Boyer, Benjamin, O.M.I. (Trans.); Charles-Antonelli Lamarche, Preface (1870-1940); [Oblats de Marie-Immaculée]
Aiamieu: Tshishkotamatseun Tshe Apastats Ilinots ["Rejoice: The Beginning of a New Day"]; Publié Sous Les Soins Du RéV. Père Boyer, O.M. I. ; [Catechism of the Catholic Church in Montagnais, or Innu-aimun]
Québec, Canada, Oblats de Marie-Immaculée, 1937. First Edition, First Printing. Card Covers. pp. 104. Slim 12mo. measuring 4" x 6". Twice-stapled, stiff, tan, cloth covers. Engraved frontispice depicting Mary, accompanied with various additional, in-text, engraved, religious vignettes and illustrations. Followed by a preface comprising of spiritual encouragement and a blessing by Charles-Antonelli Lamarche (1870-1940), Bishop of Chicoutim, which is notably, and somewhat unusually, printed entirely in Innu-aimun. Remarkably well-preserved showing no flaws to the cloth extremities, contents equally without blemish with firm, sound, stapled binding; near fine. Text entirely in romanized Montagnais [Innu-aimun]. An exceptionally rare offering of this instructional Catholic text as rendered into the Innu-aimun, language of the Innu Peoples, by the early Quebec Oblate missionary, Benjamin Boyer. Corresponds to OCLC #937032495 indicating only but two institutional holdings at time of cataloguing (LAC/BAC & Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec). Not found in Peel, UoM, Fisher. Rare indeed. While little information is available on the author, Fr. Benjamin Boyer, and the circumstances which led to the present publication, it is known that he led a Catholic mission to the Montagnais reserve of Pointe-Bleue, Québec (known today as Mashteuiatsh). Levasseur writes that "the mission at Pointe-Bleue, finally, on a Montagnais reserve, prospered under the direction of Fathers Benjamin Boyer from 1913 to 1930 and of Joseph Decarie from 1931 to 1942. The latter also served an outpost at Lake Onistagan, some 300 kilometers north of Pointe-Bleue." We were unable to locate any other works attributed to Boyer. [Source: Levasseur, D. (1989). A History of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate: Toward a Synthesis II 1898-1985 (p. 102). General House].

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Keywords: first nations; indigenous studies; aboriginal studies; canadian history; languages; catholic church; religion; religious studies; anthropology; native studies; indian studies; cree; ojibway; metis; inuit; montagnais language; montagnais language; eglise c