May 1639, six nuns set out from France to serve the Aboriginal people in Canada, three to build a hospital and three to build a school. In July, three Ursine sisters arrived in Quebec, led by Mother Marie of the Incarnation, to set about establishing a school for girls.
According to Inuk: Au Dos De La Terre, by Father Roger Buliard O.M.I, Inuit tribes often killed, or left to die, newborn girls as they struggled to survive Canadian winters. The tribes valued boys since they were stronger for hunting. The more mouths they had to feed, the harder it was to survive. Girls were viewed as less desirable than boys. Therefore, the nuns’ establishing of schools provided an important opportunity for young, Aboriginal girls to learn skills to flourish.
The early Catholic nuns received no compensation but freely and lovingly taught, washed, dressed, and fed the young Aboriginal female students. Mother Marie studied the Algonquin, Huron, and Iroquois languages and then wrote dictionaries and catechisms to better educate her students.
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