FRENCH HISTORY ...Pre
1540 FRENCH HISTORY ...1540-1599 FRENCH HISTORY ...1600-1605 FRENCH HISTORY ...1606-1610
FRENCH HISTORY ...1611-1614
FRENCH HISTORY ...1615-1619 FRENCH HISTORY ...1620-1625
FRENCH HISTORY ...1626-1629
FRENCH HISTORY ...1630-1632 FRENCH HISTORY ...1633-1634
FRENCH HISTORY ...1635-1636 FRENCH HISTORY ...1637-1639
FRENCH HISTORY ...1640-1643 FRENCH HISTORY ...1644-1649
FRENCH HISTORY ...1650-1654 FRENCH HISTORY ...1655-1659
FRENCH HISTORY ...1660-1662 FRENCH HISTORY ...1663-1663
FRENCH HISTORY ...1664-1666 FRENCH HISTORY ...1667-1669
FRENCH HISTORY ...1670-1675 FRENCH HISTORY ...1676-1682
FRENCH HISTORY ...1683-1689
FRENCH HISTORY ...1690-1693 FRENCH HISTORY ...1694-1699
FRENCH HISTORY ...1700-1705 FRENCH HISTORY ...1706-1714
FRENCH HISTORY ...1715-1718
FRENCH HISTORY ...1719-1724
FRENCH HISTORY ...1725-1730 FRENCH HISTORY ...1731-1735 FRENCH HISTORY ...1736-1739 FRENCH HISTORY ...1740-1744 FRENCH HISTORY ...1745-1749
FRENCH HISTORY ...1750-1754 FRENCH HISTORY ...1755-1757
FRENCH HISTORY ...1758-1759 FRENCH HISTORY ...1760-1763 FRENCH HISTORY ...1764-1774
FRENCH HISTORY ...1775-1784 FRENCH HISTORY ...1785-1799
FRENCH HISTORY ...1800-1849 FRENCH HISTORY ...1850-1899
FRENCH HISTORY ...1900-2004
DIRECTORY Return to MAIN HISTORY index
While reading your French Cultural history, it is important to remember that-
LIBERTY IS NEVER LOST IN A SINGLE EVENT.
The French in New France were given very little decision
making authority.
The citizens of Quebec had none.
Some English historians would have us believe that the early French are chevaliers, adventurers, and swindlers; not nation builders. They claim the French didn't colonize the land; at best they garrisoned it.
These are the same people that have to admit that the English presence in the North West is dismal for the first 150 years, mostly being represented by the Orkney who genetically are 60% Norwegian Viking.
That the Hudson Bay Company was created by the French Coureurs de Bois.
That the Hudson Bay Company remained virtually a foreign based Trading Post from 1668 until the 1780's.
That they only moved inland because the Indians refused to travel to the Northern Bay.
The English only established their first real colony in 1812, at the Metis colony of Red River in the North West.
For these reasons, the English are not significantly included in my early European view of history. Their presence is relatively insignificant.
It is important to read words in the context of the period, the source and general intent of the original writer; as the meaning of words evolves over time. Michel Robert and others have brought this to my attention concerning the word sauvage (savage). Michel says:
The meaning of "savage" in the Anglo-Saxon culture and "sauvage" in the French culture
are totally different. While you are
generally right in your definition of "savage", it does not apply to "sauvage" which meaning is short and unambiguous : " son of
nature"; where nature means the sun, the earth, the water, the trees, etc.
Later, during the XVII century, it also became synonymous with "virgin, purity, untainted by bad faith, etc.
When one reads old documents and is aware of this major difference, one will realize how tremendously different were the
various European cultures and ensuing actions at that time, particularly in the Americas.
You will notice that at one point in Cartier's journal, he laments the fact that the "sauvage" (one of the secondary leaders at
Stadacone) is not that "sauvage" after all, and is capable of bad and covert intentions just like a European.
Others suggest the most common definition of 'Les Sauvages' in early New France
is 'wild people of the forests'. The Jesuits considered the word sauvage
to mean pagan and a minion of Satan or as they considered them the 'Reign of
Satan' in 1639.
The French and Europeans in general tenaciously hang on to their language as though it represents their culture. Like the other Europeans they attempted to impose their language upon the indigenous peoples. Language is a means of communicating and history suggests differing languages inhibits communication, and results in misunderstanding. It is estimated that 6,809 languages are known to have existed, 306 are now extinct and 438 languages have fewer than 50 speakers. It is noteworthy that 50% of the peoples of the earth only use 15% of the languages. Papua New Guinea has 832 languages and north America was the home for 200 languages.
The reasons for these French cultural pages are two fold:
A French historian made the remark that there were very few Metis in Quebec and I knew this was in error, so I set out to prove him wrong and to provide some insight into the Metis contribution to the creation of Quebec..
In the early days of the North West, if it appeared there was Indian heritage in a family, the polite Anglo-Saxon settlers would say "that is just a little bit of French".
In my quest, I soon discovered, that the record keepers and the Jesuit often hid the fact that Frenchmen married Les Sauvages. My Quest goes on!
HOWEVER as you walk through the portals of my work, don't take it as gospel, rather use it as a guide to do your own research.
Or as others say 'look again' then 'look again' as history is not static but evolving, as new evidence and understandings surface.