2017-02-10 Fri

On 1st February, the latest non-denominated “P” permanent-rate (85¢) stamp issued under Canada Post’s Black History Month series features the earliest-known Canadian of African descent, Mathieu Da Costa. Nothing much is known about this 17th-century interpreter and there are some debates about his origin and surname as well.

Born in the late 16th century in West Africa’s Benin Empire or probably in the Azores, Mathieu was a multilingual interpreter who worked for the French and Dutch traders and explorers, as per some historians.

How Da Costa served as an interpreter for the First Nations of America is still a mystery. Historians suggest that he used a mixture of Basque and local, known as ‘pidgin’ Basque. This dialect was spoken by the Mi’kmaq and Montagnais who lived near St. Lawrence River. Another story goes that he might have lived for many years in the Americas and learned the languages.

Da Costa came to Acadia early in the 17th century according to many historians. Some experts believe that in 1608, Samuel de Champlain built the city of Quebec and Da Costa started officially working for the French fur-trader, explorer and governor of Acadia, Pierre Dugua de Mons.

No portrait of Da Costa exists but the artists have tried to recreate the era with details of the period clothing and sailing ship. Da Costa stamp will celebrate Canada’s sesquicentennial which is visible under ultraviolet light, like all other 2017 stamps of Canada.

10,000 official first-day covers are also available for $1.85 each. The covers have a pictorial cancellation from Tadoussac, Quebec, where Saguenay and the northern shore of the St. Lawrence River meet, where historians believe Da Costa stepped on Canada.