His portfolio of languages is thought to have included Dutch, English, French, Portuguese, Mi'kmaq, and pidgin Basque, the dialect many Aboriginals used for trading purposes.
Da Costa would later be sought by both the English and the Dutch to help in their contacts with Aboriginal peoples in North America, but the French secured his services.
Da Costa's translation and communication skills helped reduce the cultural gap between early French explorers and the First Nations.
[5] He was also the subject of a French graphic novel, called Mathieu de Costa, which was written by Diane Groulx and illustrated by Jocelyne Jatte.
[6] A domestic rate postage stamp honoring da Costa was issued by Canada Post on February 1, 2017, in conjunction with Black History Month.
[8] It was unveiled in July 2005[9] The Mathieu da Costa Challenge was an annual creative writing and artwork contest started in 1996 by the Department of Canadian Heritage.
The challenge encourages youth to discover how diversity has shaped Canada's history and the important role that pluralism plays in Canadian society.