Thanadelthur
Encyclopedia
Thanadelthur was a woman of the Chipewyan
Nation who served as a guide and interpreter for the Hudson's Bay Company
. She was instrumental in forging a peace agreement between the Chipewyan and the Cree
people.
s were attacked by Cree
s and, among at least three women, Thanadelthur was captured. After spending the winter with their Cree captors, Thanadelthur and another woman escaped and attempted to rejoin their people. Cold and hunger prevented them from doing so, however, and the two endured a year of hardship until Thanadelthur's travelling companion died. Five days later Thanadelthur was discovered by goose hunters from the Hudson's Bay Company
.
She reached the safety of York Factory, Manitoba
on November 24, 1714. At this time, James Knight, a director of the Hudson's Bay Company
, was seeking a native interpreter to help convince the Cree to allow other northern Indians to reach bay side trading posts in order to trade furs with his company. The Cree now were armed with firearms that they had obtained from Europeans, objected to the attempts to invade their tribal territory, and posed a significant hindrance to the lucrative trade the company wanted to conduct.
In 1715, Knight enlisted the aid of Thanadelthur to forge a peace agreement between the Chipewyan and the Cree. On June 27 of that year, Thanadelthur, along with one hundred and fifty Cree and one Englishman, William Stuart, embarked on the mission to make peace between the Chipewyans and the Cree.
Thanadelthur was given many gifts by Knight to present to her people. After much persuasion, the two groups agreed to make peace and Knight was overjoyed.
Initially, Knight intended to provide safe passage for Thanadelthur and the Chipewyans so that they could return to their home country in 1716. A harsh winter and an enduring fear of bands of Cree who had not been parties to the peace agreement prevented this, however, and caused him to allow the Chipewyans to spend the winter at the company factory.
A promised trading post in the Chipewyan lands had not been built and Thanadelthur's next mission from Knight was to return to her home country and assure her people that the post eventually would be built. Before that could be accomplished, however, she died of a fever on February 5, 1717.
group whose culture
is identified as the Dene
, by anthropologists. The legacy of Thanadelthur has survived in the oral traditions
of the Dene people and in the records of the Hudson's Bay Company. This later recognition and inclusion in historical records created by the trading company is a rare occurrence for a native person, even if she remained unnamed in documents: when her travels were recorded, she was identified repeatedly as the 'Slave Woman'. Her name has survived to be included in modern histories by means of records retained by the native tribes.
The lasting peace agreement honed by Thanadelthur paved the way for expansion of the Hudson's Bay Company
farther north and led to further integration of the arriving Europeans into the tribes of the native Indians.
In 2000, the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada recognised Thanadelthur as a national historic person of Canada.
Chipewyan
The Chipewyan are a Dene Aboriginal people in Canada, whose ancestors were the Taltheilei...
Nation who served as a guide and interpreter for the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
. She was instrumental in forging a peace agreement between the Chipewyan and the Cree
Cree
The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
people.
Life
Thanadelthur (literally meaning Marten Shake) is thought to have been born during 1697. In early 1713, a party of ChipewyanChipewyan
The Chipewyan are a Dene Aboriginal people in Canada, whose ancestors were the Taltheilei...
s were attacked by Cree
Cree
The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
s and, among at least three women, Thanadelthur was captured. After spending the winter with their Cree captors, Thanadelthur and another woman escaped and attempted to rejoin their people. Cold and hunger prevented them from doing so, however, and the two endured a year of hardship until Thanadelthur's travelling companion died. Five days later Thanadelthur was discovered by goose hunters from the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
.
She reached the safety of York Factory, Manitoba
York Factory, Manitoba
York Factory was a settlement and factory located on the southwestern shore of Hudson Bay in northeastern Manitoba, Canada, at the mouth of the Hayes River, approximately south-southeast of Churchill. The settlement was headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Company's Northern Department, from 1821 to...
on November 24, 1714. At this time, James Knight, a director of the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
, was seeking a native interpreter to help convince the Cree to allow other northern Indians to reach bay side trading posts in order to trade furs with his company. The Cree now were armed with firearms that they had obtained from Europeans, objected to the attempts to invade their tribal territory, and posed a significant hindrance to the lucrative trade the company wanted to conduct.
In 1715, Knight enlisted the aid of Thanadelthur to forge a peace agreement between the Chipewyan and the Cree. On June 27 of that year, Thanadelthur, along with one hundred and fifty Cree and one Englishman, William Stuart, embarked on the mission to make peace between the Chipewyans and the Cree.
Thanadelthur was given many gifts by Knight to present to her people. After much persuasion, the two groups agreed to make peace and Knight was overjoyed.
Initially, Knight intended to provide safe passage for Thanadelthur and the Chipewyans so that they could return to their home country in 1716. A harsh winter and an enduring fear of bands of Cree who had not been parties to the peace agreement prevented this, however, and caused him to allow the Chipewyans to spend the winter at the company factory.
A promised trading post in the Chipewyan lands had not been built and Thanadelthur's next mission from Knight was to return to her home country and assure her people that the post eventually would be built. Before that could be accomplished, however, she died of a fever on February 5, 1717.
Legacy
The Chipewyans are a national group that is a member of a much larger ethnographicEthnography
Ethnography is a qualitative method aimed to learn and understand cultural phenomena which reflect the knowledge and system of meanings guiding the life of a cultural group...
group whose culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
is identified as the Dene
Dene
The Dene are an aboriginal group of First Nations who live in the northern boreal and Arctic regions of Canada. The Dené speak Northern Athabaskan languages. Dene is the common Athabaskan word for "people" . The term "Dene" has two usages...
, by anthropologists. The legacy of Thanadelthur has survived in the oral traditions
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
of the Dene people and in the records of the Hudson's Bay Company. This later recognition and inclusion in historical records created by the trading company is a rare occurrence for a native person, even if she remained unnamed in documents: when her travels were recorded, she was identified repeatedly as the 'Slave Woman'. Her name has survived to be included in modern histories by means of records retained by the native tribes.
The lasting peace agreement honed by Thanadelthur paved the way for expansion of the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
farther north and led to further integration of the arriving Europeans into the tribes of the native Indians.
In 2000, the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada recognised Thanadelthur as a national historic person of Canada.