Gabriel Acquin
Encyclopedia
Gabriel Acquin was known by a variety of names; Sachem Gabe and Noel Gabriel being the most verifiable. He was a Maliseet hunter, guide, interpreter and showman who was the founder of the St. Mary's First Nation
St. Mary's First Nation
St. Mary's Band or St. Mary's First Nation is one of six Wolastoqiyik or Maliseet Nations on the Saint John River in Canada.The St. Mary's Band lands comprise two reserves . The Saint Mary's reserve, established in 1867, lies on the northeast bank of the Saint John River, opposite downtown...

 reserve in Canada.

Biography

Gabriel Acquin was born c.
Circa
Circa , usually abbreviated c. or ca. , means "approximately" in the English language, usually referring to a date...

 1811 near Kingsclear, New Brunswick
Kingsclear, New Brunswick
Kingsclear is a Canadian rural community in York County, New Brunswick.Located on the west bank of the Saint John River, 20 kilometres west of the city of Fredericton and opposite Keswick Ridge, the community includes several cottage areas along the Mactaquac Headpond and a residential subdivision...

. Acquin's family is believed to be one of many Aboriginal families to have been displaced by the movement of defeated Loyalists after the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...

. In 1839, Acquin married Marie Marthe in Fredericton
Fredericton, New Brunswick
Fredericton is the capital of the Canadian province of New Brunswick, by virtue of the provincial parliament which sits there. An important cultural, artistic, and educational centre for the province, Fredericton is home to two universities and cultural institutions such as the Beaverbrook Art...

, and together the couple produced a son, Stephen, in 1845. Records show that Acquin may have used names such as Noel Gabriel and Newell Gov'-leet prior to the birth of his son, including when attending a Wabanaki Confederacy
Wabanaki Confederacy
The Wabanaki Confederacy, as it is known in English, is a historical confederation of five North American Algonquian language speaking Indian tribes....

 meeting in Old Town, Maine
Old Town, Maine
Old Town is a city in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 7,840 at the 2010 census. The city's developed area is chiefly located on a relatively large island, though its boundaries extend beyond that...

 in 1838.

In 1847, the executor
Executor
An executor, in the broadest sense, is one who carries something out .-Overview:...

s of a Loyalist estate invited Acquin to settle on land at what was to become the St. Mary's Indian Reserve
St. Mary's First Nation
St. Mary's Band or St. Mary's First Nation is one of six Wolastoqiyik or Maliseet Nations on the Saint John River in Canada.The St. Mary's Band lands comprise two reserves . The Saint Mary's reserve, established in 1867, lies on the northeast bank of the Saint John River, opposite downtown...

, in York County, New Brunswick
York County, New Brunswick
York County is located in west-central New Brunswick, Canada. The county contains the provincial capital, Fredericton. Outside the city, farming and forestry are two major industries in the county, which is bisected by the Saint John River...

. Although Acquin's family had previously been nomadic in nature, Acquin established 14 acres of planted potatoes on his land, and built first a wigwam
Wigwam
A wigwam or wickiup is a domed room dwelling used by certain Native American tribes. The term wickiup is generally used to label these kinds of dwellings in American Southwest and West. Wigwam is usually applied to these structures in the American Northeast...

 and then a frame-house there. However, despite the invitation extended to Acquin to live on the land, it had actually been sold several times to different owners, and by 1867 only a two-and-a-half acre patch of land on the riverfront of the Saint John River was in the possession of the Crown
Crown land
In Commonwealth realms, Crown land is an area belonging to the monarch , the equivalent of an entailed estate that passed with the monarchy and could not be alienated from it....

 and hence available for use by Acquin's Maliseets. When Acquin requested possession of the land he and his people had been living on from the federal government in 1883, he did not receive a reply.

Acquin is best known for his hunting, guiding and interpreting. Acquin accompanied British military officers on trips to hunt with them, and his skills in this area became legendary in the New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...

 area. Acquin reportedly killed five moose
Moose
The moose or Eurasian elk is the largest extant species in the deer family. Moose are distinguished by the palmate antlers of the males; other members of the family have antlers with a dendritic configuration...

 and 25 caribou in a single year, and Acquin himself claimed to have killed 60 red deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...

 in just two weeks' time.

Acquin became popular among British North America
British North America
British North America is a historical term. It consisted of the colonies and territories of the British Empire in continental North America after the end of the American Revolutionary War and the recognition of American independence in 1783.At the start of the Revolutionary War in 1775 the British...

 government officers, and befriended two Lieutenant-Governors. When then-Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...

 and future King of the United Kingdom
Monarchy of the United Kingdom
The monarchy of the United Kingdom is the constitutional monarchy of the United Kingdom and its overseas territories. The present monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, has reigned since 6 February 1952. She and her immediate family undertake various official, ceremonial and representational duties...

 Edward VII
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...

 visited Fredericton
Fredericton, New Brunswick
Fredericton is the capital of the Canadian province of New Brunswick, by virtue of the provincial parliament which sits there. An important cultural, artistic, and educational centre for the province, Fredericton is home to two universities and cultural institutions such as the Beaverbrook Art...

 in 1860 and spotted Acquin canoeing past Government House
Old Government House
Old Government House is the official residence of the Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick, as well as that in Fredericton of the Canadian monarch...

, he asked him for a ride. Acquin obliged, taking the prince on a brief trip to the Nashwaak River
Nashwaak River
The Nashwaak River located in west-central New Brunswick, Canada; is a tributary of the Saint John River. It is 113 kilometres long. The river rises from Nashwaak Lake and flows south and east through uninhabited land and rapids to the village of Stanley...

's mouth. Apparently as a result of that encounter, Acquin later received an invitation to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 to be one of Canada's entries in the International Fisheries Exhibition held in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 in 1883. He made the journey, taking with him a canoe and beaded clothing, and set up a wigwam near ponds at South Kensington
South Kensington
South Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London. It is a built-up area located 2.4 miles west south-west of Charing Cross....

. In London, he interacted socially with royalty and officers with whom he become acquainted back at home. One Canadian historian has said that Acquin was received in London as "the greatest social lion of the day." Acquin made at least one additional visit to London in 1893, when at age 82, he was part of the World’s Water Show.

On October 2, 1901, Acquin died in Fredericton, succeeded by his wife, four sons and three daughters.

Legacy

Acquin was seen by many as a symbol of both romanticism
Romanticism
Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...

 as it related to the native population of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 and the assimilation
Cultural assimilation
Cultural assimilation is a socio-political response to demographic multi-ethnicity that supports or promotes the assimilation of ethnic minorities into the dominant culture. The term assimilation is often used with regard to immigrants and various ethnic groups who have settled in a new land. New...

 of Aboriginal Canadians into European culture. In 1999, Acquin was named a Person of National Historic Significance
Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada)
Persons of National Historic Significance, , are people designated by the Canadian government as being nationally significant in the history of the country. Designations are made by the Minister of the Environment on the recommendation of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada....

 by the Government of Canada
Government of Canada
The Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...

.
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