MALECITE

Algonkian-speaking Indians who occupied the Saint John Valley in what is now New Brunswick and also extended into the northeastern corner of Maine. Their language was closely related to that of the Passamaquoddy, and they were members of the Abnaki, a confederacy of Algonkian-speaking tribes organized for protection against the Iroquois Confederacy. The Malecite practiced corn (maize) cultivation, as well as hunting and fishing. Birch bark and wood were used for manufacture of utensils, tools, and weapons. A tribal council, consisting of the war chief, the civil chief, and representatives of each family decided most tribal questions; a general council of the entire tribe decided war matters. Although the Malecite were probably encountered by English and French explorers as early as the middle of the 16th century, the first record of such contact dates from Samuel de Champlain's voyage of 1604. Fort La Tour, built on the Saint John River early in the 17th century, became a centre for the tribe, where they learned the use of firearms and other European implements. The few French settlers in this area intermarried with the Malecite, strengthening their alliance with the French and their hostility to the English. After the English gained control of the Malecite territory, there were disputes over land until 1776, after which certain lands were assigned to the Indians. By 1856 their territory was reduced to the Tobique River Valley and another small tract. The descendants of the Malecite live in New Brunswick, Quebec Province, and Maine.