“Journal d’un Voyage sur les Côtes de la Gaspésie.” Père Jean-Baptiste-Antoine Ferland 1836
288. A Return to the Observations of Père Jean-Baptiste-Antoine Ferland: The focus of this folder will be Père Jean-Baptiste-Antoine Ferland’s “Journal d’un Voyage sur les Côtes de la Gaspésie.” I’ve already discussed select excerpts from this publication, as well as a bit of background information concerning this document and biographical information concerning Père Ferland in “Folder #58” of “Volume 1” of this collection however, I will remind you that this publication was published in in 1861 over six issues of the “Brosseau Frères’” “Les Soirées Canadiennes.”
That being said, the current summary will be focusing on “Volume 13” of “Les Soirées Canadiennes” for 1861. I’ve chosen to revisit Père Jean-Baptiste-Antoine Ferland’s “Journal d’un Voyage sur les Côtes de la Gaspésie” because “Volume 13” details his time spent in the region of Paspébiac, Québec. Therefore, this summary will be somewhat of a continuation of our recent discussion from “Folder #287” of “Volume 3” of this collection.
That being said, I’ll now begin my discussion concerning “Volume 13” of “Les Soirées Canadiennes” for 1861. The excerpts that I’ve chosen to discuss from this document relate to Père Jean-Baptiste-Antoine Ferland’s July 09, 1836 journal entry. The first of these excerpts can be found on page 408 and concerns the “Paspébiacs” of Paspébiac, Québec. As a reminder based on our discussion from “Folder #287” of “Volume 3” of this collection in addition to our discussions concerning other folders in this collection, the “Paspébiacs”/“Paspyjacks” were predominantly fishermen of mixed-First Nations and “European” blood. This important excerpt from page 408 is as follows:
“… Les Paspébiacs ne seraient certainement pas des ornements dans un salon; pour la science et pour les lettres, ils figureraient assez tristement à côté d'un Arago ou d'un Châteaubriand. “Mais après tout,” vous diront-ils avec complaisance: “les Paspébiacs, ils étions des hommes rares; pour la pêche, pour la chasse, pour prier le bon Dieu, ils n'en craignions point.” Ils paraissent vifs et emportés, et cependant ils sont toujours prêts à rendre service; ils parlent avec véhémence et à tue-tête, dle sorte qu'on les croirait fâchés, tandis qu'ils se disent des douceurs. Un Paspébiac crie-t-il à son voisin: “Taise-toi, ou je t'enfonce un croc dans le gau;” il lui fait un compliment qu'on n'adresse qu'aux plus intimes amis…”
This loosely translates to:
“… The Paspébiacs would certainly not be ornaments in a salon; for science and for letters they would appear rather sadly beside an Arago or a Châteaubriand. "But after all," they will say with complacency: “the Paspébiacs, they were rare men; for fishing, for hunting, for praying to God, they were not afraid of it.” They appear lively and carried away, and yet they are always ready to render service; they speak with vehemence and at the top of their voices, so that one would think them angry, while they say they are sweet. A Paspébiac shouts to his neighbor: "Shut up, or I'll put a fang in the left," he gives him a compliment that is only addressed to the most intimate friends ...”
This excerpt is important because it describes the mannerisms and personalities of the “Paspébiacs” as observed by Père Jean-Baptiste-Antoine Ferland. These observations accord with other such observations made by other Authors that we’ve discussed throughout this collection.
The most important thing to take from this excerpt however, is that it is stated that “the Paspébiacs, they were rare men; for fishing, for hunting, for praying to God, they were not afraid of it.” This description indicates that the “Paspébiacs” were a people who relied on the sea and woods for survival.
The next important excerpt from “Volume 13” of “Les Soirées Canadiennes” for 1861 can be found on page 409. This excerpt is very important and discusses the lack of a willingness of the “Paspébiacs” and of the “Acadians” of neighbouring Bonaventure to intermarry between these two “Castes.” This excerpt is as follows:
“… Quoique voisins, les Acadiens de Bonaventure et les Paspébiacs ont peu de rapports ensemble. De mémoire d'homme, l'on n'a point vu un garçon d'une de ces missions épouser une fille appartenant à l’autre. Des deux côtés, un certain orgueil de caste s'oppose à ces alliances…”
This loosely translates to:
“… Although neighbors, the Acadians of Bonaventure and the Paspébiacs have little relationship with each other. In the memory of one man, he had not seen a boy of one of these missions marry a girl belonging to the other. On both sides, a certain pride of caste opposes these alliances..."
The importance of this excerpt lies in the fact that we see a “caste” system present among the “Paspébiacs” and the neighbouring “Acadians.” This observation, when used in concert with other documentation found in this collection suggests that as was historically the case with the “Sang-Mêlés” (“Mixed-Bloods”) of Southwest Nova Scotia and the “Purs” (“Pures”)/“Blancs” (“Whites”) of the same region, the presence of mixed-blood in certain families led to a the development of a “Caste System” that discouraged intermarriage between members of the different “Castes.”
The next important excerpt from “Volume 13” of “Les Soirées Canadiennes” for 1861 can be found on page 410. This excerpt concerns the company of Charles Robin. This company has been discussed throughout this collection, especially in relation to the Paspébiac riots of 1886 that were led in large by “presque tous des métis” (“almost all métis”) (see “Folders #50 and 121” of “Volume 1” of this collection for examples). This excerpt from page 410 is as follows:
“… Les habitants de Paspébiac dépendent complètement de la maison Robin. Lorsque le gouvernement se décida à concéder des terres, M. Charles Robin, qui jouissait ici d'un pouvoir absolu, exposa aux pêcheurs qu'il leur serait plus avantageux de n'avoir chacun qu'un lopin de dix arpents, parce que la culture en grand les détournerait de la pêche. Ils se laissèrent persuader, et maintenant ils regrettent leur folie. Ces petits terrains, ne fournissent qu'un peu de pacage, et les propriétaires doivent tout acheter aux magasins de la compagnie, qui leur avance des marchandises à crédit, et dont ils demeurent toujours les débiteurs.(*)…”
This loosely translates to:
“… The inhabitants of Paspébiac depend entirely on the house of Robin. When the government decided to concede land, Mr. Charles Robin, who enjoyed absolute power here, exposed to the fishermen that it would be more advantageous to them to have only one piece of ten acres, because the farming in large would divert them from the fishing. They allowed themselves to be persuaded, and now they regret their folly. These small plots provide only a little grazing, and the owners must buy everything at the company's stores which advances goods to them on credit, and of which they always remain the debtors. (*)..."
This excerpt is important because it demonstrates that fishing was a way of life for the “Paspébiacs” and this lifestyle was valued by these people over the cultivation of land.
This excerpt is also important because it tells of the early events that preceded the recently-mentioned Riots of 1886.
One final important excerpt from “Volume 13” of “Les Soirées Canadiennes” for 1861 concerns the living/housing arrangements of the “Paspébiacs.” This excerpt can be found on page 411 and is as follows:
“… Lorsque les Paspébiacs prirent leurs terres, la forêt descendait jusqu'au bane, sur lequel ils avaient élevé leurs maisons. Les défrichements s'étendirent, et il fallut songer à se rapprocher du théàtre de leurs travaux agricoles. Ils se bâtirent donc dans le bois; et, quoique aujourd'hui les arbres aient été abattus, ils continuent de désigner leurs habitations d'hiver sous le nom de maisons du bois, tandis que leurs habitations d'été sont les maisons du bagne…”
This loosely translates to:
“… When the Paspébiacs took their lands, the forest went down to the river, on which they had raised their houses. The clearings extended, and it was necessary to think of approaching the theater with their agricultural work. They built themselves in the woods; and although the trees have now been cut down, they continue to designate their winter dwellings as wood houses, while their summer houses are the bagne houses ...”
The importance of this excerpt is that it demonstrates the “Paspébiacs” had both “winter homes” and “summer homes.” The “winter homes” were traditionally in the woods whereas, the “summer homes” were traditionally “bagne” houses. According to page 407:
“… De grand matin, nous dédoublons la pointe du banc de Paspébiac. Le banc ou, comme on le nomme ici, le bagne, est un triangle équilatéral dont la bâse est formée par la terre ferme; des deux extrémités de cette bàse, qui a un mille de longueur, partent deux bandes sablonneuses, larges environ d'un arpent et se joignant à un mille en mer. L'intérieur de ce triangle est un beau bassin, qui communique avec les eaux de la mer par un étroit canal. Le bassin et le goulet étaient autrefois assez profonds pour recevoir des navires; malheureusement au milieu du premier se trouvait un îlot, qui, en s'affaissant, l'a rempli de manière qu'il ne sert plus que pour des berges…”
This loosely translates to:
“…Early in the morning, we split the point of the Paspébiac bank. The bank, or, as it is called here, the bagne, is an equilateral triangle whose bough is formed by firm ground; from the two extremities of this beach, which is one mile in length, leave two sandy strips, about an acre wide, and joining a mile at sea. The interior of this triangle is a beautiful basin, which communicates with the waters of the sea by a narrow channel. The basin and the gully were once deep enough to receive ships; unfortunately in the middle of the first was an island, which, by sinking, filled it so that it only serves for embankments ...”
Based on this excerpt, we can conclude that the “Paspébiacs” traditionally spent the winter months residing in the woods and spent the summer months residing by the sea. In my opinion, this is indicative that the “Paspébiacs” moved into the woods in the winter to hunt and moved close to the sea in the winter to fish.
In conclusion, “Volume 13” of “Les Soirées Canadiennes” for 1861 is a very important document because it provides another very detailed first-hand account of the lives of the inhabitants of Paspébiac, Québec in the first half of the nineteenth century (also known as the “Paspébiacs”). It is through these published, and unpublished accounts that we learn the “raw” and un-altered/un-censored details of the people whom the Authors of these accounts encountered on their travels. In order to gain a full-understanding of the histories of the regions of New France and Acadia that weren’t as populous as the “hubs” of these colonies, we often must turn to these invaluable resources. This is especially true when we’re dealing with mixed-blooded and other Indigenous Peoples. Therefore, “Volume 13” of “Les Soirées Canadiennes” is a welcome addition to this collection.
*A Huge Thanks to Eli Laliberte for Pointing These Out to Me*
