Contributed by Maine Historical Society
- Item 7917
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Description
Father Sebastien Rasles (1657-1724) was a French Jesuit missionary who moved to Canada in 1689. He learned many of the customs and languages of Wabanaki peoples, and became a trusted advisor.
Rasles (also spelled Rasle or Rale) started a Jesuit mission and built a church in the Wabanaki village of Norridgewock, on the Kennebec River in the District of Maine. There, he worked to convert Indigenous community members, and celebrated Mass in Wabanaki language.
In January 1722 (1721 using the Julian calendar), English settlers from Massachusetts raided Norridgewock (present-day Skowhegan) where Father Rasles was living. He escaped capture, but his strongbox containing letters and documents was confiscated.
The box is wooden with a hinged lid and wrapped with a stamped copper covering. The interior was divided into multiple compartments, including two removable leather covered boxes. The box has a secret compartment accessed through the outside back panel (only removable when the lid is open).
In August 1724, during what is known as the "Norridgewock Massaccre," British, Massachusetts militia, and Mohawk forces destroyed the village at Norridgewock, killing Father Rasles and nearly 200 Abenaki men, women, and children.
About This Item
- Title: Sebastien Rasles strongbox, Norridgewock, ca. 1721
- Creation Date: circa 1700
- Subject Date: circa 1721
- Location: Norridgewock, Somerset County, ME
- Media: Wood, copper, leather
- Dimensions: 36 cm x 25 cm x 18 cm
- Local Code: A83-5
- Object Type: Physical Object
Cross Reference Searches
Standardized Subject Headings
- Abenaki Indians--Maine--Norridgewock
- Boxes
- Eastern Indians, Wars with, 1722-1726
- Indians of North America--Maine--Abenaki
- Indians of North America--Maine--Norridgewock
- Indians of North America--Missions--Maine
- Jesuit Missions--Maine--Norridgewock
- Jesuits--Maine--Norridgewock
- Maine--History--Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775
- Mohawk Indians--Maine--Norridgewock
- Rasles, Sebastien, 1657-1724
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Other Keywords
For more information about this item, contact:
Maine Historical Society485 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101
(207) 774-1822 x230
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