Monseigneur Pierre Denaut’s Response to Père Jean-Mandé Sigogne’s 1800

Dec 12

Dec 12 Monseigneur Pierre Denaut’s Response to Père Jean-Mandé Sigogne’s 1800

Southwest Nova Scotia, sigogne, sang-mêlé, Mixed-blood

234. Monseigneur Pierre Denaut’s Response to Père Jean-Mandé Sigogne’s Initial Concerns About the Denigration and Ostracization of the “Sang-Mêlés” (“Mixed-Bloods”) of Southwest Nova Scotia by the “Purs” (“Pures”)/“Blancs” (“Whites”) of the Region (not my best works but this one was really hard to decipher):

This folder contains a copy of a letter written by Monseigneur Pierre Denaut to Père Jean-Mandé Sigogne on September 29, 1800 at Longueil, Québec. This letter appears to be a formal response to concerns expressed by Père Sigogne to Monseigneur Denaut, who was then Archbishop of Québec, earlier that year, most notably concerns relating to the denigration and ostracization of the “Sang-Mêlés” (“Mixed-Bloods”) of his newly acquired “flock” by their “Pur” (“Pure”)/“Blanc” (“White”) neighbours. Monseigneur Denaut’s letter can be found on pages 05 to 08 of “Public Archives Canada Microfilm C-1487” in the record collection entitled, “Sigogne Papers Vol. 1 (M.G. 23 C 10).”

These concerns relating to the “Sang-Mêlés” (“Mixed-Bloods”) of Southwest Nova Scotia are found in a letter written by Père Jean-Mandé Sigogne to Monseigneur Pierre Denaut on January 26, 1800 at Baie Sainte-Marie, Nova Scotia (see “Achidiocèse de Québec Archives, 312 CN, Nouvelle-Écosse, vol. 30”). This letter can be found in “Folder #11” of “Volume 1” of this collection and discussed throughout this collection as well.

Due to the fact that I’ve discussed both Monseigneur Pierre Denaut to Père Jean-Mandé Sigogne many, many times throughout this collection, I won’t be providing biographical information concerning either man in the current summary.

Before I begin my discussion concerning the letter written by Monseigneur Pierre Denaut to Père Jean-Mandé Sigogne on September 29, 1800 at Longueil, Québec, I will provide you with the relevant excerpt from Père Sigogne’s recently-mentioned January 26, 1800 letter to Monseigneur Denaut written at Baie Sainte-Marie, Nova Scotia. This excerpt can be found on pages 07 and 08 of this letter. For the purpose of simplicity, according to a transcription of this excerpt found on pages 23 and 24 of Gérald C. Boudreau’s 1987 book entitled, “Les écrits du père Sigogne: Volume 1,” this excerpt is as follows:

“… Il règne ici un préjugé qui me semble contraire à la charité & à l’esprit de la religion & même de l’église parce qu’on le porte trop loin et on l’appuie de l‘autorité de la coutume du pays, & même de celle du clergé. C’est le mariage contracté ou à contracter entre des gens qu’ils appellent Blancs & d’autres qui ont ce qu’ils appellent du sang mêlé, qui n’est pas du goût de bien du monde ici, malgré l’égalité de la condition d’ailleurs, la supériorité de la fortune, même de la vertu & des talens. Quelques-uns aiment mieux voir leurs enfans non mariés que de les voir alliés avec des familles même tant soit peu entachées, et la plupart préfèrent les marier à des degrés prohibés par l’église: de sorte qu’ils ont plus d’égard pour leur vain préjugé que de soumission pour l’ordre & la règle dans l’église. On va ici jusqu’à dire qu’on refuseroit au sacrament de l’ordre un jeune homme qui auroit la moindre tache de sang sauvage. Cela me paroît nouveau & ridicule, je n’ai jamais entendu parler de semblables irrégularités. On ne trouve aucun canon que je sache de l’ancienne église d’Afrique qui fasse mention d’un pareil cas; cependant il me semble qu’il y devoit bien avoir des familles romaines alliées avec les familles africaines. Le préjugé me paroît difficile à détruire; j’en ai dit quelque chose en public, mais avec précaution pour ne point offenser les esprits; mais je l’ai bien tourné en ridicule en particulier dans l’occasion; il me fâche qu’il faille ici les Marier parens au mépris des loix de l’église parce que l’ayeul du trisayeul des personnes à marier étoit un sauvage, peut-être plus Chrétien qu’eux. J’attens avec soumission & respect l’opinion de Votre Grandeur sur ce préjugé...”

Which loosely translates to:

“… There reigns here a prejudice that seems to be contradictory to the charity and the spirit of the religion and also of the church because it has been carried too far and it is supported by authority and the custom of the area, and even by the clergy. It is the marriage that is contracted or to be contracted between those who are called Whites and others who they call sang mêlé, which is not accepted by people here, despite the equality of conditions to others, superiority in wealth, and of virtue and talent. Some people prefer to see their children unmarried than to see them married into the families that are even slightly tainted, and most prefer that they marry to the degrees that are prohibited by the church: so that they have more respect for their vain prejudice than for order and rule in the church. We can see here that there is a refusal to marry any young man with any drop of Savage blood. This is new and ridiculous to me, I have never heard of such irregularities. I have found no canon from the ancient church of Africa that mentions similar; there seems to have been Roman families that were allied with the African families. This prejudice seems difficult to destroy; I said something in public, but with precaution so I would not offend the spirits; but I have been ridiculed for this on occasion; It makes me angry that to Marry couples is in violation of the laws of the church because one of the ancestors of their great-grandfathers married a Savage, perhaps more Christian than them. I wait with submission and respect for your opinion on this prejudice, your Greatness…”

Now that I’ve refreshed your memory in relation to Père Jean-Mandé Sigogne’s early 1800 concerns about the ostracization and denigration of the “Sang-Mêlés” (“Mixed-Bloods”) of Southwest Nova Scotia by their “Pur” (“Pure”)/“Blanc” (“White”) neighbours, I’ll now begin my discussion about Monseigneur Pierre Denaut’s September 29, 1800 response to Père Sigogne’s January 26, 1800 letter.

Monseigneur Pierre Denaut’s September 29, 1800 formal response, which I must emphasize was written in very sloppy handwriting and is at times illegible, is very important for the following excerpt, which is found on the second page of this letter (page 06 of “Public Archives Canada Microfilm C-1487” in the record collection entitled, “Sigogne Papers Vol. 1 (M.G. 23 C 10)”):

“… Ce prejugé qui Vous a Semblé si Contraire a La charité, si opposé à L’esprit de religion et même de L’eglise, regne icy Comme Chez Vous; il a été en effet authorité par La Coutume du pays par La Conduite du Clergé dans Les 1er temps de L’etablissement du pays et Longtemps après. Ces Sortes de Mariages etant prohibités par Le gouvernement; ou les a toleré depuis, et a present on marie sans difficulté tous Ceux qui (?) presentment, il est vray qu’il y en a bien peu et on ne Les en (?) pas, n y en public, n y en particulier. on Laisse aller Les Choses. L’inclination doit entrer pour beaucoup dans Les mariages, Les Sauvages n’en sentent pas pour Les françoises, ny Les François pour Les Sauvagesses. mais on vous a bien mal informé. Quand vous a dit que La naissance d’un jeune sauvage etais une irregularité qui l’empecheront d’etre promis aux orders fairés…”

Which loosely translates to:

“… This prejudice that You find so Contrary to the charity, so opposed to the spirit of religion and same of the church, reigns here Like where you live; it was indeed authoritated by the Custom of the country by the Conduct of the Clergy in the 1st stages of the establishment of the country and Long after. These kinds of marriages being prohibited by the government; or tolerated them since, and now it is easy to marry all those who (?) presently, it is true that there are very few and we do not (?), not in public, not in private. we Let Things go. The inclination must enter for many in The marriages, The Savage men do not feel for the French women, nor the Frenchmen for the Savage women. but you have been misinformed. When you say that The birth of a young savage was an irregularity that will prevent him from being promised to the orders made…”

The primary importance of this letter lies in the fact that Monseigneur Pierre Denaut, who was then Archbishop of Québec, informs Père Jean-Mandé Sigogne, who was recently assigned to the “Acadians” of Southwest Nova Scotia, informs Père Sigogne that in relation to intermarriages between the “French”/“Acadians” and First Nations Peoples, “il a été en effet authorité par La Coutume du pays par La Conduite du Clergé dans Les 1er temps de L’etablissement du pays et Longtemps après. Ces Sortes de Mariages etant prohibités par Le gouvernement; ou les a toleré depuis” (“it was indeed authoritated by the Custom of the country by the Conduct of the Clergy in the 1st stages of the establishment of the country and Long after. These kinds of marriages being prohibited by the government; or tolerated them since”). Clearly intermarriage was something that was highly discouraged at the turn of the 19th century and even before then.

The second reason why this excerpt is important is because Monseigneur Pierre Denaut asserts that “Les Sauvages n’en sentent pas pour Les françoises, ny Les François pour Les Sauvagesses” (“The Savage men do not feel for the French women, nor the Frenchmen for the Savage women”). The importance of this statement is that it suggests that the “French”/“Acadians” had no desire to marry First Nations men or women by the turn of the 19th century. Therefore, this strongly suggests that the only First Nations blood that was “flowing through the veins” of the “Acadians” of Southwest Nova Scotia by the year 1800 was that shared among the members of the “caste dêtestée des gens mêlés” (“detested caste of mixed people”), whom as we know from documentation discussed throughout this collection, were more-often-than-not forced to marry among themselves, often marrying within the prohibited degrees of consanguinity because of the denigration and ostracization they faced by their “Pur” (“Pure”)/“Blanc” (“White”) neighbours.
Overall, Monseigneur Pierre Denaut’s September 29, 1800 letter to Père Jean-Mandé Sigogne is a very important document, because it provides insight into the roots of the hatred toward the “Sang-Mêlés” (“Mixed-Bloods”) of Southwest Nova Scotia by their “Pur” (“Pure”)/“Blanc” (“White”) neighbours, which had unfortunately, by that point, become normalized and accepted within those communities.

However, I must emphasize that this denigration and ostracization of mixed-blooded “Acadians” by their “Pur” (“Pure”)/“Blanc” (“White”) neighbours, as we’ve seen throughout this collection, was not something unique to Southwest Nova Scotia in the early 1800s and is a prejudice that was prevalent at that time in other “pockets” of what was once known as Acadia.