Catherine Flute

Catherine Flute is a Mi’kmaq girl who was taken by her parents to Boston when she was small and later brought to Kuntaw’s community by Elise Hallagher. Her brief arc moves from displacement and difficulty fitting in to a return to the community, where she marries Joe-Paul before the first snow.

Background and Arrival

Catherine is about fourteen when Elise proposes bringing her to the community. Elise explains that Catherine’s parents have died from alcohol-related illness and that the girl is unhappy in Boston. She also mentions other displaced Mi’kmaq girls there, prompting Etienne to welcome the possibility of bringing them to the community as well.

Elise arrives in summer with Catherine and Marie Antoinette Nevin. Catherine is described as shy and quiet, and as having been starved and mistreated by her parents. Her circumstances place her among the young people whose connection to Mi’kmaq community life has been disrupted by removal and family hardship.

Difficulty Settling In

At first, Catherine shares a wikuom with Elise and Marie Antoinette. Marie Antoinette struggles to adapt: she does not know plants, has not learned basket-making or sewing, and burns the food she tries to cook. Catherine is the person to whom Marie Antoinette confides her wish to return to Boston, making their relationship a point of access to Marie Antoinette’s discontent.

Return and Marriage

When the men sail to Boston at the end of summer to sell barrels, Catherine stays behind. Marie Antoinette secretly joins the boat, and Elise fears that the girl will return to drinking and come to harm. The group later returns with winter supplies and Marie Antoinette among them. Catherine is still present in the community, sitting beside Joe-Paul; they marry before the first snow.

Narrative Significance

Catherine’s story is conveyed through a few concrete changes rather than an extended account of her inner life: she is brought from Boston because she is unhappy and vulnerable, remains with the community through Marie Antoinette’s brief departure, and marries Joe-Paul. Her presence also gives substance to Elise’s proposal to welcome other displaced Mi’kmaq girls. The narrative records an alternative to their continued isolation in Boston, while leaving Catherine’s own adjustment and later life largely unelaborated.