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Methods of Communication, Early Louisiana « Russell Guerin
http://www.russguerin.com/history/our-pioneers/methods-of-communic.
However we might attempt to explain the ability of these intrepid men to explore unknown peoples and unknown geography, it is evident that they came to realize early on that they needed some to learn the native languages.
There were various attempts, and some were more successful than others. A letter dated
1729, from Diron to Maurepas, mentions that Regis, an ensign whose orders were to journey among the Choctaws, set off from New Orleans with his interpreter “who does not understand the half of the Choctaw language.” Their orders came from M. Perier, Governor of Louisiana from 1726 to 1732.
On the other hand, Bienville was a good student of languages from the beginning. As early as March 1700, Iberville wrote, “We made ourselves understood through my brother, who is beginning to make himself understood in Bayogoula, Ouma, Chicacha, Colapissa, and in [the languages] of the three nations up the branch of the river.”
It is also obvious that today some of the methods would be considered extreme and that success sometimes took a long time. In retrospect, we can see that those who became the translators were honored and rewarded.
Cabin Boys
One of the methods employed by Iberville was to place cabin boys with some of the native tribes. There is of course no mention of a mother giving consent to her boy being given over - however temporarily - to a band of savages. Probably all of these boys had been orphans when taken to Louisiana, and had little choice in the matter. Regardless of the correctness of the placements, it is recorded that at least six such boys were given the duties of learning the native language; these were named, according to Higginbotham: St. Michel, Pierre Huet, Gabriel Marcal, Jean Joly, Jacques Charon, and Pierre Le Vasseur.
Another story, perhaps about one of the above named boys, is told about Iberville leaving a young cabin boy on his way up the Mississippi River. It was at the time of the second voyage, when Fort Mississippi (later to be called Fort de la Boulaye) was being formed. The boy was left with the Bayougoulas, who lived near the fort. It was reported that on Iberville’s return down the river, the boy already had a fair command of the Bayougoula language.
A less successful experiment involved Iberville’s taking of a young Indian boy he took to France. He later died of a throat illness near the Bay of St. Louis and never had the chance to act as interpreter for his people.
Cabin Boy St. Michel
We have a fascinating narrative about St. Michel from Penicaut, who recorded that the Chickasaws asked for a young French boy, and Iberville gave them 14-year old St. Michel, who “already spoke well the language of the Oumas.”
The story involves thirty-five chiefs of the Chickasaw appealing to Bienville to intercede on their behalf in order to have peace with the Choctaws. Bienville assigned Boisbrian and twenty-five Frenchmen to take them to the Choctaw village. There, the chief spoke to Boisbrian in Choctaw, “in which M. de Boisbrian was passably proficient,” warning him that he may risk being burned by the Chickasaws in the same way as they had treated the little French boy whom Bienville had given them the previous year to learn the Chickasaw language. This is believed to have been St. Michel.
Boisbrian had not heard of any such disaster and was disbelieving. He reminded the Choctaw chief that the intention was to make peace, to which the chief said that he would be willing if the Chickasaws would return the French boy.
Boisbrian then went to the Chickasaws and asked for the return of the boy. He was assured that the boy was alive, and two of their men were sent to get him.
To this news, the Choctaw chief made a new demand, that being that while they awaited the return, he should be able to hold thirty Chickasaw chiefs as hostages, and that if the boy be not returned, “these will belong to us and as our enemies they will have to die, since they then will be your enemies too.”
A month had been decided as the period of waiting, and when that was up and the boy had not been brought back,
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