Nicolas Chatelain
| Nicolas Chatelain | |
|---|---|
| Chastellaine; Chatelaine; Chatelan; Chattelaine | |
| Born | c. 1795 Grand Portage area (near present-day Grand Portage, Minnesota) |
| Died | 1892-03-06 Fort Frances, Ontario |
| Occupation | Interpreter; HBC trader; Métis spokesman; civil servant |
Nicolas Chatelain (c. 1795–99 – 6 March 1892) was a Métis interpreter, trader, and spokesman who served as a key intermediary between the federal government and the Métis and Ojibwa communities of northwestern Ontario during the treaty era of the 1870s and 1880s.
Early life
Chatelain was born around 1795 to 1799, probably in the vicinity of Grand Portage, to a French-speaking father from Lower Canada and a Saulteaux mother. He is believed to have taken part in the War of 1812.[1]
Career
Chatelain first appears in the documentary record in 1823, identified as an interpreter for the Hudson's Bay Company at Lac La Pluie — present-day Rainy Lake, Ontario. He would go on to work for the HBC for nearly fifty years as an interpreter, trader, and outpost manager, eventually relocating to Fort Frances.[1]
He was present at the signing of the Robinson-Superior Treaty on 7 September 1850 at Sault Ste Marie, where William Benjamin Robinson concluded agreements with the Ojibwa. At that time Chatelain was a member of the Fort William band, which included Métis.[1]
Treaty No. 3 and the Métis adhesion
Chatelain participated in the negotiations and 1873 signing of Treaty No. 3, through which the government of Canada reached agreement with the Lake of the Woods Ojibwa. The government's chief negotiator was Alexander Morris. During the negotiations the Ojibwa pressed for local Métis to be included in the treaty; Morris declined, but recommended that Métis individuals could adhere to the agreement separately.[1]
On 12 September 1875, Chatelain signed the "Half-Breed Adhesion to Treaty No. 3" memorandum with John Stoughton Dennis, then surveyor general of Canada. The memorandum established two reserves and provided treaty benefits for the Métis of the Rainy Lake and Rainy River area. The federal government, however, never ratified the document.[1]
Advocacy for Métis rights
In August 1876 Chatelain reported to Dennis that the Indian agent Robert Pither had received no instructions regarding the Métis. The Department of Indian Affairs refused to recognize the Métis separately, although some annuities were paid. The Métis, under Chatelain's guidance, threatened to refuse further payments if full treaty benefits were not honoured.[1]
On 8 July 1885, during the aftermath of the North-West Resistance, Chatelain petitioned the department for unpaid annuities totalling $782 on behalf of 46 persons. Official correspondence confirmed that the Métis had improved their reserves and built log houses but had received neither cattle nor farm implements as promised. Duncan Campbell Scott and other officials recommended favourable consideration, and back payments from 1875 were eventually granted. The Métis continued pressing their claims through 1886, at which point the department considered the matter closed.[1]
Later life
In 1871, Chatelain was appointed interpreter for the federal government at an annual salary of $250, a position he held until his death. His work as an interpreter covered Ojibwa into French only. Within the Fort Frances Métis community he was regarded as a figure of great influence.[1]
Three years before his death he was described by a contemporary as "one of nature's noblemen, six feet four inches in height, 98 years of age and totally blind," yet still carrying great authority in the district.[1]
Chatelain died on 6 March 1892 in Fort Frances, Ontario.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 David T. McNab."David T. McNab, "CHATELAIN, NICOLAS," Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 12."[website].Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 12 (University of Toronto/Université Laval).1990.University of Toronto/Université Laval.Link.(Rights: copyrighted | Access: open)
- ↑ "RG 10, B3, vols. 3637 (file 6918), 3715 (file 21809), 3830 (file 62423)."[record].RG 10, B3, 3637, file 6918; 3715, file 21809; 3830, file 62423.Library and Archives Canada.(Rights: unknown | Access: open)
- ↑ "Fort Frances post records, B.105/a/9–20; B.105/z/1, f.3."[record].B.105/a/9–20; B.105/z/1, f.3.Hudson's Bay Company Archives, Provincial Archives of Manitoba (PAM, HBCA).(Rights: unknown | Access: open)
- ↑ D. T. McNab."Hearty co-operation and efficient aid, the Métis and Treaty 3."[book].Canadian Journal of Native Studies.1983.vol. 3 (1983): 131–49.(Rights: unknown | Access: open)