Beamish Murdoch, 1800-1876, a Halifax lawyer and member of the Nova Scotia legislative assembly wrote the definitive 19th century history of Acadia and Nova Scotia in three volumes from 1865 to 1867. He provided extensive notes and relied heavily on records from British and French colonial offices and New England historians who wrote extensively on the history of Acadia. Though today we think of Acadia as the present-day Maritime Provinces, Acadia historically takes in most of Maine as well. Much of what we know about Acadia comes from late 18th century New England historians.
It's a
commonplace today to present all white 19th century historians as racist
and colonial in their period representations of the Mi’kmaw and to a lesser
extent the Acadien, who come down from colonized history as the oppressed,
racially pure, morally superior white Catholic people of Longfellow’s, Land of
Evangeline myth. Murdoch however is a thorough historian and not inclined to
racist exaggeration, nor does he engage with the noble savage paradigm as
sometimes James Hanay does. Like James Fennimore Cooper, Murdoch views the period
he describes as an age of adventure where ancient and modern civilizations
clash for good or for evil. There is no doubt however Murdoch believes in the
justness of British imperialism.
“There can
be no doubt that if the Acadians had not been constantly stimulated by French
agents, clerical and lay, to a disaffected and hostile feeling against the
British rule, they might have become the happiest and most prosperous people in
the world.” Vol. 1, pg. 447
Murdoch’s
history of Nova Scotia and Acadia contains many interesting insights into the
mixed blood Acadien. First, he frankly acknowledges that they do exist as
people unto themselves sperate from the Mi’kmaw and the Acadians and had in the
18th century a unique political perspective. Murdoch gives several
historical citations which speak to the organization and perspective of the mixed
blood Acadien of western Nova Scotia, the people who settled the Chebake.
This first
illustration speaks only too clearly about the profound mixing of French and
Mi’kmaw blood…..
“ ….And you may remember that I often said that the French in time of peace were more capable of supplying the Indians with arms, ammunition, &c. , than in war, because half if not more of their ships bound to Canada were then taken, and that so long as the priests and Jesuits are amongst the Indians, they would endeavor to set them at variance with the English, that the French will furnish them with officers, whom to know from Indians is difficult, because several have been bred up amongst them, and are dressed and painted as they are. I hope you will excuse the trouble given you by, sir, your most humble servant, FRANCIS NICHOLSON. London, July, 1715 . Vol 1, pg. 348
In the next report a mixed blood Acadien wants his status as loyal subject to the crown
acknowledged. He evidently sees himself as a person dissimilar to the pure
blood second wave Acadians, who were later deported….
…..Nov'r. , 1734, at major Henry Cope's house (Annapolis
Royal) …the secretary acquainted the Board that there was one Joseph Munier, ( see Sept. 27, 1734) , an half Indian, come to
make his submission , and to take the oath of allegiance to his majesty, and
therefore to know whether it might not be administered to him , and he admitted
the same privileges as his Majesties other French subjects. The Board agreed
that, as he was an active man amongst the Indians, and as it might prove to the
good of his Majesty's service to admit him, the oath was accordingly ordered to
be administered, who, being sent for, he took the same before the Board. Vol 1,
pg. 504
Here the mixed blood Acadien of the Tintamarre want to assert their loyalty to the
crown in the aftermath of skirmishes in Maine that broke Governor Dummer’s
treaty. Soon these same mixed blood Acadien would be caught up in Pere Le
Loutre’s war and compelled to flee to Canada….
.…In the course of this winter some of the
inhabitants of Mines, Piziquid &c. entertained or professed to entertain
apprehensions for such of them as were half breeds, owing to the declaration of
war against the Indians proclaimed in New England. On this, (lieutenant governor) Mascarene
wrote to the deputies of these places to reassure them, promising to protect
all loyal men, no matter what colour their faces may have. 5 January 1744-45, Vol 2, pg.72
And in the Chebake the three brothers Muise,
grandchildren of Marie Mi’kmaw assert their loyalty to the crown. As a result,
they were not deported……
….In August Mascarene gave an official
certificate to the three brothers Muise of Poubomcoup (Pubnico) of their steady
loyalty since the declaration of war. Vol
2, pg. 76.
There are too many citations to go into in this blog post, but serious work needs to be done on Bemish Murdoch
and his account of the mixed blood people of Acadia. It is astonishing to me
that in this age of Truth and Reconciliation, Murdoch’s scholarship is written
off as colonized racism and the obvious truths he speaks about the mixed blood
Acadien of Western Nova Scotia are ignored.
