The Abenaki
The Abenaki or Wabanaki, also known as the People of the Dawn or People from the East, belong to the vast Algonquian linguistic family which also includes the Mi’kmaq and the Maliseet. Around 1600, the Wabanaki occupied a wide territory which extended from the Maritime Provinces to New-England. They lived in the states of Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and a part of New-Brunswick. The population of Abenaki during that era is estimated at around 26 000.
Their villages were generally located near navigable waterways and their main means of transportation were birch bark canoes. They relied on hunting, trapping, picking berries and nuts, fishing and horticulture for their subsistence. The importance of fishing and the amount of corn, beans and squash in their diet varied depending on the environment of each Abenaki community.
At the beginning of the 17th century, the growing hostilities with the Iroquois, and later on the conflicts with the British from the New England colonies, pushed many Abenaki groups out of their territories. The Abenaki then turned to the French colony for support in order to defend themselves from the growing monopoly of their land by the British colonists. They moved northward and found refuge along the St-Lawrence River.
Around 1670, the Abenaki were present in Montreal, Trois-Rivières and at the Sillery Mission near Québec City. Later, many settled along the Chaudière River before settling permanently in Saint-François (Odanak) and in Bécancour (Wôlinak) at the beginning of the 18th century. These two Abenaki settlements became places of refuge for hundreds of Abenaki pushed out of their territory who continued to flock there during all of the 18th century. From that moment on, the Abenaki were considered precious allies by the French.
During the conquest of New-France by the British in 1759, the Abenaki lost their French allies. Later, during the American Revolution, or American War of Independence, (1775-1783) and the War of 1812, many Abenaki from New-England formed an alliance with the Americans while the Abenaki from Lower Canada mainly fought alongside the British.
The Abenaki and the colonization of the Eastern Townships
After 1760, the British authorities hoped to see a rapid growth on the territory of British, Scottish and Irish populations loyal to the British Crown. In 1790, to prepare the land for the arrival of the colonists, they began surveying and dividing up land in the Eastern Townships, beginning along the American borders and reaching the Megantic County around 1796. During this effort, Major Jesse Pennoyer was assisted by an Abenaki named Francis Annance.
When the Scots from the Isle of Arran settled around Joseph Lake in 1829, a small Abenaki camp is already present on the north bank. Tradition tells us that the Abenaki gave fish to the first comers. Afterward, they continued to fish at the lake, selling fish and baskets to the colonists. There is enough evidence to suggest there was a second Abenaki camp near the Lysander Falls.
These seasonal camps were located along the Bécancour River. By the end of spring, the Abenaki sailed up that river from their Bécancour mission (later becoming the Wôlinak reserve) doing portage when reaching the Lysander Falls and continuing their journey through lakes Joseph, William and Trout to hunt, trap and fish.
With the beginning of the colonization of the Eastern Townships and the arrival of numerous British colonists between 1827 and 1839, the Abenaki gradually lost their land. Some settled around the Petit-Lac-Saint-Francois and Aylmer Lake in the Coleraine County but then abandoned the land at the beginning of the 1800 because of the developing forest industry and mining activities.
A few Abenaki, such as Peter Mountain, stayed in the Inverness region, strengthening bonds with the Scots. Around 1850, Peter became known for his talents as a herbalist and a clarinetist. He is believed to have been a doctor for the Scottish families. He has likely been buried in the Boutelles Cemetery located on Dublin road along with a few other Abenaki. More Abenaki burial grounds are believed to exist in the Inverness Township, one of them in the vicinity of the Lysander Falls.
The Lysander Falls. Many waterfalls and rapids flow into the Bécancour River that runs for 125 kilometers before merging with the St-Lawrence River (Photo Gilles Pelletier)
Collection Claire-Marie OBomsawin, Odanak, Québec
Collection Claire-Marie OBomsawin, Odanak, Québec
