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Peter Erasmus. (1833-1931)
Compiled by Lawrence BarkwellCoordinator of Metis Heritage and
History ResearchLouis Riel Institute
Peter Erasmus was born on June 27, 1833 at Winnipeg, the son of
Peter Erasmus Sr.(Danish) and Catherine Budd. He married Caroline
Bruneau, the daughter of PierreBruneau and Marie Mistatem in 1860
at Edmonton, then married Charlotte Jackson in1865, then married
Marguerite Stanley the daughter of Jacob Stanley in 1882 at
WhiteFish Lake. Peter and Caroline had a son William. Peter and
Charlotte had eight childrenand Peter and Marguerite had three
children.
Peter was the nephew of Reverend Henry Budd, the first ordained
Native minister in the Anglican church. He was chosen as one of
thefew children in the next generation who would be offered a
collegeeducation in return for dedicating their lives to the
ministry. After the death of his father in 1849, Erasmus went to
work with hisuncle, the Reverend Henry Budd, at Christ Church
AnglicanMission at The Pas. There, he continued his education
whileteaching and translating religious texts into Cree. He
reportedlyspoke Cree and five other Aboriginal languages. He then
workedassisting Reverend Woolsey, a Methodist minister, working out
of Edmonton. He acted as guide and interpreter 1 for Woolsey more
or less continuouslyuntil 1862 when he was replaced by Mr. Monkman.
While Erasmus was employed byRev. Woolsey, the Palliser Expedition
borrowed him to assist Dr. James Hector, ageologist and doctor. In
his book 2 he says of Hector: "Dr. Hector was a tireless worker.His
capacity for endurance in any kind of weather was the talk of men
around camp. Hehad four horses to his string and they were not too
many for his demands. There was nolet up in his persistence, as day
after day, all except Sunday, he continued his unendinglabours to
cover as wide a range of territory as possible." While they were
travelling thedoctor had noticed that a cancerous growth had begun
to grow on the face of Erasmus, aresult of a bruise from a trail
ride accident that had been irritated by the harsh climate and
1 Erasmus also worked as a translator and guide for the
expedition of the Earl of Southesk (1859-60).2 Peter Erasmus, as
told to Henry Thompson. Buffalo Days and Nights . Calgary: Glenbow
Institute, 1999.
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frequent freezing of his face. Hector treated the growth using
ancient Stoney medicineand natural treatments to halt the growth,
and it spread no further.
His married life was spent in the community of Whitefish Lake,
east of VictoriaSettlement. While a member of that community he was
asked, by Mistawasis (Big Child)
and Ah-tuk-a-kup (Star Blanket), to translate for them for the
upcoming treaty six. Theymade the request a year ahead of time, and
when the Commissioners were on their way toFort Carlton in 1876,
they sent their sons to bring Erasmus. He was subsequently hired
bythe Canadian government to act as an interpreter and continued to
work intermittently for the government in various capacities until
his retirement in 1912. He remarried in 1882,and with his second
wife, Mary Stanley, had three more children.
Peter Erasmus House, built in 1861 along the Victoria Trail now
at Fort Edmonton Park.
Reference:
Peter Erasmus, as told to Henry Thompson. Buffalo Days and
Nights . Calgary: GlenbowInstitute, 1999.
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