# Stu1 1 evant, ".C and 

# Trigger,

B .. G. 

# 19 78 . Han d book 

# of or t h Arnerican Indian s: . otthe as t. S1nith
s onia n 

# Institu

t ion ; F ir s t 

# Edition

. Vol.l5 pp. 

# 1 26 - 1 27 VOLUME

1 5 

# Northeast DRU C E G . TR

I GGER Vulrmtl' Ediwr SMIT H SON

I AN

I NSTITUTION WASil

I NGTON 1 978.• 1 .' (1 

# ..... 

# ·- --- **~. ·~·**  

## ·--.". **~·**



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# · · ···
. 

# . .........



# . .. .. 

# .. .. . 

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# .

. fig
. 2 . Sociocultural chanse

. samaquoddy had experienced

a Ucdine 

### becau~e

**. ~f** EurQ

### p ea n diseases. overdcpc:ndence on French prov1s1ons

.alco h o l. and perhap

s ddiberale

p o i soni ng . Funher U ccl in es were noted into the eig.hteenth ceniUry. but by 1 82 0 1he Maliseei

- Passamaqu oddy p o pulali o n may have re gai n e d 1he 1 6 12 figure

. Wilh
I he _ exc<plion

o f lhededines shown
o n figure 2, the Mah se ct - Pas s amaquodUy pnpulalion has been on an upward !rend since _ 182?

. Informat io n on census figures IS g.l\'en 

### h y C hauvtgnene (NYCD 9), Maine Hi s10 rical Socicly (JI.Id

i SC 3), and W c SI (18 27 ) . The cumplelc 191 0 census Fa ve 848Malosec

! , }86 l'a ssa maqu<><ldy. and 266 l'enoh

s cul (U

. S.lluo e au of 1he Cens us 191 5 ) . Since 1911J. holh groups have m o re than doubled

( Ca nada

. D e partment



### o f lm..l ia n Affair s and Northern Development. lnJian AlTa irs Br:mch 19 7 0 . 1971

: Jl.laine. Deparlmenl

o f Indian AITairs 1970

, 1971): 1\bliscl'f lOci

. 26. 1971) Ba"d

1 'ot l11 On RcJcn

· r Off **R~ Jcn-**  **~** Ed mundst o n 67 47 20 Kingsclear 274 216 58 Oromocto 117 95 

### 22 Saini Mary's )86 312 74 Tohique 617 437 180 

### Woodsoock 258 123 135 (Jan

. I . 1 970) Viger

93 1.812 1.230 489

f' a.'>S:IUt:llfiUfMfd)' **~an**

**.** I , 1970) Band Peler Dana P oi nt 2 13 (Jan

. I, 1971) l'lea.anl !'oint 793 

### JJO 463 

### 1.006 There are n o Jiving full - blooded Mali see l - l'a ss anoa<luod

dies, as intermarriage with Caucasians has occurreJ since the sev enteenth cen tu ry. Mo s t 

### Mali~cet

**s** and Passamaquoddics growing 

### up on the 

### re **se rv~t**  **ions s~e**  **ak** so me of their nati ve lan guage but 

### I Cw are halmgual. ll . tc 

### oiJc:~t are Mali sec t - l'assamaquoddy domin01nt, hut clllldren lend lo speak lilli e of I he language

. The l'lea sa nl Point

. Woodstock. and Tobique reservations haveundergone lhe mosl accuiiUralion

: Oromoclo

, King
s clear. and Peler Dana Poinl lhe least

. Cullure 

### Subsistence The early hisl o rical period was characlerized by link or n o competition for re so urces on the winter huntmg grounds

. at cultivated areas, along the river s ncar **wan~** weather villages, or at successful fishing spots

. Subsis

tence activities and the annual cycle were scheduled according to whatever food resources were available :and c o uld be oblained mosl <asily during
a parlicular season. Gyles's

( 1851

: 83) accounl of his Maliseel family islypocal of lhe lradilional period. On relurning from lheor **ICKSO~**


# I i winter hunting territ ories to the eerural **illa~e** in spring. corn was planled. In June lhe MaliseeiS wenl 10 one of the islands in the Saint John

t o camp. **lir~t** to spear bass and later sturgeon

. Several trips were rn
: tde hack and forth from gard e n plots to fishing site!i. in the s umm e r . Afler corn was hilled the M a liscct s went out to !'pear fi s h including sa lm on by lorchlighl al **ni~hl** 

### (Jig
. 3) . Fish

. wild grapes

, and rools provided lhe summer diel. In fall corn was harvesled

, and lhe porlion !hal was dried was either stored in subterranean pits lined with bark or taken along on the migrator
y winter hunt. This hunt for moose or bear was done by group
s of 8 10 10 people, 1wo of whom were adull men

. Unlil **prin~.** lhe groupconlinually !raveled over a large area of Maine

. New Bruns

wick. and the Gaspe Peninsula in s tarch of g;,me. A sim ilar yearly round likel y charac

l eriud o lher Mnlisccl bands unlil lhe expan

s ion uf lloe LuyaliSi

s al lhe end of lhe eighlecnlh cen lury

. The Loyalist expansion began
a period of in c rea s ed acculturation and competition

f o r lands
f o rmerly used for hunling and !rapping

. 801h Indian groups depended Cal
. of V iM UI f .. rid.-. **~i!**

**.** J . 1M Pielpott

, **Pass.1m:~quoddy.** sptari n! "' · hittfhh by Iorch **lr~hl.** The wooden spc.u is thrce

· pronged

. The torch is burninE birc h bark held in the spl i t end of a stick. Phototraphtd
at Peter Dana Poin1 Restrntion about 1910

. 114 All S E ET

. rA SS

. \ M AQ C ODOY
more: on the fur trad e: otter. beaver. and muskrat **wen~** the main pelt s, but moose hides were also rn:uketed

. In late spring the I nt.lians came to the 

### tr:1Jin g po s ts or in later pcriotls assemhlcd at given point s on the river

, which were visitctl 

### by the fur tratlcr who purcha se d their 

### cah.:h. 

### Some planting of garden

s . potato es. :wd 

### grain was also done

. although th e commi ss ioners to the I ndians were frustrated 

### by their la c k of success in en co uraging farming

. Other income was availabl
e for the men asagri c ultural lab o rers

. log -boo m driver s. g uide s f o r hunters and fi s hermen

. and as stcvcJorcs on the river boats

. Summer was a time for ba s kctmakin
g and othc:r 

### wood indu s tries

. Migralory habit s contim&ct

l ; oflcn famili es. 

### somelimes two together. c:unpctl nc ; tr White
**~c ttl**  **mcnl. ._**  

### ami. f.Oing from **hou ~c**  to **hou ~c.**  tratlcd th eir w ; trc s . Ferry 

### ami **~Ieamer lamlint;~**  proved popular tr.uling **pot**

**.** Guiding. **ofcour~c.** 

### m
: u.l c unimpeded tradition

: tl t a ll and winter hunting



### : '"d 

### trapping impossible

: th e goo d g uide guaranleed his employer lhal h e would make his kill or 

### ca l ch: White owner

s hip re s tricted the Ind ians' p3 ss ing over his former hunting and trapping ground

s . Some Maliseets remained on the re s ervations

o r ncar the White selt lcmcnt
s the entire winter

. makin g b:1skcts for sale or relying 'upon the kindness of White neighbors

. Since approxima tely
1 920 the Mali scc t s have made only nmrgin

: tl 

### u sc of nonrc
s crvation land (M t.: Fc:et 19<>2a:238

- 239)

. i\clivili cs arc Slill prcdi c al e d 11n lhc 

### c han g ing of the seasons

. S prin g 

### find s lh.ldlchcac.l gather

ing
: the young fCrn frouJ
s . expo se d 

### h y th e l owering fre s hets

. find a ready ma rke t. On th e north ern rc s crv01- tions

. cutting seec..l pHiato cs proviJc

s in co me for man y . Blueb er r y 

### raking occ ur s 

### in late s umme r. nnd September 

### anti Oc t obe r bring th e bu sy p eriod 

### of put < lhl h a rve s ting

. Ind ians from all of New Drun sw ick am.! t\lainc go t o northern Maine 

### :.i1d adjacent New Brun sw kk t o work on the harve
s t. Durin g the o lli c i:tl hunting se a so n m os t men go out In get their d ee r or nHKJSC

, hut winter

i s generally

a quiet tim e,



### : 1lth u ugh s otnc 

### nwk c ha s kct s th e entire **c::~r**

**.** Jla ssa rn
: uluoc..Jd y s uh s i s ten c.: c 

### :u:ti v iti c:-; anJ illlfllHII cycle re se mbled the 

### M:aliscct in mo s t d e tail s for 

### the three period
s ou tl ined. **pring** founc..l the sa me fi s hing 

### am.l . **plantin~c;.** but June precipitatcJ

a movement **~a hore** 

**.** Men

, two to a cano e. p:uJcllcU int o th e **eas** of lhe Bay of **u~** 

## lo - SiiOO! porpoi se anu **~Verril!**

1 954:96). 

## Wlii1C il is nol unoversally

a g reed that p or poi se nnd s ea l hunting wa s abo ri g inal among the **Pa ss**  **aona~uoddy**

**.** EckSiurm (1932

: 1 5 ) s uggc s iS 1ha1 s eal and p o rpoi s e 

### uil were u se J 

### h y 

### Maine Ind ian s durin g 

### th e ceramic period

. \Vhalcs \\
' ere enticcJ 

### bv m e n in canoes to swim into shallow :treas where the y 

### i)ct.

· amc
s tranc..lcJ and were more easily killeJ

. 7 xcursions were mac..le · borin

' islands to fi s h . In gather
t.: ams and
l obs ters
. o r to collect lhc eggs o s ea 1r s. \ Virllcr 1Unting anJ 

## ~ng

l ollow most details of the Mali scc t.

I ll