Montreal readies to celebrate Great Peace

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Celebration of the anniversary of the signing of the Great Peace Treaty of Montreal is a year-long event that began in September 2000 and will have its high point Aug. 4 this year in Old Montreal.

On that date in 1701, Louis-Hector de Calliere, on behalf of the French, signed a treaty with 39 First Nations chiefs that ended a century of war between the five Iroquois nations and the French and other tribes who were allied with the French.

A partial re-enactment of the signing will take place at the original site where it occurred-the present-day Pointe-a-Calliere, Montreal Museum of Archaeology and History. Some First Nations will mark the 1701 arrival by canoe. An historic and contemporary commemoration and show by First Nations and French artists will follow, to educate and entertain visitors expected from around the world. Along with Canada, both France and the United States have been invited to participate in the celebrations, as have cultural and other organizations.

The four main goals of the Great Peace commemorative project are to recall a remarkable page of history; create opportunities for contacts and exchanges between cultures; commemorate the events of 1701 and celebrate 300 years of peace; and to promote a culture of peace.

Organizers say the commemoration has added significance in that the decade 2001-2010 has been dedicated to peace by the United Nations. Not only that, but the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People (1995-2004) overlaps.

Consultant Michelle Rouleau, hired by the Corporation of the Great Peace of Montreal to help co-ordinate the celebrations, said while there are many kinds of events relating to the anniversary going on throughout the year, they had to research to find descendant tribes of the original treaty-signers and now will send out invitations to be part of the major event in August. She says it will be mid-to-late May before they will know which First Nations will be involved and before dates for all festivities are firmed up.

Everything from formal ceremonies, to public shows, parades, symphonies, sports, cultural exchanges and much more are offered. The majority of events are in Montreal, but Quebec City and other venues are holding their own.

One of the most important and expensive plans, Rouleau said, is to arrange an education program that "twins" 500 Grades 5 and 6 First Nations children from around the province with their non-Native counterparts in Montreal classrooms. At the end of the school year, the program concludes with all 500 coming to Montreal for three days for a variety of cultural exchange activities that honor a culture of peace. The children will be received by the chief of Kanawake and the mayor of the city.

Other decisions about events will be based on sponsorship. The Quebec government committed to donate $3.6 million last May; Rouleau estimates they need another $4 million.

When the Quebec Minister for Native Affairs Guy Chevrette announced the funding, he issued a release that stated "The aim of the celebrations is to make known the historical facts surrounding the signing of this treaty, as well as the wealth and diversity of Amerindian cultures. The commemorative events held in 2001 will make it possible to create places where the various communities can exchange ideas and forge ties."

Andre Dudemaine, chairman of the corporation, stated: "Pointe-a-Calliere and Land InSights, partners in this fantastic project, are thrilled . . . . The ideals of the signatories of the treaty of 1701 live on today, and the message of peace and friendship between the peoples that has been handed down to us can continue to serve as a guide in the future. That is the meaning of this commemoration, which is not an exercise in nostalgia."

Land InSights, explained Rouleau, is a Montreal-based organization that promotes Aboriginal culture.

The history of the signing of the Great Peace, a major event in Canadian history, is one unfamiliar to mos people today, she said.

Many attempts to make peace in the 17th century failed. A treaty signed in Trois-Rivieres in 1645 between the French, Huron, Algonquin, Montagnais, Atikamekw and the Agnier (Mohawk) lasted only a year. A new agreement brought 12 years of relative peace, but this was followed by 20 years of renewed fighting.

Finally, 13 nations signed a peace treaty in 1700: the Five Nations, Mountain, Sault Iroquois, Abenaki, Wyandot (Huron) and four Outaouais (Algonquin) nations. Then de Calliere sent out an invitation to all the Indian nations to meet in Montreal in 1701.

That must have been an extraordinary event for the citizens of Montreal, as 1,300 people from the various Native nations arrived in the city of only 1,200 inhabitants.

The monumental occasion was marred by the death of the Wyandot chief Kondiaronk, two days before the signing. Just prior to succumbing to a fever, Kondiaronk delivered a long, impassioned speech in favor of a peace settlement. In tribute to this great man, the French provided a highly ceremonial military funeral with the same protocol and dignity they would have given one of their own leaders. This was to show the Iroquois the respect the French had for them.

In March this year, an event hailed as a Great Peace kick-off celebration took place in Kahnawake Mohawk territory. Representatives of some of the original 39 signatory nations attended, and Aboriginal, French and English languages were all included.

William Commanda, an Algonquin from Maniwaki, offered the smudge and prayer and talked about the importance of the 1701 signing.

Jake Swamp of the Mohawks of Akwesasne spoke about the symbolism in the Iroquois Confederacy's Great Tree of Peace, and then the people re-enacted burying the weapons of war under the Great Tree, just as weapons were buried in August 1701. The Keepers of the Eastern Door singers and dancers marked the occasion with a friendship dance.

In addition to Pointe-a-Calliere, Montreal Museum ofArchaeology and History, at least four other museums are showcasing items from Native, American and European archives and collections that are related to the political, social, economic and geographic context of events around the Great Peace. A Native artist will be talking about history, culture and customs at the McCord Museum on several dates in July and August.

For extensive information on the other events and for links to related sites, log onto the website for the Corporation of the Great Peace of Montreal: www.grandepaix.org. Or contact the corporation at 514-872-9055.