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The Kahnawake Iroquois and the Lower-Canadian Rebellions, 1837- 1838

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The Kahnawake Iroquois and the Lower-Canadian Rebellions, 1837- 1838 INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reprodudion. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMl a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e-g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand corner and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Photographs included in the original manuscn-pt have been reproduced xerographically in this copy- Higher quality 6" x 9" black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. Bell & Howell Information and Learning 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48106-1346 USA 8OO-5Zl-06oO The Kahnawake Iroquois and the Lower-Canadian Rebellions, 1837- 1838. Matthieu Sossoyan Department of Anthropology McGili University, Montreal July 1999 A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Arts OMatthieu Sossoyan Permission for reproduction denied without consent of author National Library Bibliotheque nationale 1+1 of Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographic Services services bibiiographiques 395 Wetlington Street 395, rue Wellington OttawaON KIA ON4 OttawaON KIA ON4 Canada Canada Your file Varre niUrtmce Our fik Norre rdfBmc8 The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accorde me licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive pennettant a la National Library of Canada to Bibliotheque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or sell reproduire, prster, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette these sous paper or electronic formats. la fome de microfiche/film, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format electronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriete du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protege cette these. thesis nor substantial extracts f?om it Ni la these ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent &re imprimes reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. ABSTRACT Drawing on archival data and theoretical reflections on interest groups and collective identity, this thesis aims to understand why the Kahnawake Iroquois cooperated with the British Crown during the Lower-Canadian Rebellions of 1837- 1838. It is suggested that the Iroquois' decision to intervene was prompted by their own interpretations of the events and of their complex relationships with the British, neighboring settlers, and the Patriotes. It is argued that the resulting collective action was intended to defend interests such as government annuities, land, and livelihood. An analysis of the cultural, social, economic and political contexts further reveals that by intervening in the crisis, the Iroquois intended to protect land and presents because they were powerful symbols around which they collectively defined themselves as "Indians", despite the presence of internal factions, To conclude, it is argued that Kahnawake Iroquois did not intervene in the Rebellions only to defend economic interests, but, more fundamentally, to express and protect their collective identity. S'inspirant de sources archivistiques ainsi que de concepts theoriques tels que le groupe d'intkrgt et ridentit6 collective, ce memoire de maTtrise 5 pour objectif de rnieux comprendre les raisons qui ont amen6 les Iroquois de Kahnawake collaborer avec les autoritCs britanniques au cours des Rt5bellions de 1837-1838. La prise de dbcision des Iroquois semble avoir it6 baste sur leur propres interpretations des kvgnements et de leurs relations avec les autoritts coloniales, les villages voisins et les Patriotes. Une analyse des contextes culturels, sociaux, 6conomiques et politiques suggike que l'intervention des Iroquois avait pour but de defendre des intksts coftectifs tels que les cadeaux annuels et le tenitoire. De tels inter& avaient une valeur symbolique importante comrne representant une identit6 "indienne" et "de Kahnawake", et ce, malgr6 la prksence de factions internes dam la communautk. A Enfin, nous proposons que Ies Iroquois de Kahnawake ont decidk d'intervenir au cows des Rebellions non seulernent din de proteger des int6ri3s d'ordre 6conomiques rnais, aussi, afin d'exprirner et de defendre une identit6 collective. TABLE OF COmENTS List of maps and figures ............ ... .................................................. i .. ...... Acknowledgements...,. ............ ...... ...... -11 ... Abstract/R&umtS ................................................................................ 111 INTRODUCTION.............................................................................. 1 CHAPTER ONE: Loyalty, interests and collective identity The Kahnawake Iroquois and Rebellion literature.................................. 4 Interests. action. and collective identity .............................................. 8 A brief look at sources and ethnohistorical methodology ......................... 16 CHAPTERTWO: The Iroquois community of Kahnawake, 18151840 Historical context, local economy and political institutions ............ ..... 18 Kahnawake and the seigneury of Sault-Saint-Louis ............................... 22 Religious and cultural life............................................................. 24 Father Joseph Marcoux, the chiefs, and government schools.................... 26 CHAPTER THREE The Kahnawake Iroquois and the Patriotes The Lower-Canadian Rebellions of 1837-38: a general overview ............... 30 Kahnawake and the Patriotes in 1837..................... ... ....................32 Kahnawake and the Patriotes in 1838 ................................... ..,.--....... 43 The Kahnawake Iroquois and the Rebellions: discussion .......... ... ....... 62 CHAPTER FOUR: The Kahnawake Iroquois: loyal or "strategic" allies? Kahnawake and the Treaty of 1760................................................ -69 Annual presents and strategic loyalty ................... .... ....... A Strategic loyalty and the contentious La E'rairie land dispute.................... 75 CHAPTER FIVE Co-optation, factional disputes and collective identity Whites and Indians in Kahnawake .................................................. 82 Kahnawake and the de Lorimier family ............................................. 84 Government interference and factional disputes in the 1830s ................... -86 Internal community rivalries and co1Iective identity: discussion................ 107 CONCLUSION.............................................................................. 110 . Bibliography .................................................................................. 114 LIST OF MAPS AND FIGtTRES Maps: Map 1: Lower Canada in the 1830s. Map 2: Sault-Saint-Louis seigneury and the five different Iocations of Kahnawake, 1667-1890. Map 3: Sault-SaintLouis seigneury, 183 1. Map 4: Kahnawake and its vicinity, present-day. Map 5: Lower Canada: major battles and skirmishes, 1837- 1838. Map 6: Sault-Saint-Lmuis, 1829. Map 7: Sault-Saint-Louis and the south shore of Montreal, 1830. Figures: Fig. 1: Saint-Fran~ois-XavierMission, Kahnawake. Fig. 2: Joseph Marcoux. Fig. 3: Saint-Fran~ois-XavierMission, Kahnawake. Fig. 4: Town Hall and Indian agent's office, Kahnawake. E3g. 5: Kahnawake in the mid-eighteenth century. Figs. 6 and 7: Kahnawake in the nineteenth century. Elg. 8: The "oId chapel", Kahnawake. Fig. 9: The "old chapel", Kahnawake. Fig. 10: The "old chapel", Kahnawake. Fig. 1I: Fran~ois-MauriceLepaiIleur. Fig. 12: Indian salute and farewell at Fort McKay, Wisconsin, May 1815. Fig. 13: Note sent by Colonel Wilgress on 13 december to request the help of Kahnawake men. Fig. 14 George de Lorimier. fig. 15: Claude-Nicolas-Guillaumede Lorimier. Fig. 16: Indians and Patriotes in popular culture. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to thank the Department of Anthropology of McGill University for granting me teaching assistanships throughout the course of my graduate studies. Generous financial assitance was also provided by the Fonds pour la Formation de Chercheurs et ZIAide & la Recherche (FCAR).I obtained great academic support from the members of my ,pduate committee: Professors Toby Morantz, Carmen Lambert, and Catherine Desbarats. I would like to express my deepest appreciation to the very helpful and generous people at Kahnawake's Kanienkehaka Raotitiohkwa Cultwal Center, Ka hawake's Seigneury Ofice and Kahnaw ake's St-Francis-Xavier Mission. My research was facilitated by the people at the Archives de I'Archeve'che' de Montre'al (Monique Montbriand), the Archives de llArchidiocZse de Qugbec (Pierre Lafontaine), the Archives des PrZtres de Saint-Sulpice (Marc Lacasse), the Archives du Dioc2se de St-Jean-de-Qugbec-ci-Longueuil(Jo hanne Lefe bvre), the Archives du Skminaire
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