2 - Odanak: Abenaki ambiguity in the North

Summary

The Revolution tolerated few neutrals. In time and in general, most Indian peoples came around to siding with the British, but in individual communities the situation was always more complex. A struggle that split non-Indian communities throughout the colonies generated similar repercussions in communities in Indian country, but not necessarily for the same reasons. The Abenakis at Odanak in Quebec had ties to other Indian communities in New England and Canada, and, via the Seven Nations confederacy, to the Iroquois in New York. They also occupied a key location on the Saint Lawrence River, which placed the community in a tug-of-war between the British in Quebec and the Americans in northern New England, both of whom regarded them with suspicion. The people of Odanak lacked consensus about what course to pursue in the Revolution, and Abenakis served in small-scale operations on both sides during the war. But beneath the surface confusion and ambivalence, all Abenakis at all times shared the goal of preserving their community and keeping the war at arm's length. All they disagreed on was the means to that end. Neutrality was a perilous strategy, more likely to make the village a target than a haven when British and Americans alike adhered to the notion that if Indians were not fighting for you they would fight against you. Many Abenakis opted instead for limited and sometimes equivocal involvement in the conflict. The family-band structure of Abenaki society meant that different people could espouse different allegiances without tearing the community apart. Individual participation on both sides, though limited and part of no master strategy, also allowed flexibility as the fortunes of war shifted. The Revolution would not leave the Abenakis alone, but they could divert it into less destructive channels.

Odanak, or Saint Francis, emerged as a mission village and refugee center in Quebec during the previous century.