Étienne Brûlé (1592 - 1632) was a French explorer in Canada in the 17th century. A rugged outdoorsman, he took to the lifestyle of the First Nations peoples with a passion, leading to some disdain by other Europeans.

Brûlé travelled to New France in 1608 and was sent by Samuel de Champlain to live with the Hurons in 1610, where he learned their language and customs. He became a scout for Champlain and explored much of what is now Quebec, Ontario, and Michigan. He is known as the first coureur des bois ("runner of the woods").

He was probably the first European to see Lake Huron, Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, and Lake Superior, and he also travelled as far south as the Chesapeake Bay. On the way back to Quebec, he was briefly captured and tortured by the Iroquois.

Champlain and the Jesuits often spoke out against Brûlé's adoption of Huron customs, as well as his association with the fur traders, who were beyond the control of the colonial government. Brûlé left Quebec to live with the natives in the 1620s. As he had no longer any particular loyalty to Champlain or the French, Brûlé helped the English capture Champlain and Quebec City in 1629 (though the colony was returned to France in 1632).

He was captured by the Iroquois during a battle and left for dead by his Huron group. He managed to escape his death by torture but when he returned home the Hurons did not believe his story, suspected him of trading with the Iroquois and treated him as an enemy. He was consequently tortured to death by his allies.

See also

• Timeline of Quebec history
• Coureurs des bois

External links

• Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online