1

Théophile Panadis, lac à la Pêche
1929, copy made in1929
Mauricie Park, Laurentian Club (Quebec), Canada


Credits:
Unknown
McCord Museum, Montreal (VIEW-24766.0)

2

Théophile Panadis
1962
Mauricie Park, Laurentian Club (Quebec), Canada


Credits:
Unknown

3

Théophile Panadis (1889-1966) was known as ?the story teller? to the people of Odanak. As an artist and active member of his community, he contributed to preserving the traditional Abenakis culture. For many years, he earned his living as a guide for the wealthy sport hunters and fishermen. He was well-liked for his deep knowledge of the lands and for his hunting and fishing skills learnt from his father. Théophile also knew how to entertain his clients with his tales and legends from the Abenakis culture.

Théophile Panadis became a very valuable informant for anthropologists A. Irving Hallowell and Gordon M. Day. The latter published a reference manual in 1981 entitled, The Identity of the Saint Francis Indians. The book provides information about the language and contemporary culture of the Abenakis of Odanak, as well as their origins, based on a study of documents dating from the earliest contacts, from genealogies and oral tradition.

Taken and adapted from the article Théophile Panadis (1889-1966), Abenakis guide, by Alice Nash and Réjean Obomsawin in ?Recherches amérindiennes au Québec?, 2003 (Vol. XXXIII) no 2.