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Crucifixes and Medallions from Michilimackinac Charles J. Rinehart The seventeenth century was a time when Europeans established lasting contacts with American Indians living in the Old Northwest. French Jesuit missionaries were among the earliest Europeans to enter this region. Their objective was to Christianize the Native inhabitants in the beliefs of French Catholicism (Jennings 1975: 101). A tool used to instruct Native Americans was pictures painted by the Jesuit Fathers. Sometimes these paintings were given as presents to converted Natives (Thwaites 1896-1901, 49: 69; 52: 119-21; 53: 203). Other religious items were also given to American Indians who accepted the Catholic faith. These articles included brass crosses and medals. Frequently the only discriminating characteristic between a Christian and non-Christian Native American was the religious objects that were worn (Thwaites 1896-1901, 50: 173; 60: 137-39; 67: 309). Recipients of crucifixes and medallions were not solely American Indians. Quite often missionaries handed out such articles to French settlers on New Year's Day (Thwaites 1896-1901,28: 143; 30: 155; 36: 113). The reasons for this seventeenth-century practice are unclear. However, a possible explanation may be that these people had served the church well in the previous year. Unfortunately, after the 1650s there are no further references to this gift-giving practice, which may mean it was discontinued or became so common that it was no longer noteworthy. Furthermore, a common practice at Catholic baptisms is to give a person a baptismal name. The name has to be Christian and often is "the name of the saint on whose day one was born" (Attwater 1958: 45). The baptismal name is a reminder that an individual has undergone baptism (New Catholic Encyclopedia 1967,2: 45). Devout Catholics could very well have had items that showed the saint whose name they received. Since crosses and medals were highly prized (especially by the converted Native Americans), it is possible that such articles were mass-produced and distributed through the fur trade. Yet, specific information on the manufacturing of crucifixes and medallions was not evident in the archaeological or historical 331 CHARLES J. RINEHART material reviewed. On the other hand, other religious items were used by fur traders, for instance, Jesuit rings (Hauser 1982: 60-61) and rosary beads (Halchin 1985: 160-64). Despite a lack of documentary evidence, archaeologists have routinely defined crosses and medals in the category of European trade items (e.g., Quimby 1939: 25-27; Neitzel 1965: 50), yet no one has stated the reasons for such a classification. Fur trade sources shed no light on whether medallions were used as trade items. However, a couple of references to crucifixes are known. The Michilimackinac trading firm of David McCrae & Co. produced two inventories from 1777 which list "metal crosses" and "metal stone crosses" (Quebec Papers, vol. B., 75: 216-18). While crosses are absent from the other ten years of McCrae lists, such articles at least occasionally were shipped from Montreal. The term "metal crosses" probably applies to the plain, common trade silver crosses. "Metal stone crosses" likely refers to crucifixes that have glass jewel settings (e.g., Brown 1976: 31; Hulse 1977: 168-71: Petersen 1964: 52). The setting for colonial Michilimackinac was a natural "jewel." The fort was located at the point where Lake Huron and Lake Michigan meet. Michilimackinac was erected in 1715 by the French as a strategic fur trade center (Hauser 1982: 19). The significance of establishing Michilimackinac was recognized by the French military, for it had the largest garrison and the highest-ranking commandant in the Upper Great Lakes (Kellogg 1968: 386). Although French rule ended in 1760 as a result of the Seven Years War with England, the Articles of Capitulation agreed to in Montreal contained provisions that allowed both French and British fur traders to conduct business in the Upper Great Lakes (Stone 1974: 9). Except when an American Indian attack occurred that temporarily removed the English from Michilimackinac in 1763 (Parkman 1851: 296-98), British control continued until 1781. when a new fortified location (Fort Mackinac on nearby Mackinac Island) was built to defend the Straits of Mackinac (Stone 1974: 11-12). The final British activity at Michilimackinac was to destroy any surviving parts of the fort buildings. While some structures were moved to the new post, all remaining edifices at the old site were intentionally set ablaze by the troops (Heldman and Grange 1981: 52-53). However, millions of artifacts were left behind at colonial Michilimackinac, including...

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