Many people played significant roles in the contact and colonization of New France, but none as much as European expedition leaders and native tribal chiefs. While there are many, many Native leaders and European explorers who are significant to the contact and colonization of New France, the three I have chosen to focus on are: Chief Membertou, Jacques Cartier, and Christopher Columbus. This page will explain these three individuals in detail and explain their significance to the contact and colonization of New France. Jacques Cartier Jacques Cartier was born in St. Malo, France, on December 31, 1491. Jacques Cartier is significant to the contact and colonization of New France because he led three major French expeditions into what is called Canada and made many of the land claims that the French had at that time. He is the European who is credited with naming Canada from the First Nations word "kanata" meaning village or settlement. He is significant to French colonization because he was the one who originally established French claims in North America. In 1534 Francis I of France commissioned him to explore the northern part of present-day Canada, in search of gold and spices. His first voyage took him, with two ships and a crew of 61, on the St. Laurence route, where he encountered a First Nations tribe on July 7. The two groups spoke and exchanged items, and it is the first recorded exchange between French and North American First Nations. Although the relationship wasn't all roses between the French and First Nations tribes! The relationship turned sour when Cartier “claimed” Gaspé Bay, attached a 30-foot cross at Pointe-Penouille, lied to Donnacona, the area's native chief, that the cross was… half of paper… … from about 1510 to 1611, a centenary even rarer in those days than these days. He played a significant role in contact and colonization because his tribe was among the first to welcome Europeans when they first arrived in North America. He was significant because he enjoyed the trust of the French and the Mi'kmaq. The most significant thing Membertou ever did to further peaceful and peaceful European contact and colonization was to be the first Mi'kmaq to be baptized into the Catholic Church. This was extremely significant because Membertou was highly respected in the community and his baptism inevitably led to the baptism of most of the native community. Very little is known about Membertou because the Mi'kmaq did not keep written records as Europeans did. All we know is that he was an intelligent, spiritual, kind and powerful man.