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D 32X 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 «l ;:;; -PETITION. '.-iji. To the Honorable Members of the Legislaiive Assembly of Canada, in Par- liament Assembled. 0. THE HUMBLE PETITION OF THE MONTAGNAIS TRIBE OF INDIANS, INHABITING THE NORTH SHORE OF THE ST. LAWRENCE, OR ' TERRITORY FORMERLY DESIGNATED BY THE NAME OF THE «• KING'S POSTS." . O! you, aged men chosen by your compatriots, We, the Indians of Tadousac, of the Islets Jeremic, of the River Godebou, and of the Seven Islands, salute you cordially. This is the first time that we have spoken to you ; may our words strike upon your ears and repose sofily in your hearts. We are already but too unhappy. — Game is no longer abundant in our forests and waters ; and now our territory is taken away from us. But what I does not he who loves his children divide their nourish- ment equally among them ? What have we done then, that we should not be treated as our brothers the Indians of Amont? Each summer they receive presents, •ince their hunting grounds have been cultivated by strangers. For a long time the Province has drawn annual revenues from our territory, as well by the establishment of trading posts as by the cutting of timber ; and although the extent of our hunting grounds is diminished by cultivation, we have not as yet received any compensation. Thus we are crowd- ed back into the forests. Soon we shall not have even a river to spread our nets. We shall disappear as the sand which .he wind carries away, if you do not de- fend us. We learn that new ^ttlers will soon come to encamp on all our cultiv- able lands. It is said that they wish to place us on the land situate between the River Manikuagan and the River des Outardes. It is bad land, full of sand and marshes. If you wish that we should be able to exist, we will explain to you what we think. As there is no land fit for agriculture ■ in the tract below the River aux Outardes, let there be reserved to us the extent of land between the River des Outardes including both brnks, and the River Betseamis, also mcludingboth banks. Let there be left to us the exclusive right or fishing on the Rivers des Outardes, Papinachois, Betseamis, the great and little Escoumains, Mistashini, Betsi, and Somaine. Let there be left to us the exclusive right of the seal fishery, in the summer season, in the bays of Kawis, Manikuagan, des Outardes and Betseamis ; and, for the winter season, at Point des Monts, Point A la Croix, Point Betseamis, and at BonD6sir. i» !?r: Let there be given to us for our sole use the possession of the wood fit for building purposes on the Rivers Papinachois and Betseamis, in the reserve petitioned for. Let those of our people who have taken land elsewhere and made clearances, be maintained in peaceable possession of their respective localities. And finally let there be given to us indemnities for the lands which tb« ,,„ . .^ ... .... .....i.ui^, aiiu we snuil bo ■aiisfied. If nothing is given us, wo shall soon be as those who have perished of hunger. But we think too highly of jour rightncss of heart, to believe that you will reject our demands. Ii you become our benefactors, we shall thank you much. ^_. •«'* RUI PA KA. PAI BRSTUS. SPA PATISESBIR.A, MI TBER ATBINI. RUI MINIK. ARI PIE NI TI KULU. Chiefi. Signed also by 121 Indians. k>nne at the River dea IMtres on the eighth day of (he Moon des OtUardes, 1847. We the undersigned certify that the translation is faithful. Pierre IVIonEAV, Interpreter. P. T. DoROCHEit, /?. O. M. /., Missionary. A. M. Gavin, P. O. M. I., Missionary. (The original petition is in the Montagnais language.) Notes oir the Reverewd P. Durocher, accompanying the Petition of the Mmtagnaia Indians to the Protfincial Legislature. The Montagnais received the light of the Gospel at the time that Canada was under the domination of the French. They were taught by the Missionaries to read and write; they havcsince transmitted thisbranch of science among themselves without the aid of Foreign instructors. They were formerly much addicted to intemperance, but for the last five years all the Indians of this tribe who occupy the shores of the St. Lawrence have strictly observed the rules of total abstinence. Up to the last year, it was an opinion very generally received in the country, that the Honorable Hudson's Bay Company had an exclusive right to the fisheries on the entire frontier comprised under the names of King's Posts and Seigniory of Mingan. But a contrary opinion having since prevailed, an influx has tended to- wards the ter-ritory of the Montagnais, of settlers hoping to establish themselves with greater rapidity by means of the fisheries. This Indian tribe, perceiving this inundation of settlers on their territory believe it to be a matter of urgent necessity to obtam a reserve for the scltlemcnt of a section of their nation. They have chosen t!ic Bay (ks Oulardes, where arc found united the advantages of hunting atid fishing. They ask that this reserve should extend on the shore a r .• . "•fe lor Ive f p^^l little beypnd the Riverit deg Outardet and Bttieamia, so at to have the right of making hay on the shore of these rivers and at their embouchures. This reserve is from about four to six leagues in deptli. They claim the proprietorship o( the wood fit for building purposes on this reserve. It is to be observed that Mr. Price has obtained permission to cut timber on the river Papinachoit, the mouth of which river is nearly in the middle of the reserve prayed for. This gentleman has caased to be constructed on this river the dam of a mill which he is about erect- ing. Should he not have made his arrangements wittTtho Agents acTing ~oh l)e'- half of the Indians, in place of obtaining permission from the Crown Lands Agenti Mtgh< there not be exacted from him an annual rent for the lands occupied by the mill anditsdependencies, following therein the example of Messrs. Tremblay Sc Co., who give yearly the sum of .£100 to the Honorable Hudson's Bay Companyf or the lot occupied by a mill and its dependencies in the Seigniory of Portneuf ? It is to be desired that permission should not be granted to cut wood on the River Betseamis, so as to prevent as much as possible the Indians from coming into contact with the whites. Such connexions are always fatal to these men of the woods. - It is to be desired that the Indians should have the exclusive right of hunting and fishing on the reserve prayed for. They ask, moreover, for the exclusive right of fishing on the smaller rivers Betsi, Miataskini, Escoumains and Romaint. It must be observed that fishing is also carried on along the sea shore : there it would be left free. The sea fishery requires a somewhat larger outlay. The Honorable Hudson's Bay Company has in fact the exclusive right of fishing on the rivers most abounding in fish viz. Godeboii, la Trinile, the River Moisie 8fc. These Indians petition that they may be allowed the exclusive right of the seal fishery, during the summer, in the Bays des Kawis, Minikouagan, dea Outardes and Belsenmis, nnd for the winter, at the Point desMonls, at Point ilia Croix, and nt Bon Desir. It would then be necej^sary that there should be granted to them at Bomlesir, a reserve of ten arpen "r front, by forty in depth, where they may be able lo encamp and cut wood for fu( i. It would not be necessary to nllow them reserves in other localities for the seal fishery, because it is only at Bon Disir that the lunds are cultivable. These lands are otherwise wild and un- cultivated. I must call your attention to the fact that in Lower Canada the Micmacks have obtained a reserve nt Isle Fcr/p, the llurons at £.ore//c, the Abenaquais at Bt'cancour, and at Saint Frangois on Lake St. Peter, the Iroquois at Sault St. iMtiia, the Aigonquins at the Lake of Two Mountains. These Indians receive, besides, presents annually. In Upper Canada the Indians are still better treated. The shanty establishments on the territory of the petitioners are as follows : — Black River, Pott au Saumon, port au Quillcs, Bale des RocherStRiver avx Canards, Jlnse iJi Veatt, Moulin Baudc, Bergeronncs, Ecoumains, Portneuf, Savlt au Cockon, River Papinachois, anse St. Jean, Little Saguenay, the Smaller Islands, and th«'> river St. Marguerite. ji-'<5« 14-53^ I ' ^ r The following are the names of the places where (here nre teltlert : (he river aux Canardi,'Po\ntABouknu,^n»e St. Jean, KivrrStf Marguerite, MouUn Baude, the Berqeronnte, Bon Desir, and EscoiimninM. Migh( (here not be given to these Indians a certain part of the revenue* ac- cruing from the sale of the lands and the cutting of timber? There are ten or (welve Montagnais established in (he 9ay of jMiUee Vaehu. ..TUay petition (9 have ibeh iaoda preserved (0 (hem without payment of the legal dues. X Mr. George Dubergcr wished that (here should be reaerred for (be Montognait the land si(ua(e between the River Manikuagan and the River 4n Oularde; but it i> in no wise fit for agriculture. •f .. ■rv. M T -^ .■■•,!, ■.'.'■':.■ .J-, vr ,-.^ ■^^H4i&l^„».S;J ■iitfc- ■.3*- W rer \ ^\' <^tr - ^ V, N*^ '^'^ ' r Ti |rf tr i > wir"^-*r ■" ',' •• "•*'— *'^*''f* ■^■' T T" •-I -^— ». ^■. '4-- ^