Lecture | The Indian Department in the Montréal Region

The Société historique de Montréal presents the lecture:

The Indian Department in the Montréal Region, 1760-1845

The Indian Department made its way to Montréal with the British troops in 1760. Over the next decades, it played a key role in the imperial administration of the region. Department members were responsible for managing logistical and administrative tasks, fighting alongside warriors during conflicts, and facilitating relationships between the imperial government and Indigenous communities. These activities were frequently contested, and the department’s history was marred by conflict, both internal and external.

This lecture will explore the founding of the Indian Department in the Montréal region, the makeup and interests of its members, the nature of its duties, its relations with local Indigenous communities, and the way in which it was transformed after the rebellions.

Lecturer: Nathan Ince is a history lecturer at McGill University. His research is focused on relationships between Indigenous communities, the British Empire, and Canadian colonists in the 18th and 19th centuries. He completed his doctoral studies at McGill in 2022.