1842

Tân’si. Bonjour. Hello.

It has been a year since Lord Durham gave his report and the Act of Union was implemented. Because of the act, English is the only official language.

After marrying a French Canadian, French became my second language after Cree. After having nitânis, I learned the Métis language that was created by her and her generation. We travelled until I was 50, then we settled down and I started working at a trade post. During the next 3 years, I did most of my work in French. I had picked up some English, but it was a complicated language. Now, I need to do all of my work in English, yet another language for me to learn. It’s a wonder that they don’t start blurring together.

The past year has been a pain, trying to keep up with my work as well as learn this new language. It’s insulting that they expect us all to conform to these new language rules, especially when majority of Lower East Canada speaks French. Many people see me as an old doddery Cree woman who should have died years ago and is trying to stick to ” the old ways” but the French deserve to speak their own language as much as the English. Anyways, this “doddery woman” should go and try to learn more English. Maybe I’ll soon be able to work without a translator.

Kîhtwâm ka-wâpamitin. Au revoir. Good bye.

1850

Tân’si. Bonjour. Hello.

I have lived many years and I believe my time is drawing to a close. At 62 years of age, it is safe to say that I’ve experienced most of what life has to offer.

2 years ago, French was accepted as a national language because of all the protests from Quebec. It took them long enough. I’m sad my husband didn’t live to see that happen. He died in ’46.

I’m happy that trades with England through the Hudson’s Bay Co stayed up and strong after the Act of Union.

During my year, I’ve really noticed how the fur trade has changed t.he way the Cree live. The native people no longer hunt for our food, we don’t have the time. We are dependant on the Europeans. The animal populations are also suffering because of all the surplus hunting.

I hope that things work themselves out, I will not spend my last days worrying about things out of my control.

I must go. I wish to spend time with nitânis and the rest of her family before I am gone.

Kîhtwâm ka-wâpamitin. Au revoir. Good bye.

Rosalie L’Hirondelle dit Mistawasis died in the year 1851

1820

Tân’si. Bonjour. Hello

While Cree people believe in passing on their stories orally, there are not many Cree’s that I encounter that don’t know my stories. Therefore, my husband, Jean-Paul, has encouraged me to start writing down my stories, to both document my stories and help improve my writing. My daughter Sophie, or nitânis, was also encouraged to do this, I hope she will. It will be good for her to practice her writing and French if she wants to work at the trading company.

I guess with this being the start , I should catch you up on my life so far.

I was born in 1788, at a reserve just south of the Hudson’s Bay, where I was given the name Mistawasis. I went to school, played with dolls, and did chores around the reserve, just like every other Cree child there. I sometimes went on trips with nikâwiy and nohtâwiy, my mother and father. I loved those trips where nohtâwiy would teach me about hunting, and tracking, and nikâwiy would teach me about the plants that could be found in different areas. Because we lived so close to where the Hudson’s Bay Company was situated, it was common for the elders on the reserve to work for the Hudson’s Bay Company. We helped the Europeans hunt and we would help guide them  when they travelled to trading posts.

When I was 15, I was offered as wife to a French tradesman named Jean-Paul.  When I married him, I took on a French name, Rosalie L’Hirondelle, as was accustomed for us. I travelled with him, sewing and patching clothes, making him food. Because of those trips I went on when I was younger, I knew the land better than the traders most times. In 1805 , I had nitânis, my daughter. I had her while we were travelling back from York Factory to Fort Rupert, where we lived.

We spent a couple of years travelling from fort to fort, trading within the company and helping transport goods and information.

In spring of 1812, Jean-Paul was assigned to accompany the Coureurs des Bois back to England and France. Sophie and I went with him. There was another tradesman there that started teaching Sophie how to write common letters. I often listened along as I hadn’t ever properly learned. It kept us entertained for those long 8 months. When we came back to the fort, we heard news of the war of 1812. I was shocked that the Americans were trying to take Canada and that they thought that Canada would surrender easily.

There was much fighting between the Americans, the British and the French. The French and British ended up working together to defend the boarder and took Detroit, which they then gave back. The war ended in 1814 when the Treaty of Ghent was signed. I’m so glad that that is over.

And now it is 1820. The Hudson’s Bay fur traders are still going strong however we are often competing with the Northwest Company. Things are getting serious as far as rivalries go, I hope everything resolves itself. Nitânis still travels with Jean-Paul and I but she also works at one of the trading posts whenever we aren’t travelling. She definitely has a different life than I did growing up, but she’s first generation Métis so that is to be expected.

We are moving on so I must stop writing. I think I may continue with this, it helps me to understand this language so much more.

Kîhtwâm ka-wâpamitin. Au revoir. Good bye.

‘Initially, much of the war consisted of America’s attempts to take Canada, which ay map will show you went smashingly. Americans were confident that the Canadians would rush to join the U.S.; when marching from Detroit, General William Hull informed the Canadians that “You will be emancipated from Tyranny and oppression and restored to the dignified station of free men.” And the Canadians were like, ” Yeah, we’re okay actually,” and so the British in Canada, with their Indian allies, went ahead and captured Detroit and then forced Hull’s surrender.’

– John Green, Crash Course, The War of 1812

I chose this quote because I was fascinated about how confident America was in taking Canada, when in reality, they had no reason to be confident at all.

Throughout the video, I gained the impression that the Americans believe that they won the war, when they didn’t and Canada actually gave them back Detroit. This interested me because it showed me how much perspective changes our perception.

This can relate to what I was talking  about in my last Socials post about our mentality and its development. By taking note of different perspectives, we become more aware of others mentalities, therefore leading us to develop our own.

Another thing that can relate is my brief comments on empires. During the war of 1812, it could be safe to say that Canada and the British were an empire while America was another.

Now, this video doesn’t do an amazing job; however, it could help us to gain some incite on section C2 of the Grade 10 Prescribed Learning Outcomes (PLOs). While I still don’t know exactly who was involved in the Confederation, this war, and the interactions between Canada, Britain, and America, could have influenced the opinions of the people involved in establishing the Confederation. This, therefore, may have lead to outcomes of the Confederation being different than they would have been, were the war not to happen.