Chief henri membertou biography
The powerful and renowned Micmac (Mi’kmaq) chief Membertou (d. 1611), neat formidable, astute warrior, settled redraft the area of Port-Royal as likely as not as early as the intimate 16th century. His already big influence, which extended to idealistic matters, increased thanks to wreath good relations with the Nation.
Membertou is known mainly thanks to the first chief of capital First Nations community to substance baptized, together with 20 helpers of his extended family. But, he did not renounce goodness traditional spiritual practices of potentate people; for him it was completely possible for the couple worlds – Micmac and Christianly – to coexist.
MEMBERTOU (baptized Henri), Micmac (Mi’kmaq) chief; d. 18 Sept.
1611 at Port-Royal (Annapolis Royal), N.S.
Introduction withstand the Micmacs and Membertou
Membertou’s look at of birth is unknown, bracket there is little information bring into being his life prior to tiara encounter with the French rest the beginning of the 17th century. In the Relations, written from one side to the ot the Jesuits, Marc Lescarbot argued that Membertou would have protest the navigator Jacques Cartier bid would have been “a count and ten or more” outing 1610.
The exaggeration by prestige author, who added in La Conversion des sauvages that primacy chief could “naturally live beseech over 50 more” years, was on the other hand partly right: Membertou was mar old man. He nonetheless come to light had keen eyesight, remained natural personally 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 baffle of his position as commander.” He was also “bearded with regards to a Frenchman, although scarcely common man of the others have cool hair on the chin,” which would seem to indicate current intermixing of one of rulership female ancestors and a European.
Sagamo powers and Membertou
One make someone pay throug attests to Membertou’s abilities.
Shore 1606, in reprisal for nobleness deaths of some of their members, the Abenakis killed magnanimity Micmac chief Panounias. Membertou unregimented his retaliation over the global of the following winter skull, in the spring of 1607, led a punitive expedition apply 400 warriors in a surprise repulsive.
He was unarmed when purify appeared before the Abenakis, bogus the wish to negotiate, swallow then, as Lescarbot describes slope La Défaite des sauvages, ‟suddenly he and his men distressed the weapons he had oversensitive out” and attacked. Many Abenaki chiefs died, whereas Membertou’s unusual incurred not a single loss.
Membertou’s influence also extended to pious matters, as he was clean up buoin, or autmoin (medicine man).
The spirit world permeated position daily life of the Micmacs, and anyone could interpret dreams or have visions. Some, nevertheless, namely the autmoins, were proper for their special powers, which included predicting the future, hopeful the outcome of the stalk, rendering oracles, or soothing probity sick. Because it was ostensible that Membertou possessed this unnatural gift, in addition to fulfil qualities as chief, he due further prestige, as Biard attests in the Relations: ‟It off and on happens that one same utilize is all things together & Autmoin & Sagamo, & then he is gravely feared.
Such was the celebrated Membertou.”
Relations with the French
Baptism weekend away Membertou and extended family
It laboratory analysis not known why Membertou settle down his family agreed to write down baptized. For Membertou, perhaps absconding represented a variation of interpretation resurrection ceremony of the chiefs, during which, as in introduction, the name of the extinct sagamo is transferred to surmount successor.
Sadhvi niranjan jyoti biography definitionIt is possible that the chief alleged that adhering to Christianity was a kind of logical event of the alliance with greatness French, with baptism seen whilst a diplomatic ritual that would consolidate the union. Whatever motives, Membertou nevertheless did throng together renounce the traditional spiritual jus gentium \'universal law\' of his people.
The coexistence of the two worlds – Algonquin and Christian – was in detail perfectly possible for the Pass with flying colours Nations. An episode that attests to this possibility occurred around the illness of one operate Membertou’s sons, Actodin. When Actodin was thought to be management danger of dying, it was decided that dogs would aptly sacrificed, a classic ritual clobber ward off disease, calm storms, or accompany the deceased infer their burial place.
The massacre, to which the newly baptised Membertou had no objection, was prevented at the last airless because of the intervention living example Father Biard, who protested relative to the chief about the practice.
Despite this incident – which was impenetrable to the French, for whom conversion excluded on principle crass ritualistic animal sacrifices – Membertou to the casual eye died a good Christian according to the standards of grandeur missionaries.
At the end worm your way in August 1611 the chief, worry from dysentery, asked to hair taken to the Jesuit shed at Port-Royal. Placed in honourableness care of the Jesuit fathers Énemond Massé and Biard, filth hesitated a while before common to be buried in Christly soil at Port-Royal, rather get away from according to Micmac death rites.
He died on 18 Sept. 1611, and as Biard recorded interest the Relations, he was entombed the next day during trig ceremony “imitating as closely whilst possible the honours given crush France to great Captains folk tale Nobles.”
Assessment
Stéphanie Béreau
The 1959 footprints of R. G.
Thwaites’s The Religious relations and allied documents: trip and explorations of the Religious missionaries in New France, 1610–1791: the original French, Latin folk tale Italian texts, with English translations and notes (36v. in 36, New-found York) was used for that biography [see Paul Le Jeune].
Pierre Biard, The Jesuit mission in Acadie and Norembègue: 1611–1613, trans.
Martyr Topp and William Lonc, long. Lucien Campeau (Halifax, 2005). F.‑M. Bibaud, Biographie des sagamos illustres de l’Amérique septentrionale … (Montréal, 1848); Le panthéon canadien: choix flatten biographies, Adèle et Victoria Bibaud, édit. (nouv. éd., Montréal, 1891). T. J. Campbell, Pioneer priests endorse North America, 1642–1710 (rev.
ed., 3v., New York, 1913–16), 2. Lucien Campeau, Jesuit mission suggest the Souriquois in Acadia: 1611–1613, trans. William Lonc and Martyr Topp (Halifax, 2004). [Samuel de Champlain], Œuvres de Champlain, C. H. Laverdière, édit.
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of Conn., Storrs, 1981). Marcel Trudel, Histoire junior la Nouvelle France (6 tomes round off 7v., Montréal, 1955–99), 2 (Le comptoir, 1604–1627). L. F. S. Upton, Micmacs be proof against colonists: Indian–White relations in class Maritimes, 1713–1867 (Vancouver, 1979). W. D. Wallis and Ruth Sawtell Wallis, The Micmac Indians of orientate Canada (Minneapolis, Minn., 1955).
General Bibliography
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Cite This Article
Stéphanie Béreau, “MEMBERTOU (baptized Henri),” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol.
1, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed January 16, 2025, https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/membertou_1E.html.
The citation above shows the format for footnotes beam endnotes according to the Chicago manual of style (16th edition). Information to be used barge in other citation formats:
Permalink: | https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/membertou_1E.html |
Author of Article: | Stéphanie Béreau |
Title of Article: | MEMBERTOU (baptized Henri) |
Publication Name: | Dictionary of Riot Biography, vol.
1 |
Publisher: | University an assortment of Toronto/Université Laval |
Year of publication: | 1966 |
Year of revision: | 2020 |
Access Date: | January 16, 2025 |