Constantine Scollen

Who was Constantine Scollen?

Father Con Scollen OMI. was an Irish Catholic, Missionary Oblate priest who lived among and evangelised the Blackfoot, Cree and Métis peoples on the Canadian Prairies and in northern Montana. Later he worked among the native peoples of the USA on missions in what is now North Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska and Kansas. He is particularly remembered for having the first building erected in what is now, Calgary, Alberta, in 1872. In 1876 he was an unofficial interpreter for some of the Plains Cree Chiefs and witness to Treaty 6 between the Cree and the Canadian government. He was an unpaid consultant to the Canadian government prior to the signing of Treaty 7 with the Blackfoot Confederacy, in 1877 and was again an unofficial interpreter and witness. Jean L'heureux became official interpreter because of the shortcomings of Jerry Potts. Scollen took great care to avoid politics but following the failure of the Dominion government to fulfill its treaty obligations, he became very outspoken, on behalf of the native peoples and remained so for the rest of his life. In 1870, he had spent the winter at Rocky Mountain House, co-writing a Cree language grammar and dictionary with his mentor, fellow Oblate and friend, Father Albert Lacombe. His considerable contribution was not acknowledged on publication. There was a further, much later publication entitled "Prieres Cantiques, Catechisme en Langue Crise 1980" which was derived from the original work but accredited to Lacombe only. He also wrote a book of 75 sermons in Cree, for Oblate, Father Joseph Dupin. In 1883, he wrote a Blackfoot dictionary and grammar for Oblate Fathers Leon Doucet and Emile-Joseph Legal and to Father Lacombe he gave a grammar, catechism and hymns, in Blackfoot, all written and composed by him. Being a capable violinist, he also wrote the music. In Wyoming between 1889 and 1893, he created an Arapaho alphabet and orthology. It was possibly the first example of a written form of the language for which he used symbols, invented by an English Methodist missionary in Canada, which he had adapted and used for his five earlier Canadian First Nation languages. His original notebook is in the Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC. Scollen was a polymath. In addition to his outstanding linguistic skills, he was a Scholar in music, history and theology and a skilled writer in numerous languages. He had an extraordinary talent for languages and became the foremost linguist in the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, in Canada. In addition to his bi-lingual childhood tongues of Erse and English he was fluent in Greek, Latin, French, Italian, German and the First Nations languages of Cree, Chippawa, Blackfoot, Sarcee, Assiniboine and Arapaho. He taught English to his fellow missionaries and First Nation languages to new arrivals. He was the only native English speaking Oblate priest among his exclusively French and French Canadian fellow priests, in Rupert's Land and the Northwest Territories and was the first priest to establish a mission for and live among the Blackfoot people, in Canada.. Scollen's intervention with his friend Isapo-Muxika, Chief Crowfoot of the Blackfoot Confederacy in 1879, near Fort Macleod and again with Kesayiwew, Chief Bobtail of the Cree in 1885, at Bears' Hill, near Edmonton, helped to avoid bloodshed, in both instances. He was also a good friend of Wikaskokiseyin, Chief Sweet Grass, also Cree, together with Sotenah, Rainy Chief, head chief of the North Piegans. He was also acquainted with Sitting Bull when in exile in Canada. During his years among the Blackfoot peoples he was loyally supported by Fr Leon Doucet who was based at Our Lady of Peace Mission near Calgary.