Membertou Big Event

Membertou 400 celebrating peace and harmony
Ceremony celebrates 1610 alliance of Mi’kmaq with Catholic Church
By GORDON DELANEY Valley Bureau
Fri. Jun 25 - 4:54 AM


A rack of smoked mackerel and trout was on display during the baptism re-enactment.




Grand Chief Henri Membertou, played by Rob McEwan, plays The Honour Song on ceremonial drums with members of the Bear River First Nation.




Members of Bear River First Nation play The Honour Song on ceremonial drums.




A re-enactment of the 1610 baptism of Mi’kmaq Grand Chief Henri Membertou by French secular priest Jesse Fleche took place at the Habitation in Port Royal, Annapolis County on Thursday. (All photos by BILL ROBERTS)





IT WAS A CEREMONY Grand Chief Henri Membertou himself might have enjoyed. There were songs and dance and drums, a Catholic mass that included three languages — Mi’kmaq, French and English — and a re-enactment of the former Mi’kmaq grand chief’s historic baptism by the shores of the Annapolis Basin 400 years ago.

And it was a building of bridges of sorts, not only between peoples, but between the Mi’kmaq and the Catholic Church, into which Chief Henri Membertou was baptized on June 24, 1610.

He and his family members were the first aboriginals to be baptized in what would later become Canada, signalling a desire to live in peace with the European settlers and setting the stage for Canada to become a multicultural country.

Membertou and his family took French Christian names after the baptism.

The ceremony took place Thursday in almost the exact location of the baptism next to the Habitation in Port Royal, home to the first French settlers on these shores. The ceremony kicked off five days of celebrations marking the great chief’s life.

About 500 people representing the Mi’kmaq, French and English attended the event.

During the ceremony, there were messages of peace and harmony between peoples, a philosophy Membertou was famous for espousing.

But the ghost of years of abuse at the hands of the Catholic Church and attempts at assimilation also hung over the ceremony.

"You forgive, but you don’t forget," Ben Sylliboy, the current Mi’kmaq grand chief, said after the mass, which started out with the threat of rain but ended in clear blue skies.

"This event is significant because we’re celebrating 400 years of Mi’kmaqs joining the Catholic religion," said Sylliboy, 69.

Membertou’s alliance with the French and eventual baptism set the course of history for the next 400 years.

"It’s really an honour to see all my Mi’kmaq friends and members of other reserves get together for this special occasion," said Sylliboy.

Referring to the acrimony with the church, he said "there are things that you want to forget."

"We want to forgive, but we can’t forget . . . some memories still linger."

As his grandchildren shuffled and played at his feet, he said "there is quite a bit of healing now going on, even with the residential schools."

Hal Theriault, a cultural historian and playwright, wrote the 45-minute re-enactment. Theriault said in an interview that the ceremony is not so much a religious event as a historic and cultural one.

"It’s simply a commemoration of the decision Grand Chief Membertou made and the partnership that was started with the French."

Membertou welcomed the French and, in many cases, helped them to survive the harsh winters.

"He realized that he wasn’t going to stem the influx of people coming for the fish and the furs and knew that he needed to have good, strong partners."

Rob McEwan, 40, the grandson of Richard McEwan, a long-serving chief at the Bear River First Nation, played Membertou.

McEwan said he was honoured to play the part of the great chief.

"I can only hope to follow in his footsteps."

Prime Minister Stephen Harper sent a greeting to the event that was read out before the re-enactment.

"The baptism of Grand Chief Membertou on June 24, 1610, was a pivotal moment in Canadian history," Harper said in his message. "It heralded the beginning of peaceful relations between the Mi’kmaq nation and European settlers."

The prime minister said that four centuries later, Membertou remains a symbol of faith and goodwill that has shaped Canadian values.

The Catholic mass, held in a large tent, was presided over by Archbishop Martin Currie, with the Pope’s representative, Apostolic Nuncio Pedro Quintana, Bishop Brian Dunn of the Diocese of Antigonish and other Catholic bishops.

"This is a wonderful opportunity for teachers, students and anyone who loves history to experience a rare and beautiful event," said Deborah Ginnish, executive director of the Mi’kmaq Association for Cultural Studies.

"We invite people of all ages, races and denominations to celebrate an important historic event that shaped the fate of our nation."

The Port Royal event officially opened a five-day celebration that moves to the Halifax Commons today and continues through Monday. It will be one of the largest Mi’kmaq powwows ever held.

The Halifax event will feature a traditional Mi’kmaq village, cultural demonstrations, native dance and drum competitions, a musical tribute to the Mi’kmaq Nation and free concerts by Buffy Sainte-Marie, Shane Yellowtail and the Relatives.

( gdelaney@herald.ca)