Monday, April 13, 2009

Acadians and Metis

Before the Acadians came, there were various tribes of Native Americans, there were the Migmaws, Maliseets,Abenakis. So when the first Europeen men came to Acadie they had no women with them. Many of these men lived with Native American women, some married them others had children with them. These children were called Metis. The following is from A great and Noble Scheme book.
There were as yet no French women in L'Acadie and sexual relations with Mikmaw women greatly faciliatated the assimilation of the Engages(workers or hired men) to native culture. Lescarbot saw no evidence of prostitution among the Mikmaq when he first arrived, but he noted a custom of sexual freedom among young unmarried women that was eagerly exploited by fishermen and traders. The Mikmaq did not consider an illegitimate child a stigma but rather a measure of a young woman's fertility, and bearing a child out of wedlock tended to enhance rather than compromise her chances for marriage. While the girls were free to accept or reject lovers, however the Micmaq had no patience with forced sexual relations. It is dangerous to dally with them wrote Lescarbot. After one French colonist meddled with a Micmaq woman, the men of her family came to Biencourt in a rage, warning him that anyone who attempted to do that again would not stand much of a chance that they would kill him on the spot. Marriage too was a serious business. If a young man with marriage on his mind found his attention encouraged by the girl, he was expected to ask her father for permission to take up residence in the family lodge. the father agreeing , the suitor entered the service of the brides household, hunting and trapping exclusively for them. This could last for a year without the bride and groom to be having relations. They were only allowed to marry once the groom showed he could support a wife.
Despite these strict rules, within a few years most of Biencourt's engages,(workers) were living in Micmaw communities with a native wife and metis children.
Philippe Mius d'Azy son of Philippe and Madeleine Helie married two native americans.He had fourteen children total. Joseph married Marie Amireau , Marie married Francois Viger, Mathieu married Marie Madeleine, Francoise married Jacques Bonnevie dit Beaumont, Pierre married Marguerite La Pierre, Anne Marie dit Nanette married Paul Guedry dit Gravois.

Jean Roy dit La Liberte married Marie Christine Aubois (Dubois) a native american. Not sure what tribe. They had nine children: Anne married Jean Clemenceau, Marie married Joseph Comeau dit Grandjean, and she married Girouard, Jean married Jeanne LeJeune and Francoise Corporon, Francois married Marie Bergeron, Philippe married Cecile Mazerole, Marie Madeleine married Louis Fontaine dit Beaulieu, Marie Francoise married Etienne Trahan, Rene married Marie Josephe Daigle.

Jean Vincent D'Abbadie son of Jean Jacques and Isabeau de Bearn de Bonasse married two daughter (of Madockawando a Abenaki chief )named Matilde and Marie Pediwammiskwa.
With Mathilde he had: Claire married Paul Meunier, daughter who married Philippe Meunier, Anastasie married Alexandre LeBorgne de Belisle, Urseline married Louis D'Amour de Chauffours,with Marie Pediwammiskwa he had a daughter Therese who married Philippe Mius D'Entremont.
These are just a few who married Native Americans, I found that I have Marie Christine Aubois and Mathilde, in my lines so far. So if you have any of the above in your lines you have a bit of Native American blood running through your veins. I am intrigue by the D'Abbadie de St Castin line, and Madockawando, if you do have him in your line, google Madockawando see all the stories out there.
I wonder if that is the reason that I enjoyed cowboy and indian movies long ago. grin.
I do hope you all had a nice Easter ,we had snow, yes we had snow, the ground is all covered in a blanket of the white stuff. But it soon will be gone again.
I do hope you enjoyed todays blog, the reason I wrote this article, was because I went into my software and noticed I had Jean Roy in my maternal line.
Have a great day
Aline

3 comments:

Velda said...

What years do you have for Philippe Mius D'Entremont who married Terese? Philippe is a relation of mine...I don't have a Terese in my tree but I have two Phillippes :)

alineskee said...

Velda Therese daughter of Jean Vincent D'Abbadie and Marie Pidiwammiskwa married Philippe Mius d'Entremont son of Jacques and Anne de Saint Etienne de la Tour in Pentagouet Dec 4 1707. Listed on the Port Royal registers, source Stephen's DGFA.

Anonymous said...

I'm looking into this myself. my grandmother is Acadian. can you telle anything about the last name "Vadnais". thanks! :)