Early Seventeenth Century French Feasting in Acadia and its Relation to Pre-Contact Mi’kmaq Practices

Summary

The early French settlers at the Port Royal Habitation relied heavily on the local Mi’kmaq to survive the cold Nova Scotia winters. In the winter of 1606-07 Samuel de Champlain initiated a social club, commonly referred to as "The Order of Good Cheer", primarily to battle against scurvy, but also to create camaraderie among the colonists and to strengthen their relationship with the local Mi’kmaq. The French developed elaborate rituals for the feasts, partly based on those of their homeland. Food for the feasts came from their own gardens, ship’s provisions brought from France, locally available plants and animals, as well as generous gifts of meat, fish and fruit from the Mi’kmaq who were invited to dinner. The Mi’kmaq had their own elaborate feasting traditions which also influenced the French celebrations. French writings of this period allow us to explore these two rich traditions, and along with available archaeological evidence, shed some light on the nature of Pre-contact Mi’kmaq feasting.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 20926