Druillettes, Gabriel

Druillettes, Gabriel

Gabriel Druillettes did a significant amount of missionary work in Sillery, Quebec, beginning 1643. He accompanied the Montagnais people on their hunting excursions and familiarized himself with not only their culture and traditions, but their language as well, teaching and preaching throughout the experience. He travelled to Tadoussac in the summers during this time to preach and meet new people, in hopes of positively influencing their lives. He later went to the Abenaki Village, located at Kennebec River Basin in 1646, at their request for a missionary. Gabriel preached, cured, and learned from them- including their Abenaki tongue as well. Following the village, he reached Maine (Lake Moosehead) with the Abenaki people. Through hunting and spending time with them, Gabriel built their confidence in himself, completing his missionary work. It was in Maine of September 1650 that Gabriel was appointed governor of Quebec’s ambassador in with New England to face the Iroquois and their pose of threat that required joint action.

Autumn 1643- 1680 (estimated)

Person

Sillery, Tadoussac, Abenaki Village (Kennebec River Basin), Maine (Lake Moosehead)

Lucien Campeau, “DRUILLETTES (Dreuillettes, Drouillettes, Drouillet, Droulletes, Drueillettes, Druilletes), GABRIEL,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 1, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed October 3, 2021, https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/druillettes_gabriel_1E.html.

September 10,1610

Garat, Diocese of Limoges, France

April 8, 1681

Quebec

Priest; Missionary; Hunter; Explorer (through his missions); Teacher (at Mauriac, Béziers, and Puy); Governor;

French; English; Abenaki; Montagnais

Gabriel Druillettes was born on September 10, 1610. He was birthed at the Roman Catholic Diocese of Limoges in Garat, France. Gabriel began his journey in the late 1620’s, first joining the Noviciate of the Society of Jesus. Between then and 1640, he studied philosophy, taught in different cities- namely Le Puy, Mauriac Beziers, and Puy- and became an ordained priest after further studying theology in Toulouse. He then began his missionary journey from France to Canada, where he established a reputation of great influence amongst the English and Indigenous people; he learned the language of the Montagnais in Sillery and Abenaki amongst the Abenaki people within their village. Unfortunately, Gabriel Druillettes faced multiple setbacks throughout his journey due to the Iroquois people in Quebec and Lac Nikabau, who were constantly in discourse with New France and New England. Consequently, it was Druillettes’ positive influence amongst the English that impacted the New England and New France alliance into a feasible force. It also aided him in the initiation of a large-scale missionary project across the west. Alas, these missions and their hardships took their toll on Gabriel Druillettes’ aging body, leading to his death in Quebec on April 8, 1681.

Conflict and Change in Early Canadian History (Carleton HIST 1301)

Mali Nyamadi