Whether you believe in prophecy or not, the location of Montreal turned out to be an ideal place to build a city—first for the Anishinaabe, then the Iroquois, and later the French and English. Located in the channel of the St. Lawrence River, this massive island not only had beauty but also natural defenses. Did the scouts for the Anishinaabe people truly find cowry shells on this island? Did it just happen to look like a cowry shell (and that was close enough)? Or was it a pragmatic location to support your people prior to a dangerous migration through enemy territory? Those answers are best left to time-traveling historians or novelists (perhaps one and the same).
I Can’t Drive 55
In the early stages of our road trip from Nova Scotia to Minnesia, it seemed every turn and twist in the road revealed even more picturesque imagery. Well, perhaps that’s just New Brunswick. Along our 700 mile stage, we drove on major highways through the rolling, rocky farmland that seemed to be hand-painted by an artist.
Once we made the turn on Highway 2, we found ourselves driving along the shores of the majestic St. Lawrence River. Initially, the river averaged 15 miles from bank to bank, so it felt like you were driving along a lake or ocean, but bit by bit, the river began to narrow. Finally, massive bluffs rose high marking the beginning of a much wilder stretch of river at Quebec City.
Our rural sightseeing came to an end when the highways led us into a major metropolis.
Mystery of the Megis
While Julie and I had the modern luxury of a GPS system to get us from Nova Scotia to Montreal, Anishinaabe legend tells that they used the sacred megis shell, made by the cowrie snail. Today, Montreal is a modern metropolis, filled with tall buildings and paved streets from shore to shore. Long ago, if the legends are true, cowrie shells marked the First Stopping Place for the Anishinaabe migration. Did a scout find a single shell? A handful of shells? That answer is lost to time, but the discovery of the Megis shell meant mom and dad, wife and kids, grandma and grandpa—everybody—relocated to this big island.
You can visit any natural history museum (like Montreal Museum of Archaeology and History) and find exhibits that display native commerce systems that include wampum and cowrie shells. Many historians believe this trade system took off during the fur trade era, but for the Anishinaabe, whose existing “archeology” is filled with cowrie shells, they had to either do A LOT of trading or had to simply “discover” the shells.
The tales indicate that the shells were discovered, which is quite fascinating. Finding a cache of megis shells on Montreal either means the trade system was far older and more extensive than the history books claim OR there was something paranormal going on. Why do I say this? Cowrie shells come from the tropics. Many of the types that I’ve seen come from the Pacific.
Some of the storytellers I’ve encountered believe that visions or dreams told the scouts where to go, but even if that’s the case, the use of these tropical shells in daily life is still a tad perplexing. Even the shape of Montreal Island appears to mirror the look of a cowrie shell.
Canadian Culture
Even though we were warned about the “rude” French locals that shun English speakers because of, you know, the 1763 Treaty of Paris (wow, let it go), we found Montreal to be a super friendly and immaculately clean city. We strolled the streets, visited fairs, and soaked up the scene. Even though I was disappointed by the lack of any indigenous culture in the urban setting, much of the old city is preserved. In my novel The Alchemist’s Stone, Pierre-Charles LeSueur lived in the young city, and the names and places have been carefully preserved. If you know your history, it’s a cool place to geek out.
A Short Stay
For us, and the Anishinaabe, there were many miles to still go. While the island certainly could have allowed for tens of thousands to camp, hunt, and fish, the Seven Fires Prophecy pushed them forward. After setting up the family, scouts would have been sent to go searching for the next island marked by megis shells. By foot or by canoe, the hunters and scouts likely would’ve taken years (and perhaps generations) before finding the next stopping spot. Even though there could have been thousands of islands in the area, the waters that flowed by Montreal Island flowed from the Second Stopping Place—Niagara Falls.
Comentarios