Odanak
| Odanak | |||
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| Location in Quebec | |||
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| State : |
 Canada
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| Province : | Quebec | ||
| Administrative region : | Center-du-Quebec | ||
| Coordinates : | 46 ° 4 ′ N , 72 ° 49 ′ W | ||
| Area : | 5.7 km² | ||
| Residents : | 469 (as of 2006) | ||
| Population density : | 82.3 inhabitants / km² | ||
| Time zone : | Eastern Time ( UTC − 5 ) | ||
Odanak , also known as Saint Francis , is an Indian reservation in the Canadian province of Québec and is located about 32 km east of Sorel-Tracy on the Rivière Saint-François , shortly before its confluence with the Saint Lawrence River . The approximately 5.7 km² reserve Odanak No. 12 had 469 permanent residents of Indian descent in 2006, mostly descendants of Western Abenaki and Algonquin from southern New England , now officially known as the Waban-Aki Nation in Canadaare known. Odanak is a word from the Abenaki language and means village .
history
When the Europeans arrived on the new continent, the Eastern Abenaki inhabited large parts of what is now the US state of Maine , while the Western Abenaki lived in the New Hampshire and Vermont area as far as Lake Champlain . Around 1600 there were estimates of around 14,000 Eastern and 12,000 Western Abenaki who were threatened with extinction within a few decades by wars and numerous devastating epidemics such as measles and smallpox.
The Abenaki developed into one of the most important trading partners of the European fur traders. French Jesuits came to the country and set up missions. The Abenaki soon gained the reputation of being the most devout Catholics and one of France's most loyal Indian allies . Tensions between the colonial powers France and Great Britain grew and a series of colonial wars broke out, in which the Abenaki always fought on the side of the French. In an attack by British troops on the Norridgewock Jesuit Mission on the Kennebec River in 1724, the French priest Father Sébastien Rasles and many Abenaki were killed. The survivors fled to Canada.
Two permanent refuges for Abenaki had developed in New France : Wôlinak or Bécancour near Trois-Rivières , which consisted predominantly of Eastern Abenaki from southern Maine, and Odanak or St. Francis, about 45 km southwest of it, that of a mixture from western Abenaki, Penacook and New England - Algonquin was inhabited. In the course of the colonial wars, Abenaki warriors moved from here in small groups across the border and raided the British settlements in New England. They accepted several hundred kilometers of walking and returned laden with booty. In 1759, Odanak was the target of a British counter-attack when Rogers' rangers destroyed the village in the French and Indian War. Fled residents later rebuilt their village in the same place.
Todays situation
After the decline of the fur trade, many Abenaki made their living by working in the timber industry, canoeing and basket making. When the Canadian Confederation was created in 1867, Odanak became a state reservation. Even today, the quality of the folklore articles is in great demand and around 25 parishioners are busy producing them. Most of the Abenaki in Odanak speak French and very few tribesmen speak their traditional language. The reconstructed mission church and the excellent museum with numerous exhibits from the Abenaki culture are worth seeing. The Abenaki Museum of Odanak is the oldest museum of Native American culture in Québec. The official name of the residents of Odanak is St. Francis Abenaki of the Odanak Reserve . Together with the residents of Wôlinak, they belong to the Waban-Aki nation .