The Chippewas made the effort to come into the colony because they were organizing the Feast of the Dead, a great indigenous gathering to bring together many nations that were refugees or were living to the south and west of Lake Superior. The purpose of the celebration was to maintain existing agreements, make new ones — notably with the Sioux, who tolerated the arrival of all the refugees on their territory — and, very likely, to restructure the fur trade after the dispersal of the Hurons.
As hosts the Chippewas were obliged to distribute valuable gifts to those who took part. French goods, which were rare and prestigious, were called for; besides, the Chippewas would thereby be able to display their ability to replace the Hurons as suppliers of such articles.
For their part, Radisson and Des Groseilliers went to the gathering not only to trade in a personal capacity, but also to deliver a new message of collaboration and relaunch the fur trade on a lasting basis. Although they did not have a mandate to do so, they would speak in the name of all the French as, in their opinion, it was vital to restore the trust of the indigenous people by reaffirming the French willingness to reach a compromise and support them militarily.
On the way to the feast Radisson and Des Groseilliers joined forces with a group of Ottawa allies, defeated some Iroquois posted on the Ottawa River, and re-established contact with some of the Cree whom Des Groseilliers had met during his previous journey. While the Chippewas returned to their territory, worried that the Sioux might have slaughtered their families during their absence, the two Frenchmen stayed where they were.
If all went well, the Chippewas would come back and transport the goods to their lands. But if the Sioux had attacked them, the Chippewas intended to muster a large army and avenge the deaths of their families. Meanwhile, the two explorers built a small fort for their safety. Twelve days after their departure the Chippewas returned to look for Radisson and Des Groseilliers, who did everything in their power to impress them. This we brought farre into the bay, where we sunke them, bid[d]ing our devill not to lett them to be wett nor rustied, nor suffer them to be taken away … that we should retourne and take them out of his hands att which they weare astonished believing it to be true.
They thus quickly gained the upper hand over the people of these regions, who had never seen white men, and apparently even over the Chippewas. Two lasting advantages were to work in their favour: the iron objects they distributed with abundance and the 15 rifles and pistols they reserved for their own use. Having never had any contact with white men, the indigenous people spontaneously associated the strength of iron and the force of firearms with occult powers; it could only be because of special spiritual connections that these Frenchmen benefited from such capabilities.
The fourth account describes the numerous difficulties encountered by the European travellers when venturing so deeply into indigenous territory among nations with diverse customs at a time of acute tension. The climax of the account is without a doubt the Feast of the Dead in March In addition to the vivid descriptions, it includes the great speech delivered by Radisson and Des Groseilliers.
This agreement — in contrast to the one previously advocated by the Jesuit missionaries, whose aim was to effect a profound change in indigenous culture — was based on a realistic vision of the partnership that experienced Frenchmen such as Radisson and Des Groseilliers thought possible to establish between New France and its indigenous allies in the long term. The two explorers were pragmatic; they perceived this new attitude to be necessary, even if they did not have a mandate to act as they did.
They discharged all their firearms into the air and then threw a large quantity of gunpowder into the fire. The following day they acted as spokesmen for all the French by giving five gifts — mostly articles made of iron — each of which conveyed a message in accordance with the indigenous form of diplomacy. They stated that they had come to this country to improve the lives of its inhabitants and not to kill them.
They described the nations present as brothers and children. They complimented the Sioux on their bravery and told them that the French wanted to establish universal peace in the area. On the subject of the Cree, who were at war with the Sioux, Des Groseilliers reminded those in attendance that he had called them his adopted children during his previous expedition. Radisson would therefore seek out the Cree in order for the Sioux and Cree to make peace but this was to be only temporary ; the first to break the peace would be reduced to powder by the fire from the sky firearms of the French.
If the nations did not agree to take part in the dance of unity planned for the Feast of the Dead, they would never see the French in their country again. The brothers-in-law then thanked the Sioux for letting them move around freely in their territory. Lastly, with the offer of a gift they asked the women to receive them hospitably when they entered their huts and give them something to eat. Presenting themselves as adoptive fathers of their allies, the French pledged to supply them with European goods, promote peace among them, arbitrate any potential conflicts, and do battle alongside them when necessary.
What was striking about this approach during the great indigenous gathering was the forceful manner in which Radisson and Des Groseilliers established their power and communicated their message. On a few other occasions the two did not hesitate to disrupt indigenous traditions to assert themselves.
The Sioux would eventually reject the alliance proposed by Radisson and Des Groseilliers, perhaps because of the substitution, which was no trivial matter as it could antagonize the spirits and cause great misfortune. The two Frenchmen also threw gunpowder into the fire instead of sacred tobacco, causing an explosion that terrified the Sioux. They played the same trick at the Feast of the Dead before hundreds, who were astounded by their powers.
Each time, they specified that these powers were meant solely to protect their allies and to be shared with them through the fur trade.
These dramatic tactics demonstrate the determination of the French to change the indigenous world, but in a less invasive manner than previously and by counting on recognition among the inhabitants of the tangible advantages of cooperation. Meanwhile, the stratagem also ensured some degree of safety for Radisson and Des Groseilliers in a very unstable environment.
In the long run, however, it would not allow the brothers-in-law to gain complete control of the situation. At the end of their eight-month sojourn in the region of Lake Superior, it was difficult for Radisson and Des Groseilliers to persuade their allies to travel with them and bring their furs as far as Montreal.
The Sioux were the first to refuse to follow them. Exercising patience and through skilful debate, the two eventually managed to bring their partners around to their point of view, with the exception of the Cree, who turned back.
On 19 Aug. And the better to say at his last bidding no castors no ship, and what [were we? During that time Radisson remained in New France. As hunters, the Cree were unhappy with their peripheral position in the network of indigenous fur traders compared with that of the trading nations, who supplied them with French goods. The Cree were aware that they supplied excellent furs to the Hurons, Ottawa, and Chippewas but felt they received very little in return.
On this occasion the brothers-in-law obtained information about the territories of James Bay and Hudson Bay, which were frequented by the Cree in summer. Meanwhile, the Jesuits, no doubt on the initiative of Paul Ragueneau, who knew Radisson well, suggested that he attempt to reach Hudson Bay via the interior. Radisson, however, opted to remain with Des Groseilliers. Instead of finding the ship they had been expecting from La Rochelle, they were met by a Jesuit priest.
He informed them that their expedition had been blocked and reproached them for harming the colony, for it appeared obvious that their aim was to avoid paying the rightful levy of a quarter of their beaver pelts, which would have been delivered straight to France. The tax in fact financed the administration of New France.
Radisson and Des Groseilliers fought back and continued on their way in Acadia, where no Acadian was able to fund their project. They did, however, find some bold Boston merchants ready to back their enterprise and they followed them to New England. Unofficially, the commission was also mandated to seize New Holland N.
It would seem that Radisson and Des Groseilliers facilitated the conquest in by informing the commissioners about the Dutch habit of transferring the maximum amount of gunpowder to Fort Orange in the autumn. They were at the very least in a position to tell them of the workings of the flourishing trade in furs between the Dutch and the Iroquois, which would explain why Commissioner George Cartwright made it his duty to bring the two Frenchmen to England.
He has to go and get her. In , he travels to London. They snatch Fort Nelson from the English, seize a ship from Boston and return with an impressive cargo of furs. When they are not paid fairly for their contribution to the mission, the two men finally call it quits.
Des Groseilliers fades into obscurity. Radisson heads for France and, from there, to England. He empties the storehouses, taking with him the furs which belong to the French. Having become a citizen of England in , Radisson died in , almost destitute. He had married three times and had had at least nine children.
Their "dissatisfaction" with the company and a generous offer from the French secretary of state, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, led the brothers-in-law to desert to France in With a wife in England, Radisson was never fully trusted. As Canada's governor would not employ him, Radisson was a French navy midshipman from to Radisson destroyed rival posts and established Ft Bourbon on the Nelson River.
When the governor of Canada taxed their furs and released a ship they had captured, the brothers-in-law sought restitution in France. They failed because Colbert, their patron, was dead. Radisson was chief director of trade at Fort Nelson from to With a price on his head in Canada, he retired with his family to Westminster [London], Eng, where he completed the narrative of his voyages. From his own sketchy account of his career, it appears that Radisson was captured by the Iroquois in the early s, was adopted by an Indian family, and spent some 2 years traveling and hunting with his captors.
He escaped in , sailed to Amsterdam, and arrived back in Three Rivers late the same year. Apparently, Radisson remained in New France for the next 4 years, except for one more trip made to the Iroquois territory near Albany. Radisson's first trip west was undertaken with his brother-in-law in They wintered southwest of Lake Superior in Sioux country. It was probably during this trip that the two men first heard of Hudson Bay and the treasure of beaver to be found in that area.
In the spring Radisson and Des Groseilliers returned to Montreal laden with furs, most of which were promptly confiscated by corrupt officials. From this point on, patriotism played little part in the adventures of Radisson. From to the two men operated from New England and tried—unsuccessfully—to reach Hudson Bay by sea.
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