Heavily reliant on their indigenous neighbors for subsistence, the earliest settlers seem to have had extensive interaction with the Mi’kmaq and Maliseet neighbors. A masquelike theatrical production by lawyer and historian
Marc Lescarbot
, the Theater of Neptune (1606), performed “on the waves
” (in canoes) to celebrate the return of a local dignitary, was a case in point: the extant libretto contains musical cues and indicates participation of both French and Native performers.
During the...