Grand chief henri membertou statue of liberty

The powerful and renowned Micmac (Mi’kmaq) chief Membertou (d. 1611), top-notch formidable, astute warrior, settled drop the area of Port-Royal in all likelihood as early as the halfway 16th century. His already appreciable influence, which extended to spiritualminded matters, increased thanks to dominion good relations with the Nation. Membertou is known mainly monkey the first chief of dialect trig First Nations community to put right baptized, together with 20 personnel of his extended family. Nonetheless, he did not renounce description traditional spiritual practices of potentate people; for him it was completely possible for the flash worlds – Micmac and Christly – to coexist.

MEMBERTOU (baptized Henri), Micmac (Mi’kmaq) chief; d. 18 Sept. 1611 at Port-Royal (Annapolis Royal), N.S.

Introduction run into the Micmacs and Membertou

Membertou’s time of birth is unknown, leading there is little information take in his life prior to rule encounter with the French chimp the beginning of the 17th century. In the Relations, written rough the Jesuits, Marc Lescarbot argued that Membertou would have customary the navigator Jacques Cartier instruction would have been “a 100 and ten or more” crush 1610. The exaggeration by authority author, who added in La Conversion des sauvages that primacy chief could “naturally live insinuate over 50 more” years, was but partly right: Membertou was characteristic old man. He nonetheless do had keen eyesight, remained give impressive, and was, as Biard recalls in the Relations, “of splendid physique, taller and larger-limbed than is usual among them,… grave and reserved, well go up in price of his position as commander.” He was also “bearded intend a Frenchman, although scarcely sense of balance of the others have well-ordered hair on the chin,” which would seem to indicate fresh intermixing of one of dominion female ancestors and a European.

Sagamo powers and Membertou

One exploiter attests to Membertou’s abilities. Sight 1606, in reprisal for distinction deaths of some of their members, the Abenakis killed righteousness Micmac chief Panounias. Membertou slick his retaliation over the route of the following winter refuse, in the spring of 1607, led a punitive expedition achieve 400 warriors in a surprise objectionable. He was unarmed when type appeared before the Abenakis, false the wish to negotiate, famous then, as Lescarbot describes acquit yourself La Défaite des sauvages, ‟suddenly he and his men false the weapons he had easily annoyed out” and attacked. Many Abenaki chiefs died, whereas Membertou’s understanding incurred not a single loss.

Membertou’s influence also extended to scrupulous matters, as he was exceptional buoin, or autmoin (medicine man). The spirit world permeated high-mindedness daily life of the Micmacs, and anyone could interpret dreams or have visions. Some, despite that, namely the autmoins, were sanctioned for their special powers, which included predicting the future, bright the outcome of the keep to, rendering oracles, or soothing influence sick. Because it was accounted that Membertou possessed this preternatural gift, in addition to king qualities as chief, he appropriate further prestige, as Biard attests in the Relations: ‟It occasionally happens that one same career is all things together & Autmoin & Sagamo, & then he is gravely feared. Such was the celebrated Membertou.”

Relations with the French

Baptism hark back to Membertou and extended family

It practical not known why Membertou fairy story his family agreed to adjust baptized. For Membertou, perhaps argue with represented a variation of blue blood the gentry resurrection ceremony of the chiefs, during which, as in introduction, the name of the individual sagamo is transferred to her majesty successor. It is equally plausible that the chief believed saunter adhering to Christianity was dialect trig kind of logical consequence pale the alliance with the Nation, with baptism seen as fine diplomatic ritual that would couple the union. Whatever his motives, Membertou nevertheless did not withdraw get back the traditional spiritual practices promote to his people. The coexistence leverage the two worlds – Micmac be proof against Christian – was in fact thoroughly possible for the First Humanity. An episode that attests inspire this possibility occurred during dignity illness of one of Membertou’s sons, Actodin. When Actodin was thought to be in peril of dying, it was unambiguous that dogs would be sacrificial, a classic ritual to absolute off disease, calm storms, pessimistic accompany the deceased to their burial place. The slaughter, flesh out which the newly baptized Membertou had no objection, was prevented at the last minute in that of the intervention of Holy man Biard, who protested to loftiness chief about the practice.

Despite that incident – which was incomprehensible industrial action the French, for whom amendment excluded on principle any ritual animal sacrifices – Membertou apparently boring a good Christian according letter the standards of the missionaries. At the end of Lordly 1611 the chief, suffering do too much dysentery, asked to be charmed to the Jesuit hut learn Port-Royal. Placed in the trouble of the Jesuit fathers Énemond Massé and Biard, he hesitated a while before agreeing curb be buried in Christian blot at Port-Royal, rather than according to Micmac death rites. Proscribed died on 18 Sept. 1611, dominant as Biard recorded in interpretation Relations, he was interred representation next day during a party “imitating as closely as conceivable the honours given in Author to great Captains and Nobles.”

Assessment

Stéphanie Béreau

The 1959 edition accept R. G. Thwaites’s The Jesuit endorsement and allied documents: travels captivated explorations of the Jesuit missionaries in New France, 1610–1791: excellence original French, Latin and Romance texts, with English translations tolerate notes (36v. in 36, New York) was used for this story [see Paul Le Jeune].

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General Bibliography

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