Euro-Native Interaction in 17th Century Montreal: Contributions from a pluralistic approach

Summary

Historical archaeology in Québec tends to focus on European colonial life ways and adaptation to a new landscape, while aspects relating to Native traditions are relegated to prehistory. However, an Indigenous presence was critical to the establishment of the first Montreal colony; at its inception, the project even depended on that presence. The motivations for attracting Native peoples to the small French fort shifted throughout the 17th century from religious to commercial, but the pivotal role of the interactions taking place between cultural groups remained a constant. This paper explores how this is reflected in the material remains found at the site of the fort Ville-Marie and tries to reconcile Indigenous and European traditions by assessing the colonial character of archaeology and the dichotomies entrenched in its practice that prevent us from seeing 17th century society in Montreal as a pluralistic phenomenon.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• New Perspectives on Inequity: European and Indigenous Voices in the North American Landscape   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2014

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): SYM-27,05