La Colle ( 1736 – 1742) was a Monsoni (a branch of the

Ojibwa The Ojibwe (; syll.: ᐅᒋᐺ; plural: ''Ojibweg'' ᐅᒋᐺᒃ) are an Anishinaabe people whose homeland (''Ojibwewaki'' ᐅᒋᐺᐘᑭ) covers much of the Great Lakes region and the northern plains, extending into the subarctic and thro ...

) chief who is known in

Canadian history The history of Canada covers the period from the arrival of the Paleo-Indians to North America thousands of years ago to the present day. The lands encompassing present-day Canada have been inhabited for millennia by Indigenous peoples, with di ...

for this period because of the writings of

La Vérendrye La Vérendrye, La Verendrye or Verendrye may refer to: People *Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, sieur de La Vérendrye (1685–1749), French Canadian military officer, fur trader and explorer, often called simply "La Vérendrye". His sons were: **Jean ...

. In the fall of 1731, construction began on Fort St. Pierre at the west end of

Rainy Lake Rainy Lake ( French: '; Ojibwe: ') is a freshwater lake with a surface area of that straddles the border between the United States and Canada. The Rainy River issues from the west side of the lake. Today it is harnessed to make hydroelectricit ...

near the mouth of Rainy River. This was carried out by La Verendrye's nephew,

Christopher Dufrost de La Jemeraye Christopher Dufrost de La Jemeraye, also known as Christophe Dufrost de La Jemerais with various variations on the last name (December 6, 1708May 10, 1736), was the lieutenant and nephew of Pierre Gaultier de Varennes et de La Vérendrye in the exp ...

and his eldest son,

Jean Baptiste de La Vérendrye Jean-Baptiste Gaultier de la Vérendrye (September 3, 1713 – June 6, 1736) was the eldest son of Pierre Gaultier de Varennes et de La Vérendrye and Marie-Anne Dandonneau Du Sablé. He was born on Île Dupas near Sorel, New France Jean Baptis ...

over the winter of 1731-32. La Colle's main village was located in the vicinity of the fort. La Colle was a chief with influence among the Monsonis, his own group of

Swampy Cree The Swampy Cree people, also known by their Exonym and endonym, autonyms ''Néhinaw'', ''Maskiki Wi Iniwak'', ''Mushkekowuk,'' ''Maškékowak, Maskegon'' or ''Maskekon'' (and therefore also ''Muskegon'' and ''Muskegoes'') or by exonyms includin ...

, and also with other

Cree The Cree, or nehinaw (, ), are a Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American Indigenous people, numbering more than 350,000 in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations in Canada, First Nations. They live prim ...

s and

Assiniboine The Assiniboine or Assiniboin people ( when singular, Assiniboines / Assiniboins when plural; Ojibwe: ''Asiniibwaan'', "stone Sioux"; also in plural Assiniboine or Assiniboin), also known as the Hohe and known by the endonym Nakota (or Nakoda ...

further west along the exploration route. Fort St. Charles, on

Lake of the Woods Lake of the Woods (; ) is a lake occupying parts of the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba and the U.S. state of Minnesota. Lake of the Woods is over long and wide, containing more than 14,552 islands and of shoreline. It is fed by t ...

was built in 1732, putting the explorer in closer contact with the

Sioux The Sioux or Oceti Sakowin ( ; Dakota/ Lakota: ) are groups of Native American tribes and First Nations people from the Great Plains of North America. The Sioux have two major linguistic divisions: the Dakota and Lakota peoples (translati ...

. The La Vérendrye's did not want war between tribes and La Colle was largely able to keep the peace. However, he led at least one war party in 1741 where many Sioux were killed and captured. Father Claude-Godefroy Coquart, who was wintering at Fort Kaministiquia, noted that more slaves than furs would be shipped to

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

that season because of this event. It would appear that La Colle played a significant role in protecting La Vérendrye during his exploration and trade westward.

References

External links

*
Metis Culture 1741-1742
{{DEFAULTSORT:Colle, La 1742 deaths Indigenous leaders in Ontario Cree politicians Year of birth unknown