When the first French merchants, explorers and adventurers; attempted to establish an outpost at Ste. Croix and Port Royal, their business would have been conducted mainly with the Mi'kmaq and Malecite Nations, who then resided in small villages throughout the area.
At that time, there were about 4,000 Mi'Kmaq and 800 Malecite; most eager to conduct business with French traders. They thought of the 'habitations' as merely trading posts, and welcomed their new 'customers' warmly. Cha-Ching.
The French were there as trading partners and eventually military allies; but they had no voice whatsoever, in their legislative body. They could request meetings with the Grand Council, but whether or not to accept the offers presented to them, was voted on by the Canadian people of the Nation or Nations involved. The King of France was just another chief, who contolled the commodities (fish and furs) once they had been acquired by the French merchants; but before that he had no say.
The other thing to consider is that the habitation of Port Royal at the time, was rarely more than 50 souls, compared with almost 5,000 Canadians in that area alone; though it believed that the Mi'kmaq on the east coast at the time, actually numbered more than 20,000. (European diseases would reduce that number drastically)
The French were then the minority (less than 1% of the population), and even with guns and deep pockets, they did not govern any Canadian Nations; at least not for many years.
If any Tribe or Nation, was in violation of the laws established by the Confederacy, they were usually given three warnings; but if their actions persisted, a vote was taken and the war cry went out to muster armies against them.
However, they were not only used to muster armies; but also to establish, maintain and terminate political relations and alliances; present peace agreements, hand down decisions made at council, make marriage proposals and deliver important news. Even George Washington sent wampum belts to the Native Americans that he wanted as allies, recognizing their effectiveness.
Not only did the Grand Council make the final decision to go to war, they also had to approve all Peace Treaties.
It was not such a stretch for some to embrace Christianity, as later presented them by the European Missionaries. In the words of the French Historian, Marc Lescarbot, when visiting with some people of the Mi'kmaq in 1606:
"These people (as one may say) have nothing of all that, for it is not to be called covered, to be always wandering and lodged under four stakes, and to have a skin upon their back; neither do I call eating and living, to eat all at once and starve the next day, not providing for the next day. Whosoever then shall give bread and clothing to these people, the same shall be, as it were, their God: they will believe all that he shall say to them ...
"These people then enjoying the fruits of the use of trades and tillage of the ground will believe all that shall be told them, in auditum auris, at the first voice that shall sound in their ears; ... [an example of the chief of the St. John Indians] he eateth, lifteth up his eyes to heaven and maketh the sign of the Cross, because he hath seen us do so: yea, at our prayers he did kneel down as we did. And because he hath seen a great Cross planted near to our fort, he hath made the like at his house, and in all his cabins; and carrieth one at his breast...
"They believe also that when they die they go up into the stars, and afterwards they go into fair green fields, full of fair trees, flowers, and rare fruits. After they had made us to understand these things, we showed them their error, and that their Cudouagni is an evil spirit that deceiveth them, and that there is but one God, which is in Heaven, who doth give unto us all, and is Creator of all things, and that in him we must only believe, and
that they must be baptized, or go into hell. And many other things of our faith were showed them, which they easily believed, and called their Cudouagni, Agoiuda."
so embraced their teachings with an open mind.
"They have among them some savages whom they call Pilotoua, who speak visibly to the devil, and the telleth them what they must do, as well for wars as for other things; and if he should command them to go and put any enterprise in execution, or to kill a Frenchman or any other of their nation, they will immediately obey to his command. They believe also that all their dreams are true; and, indeed, there be many of them which do say that they have seen and dreamed things that do happen or shall come to pass; but to speak thereof in truth they be visions of the Devil, who doth deceive and seduce them."
Next Glooscap created man out of the heart of the ash tree. He shot arrows into their trunks and out stepped men and women. They were strong and graceful with light brown skin and shining black hair, and Glooscap called them the Wabanaki, which means "those who live where the day breaks."
The squirrel was originally as big as a lion, and, when Glooseap asked him what he would do if he met a man, he flew at a stump and tore it furiously with his teeth and claws. He was reduced as well. There is a story of a water monster who was hoarding the liquid, refusing to share with the human inhabitants. This monster soon became a bull frog.
Glooscap also tamed the moose and caribou, killed all bad animals, or reduced them to a size that made them harmless and then called his people around him and said, "I made the animals to be man’s friends, but they have acted with selfishness and treachery. Hereafter, they shall be your servants and provide you with food and clothing." He continued "Yet I charge you to use this power gently. If you take more game than YOU need for food and clothing, or kill for the pleasure of killing, then you will be visited by a pitiless giant named Famine, and when he comes among men, they suffer hunger and die."
He showed the men how to make bows and arrows and stone-tipped spears, and how to use them. He showed the women how to scrape hides and turn them into clothing. He taught them how to build birch bark wigwams and canoes, how to make wires for catching fish, and how to identify plants useful in medicine. He taught them the names of all the Stars, who he claimed were his brothers.
Even the climate and changing seasons were attributed to his magical powers and ingenuity. Not long ago Glooseap went far north, where it was ice. He entered the wigwam of a mighty giant whose name was
Winter. He sat down and smoked and the giant told him stories of the olden time. Glooseap fell asleep and slept for six months. When he awoke he went south and found summer, the "most beautiful one ever born'. He then secretly carried it to the wigwam of the giant of the frozen north and soon it grew so warm that Winter and his wigwam melted away. The rivers were unlocked, and the grass grew. Gloosecap left Summer at the north and went home. From that day on whenever Glooscap slept, the land would be
covered with ice and snow and when he awoke, summer emerged.
The Elders later advised that Glooscap was displeased by the coming of the white men and their bad conduct, so he turned his dogs (which were actually wolves) into rocks, and they may still be seen around the shores of the Bay of Fundy (Hopewell Rocks), keeping a steady and faithful watch for his return. Some believe that he still lives and that the howling of the wolves and the scream of the loon are cries of sorrow for him.
