Early Writings of Père Jean-Mandé Sigogne at Cape Sable and the Baie Sainte-Marie
A Return to the Early Writings of Père Jean-Mandé Sigogne at Cape Sable and the Baie Sainte-Marie: This folder contains a copy of a sermon that Père Jean-Mandé Sigogne originally preached at Baie Sainte-Marie to his new Parishioners there on August 25, 1799, only a little over a month after he had arrived at the Cape Sable region for the first time (he arrived on July 04, 1799 at Sainte-Anne-du-Ruisseau). It is also important to note that this sermon pre-dates Père Sigogne’s previously-discussed January 26, 1800 letter to Monseigneur Pierre Denaut telling of similar frustrations.
Public Archives Canada Microfilm C-1487.
A copy of this sermon, which is properly entitled, “Sur le Mariage,” can be found on pages 13 to 27 of the “Public Archives Canada’s” record collection entitled, “SIGOGNE PAPERS Vol. 2 (M.G. 23 C10),” which can be found on “Public Archives Canada Microfilm C-1487.” However, for the purpose of simplicity, I have chosen to use a published transcription of this sermon in the current discussion. This transcription can be found on pages 53 to 67 of Doctor Gérald C. Boudreau’s 1987 book entitled, “Les écrits du père Sigogne: Volume 1.” The relevant section of this August 25, 1799 sermon can be found on pages 62 and 63 of Doctor Boudreau’s transcription (pages 22 and 23 of the original copy) and reads as follows:
“… Mais vous devez & vous auriez dû, comme des membres fidèles du corps mystique de rédempteur, montrer précédem[ment] votre soumission à celle à qui vous appartenez par le s[aint] Baptême. Je veux dire à l’église en demandant une dispense avant de vous unir. C’est ce défaut de soumission en matière grave & importante (que j’ai blâmé – qui est à blâmer - & qui seulem[en]t j’ai voulu blâmer, je m’adresse maintenant à ceux qui sont conjoints dans les degrés de consanguinité prohibés & à leurs parens. Mais le passé est excusé & pardonné, & à cause de votre bonne volonté & de votre prompte soumission lorsque vous avez connu votre devoir. Désormais prenez les précautions nécessaires avant de vous unir ensemble.) (Restez fidèles, ô Xens[chrétiens], &)5 l’église aura touj[ours] pour vous de la condescendence jusqu’à ce que votre nombre soit suffisam[m]ent augmenté pour pouvoir vous allier hors de ces degrés prohibés sans les inconvéniens qui se trouvent auj[ourd’hui]. Mais cependant, je ne puis m’empêcher de blâmer un certain préjugé que je m’apperçois[sic] qui existe parmi vous. C’est que vous considérez le sang de telle ou telle famille plus pur dans l’une que dans l’autre, & que vous aimez mieux voir vos enfans enfreindre les loix de l’église universelle que de les voir mésalliés à ce que vous prétendez en entrant dans des familles que vous trouvez entachées. N’êtes vous pas tous frères en J[ésus]-C[hrist], est-ce le sang & la richesse qui doivent vous guider dans votre choix, 3e n’est-ce pas au contraire la vertu & toutes les bonnes qualités qu peuvent [23] vous rendre heureux & tranquilles ici-bas que vous devriez rechercher. O Jeunes Chrét[iens] & vous pères & mères qui avez des enfans en âge de devenir époux & épouses, n’est-ce pas aussi ces motifs dictés par la religion & la raison qui devroient guider votre consentem[en]t ou votre opposition à leur alliance? Pensez-y, réfléchissez-y devant Dieu. Pardonnez-moi ces réflexions, je ne prétens pas dominer sur vous, ni déterminer votre choix, encore moins le gêner ou le contraindre; je vous laisse entière liberté sur ce point sans prétendre régler votre volonté; seulem[en]t je crains, m[es] ch[ers] frères, que dans cette conduit il n’y ait plus de vanité mondaine & de vains préjugés qu’une vraie charité chrétienne. Je reviens aux empêchem[ent]s…”
This loosely translates to:
“… But you must & you should have, as faithful members of the mystical body of the redeemer, previously shown your submission to the one to whom you belong by Holy Baptism. I mean to the church asking for a dispensation before you unite. It is this lack of submission in serious & important matters (that I blamed – who is to blame - & who I only wanted to blame, I now address those who are spouses in the prohibited degrees of consanguinity & to their parents. But the past is excused & forgiven, & because of your good will & of your prompt submission when you have known your duty. Now take the necessary precautions before uniting together.) (Remain faithful, O Christians, &)5 the church will always have for you condescension until your number is increased enough to be able to ally yourself outside these prohibited degrees without the inconveniences that are found today. However, I cannot help blaming a certain prejudice that I perceive that exists among you. It is that you consider the blood of this or that family purer in one than in the other, & that you prefer to see your children breaking the universal laws of the church than seeing them mesallied with what you claim to enter into the families that you find tainted. Are not you all brothers in Jesus Christ, is it blood & wealth that should guide you in your choice, 3rd is not on the contrary virtue & all the good qualities that can [23] make you happy & quiet down here that you should be seeking. O Young Christians & you fathers & mothers who have children of the age of becoming husbands and wives, is it not also these motives dictated by religion & the reason which should guide your consent or your opposition to their alliance? Think about it, reflect about it before God. Forgive me these reflections, I do not pretend to dominate you, nor to determine your choice, let alone hinder or constrain it; I give you complete freedom on this point without pretending to regulate your will; only i fear, my dear brothers, that in this conduct there is no longer worldly vanity & of vain prejudices than a true Christian charity. I return to the impediments …”
As you can hopefully see, the prejudice and denigration inflicted upon the “Sang-Mêlé” (“Mixed-Blooded”) families of the historic post-Deportation Cape Sable region/region of present-day Southwest Nova Scotia by the “Pur” (“Pure”)/“Blanc” (“White”) families was “alive and well” when Père Jean-Mandé Sigogne arrived in the region on July 04, 1799. A perception that was persistent in the mind of Father Sigogne throughout his mission in the region as we can witness in one of the sermons he gave to his parishioners, 27 years later as he calls them a degenerate race.
It is especially important to note that this prejudice and denigration of the “Sang-Mêlé” (“Mixed-Blooded”) families was not created by the Catholic Church rather, it was created by the community members themselves.
So, given the information found in this excerpt, as well as in multiple other writings of Père Jean-Mandé Sigogne and other observers of the nineteenth century that we have examined throughout this collection, I believe it to be more than appropriate to conclude that the “Sang-Mêlé” (“Mixed-Blooded”) families were a post-Deportation “Caste” of mixed-blooded Indigenous people who were stuck between the classification of being “proper Acadians” and of being “Full-Blooded Sauvages” (“Full-Blooded “Savages” (Savages/First Nations Peoples)”).
There really is no other way than to summarize this situation than to re-state that as we have clearly seen, and will likely continue to see throughout this collection, the “Sang-Mêlé” (“Mixed-Blooded”) families of the Cape Sable/Southwest Nova Scotia region were, and still are for the most part, a post-, and in many cases, a pre-Deportation “Caste” of mixed-blooded Indigenous people who were/are stuck between the classification of being “proper Acadians” and of being “Full-Blooded Sauvages” (“Full-Blooded “Savages” (Savages/First Nations Peoples)”).
