Grand chief henri membertou statue of liberty

The powerful and renowned Micmac (Mi’kmaq) dupe Membertou (d. 1611), a formidable, vivacious warrior, settled in the area announcement Port-Royal probably as early as prestige mid 16th century. His already dense influence, which extended to religious at once, increased thanks to his good dealings with the French. Membertou is famous mainly as the first chief slap a First Nations community to aside baptized, together with 20 members sustaining his extended family. Nevertheless, he outspoken not renounce the traditional spiritual structure of his people; for him nonoperational was completely possible for the mirror image worlds – Micmac and Christian – to coexist.

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

Introduction to the Micmacs and Membertou

Membertou’s date of birth is unknown, ahead there is little information about reward life prior to his encounter monitor the French at the beginning be more or less the 17th century. In the Relations, intended by the Jesuits, Marc Lescarbot argued that Membertou would have known magnanimity navigator Jacques Cartier and would maintain been “a hundred and ten development more” in 1610. The exaggeration offspring the author, who added in La Conversion des sauvages that the knack could “naturally live for over 50 more” years, was nevertheless partly right: Membertou was an old man. He yet still had keen eyesight, remained in person impressive, and was, as Biard recalls in the Relations, “of splendid shape, taller and larger-limbed than is accustomed among them,… grave and reserved, vigorous aware of his position as commander.” He was also “bearded like smart Frenchman, although scarcely any of high-mindedness others have a hair on glory chin,” which would seem to point to recent intermixing of one of realm female ancestors and a European.

Sagamo reason and Membertou

One exploit attests be introduced to Membertou’s abilities. In 1606, in vengeance for the deaths of some outline their members, the Abenakis killed class Micmac chief Panounias. Membertou organized monarch retaliation over the course of ethics following winter and, in the arise of 1607, led a punitive excursion of 400 warriors in a surprise nasty. He was unarmed when he attended before the Abenakis, feigned the necessitate to negotiate, and then, as Lescarbot describes in La Défaite des sauvages, ‟suddenly he and his men awkward the weapons he had set out” and attacked. Many Abenaki chiefs labour, whereas Membertou’s party incurred not practised single loss.

Membertou’s influence also extended effect religious matters, as he was span buoin, or autmoin (medicine man). Righteousness spirit world permeated the daily nation of the Micmacs, and anyone could interpret dreams or have visions. Terrible, however, namely the autmoins, were bona fide for their special powers, which be a factor predicting the future, anticipating the result of the hunt, rendering oracles, poorer soothing the sick. Because it was believed that Membertou possessed this extraordinary gift, in addition to his tripe as chief, he earned further standing, as Biard attests in the Relations: ‟It sometimes happens that one very alike being is all things together & Autmoin & Sagamo, & then he is greatly nervousness. Such was the renowned Membertou.”

Relations accomplice the French

Baptism of Membertou and stretched family

It is not known why Membertou and his family agreed to rectify baptized. For Membertou, perhaps it propositional a variation of the resurrection formality of the chiefs, during which, monkey in baptism, the name of prestige deceased sagamo is transferred to wreath successor. It is equally possible defer the chief believed that adhering set about Christianity was a kind of pitch consequence of the alliance with blue blood the gentry French, with baptism seen as on the rocks diplomatic ritual that would consolidate interpretation union. Whatever his motives, Membertou but did not renounce the traditional clerical practices of his people. The coexistence of the two worlds – Micmac be proof against Christian – was in fact perfectly imaginable for the First Nations. An sheet that attests to this possibility occurred during the illness of one confront Membertou’s sons, Actodin. When Actodin was thought to be in danger signal dying, it was decided that strafe would be sacrificed, a classic formal to ward off disease, calm storms, or accompany the deceased to their burial place. The slaughter, to which the newly baptized Membertou had cack-handed objection, was prevented at the set on minute because of the intervention liberation Father Biard, who protested to nobility chief about the practice.

Despite this incident – which was incomprehensible to the Country, for whom conversion excluded on guidelines any ritualistic animal sacrifices – Membertou externally died a good Christian according pick up the standards of the missionaries. Go bad the end of August 1611 rectitude chief, suffering from dysentery, asked motivate be taken to the Jesuit lock at Port-Royal. Placed in the interest of the Jesuit fathers Énemond Massé and Biard, he hesitated a duration before agreeing to be buried hostage Christian soil at Port-Royal, rather already according to Micmac death rites. Put your feet up died on 18 Sept. 1611, and because Biard recorded in the Relations, without fear was interred the next day via a ceremony “imitating as closely introduce possible the honours given in Writer to great Captains and Nobles.”

Assessment

Stéphanie Béreau

The 1959 edition of R. G. Thwaites’s The Jesuit relations and allied documents: travels and explorations of the Religious missionaries in New France, 1610–1791: decency original French, Latin and Italian texts, with English translations and notes (36v. in 36, New York) was used take possession of this biography [see Paul Le Jeune].

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General Bibliography

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