Pieskaret

Pieskaret (pronounced pees-ka'-ret) (died 1647) was a chief of the Adirondac Indians. His tribe fought against the English forces, helping the French in the early 17th century. The Adirondacs under him drove the Iroquois Confederation out of Canada.

Known as "the terror of the Iroquois", To the colonials, Pieskaret was known by his Christian name, Chief Simon. Pieskaret was a distinguished war leader who was known for his exploits against the Iroquois. Pieskaret died in 1647.

Battles

In 1643 signifying that they might all be forgiven and that no revenge was to be sought. From 1645 to 1646, there were very important peace and trade negotiations that allowed the Mohawks a share of the northern fur trade. This secretly excluded the pagan Algonquins from French protection.

Due to the growing intensity of the Iroquois menace from 1646 to 1647, many tribes began to take up residence in the Trois-Rivières area. These events created confusion, creating controversy. In order to solve these issues, the Indians designated Pieskaret to keep the peace between the French and the Indians as well as to keep the peace between the Hurons and the Algonquins. Given the power to punish delinquents, especially if they were at fault for religious reasons, Pieskaret is said to have discharged his duty faithfully.

Christianity and later years

Pieskaret was baptized at Trois-Rivières in 1640 or 1641. He was given the name of Simon by the governor of Trois-Rivières, M. de Champflour. From 1646 to 1647, Pieskaret was very affected by the sudden death of a Christian convert and nephew of Tessouat, Joseph Oumasasikweie. He made a public confession and renewed his faith, which he had originally accepted mainly for diplomatic reasons.

Pieskaret's open acceptance of Christianity may have indirectly been the cause of his death. While returning a hunt on the north shore of St. Lawrence, Pieskaret was met by a band of Iroquois (who were allowed to hunt in the area due to the treaty in 1645), who were singing a peace song. Even though the rumors of the secret clause in a treaty were already known by Pieskaret and there was an overall fear of an attack, he counted on his faith to protect him and he smoked a pipe with the Iroquois. They all were respectful to each other, but when Pieskaret continued on his journey he was killed and scalped by one of the Iroquois who had lagged behind.

In folklore and culture

There are many stories about the prowess of Pieskaret. For example, Perrot recounts that at one time Pieskaret entered an Iroquois village and killed a whole family, then hid in the family's woodpiles for two nights and was found on the third. The story is that he fled, and by being agile and nimble was able to outrun those who were chasing him while he took refuge in a tree trunk. When the Iroquois set up a camp near him, Pieskaret killed them all in their sleep and "came back laden with their scalps." Another tale states that at the mouth of the Sorel River, Pieskaret along with four others sank five Iroquois canoes by lighting them on fire. They then killed all of their enemies except for two captives that had been traveling with them.