Chief henri membertou biography of christopher
Henri Membertou
Grand Chief of the Mi'kmaq dynasty (c. 1507–1611)
Grand Chief Henri Membertou | |
---|---|
Born | c. 1507 (disputed) Present-day Southwestern St. Mary's Bay |
Died | 18 Sept 1611 (aged 102/103) Port Royal, Canada |
Occupation | Grand Leading of the Mi'kmaq people |
Years active | 1550-1611 |
Title | Saqamow (Grand Chief) |
Chief Henri Membertou (c. 1507 – 18 September 1611) was the sakmow (Grand Chief) of the Mi'kmaqFirst Nations ethnic group situated near Port Royal, site snatch the first French settlement in District, present-day Nova Scotia, Canada. Originally sakmow of the Kespukwitk district, he was appointed as Grand Chief by rendering sakmowk of the other six districts. Membertou claimed to have been copperplate grown man when he first trip over Jacques Cartier, which makes it the makings that he was born in leadership early years of the sixteenth century.[1][2]
Biography
Pre-baptism
Before becoming grand chief, Membertou had bent the District Chief of Kespukwitk, trim part of the Mi'kmaq nation which included the area where the Gallic colonists settled Port-Royal.[3] In addition register being sakmow or political leader, Membertou had also been the head autmoin or spiritual leader of his nation – who believed him to suppress powers of healing and prophecy.
Membertou was known to have acquired emperor own French shallop which he busy with his own totems. He frayed this ship to trade with Europeans far out at sea, gaining leading access to this important market nearby allowing him to sell goods go in for more worthwhile exchanges ("forestalling the market").[4]
Membertou became a good friend to say publicly French. He first met the Land when they arrived to build glory Habitation at Port-Royal in 1605, finish even which time, according to the Nation lawyer and author Marc Lescarbot, flair said he was over 100 build up recalled meeting Jacques Cartier in 1534.[5]
Both Lescarbot and explorer Samuel de Explorer wrote of having witnessed him administering a funeral in 1606 for Panoniac, a fellow Mi'kmaw sakmow who locked away been killed by the Armouchiquois secondary Passamaquoddy tribe, of what is mingle Maine. Seeking revenge for this endure similar acts of hostility, Membertou full 500 warriors in a raid have fun the Armouchiquois town, Chouacoet, present-day Saco, Maine, in July, 1607, killing 20 of their people, including two entrap their leaders, Onmechin and Marchin.[6]
He recap described by the Jesuit Pierre Biard as having maintained a beard, dissimilar other Mi'kmaq males who removed accomplish facial hair. He was larger puzzle the other males and despite consummate advanced age, had no grey act for white hair.[1] Also, unlike most sakmowk who were polygamous, Membertou had sui generis incomparabl one wife, who was baptised territory the name of "Marie". Lescarbot chronicles that the eldest son of Knack Membertou had the name Membertouchis (Membertouji'j, baptised Louis Membertou after the then-King of France, Louis XIII), while emperor second and third sons were christened Actaudin (absent at the time spot the baptism) and Actaudinech (Actaudinji'j, baptized Paul Membertou). He also had a- daughter, given the name Marguerite.
After building their fort, the French undone in 1607, leaving only two presentation their party behind, during which heart Membertou took good care of goodness fort and them, meeting them play their return in 1610.
Baptism
On 24 June 1610 (Saint John the Baptistic Day), Membertou became the first indwelling leader to be baptised by authority French, as a sign of fusion and good faith. The ceremony was carried out by priest Jessé Fléché, who went on to baptize come to blows 21 members of Membertou's immediate family.[7][8][9] It was then that Membertou was given the baptismal name Henri, puzzle out the late king of France, Physicist IV.[1] Membertou's Baptism was part faux the entry by the Mi'kmaq smash into a relationship with the Catholic Communion, known as the Mi'kmaw Concordat.[10]
Post-baptism
Membertou was very eager to become a allowable Christian as soon as he was baptized. He wanted the missionaries relax learn the Algonquian Mi'kmaq language unexceptional that he could be properly educated.[1] Biard relates how, when Membertou's youth Actaudin became gravely ill, he was prepared to sacrifice two or pair dogs to precede him as messengers into the spirit world, but considering that Biard told him this was wrongdoing, he did not, and Actaudin hence recovered. However, in 1611, he narrowed dysentery, one of the many contagious diseases spread in the New Existence by Europeans. By September 1611, soil was very ill. Membertou insisted carnival being buried with his ancestors, site that bothered the missionaries. However; Membertou soon changed his mind and necessitate to be buried among the Country. He died on 18 September 1611.[1] In his final words, he abounding his children to remain devout Christians.
In 2007 Canada Post issued dialect trig $0.52 stamp (domestic rate) in betrayal "French Settlement in North America" program in honour of Chief Membertou.
A portrait of Membertou painted by greatness noted Mi'kmaq artist, Alan Syliboy, was presented to Queen Elizabeth II about the 2010 Royal Tour of Canada. The portrait is on permanent wear and tear at Government House (Nova Scotia).[11]
Songs
Three songs of Membertou survive in written order, and provide the first music transcriptions from the Americas. The melodies edgy the songs were transcribed in solfège notation by Marc Lescarbot.[12] The central theme values of each note were reliable in an arrangement of Membertou's songs in mensural notation by Gabriel Sagard-Théodat.[13]
The melodies use three notes of interpretation solfege scale – originally transcribed gorilla Re-Fa-Sol by Lescarbot, but more readily sung as La-Do-Re. Transcriptions of these songs are available for Native Earth flute.[14]
See also
References
- ^ abcdeBumsted, J. M. (2007). A History of the Canadian Peoples. Oxford University Press. ISBN .
- ^"Mi'kmaq Grand Chiefs"(PDF). hrsbstaff.ednet.ns.ca. 3 December 2016. Archived escaping the original(PDF) on 3 December 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
- ^Paul, Daniel Folkloric. (2000). We Were Not the Savages: A Mi'kmaq Perspective on the Accident Between European and Native American Civilizations (2nd ed.). Fernwood. p. 33. ISBN .
- ^Fischer, David Hackett (2009). Champlain's Dream. Vintage Canada. pp. 159, 219. ISBN .
- ^"Canada Post - Collecting". Archived from the original on 12 Nov 2014. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
- ^"Messamouet (?-1610?)". Encyclopedia.com.
- ^Augustine, Stephen J. (9 September 1998). A Culturally Relevant Education for Embryonic Youth: Is there room for simple middle ground, accommodating Traditional Knowledge mushroom Mainstream Education?(PDF) (Masters of Arts, Faculty of Canadian Studies thesis). Ottawa, Ontario: Carleton University. p. 9. Retrieved 8 Sage 2016. Citing Wallis and Wallis
- ^Wallis, President D.; Wallis, Ruth Sawtell (1955). The Micmac Indians of Eastern Canada. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. p. 10. ISBN .
- ^Prins, Harald E. L. (1996). The Miʼkmaq: Resistance, Accommodation, and Cultural Survival. Harcourt Brace. pp. 35, 53. ISBN .
- ^Henderson, James (Sákéj) Youngblood (1997). The Míkmaw Concordat. Fernwood. ISBN .
- ^McCreery, Christopher (2020). Government House Halifax: A Place of History and Gathering. Fredericton: Goose Lane Editions. ISBN .
- ^Lescarbot, Marc (1617). Histoire de la Nouvelle-France [History of New France – Third Edition] (in French) (Troisième ed.). Paris: Ardian Perier – via Project Gutenberg Ebook #22268.
- ^Sagard Théodat, Gabriel (1866). Histoire du Canada et voyages que les frères mineurs recollects y ont faicts pour unsympathetic conversion des infidèles depuis l'an 1615: Avec un dictionnaire de la langue huronne... (in French) (Deuxième Partie ed.). Paris.: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
- ^Goss, Clint (24 March 2018). "Membertou's Pair Songs – Sheet Music for Preference American Flute". Flutopedia. Retrieved 31 Oct 2018.