THE OHIO VALLEY-GREAT LAKES ETHNOHISTORY
ARCHIVES: THE MIAMI COLLECTION
It is noted that the following work from the Miami Archives should be read and
considered within the historical context in which it was composed and printed.
The opinions expressed and the language used do not reflect the opinions or
standards of the Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology, but are, rather,
indicative of thought in that historical moment during which the document was
published.
Father Marest's Complaint Against Cadillac
(June 4, 1708)
Marest, Father Joseph, S. J., in: Michigan Historical
Collections, XXXIII, pp. 383-387.
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They represent that His Majesty has permitted them to establish themselves wherever they can in Canada, in order to preach the Gospel there, with orders to commanding officers to support them in their missions; and that it is very hard on them, after having sacrificed themselves to teach the savage tribes, and subject them to the rule of France, that they should be robbed of their labor in favor of Recollets who do not know the language of these savages; and that the said Sr. de la Mothe Cadillac, for that purpose, makes use of His Majesty's authority, of which he says he is the sole depository in Canada. |
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that is not settled. |
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They also say that this officer is audacious and aggressive; that he thinks his power unlimited; that he always acts without waiting for authority; and that he gives everyone to understand that he is the master of the Jesuits, and will send them to France whenever he thinks fit to give an account of their actions. They beg that they may not be left at the mercy of this commandant, who thinks he can do whatever he pleases, and openly displays his animosity against them everywhere. |
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rightly. |
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They also beg that they may be reinstated in possession of the mission to the Miamis savages, and the others of which the said Sr. de La Mothe has deprived them, and to order him to let them carry on their missions, as they think fit, when they are within the limits of his command, and not harass them as he has done hitherto. |
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good |
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FATHER MAREST'S COMPLAINT AGAINST CADILLAC.
Copy of a letter from Father Marest, missionary of the Society of Jesus at Michilimakina, written to the Marquis de Vaudreuil on the 4th of June, 1708.
Sir,
* * *
The short time they give me for writing does not allow me to give you full details. I shall content myself with stating concisely what seems to me most essential.
1st. Last Autumn, Monsieur de La Mothe, when he granted le Pezant his life, employed the Outtavois who had accompanied him to Detroit and brought him back here, to invite not only those of le Pezant's tribe, or those who had already been at Detroit, but all the Outtavois of Michilimakina in general, to go and settle with him.
2nd. His spokesman, named Ouakesson, who called everybody together the day after he arrived, after he had hung up a necklace, by which Mon- (page 384) sieur de La Mothe opened for the Outtavois the road to Detroit, saying that they had disarmed him by sending Le Pezant to him, proceeded to hang up two strings of wampum threaded, and said that one was to invite and bind all the Outtavois, and the other for me to follow them with all the French people from Michilimakina. But Monsieur de La Mothe did not deign, in a matter which concerned me so nearly, to honor me with even a word in writing. He had his reasons; his spokesman claimed that he was a living letter. It is, however, true that he said things which ought in no way to have been said nor permitted, contrary both to your authority as Governor and to my position as missionary.
3rd. If Monsieur de La Mothe had promised Ouakesson a crown as a reward for the mission he charged him with, he could not have acquitted himself better in it. Besides the earnestness and boldness with which he spoke, he employed every means to succeed in his purpose,- promises, threats, even of death, to anyone who would not go to Detroit; presents, visits, persuasions, offers of services, truths, falsehoods everything has been employed. Monsieur de La Mothe could not have been better served than he was by this savage. Nevertheless he met with resistance from many, especially the Kiskakous and what vexed him more- from Le Brochet, who belongs to his own tribe, the Sand tribe.
4th. For my part, in accordance with what you have done me the honor to tell me in your letters, I did not propose1 to those who resolved to go to Detroit. I did more, for I gave them a belt to make known to them that I would not abandon them, and that I would go with them if I could divide myself up; that, although I could not do so, I was expecting another missionary at once who would be another self to me, and when there were two of us one could go with them, the other remaining here; but that this could not be done until you had been informed of it, since you fill the place of His Majesty here. I gave them in writing a statement of what this necklace signified, as they requested me to do so.
5th. Matters being in this position, they set out for their winter quarters. Those who were for Detroit, and also others who were undecided, went by Monsieur de La Mothe's orders to winter in the direction of the Sakinang, and he sent them smiths or armorers. The rest went either towards the Bay or the great river.
6th. Those from the great river did not arrive here until the 25th of May. On their arrival, they reported that a party of Miamis had made an attack on the daughters-in-law of Ouchelaouetton, an Outtavois, whom they had carried off with three children. The young men of the Outtavois wished to pursue them; but Sakima went from his winter quarters(page 385) over land to the great river and stopped the young men, saying they must not attack without speaking to you and obeying your will.
7th. At the same time that they arrived we had news by boat from Sakinang that three Frenchmen had been killed, or captured at Detroit, by the Miamis, and that it was believed they had also captured five Outtavois at Sakinang, which we were sorry for.
8th. In spite of this news, which completely destroyed the assurance which Monsieur de La Mothe had given through Ouakesson against enemies of all kinds, Monsieur d'Argenteuil took all the Outtavois he found at Sakinang to Detroit, making them a present of ten sols' worth of corn. He invited them to come and avenge themselves on the Miamis; but about five or six boatloads, who have come back here, say that if it was really to go to war, they ought to have sent the women and children to Michilimakina where they would be safer.
9th. It is said that what annoyed the Miamis was that Monsieur de La Mothe did not show your firmness regarding Le Pezant; and that although he had promised the Miamis to boil him in the pot, he had granted him his life and had invited him to come and settle at Detroit with his tribe. It is added that the Miamis have made large presents to the Iroquois, and that it is this that makes them so bold; that it is to be feared that it may reopen the war between the Iroquois and the French. That is the opinion of the Outtavois here who say that those at Detroit will be obliged to retire to Michilimakina again as a refuge. Monsieur d'Argenteuil holds a different opinion and writes from Sakinang that he hopes to return here this summer, bringing good news from Detroit; but he did not know when he wrote, in what condition he would find things. As for Monsieur de La Mothe, we see no letters from him.
10th. The Outtavois of Michilimakina, are working hard at their field, and are all sowing seed.
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11th |
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I forgot to tell you that, as I did not doubt that Monsieur de La Mothe would use all his skill to prevent the people of Detroit from making any attack, and believed that there was more to be feared from the Outtavois, especially from one whose brother had been cruelly burned by the Miamis, I gave him one of your necklaces to appease him, and keep him from stirring up troubles in the land. But the evil arose from a source from which it ought least to have come. It is believed that the Huron had a large share in it.
* * *
The men who arrived to-day from the Bay say that the Poutouatamis who remained there, and with them several Sakis, were to go and rejoin at the St. Joseph River with Ouilamez, where the land is excellent and (page 386) there are animals in abundance. It is probable that the bad news from Detroit may make them change their minds; and they may also make the Poutouatamis depart, which would be a great pity.
I was ready to close my letter when Onaskié and Sakima, came and requested me to tell you that they were sending this boat, in advance, in order to inform you of the attack which the Miamis made upon them at the great river; that you said that the first who made an attack should be punished; that they wished to act according to your will.
They also requested me to tell you at the same time- 1st. that this winter some savages brought a piece of wampum, threaded, from Detroit to Sakinang, which denoted a message from Monsieur de La Mothe closing the great river [to them]. They ask whether it is in his power to do so, and whether he has greater authority than you, who declared to them that the paths to Montreal and to Detroit were equally free to them.
2nd. That he had threatened them with disease, which would spare them even less than the small-pox which had afflicted them so heavily when they refused his first invitation. This threat has frightened several of them and drawn them away; but there are some now who say "if Monsieur de la Mothe has control over the disease, why does he not launch it at the Miamis, who attacked him, and not at us who are all for the French although we remain at Michilimakina."
3rd. These same savages wish me to inform you, Sir, that Mons. d'Argenteuil wanted to give a letter to a Kiskakou named Sipy to take to Sakima, and, as he would not take charge of it, he ordered him to tell Sakima by word of mouth to come to Detroit as soon as he could, or else a hundred soldiers would come and take me away from here and bring me by force; on which Sakima added that whoever came to invite him to go to Detroit would waste his labor, that he saw plainly that they were annoyed with me at Detroit because I was dwelling with them.
4th. He says that Mons. d'Argenteuil is to go from here to the Bay and the North, to invite all the savages to make war against the Miamis, or for some other purpose that he does not know. Almost all the savages say that M. de La Mothe ought not to have given them so complete an assurance against enemies of all kinds, since he cannot even protect himself against them.
I thought there was nothing more that I had
the honor of writing to you about; [but] I ought not to omit that certain
savages from Sakinang said that they believed M. d'Argenteuil was to go north
and south, to withdraw all the French people there. Would to God, Sir, that you
could bring down those who have dispersed through the upper countries
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