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Contribution of multilingual Dene woman to developing fur trade commemorated with Churchill plaque. 9-1-17

Contribution of multilingual Dene woman to developing fur trade commemorated with Churchill plaque

Thompson Citizen. September 1, 2017   Link to original article  

 

Thanadelthur, a Dene woman who died in 1717 after helping fur traders establish a trading post and negotiate a peace accord between Dene and Cree inhabitants of what is now Northern Manitoba, was recognized by Parks Canada with a commemorative plaque in Churchill Aug. 11.

The plaque was unveiled by Dr. Richard Wishart, the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada’s Manitoba representative, on behalf Catherine McKenna, federal minister of the environment and climate change, whose portfolio includes responsibility for Parks Canada.

“I am proud of the commemoration of Thanadelthur, an inspiring woman who occupied a central role in the consolidation and expansion of the northern fur trade,” said McKenna in a press release. Her story highlights the significant contributions of Indigenous women in our country’s history, and her accomplishments, as a result of her peace-making attitude, are an inspiration for all of us. I invite all Canadians to discover and be inspired by the stories of the people, places, and events that shaped the land of Canada.”

A member of the Ethn-eldeli-dene people, or “caribou eaters,” now referred to as the Sayisi Dene of Northern Manitoba, Thanadelthur was fluent in Cree, English and her own Athapaskan language and led an important expedition northwest of York Factory on Hudson Bay in 1715-16, completing it on her own when sickness, starvation and extreme cold stopped the rest of the group. That expedition and the peace accord that Thanadelthur helped negotiate led to direct trade between the Dene and the Hudson’s Bay Company and the establishment of the Churchill River trading post in 1717, the same year Thanadelthur died at York Factory during a severe winter. Her story is recorded both in Hudson’s Bay Company documents and the oral history of the Dene.

The Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada was created in 1919 but Parks Canada says it and the government of Canada recognizes that the contributions of Indigenous people to Canada’s history pre-date Confederation and that it is committed to celebrating their contributions in the lands Indigenous Peoples have occupied since time immemorial.

http://www.thompsoncitizen.net/news/nickel-belt/contribution-of-multilingual-dene-woman-to-developing-fur-trade-commemorated-with-churchill-plaque-1.22284296

Manitoba historical document: http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/mb_history/55/thanadelthur.shtml

Wikkipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanadelthur




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