Europeans, Christianity, and the Fur trade
During the 17th century, French explorers stumbled upon Mackinac Island and found a region abound with plentiful resources and rich culture. Strategically located, the island became a hotspot for the fur trade during the 18th and 19th centuries. As the Europeans entered this territory, interracial relationships became prominent features of society. French men would marry native women and this would allow them kinship within the communities and bring prosperity to their fur trade. This mixed society placed value in the community as opposed to the individual, which meant that proper relations between the Europeans and native peoples were extremely important (Sleeper-Smith). The indigenous women had a considerable amount of power under these circumstances. It was up to them to broker many interactions and agreements between their husbands, his fur company, and the other natives. Loyalty to the community was extremely important.
Interracial marriages between European traders and the indigenous women led to a cultural phenomenon known as syncretism. Syncretism is the act of two cultures creating a hybrid. The native women did not leave their cultural practices behind when they married (Sleeper-Smith). There was an element of French assimilation into the societies already present in the regions on and around the island. The social kinship circles were extremely prevalent and served as support and trade networks. Without these marriages it would have proved difficult for the Europeans to successfully interact with the people they found upon arrival in the region. After the Seven Years War when the British gained control over the territory, the trade suffered slightly due to British officials favoring their own traders. Where the French worked closely with the native populations, the British annihilated them which eventually led to forced removal of the native peoples on the mainland over many years (Benjamin). This removal started slowly, prior to the American Revolution. By the end of the War of 1812, and the defeat of Indian Chief Tecumseh, the United States gained exclusive control of the region. During this period of dispute, disagreement over control of the island territory increased. Debates about nationalism and cultural identity grew during this time. As Professor Ronald Suny asserts in his lecture on nationalism, over time humans have divided themselves into distinct nationalities. Based on his idea, one would think Mackinac Island would maintain its own cultural identity, and it quite possibly would have had the cultural heart not been transplanted out of the surrounding regions. These acts of removal left the island relatively untouched, however. The populations living there were culturally intertwined to such a degree that it made removal relatively impossible. Due to the changes in the region surrounding the control and the groups individual motivations the island population grew dramatically from about 250 inhabitants before the War of 1812 to nearly 4,000 inhabitants by the end of the 18th century (Sleeper-Smith). |
Up until this point we have been talking about the physical presence and political control of the island. It's important to remember that another great influence upon the region was that of the church. Jesuit missionaries interacted with the native people regularly and were well received by a majority of the population. The missionaries would train native women as religious teachers (Widder). This gave the women a sense of autonomy and produced what author, Susan Sleeper-Smith, describes as "folk Catholicism", or a system in which the teachings of the religion were presented by lay-folk rather than learned priests. The photo to the right is of St. Anne's Catholic Church as it stands on the island today. The first presence of this church was erected in the late 18th century, though this current facade has been refurbished and renovated since. In addition to St. Anne's, the Old Mission Church is credited as one of the oldest churches on the island. Its renovation at the turn of the 20th Century marks the changing emphasis from folk-Catholicism to Protestant influences (Williams). This shift leads us into the modern era of multi-culturalism on the island in the present day.
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Photos: Cohen
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