Pierre Maillard

Abbé Pierre Antoine Simon Maillard (c. 1710 – 12 August 1762) was a French-born Roman Catholic priest. He is noted for his contributions to the creation of a writing system for the Mi'kmaq indigenous people of Île Royale, Cape Breton Island, Canada. He is also credited with helping negotiate a peace treaty between the British and Mi'kmaq people, which resulted in the Burying the Hatchet Ceremony (Nova Scotia). He was the first Catholic priest in Halifax and is buried in the Protestant church yard of St. Paul's Church (Halifax).

Maillard was born in the diocese of Chartres, France around 1710. He received his ecclesiastical training at the Séminaire de Saint-Esprit in Paris. In 1734 the Abbé de L'Isle-Dieu selected Maillard in a group of seminarists lent to the Séminaire des Missions Étrangeres, which was short of personnel. After eight months in that institution, Maillard was selected (1735) for the Mi'kmaq missions on Cape Breton Island (called Île Royale at that time). His recommendation letter stated "he is a young priest who has greatly edified us . . full of zeal and piety."

Maillard arrived at Fortress Louisbourg on the ship Rubis on 13 August 1735. He worked extensively with the Mi'kmaq people. He became a witness to, and eventually a reluctant participant in the ongoing struggles between French and British forces for control of the area.

Maillard quickly immersed himself in learning and becoming proficient in the language of the natives. He also devoted himself to missionary work, visiting all the settlements on Île Royale, Île Saint-Jean (now called Prince Edward Island) and English Acadia (now called Nova Scotia). He pleaded for additional assistance from his French superiors, who responded by sending Jean-Louis Le Loutre. The two worked together on developing the written language.

...
Wikipedia