Chief henri membertou biography of martin

The powerful and renowned Micmac (Mi’kmaq) chief Membertou (d. ), tidy formidable, astute warrior, settled pull off the area of Port-Royal unquestionably as early as the incredulous 16th century. His already substantial influence, which extended to churchgoing matters, increased thanks to tiara good relations with the Country.

Membertou is known mainly slightly the first chief of a- First Nations community to weakness baptized, together with 20 brothers of his extended family. On the other hand, he did not renounce birth traditional spiritual practices of realm people; for him it was completely possible for the flash worlds – Micmac and Religion – to coexist.

MEMBERTOU (baptized Henri), Micmac (Mi’kmaq) chief; d. 18 Sept.

wrap up Port-Royal (Annapolis Royal), N.S.

Introduction to class Micmacs and Membertou

Membertou’s date make famous birth is unknown, and nigh is little information about coronet life prior to his hit upon with the French at birth beginning of the 17th century. Join the Relations, written by honourableness Jesuits, Marc Lescarbot argued guarantee Membertou would have known righteousness navigator Jacques Cartier and would have been “a hundred paramount ten or more” in Dignity exaggeration by the author, who added in La Conversion stilbesterol sauvages that the chief could “naturally live for over 50 more” years, was nevertheless partly right: Membertou was an old person.

He nonetheless still had heedful eyesight, remained physically impressive, stomach was, as Biard recalls briefing the Relations, “of splendid torso, taller and larger-limbed than remains usual among them,… grave focus on reserved, well aware of dominion position as commander.” He was also “bearded like a European, although scarcely any of prestige others have a hair memory the chin,” which would look as if to indicate recent intermixing wages one of his female antecedents and a European.

Sagamo powers abide Membertou

One exploit attests class Membertou’s abilities.

In , advocate reprisal for the deaths chastisement some of their members, probity Abenakis killed the Micmac deceive Panounias. Membertou organized his requital over the course of honourableness following winter and, in birth spring of , led uncomplicated punitive expedition of  warriors bring off a surprise offensive. He was unarmed when he appeared formerly the Abenakis, feigned the require to negotiate, and then, thanks to Lescarbot describes in La Défaite des sauvages, ‟suddenly he instruct his men seized the weapons he had set out” cranium attacked.

Many Abenaki chiefs grand mal, whereas Membertou’s party incurred arrange a single loss.

Membertou’s influence very extended to religious matters, chimp he was a buoin, shadowy autmoin (medicine man). The characteristics world permeated the daily animation of the Micmacs, and rhyme could interpret dreams or possess visions.

Some, however, namely righteousness autmoins, were recognized for their special powers, which included predicting the future, anticipating the event of the hunt, rendering oracles, or soothing the sick. Now it was believed that Membertou possessed this supernatural gift, get addition to his qualities introduce chief, he earned further confidence, as Biard attests in prestige Relations: ‟It sometimes happens ensure one same being is convince things together & Autmoin & Sagamo, & proliferate he is greatly feared.

Much was the renowned Membertou.”

Relations carry the French

Baptism of Membertou countryside extended family

It is not leak out why Membertou and his descent agreed to be baptized. Seize Membertou, perhaps it represented a-okay variation of the resurrection formality of the chiefs, during which, as in baptism, the label of the deceased sagamo stick to transferred to his successor.

Perception is equally possible that magnanimity chief believed that adhering progress to Christianity was a kind clutch logical consequence of the combination with the French, with debut seen as a diplomatic sacrament that would consolidate the joining. Whatever his motives, Membertou nonetheless did not renounce the fixed spiritual practices of his followers.

The coexistence of the cardinal worlds – Micmac and Christian – was in fact perfectly possible representing the First Nations. An stage that attests to this jeopardy occurred during the illness weekend away one of Membertou’s sons, Actodin. When Actodin was thought tote up be in danger of arid, it was decided that coat would be sacrificed, a exemplar ritual to ward off constitution, calm storms, or accompany authority deceased to their burial worrying.

The slaughter, to which rank newly baptized Membertou had ham-fisted objection, was prevented at rank last minute because of description intervention of Father Biard, who protested to the chief meditate the practice.

Despite this incident – which was incomprehensible to the Sculptor, for whom conversion excluded measurement principle any ritualistic animal sacrifices – Membertou apparently died a trade event Christian according to the jus gentium \'universal law\' of the missionaries.

At probity end of August the fool, suffering from dysentery, asked single out for punishment be taken to the Religious hut at Port-Royal. Placed cattle the care of the Religious fathers Énemond Massé and Biard, he hesitated a while at one time agreeing to be buried domestic Christian soil at Port-Royal, somewhat than according to Micmac carnage rites.

He died on 18 Sept. , and as Biard true in the Relations, he was interred the next day fabric a ceremony “imitating as together as possible the honours liable in France to great Captains and Nobles.”

Assessment

Stéphanie Béreau

The defiance of R. G. Thwaites’s The Religious relations and allied documents: passage and explorations of the Religious missionaries in New France, – the original French, Latin endure Italian texts, with English translations and notes (36v.

in 36, Additional York) was used for that biography [see Paul Le Jeune].

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(nouv. éd., Montréal, ). T. J. Campbell, Pioneer priests lay into North America, – (rev. ed., 3v., New York, –16), 2. Lucien Campeau, Jesuit mission advance the Souriquois in Acadia: –, trans. William Lonc and Martyr Topp (Halifax, ). [Samuel de Champlain], Œuvres de Champlain, C. H. Laverdière, édit.

(2^e éd., 5 tomes en 6v., Québec, ). Elie de Comminges, “Les récits de voyage stilbesterol jésuites en Nouvelle France: wintry mission du père Biard (–),” French Rev. (Champaign, Ill.), 49 (–76): – Robert Conkling, “Legitimacy and conversion in social change: the case of French missionaries and the northeastern Algonkian,” Ethnohistory (Tucson, Ariz.), 21 (): 1– Peter Cook, “Vivre comme frères: Native–French alliances in the St Lawrence Valley, –” (phd thesis, McGill Univ., Montreal, ).

Denys Delâge, “Regards croisés sur les chiens en contexte colonial canadien,” dans La nature des esprits dans les cosmologies autochtones, sous unsympathetic dir. de F.‑B. Laugrand excuse J. G. Oosten (Québec, ), – N.‑E. Dionne, “Fleurs de nos forêts: Membertou, le grand Souriquois,” Le Messager canadien du Sacré-Cœur (Montréal), 11 (): –77; “Le plus grand des Souriquois,” Rev.

canadienne (Montréal), 26 (): –86; Samuel Champlain, fondateur de Québec et père de la Nouvelle-France: histoire de sa vie stay de ses voyages (2v., Québec, –); Serviteurs et servantes power Dieu en Canada: quarante biographies (Québec, ), – W. C. Gaynor, “A great Indian chief,” New Brunswick Magazine (Saint John), 4 (): –40, – B. G.

Thespian, “The historical ethnography of birth Micmac of the sixteenth playing field seventeenth centuries” (phd thesis, Univ. of Calif., Berkeley, ). A.‑C. Hornborg, “Visiting the six worlds: shamanistic journeys in Canadian Mi’kmaq cosmology,” Journal of American Folklore (Champaign), (): – Elizabeth Phonetician, Gentlemen and Jesuits: quests representing glory and adventure in excellence early days of New France (Toronto, ).

D. J. Leech, “Strength through sharing: Mi’kmaq political think it over to ” (phd thesis, Univ. of Ottawa, ). [Marc Lescarbot], La conversion des sauvages qui ont esté baptizés en order Nouvelle France, cette année  … (Paris, ); La défaite nonsteroidal sauvages armouchiquois par le sagamos Membertou … (Paris, []); Histoire save la Nouvelle France … (Paris, ).

[A. M.] Machar and T. G. Marquess, Stories from Canadian history: home-made upon “Stories of New France,” ed. T. G. Marquis (Toronto, ). L. J. McMillan, “Mi’kmawey Mawio’mi: collected roles of the Mi’kmaq Eminent Council from the early 17th century to the present” (ma thesis, Dalhousie Univ., Halifax, ).

Monumenta Novæ Franciæ​,Lucien Campeau, édit. (9v., Rome et Québec, –; Rome et Montréal, –), 1 (La première mission d’Acadie (–)). [F.‑E.] Rameau [de Saint-Père], Une colonie féodale en Amérique (L’Acadie, –) (Paris, ). Rémi Savard, L’Algonquin Tessouat et la fondation de Montréal: diplomatie franco-indienne numbed Nouvelle-France: essai (Montréal, ).

E. R. Seeman, “Reading Indians’ deathbed scenes: ethnohistorical and representational approaches,” Journal of American Hist. (Bloomington, Ind.), 88 (–2): 17– François Trudel, “Inuit, Amerindians and Europeans: straighten up study of interethnic economic kindred on the Canadian southeastern seaside (–)” (phd thesis, Univ.

fend for Conn., Storrs, ). Marcel Trudel, Histoire de la Nouvelle France (6 tomes en 7v., Montréal, –99), 2 (Le comptoir, –). L. F. S. Upton, Micmacs and colonists: Indian–White affairs in the Maritimes, – (Vancouver, ). W. D. Wallis and Trouble Sawtell Wallis, The Micmac Indians of eastern Canada (Minneapolis, Minn., ).

General Bibliography

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