From Stadacona to the REM · Drawing 02 of 36
Cartier at Stadacona
1535
In 1535, Jacques Cartier arrived near Stadacona, an Iroquoian village where Québec City stands today. That winter, many sailors got scurvy, an illness caused by a lack of fresh food. People from Stadacona shared a remedy.
Look together
How many ships can you see on the river?
An idea to try
Draw three ships and a shoreline. Tell who is arriving and who already knows the land. Ask who helps the sailors; do not prepare a remedy from plants.
For the adult reading along
A little more to discover
In 1535-1536, Cartier’s three ships wintered near Stadacona. Domagaya shared a remedy called annedda for scurvy; we do not give a certain botanical identification here. That help is not the whole story: in spring 1536, Cartier abducted Donnacona and other residents and took them to France.
Acknowledge the residents’ knowledge. Explain that helping someone does not give that person the right to take you away against your will.
Sources and illustration notes (2)
Village and ships as evocations; Cartier and the people of Stadacona are not portrayed.
These links lead to other websites. Explore them with an adult. References identify the institution and the related lesson; some linked pages are in French.
- Parks Canada — Cartier-Brébeuf National Historic Site: Wintering (1535-1536)The winter of 1535-1536 near Stadacona; scurvy; the annedda remedy passed on by Domagaya.
- Canadian Museum of History — Jacques Cartier 1534-1542Cartier’s voyages; Stadacona and Hochelaga in 1535; 110 men, 25 of whom died of scurvy.
Page prepared on September 19, 2026. Illustrations simplify places and scenes; they are not historical documents.
This drawing is from the book Québec’s Great Moments to Colour
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