Mathieu de Costa
Encyclopedia
Mathieu de Costa (died 1698) is the first recorded black person in Canada
. He was a member of the exploring party of Pierre Dugua, the Sieur de Monts
and Samuel de Champlain
in the early 17th century.
Not much is documented on de Costa, but he is known to have been a freeman favoured by explorers for his multilingual talents. His portfolio of languages - thought to include Dutch
, English
, French
, Portuguese
and pidgin
Basque
, the dialect many Aboriginals
used for trading purposes - led him into the employ of Champlain in the role of interpreter.
This job came to be known as un grumete. He not only worked with Pierre Du Gua de Monts, but other nations, like France
and Holland. There were even disputes over which country would benefit from his services. His talents helped him bridge the gap between the Europe
ans and the Mi'kmaq people.
It is thought that he came to Canada
at some time before 1603, using his visit to learn the Mi'kmaq dialect. One source has him coming to Acadie in a Portuguese ship where he learned the Micmac language. A Rouen
merchant then kidnapped him in Portugal or in the East Indies and sold or lent him to De Monts as an interpreter. French papers record him working for government of Port Royal in 1608.pg 139 - The first black person mentioned in Canada was Mathieu de Costa, who appeared in French records from 1608 as being a "negro servant" to the government of Port Royal. He likely travelled the St. Lawrence River and worked at various locations along the Canadian Atlantic Coast
. There is controversy as to how he had learned to communicate with the Aboriginals, with one answer being that the North America
n context was very similar to the Africa
n one.
Mathieu Da Costa was a shopkeeper and translator from an African background who likely traveled throughout the Atlantic world in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.
As a translator, he was wanted by the French and the Dutch to help in their trade with the Aboriginal people.
The tradition of Europeans depending on Black translators was more than a century old by Da Costa's time. It began by exploring off the African coast and continued as Europeans and Africans came across to the Americas. Mathieu Da Costa sailed on many voyages, traveling up the St. Lawrence River and all along the coast of what is now Atlantic Canada. He worked with Pierre Du Gua de Monts, a leader in the group of French settlements in Eastern Canada, and with Samuel de Champlain in the 17th century. It is said that he obviously spoke Mi' kmaq. That shows that he was here before Champlain. His translating skills helped link the cultural gap between early French explorers and the Mi'kmaq people. His work in Canada is honored at the Port Royal Habitation National Historic Site of Canada in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia.
commemorates Da Costa's contribution. It is part of the Mathieu da Costa African Heritage Trail, a series of monuments marking African Nova Scotian history in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley
. It was unveiled in July 2005
The Mathieu Da Costa Challenge is an annual creative writing and artwork contest launched in 1996 by the Department of Canadian Heritage. The challenge encourages youth to discover how diversity has shaped Canada’s history and the important role that pluralism plays in Canadian society.
Black Canadian
'Black Canadians is a designation used for people of Black African descent, who are citizens or permanent residents of Canada. The term specifically refers to Canadians with Sub-Saharan African ancestry. The majority of Black Canadians are of Caribbean origin...
. He was a member of the exploring party of Pierre Dugua, the Sieur de Monts
Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Monts
Pierre Du Gua de Monts, was a French merchant, explorer and colonizer. A Protestant, he was born in Royan, France and had a great influence over the first two decades of the 17th century...
and Samuel de Champlain
Samuel de Champlain
Samuel de Champlain , "The Father of New France", was a French navigator, cartographer, draughtsman, soldier, explorer, geographer, ethnologist, diplomat, and chronicler. He founded New France and Quebec City on July 3, 1608....
in the early 17th century.
Not much is documented on de Costa, but he is known to have been a freeman favoured by explorers for his multilingual talents. His portfolio of languages - thought to include Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
and pidgin
Pidgin
A pidgin , or pidgin language, is a simplified language that develops as a means of communication between two or more groups that do not have a language in common. It is most commonly employed in situations such as trade, or where both groups speak languages different from the language of the...
Basque
Basque language
Basque is the ancestral language of the Basque people, who inhabit the Basque Country, a region spanning an area in northeastern Spain and southwestern France. It is spoken by 25.7% of Basques in all territories...
, the dialect many Aboriginals
Aboriginal peoples in Canada
Aboriginal peoples in Canada comprise the First Nations, Inuit and Métis. The descriptors "Indian" and "Eskimo" have fallen into disuse in Canada and are commonly considered pejorative....
used for trading purposes - led him into the employ of Champlain in the role of interpreter.
This job came to be known as un grumete. He not only worked with Pierre Du Gua de Monts, but other nations, like France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Holland. There were even disputes over which country would benefit from his services. His talents helped him bridge the gap between the Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
ans and the Mi'kmaq people.
It is thought that he came to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
at some time before 1603, using his visit to learn the Mi'kmaq dialect. One source has him coming to Acadie in a Portuguese ship where he learned the Micmac language. A Rouen
Rouen
Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...
merchant then kidnapped him in Portugal or in the East Indies and sold or lent him to De Monts as an interpreter. French papers record him working for government of Port Royal in 1608.pg 139 - The first black person mentioned in Canada was Mathieu de Costa, who appeared in French records from 1608 as being a "negro servant" to the government of Port Royal. He likely travelled the St. Lawrence River and worked at various locations along the Canadian Atlantic Coast
Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada is the region of Canada comprising the four provinces located on the Atlantic coast, excluding Quebec: the three Maritime provinces – New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia – and Newfoundland and Labrador...
. There is controversy as to how he had learned to communicate with the Aboriginals, with one answer being that the North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n context was very similar to the Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n one.
Mathieu Da Costa was a shopkeeper and translator from an African background who likely traveled throughout the Atlantic world in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.
As a translator, he was wanted by the French and the Dutch to help in their trade with the Aboriginal people.
The tradition of Europeans depending on Black translators was more than a century old by Da Costa's time. It began by exploring off the African coast and continued as Europeans and Africans came across to the Americas. Mathieu Da Costa sailed on many voyages, traveling up the St. Lawrence River and all along the coast of what is now Atlantic Canada. He worked with Pierre Du Gua de Monts, a leader in the group of French settlements in Eastern Canada, and with Samuel de Champlain in the 17th century. It is said that he obviously spoke Mi' kmaq. That shows that he was here before Champlain. His translating skills helped link the cultural gap between early French explorers and the Mi'kmaq people. His work in Canada is honored at the Port Royal Habitation National Historic Site of Canada in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia.
Commemorations
A plaque at Port Royal, Nova ScotiaPort Royal, Nova Scotia
Port Royal was the capital of Acadia from 1605 to 1710 and is now a town called Annapolis Royal in the western part of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Initially Port Royal was located on the north shore of the Annapolis Basin, Nova Scotia, at the site of the present reconstruction of the...
commemorates Da Costa's contribution. It is part of the Mathieu da Costa African Heritage Trail, a series of monuments marking African Nova Scotian history in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley
Annapolis Valley
The Annapolis Valley is a valley and region in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It is located in the western part of the Nova Scotia peninsula, formed by a trough between two parallel mountain ranges along the shore of the Bay of Fundy.-Geography:...
. It was unveiled in July 2005
The Mathieu Da Costa Challenge is an annual creative writing and artwork contest launched in 1996 by the Department of Canadian Heritage. The challenge encourages youth to discover how diversity has shaped Canada’s history and the important role that pluralism plays in Canadian society.