Who was Pierre Radisson?

EXT month a CBC-produc-
N ed film series on the life
of Pierre Radisson, colorful
and controversial Candian ex-
plorer, will be seen on TV sets
across the land. It is an all-
Canadian production, filmed
near Montreal, the success of
which may herald at long last
a recognition of Canada’s own
historical figures — enough
perhaps, to make them as fa-
miliar to us as the Davy
Crocketts and other frontier
heroes of the United States.

Who was Radisson?

In a-_ recent __ broadcast,
Andre Laurendeau, editor of
Montreal’s Le Devoir, told
something of the story of this
man who did so much to open
up our land back in the 17th
century. Here, somewhat
abridged, is Laurendeau’s tale:

Pierre Esprit Radisson was
a man in advance of his time.
He made his real and stu-
pendous. discoveries, which

family. Later he travelled
with a small party of Indians,
had a chance to kill them, and
fled to Three Rivers; but he
was caught once again, tortur-
ed, saved as if by a miracle
by his adoptive family, and
became an Indian again.

He escaped for good. Years
jater, with his brother-in-law,
Des Groseillers, he discovered
the Great North West.

He slipped through the Iro-
quois territory and made
friends with the Crees and the
Sioux. He bought their furs
and persuaded 500 Crees to
accompany him to Quebec.

His party arrived in Quebec
in time to save the finances of
the colony, for his 500 Indians
brought enough beaver skins
to fill the French boats that
would have had to go back
empty.

The next year he departed
again, against the will of the
governor, and with a small
party of Indians managed to
make his way to the west,

* This is C. W. Jefferys’ drawing of Pierre Radisson meeting
the Indians in a winter camp.

historians still discuss; but as
I am not a historian I will not
discuss them. His fur trading
always worked well for others
and always ended very badly
for himself.

He worked successively for
the French king,-for the Eng-
lish king, for the French king
again, and for the English
king, thus showing that he
had no prejudices; and after
all that, he died poor.

(He married an English wo-
man, just as if he foresaw the
future of New France).

Though a boy from Saint
Malo, in France, he lived for
some time in Three Rivers,
which would guarantee us the
collaboration and cooperation
of Premier Duplessis. Finally,
born French, he ended up
English, which might become
a symbol of national unity.

He met fame at first defeat.

At 17, he was caught by the
Indians and brought into their
camp. His show of courage and
daring gained him friends and
he was adopted by a Mohawk

through terrifying adventures.
He came back with lots -of
furs and again saved New
France from bankruptcy.

But he himself, having dis-
obey the governor, was so
heavily fined that he lost all
he had.

He decided that this was too
much and that he would wor
for the English, who received
him well.

He made an expedition to
James Bay for them, came
back with furs and was creat-
ed a Knight de la Jarretiere.
But in the end he did not get
much more from England
than this decoration of the
garter, a lot of suspicion and
a wife.

So he decided to remember
that he was French and came
back to his old allegiance.

@ .

Of course this man did so
many things it is impossible
even to summarize them here.

To give an idea of his clev-
erness and energy, let us look

at an episode that took place
when he was French for the
second time.

He directed a small exped-
ition around Labrador coast
into Hudson Bay and settled
down on the banks of the Hay-
es River. He had 30 men in
all. .Then he. realized that a
party from New England,
smugglers were coming into
the country. This did not over-
please him, especially since
Englishmen had a right to con-
sider him a traitor, but he re-
ally felt caught when he saw
another English group coming
in. :

It was the Hudson’s Bay
Company ship.

The two English parties out-
numbered the French and for
a time Radisson managed to
keep them apart, though only
nine miles separated them.

Then he incited one against
the other. He made a prisoner
of the commander of the first
party, and took his fort; and
when the commander of the
other group went into the fort,
not knowing that it had been
taken, Radisson made him and
his party prisoners — just like
that!

So that in the end the small
French group was the winner
and Radisson had so many
prisoners that he did not
know what to do with them.

The Indians calmly suggested
killing and scalping the

~ Englishmen. But, humane as

he was, and perhaps remem-
bering that fortune fluctuates,
Radisson refused to kill his
enemies and came back with
everybody.

Again badly received by the
French, he made one of his
usual about-turns and the year
after that Ke splendidly undid
what he had so _ laboriously
done, and gave victory to the
English. For victory and not
money, was always on his

side.
@

Pierre Esprit Radisson al-
ways believed first in Pierre
Esprit Radisson — which is of
all times, but perhaps partic-
ularly on our own; so that on
the one side you have a won-
derful lesson in egoism and on

the other side, as he always.

failed in his personal enter-
prisés, he proves that even
little crimes don’t pay.

You can call him an oppor-
tunist, or even a renegade, but
as he was a traitor to both
English and French, that’s a
draw and he becomes a special
kind of link between our two
groups and everybody has
something to love in him.

Somebody should sell Radis-
son to Walt Disney. With such
a subject, Disney could not
humanly manage to be as ex-
ceptionally dull as he has been
with Davy Crockett.

And if a Canadian hero came
back to us straight from New
York, with a good tune and a
few genuine outfits, how our
national pride would be in-
flamed !

Think of it: A  French-
Canadian who would speak
English with an American ac-
cent—what could ever be more
Canadian.

UENEWS
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SEPTEMBER 21, 1956 — PACIFIC TRIBUNE ~