The Changing Face of Canada

Through the Eyes of the Melicete Women

The name Maliseet, or Melicite, etc. is actually a Mi'kmaq word meaning "someone who can't talk very well"; because their language, though also Algonkian, differed slightly from the Mi'kmaq language.  The French called them Etchemin, but they were known to themselves as Woleqiyik, though Maliseet is more often seen.

Child's Toy made by the Maliseet

When the French investors arrived at Port Royal in the early seventeenth century, the Malecites, about 800 of them, lived west of the Saint-John River. Like the Mi'maq, they belonged to the Wa'pnaki Confederacy, and shared most of their customs and belief system.  Their society was paternal and it was customary for the women to do most of the manual labour.  They were only semi-nomadic, living mostly by fishing and hunting, but also grew corn, which they dried for winter use.  The Malecites proved to be faithful allies to the French in the colonization wars; and were considered a key element in the French defence. In 1728, however, they were forced to ratify a peace treaty,  concluded in Boston, with the English. Under this treaty, the Indians of New England and Nova Scotia recognized British sovereignty over Nova Scotia, though Malecite resentment of the English continued until the surrender of Quebec City in 1763. In Quebec, in 1828, some thirty families established a settlement in Viger ( a concession of 3,000 acres of land divided into 100-acre lots) close to Rivière Verte in the Gaspé region.  According to the policy in force at this time, the Malecites were encouraged to settle there by the government, who promised them seeds and provisions.  However, under pressure from the American emigrants to Canada, who wanted those fertile lands for themselves, Viger was retroceded in 1869.

Life for women of the Malecite, was similar to that of the Mi'kmaq, with basically the same domestic duties, family responsibilities and position within the community.   Since men would never dream of hitting a woman, anytime punishment had to be given out to a female offender, it would be handled by the women; even if that meant execution. Life was a constant cycle of hunting, fishing and trading, and the Malicete women became adept at packing up at a moment's notice, if an enemy was approaching ,or simply moving their encampment, following the migratory birds and animals; making sure that they were settled on the coast in the summer, ready to set up shop for the visiting European traders.

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