Hello all,
October 1 is Treaty Day in Nova Scotia and marks the beginning of Mi’kmaw History Month.
King’s is located in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq. Treaty Day asks us to reflect particularly on the Peace and Friendship Treaties concluded between the Mi’kmaq and the British Crown, and on the relationships and responsibilities that continue to flow from them.
As members of a university community, one of the ways we can mark Treaty Day is by learning more about that history. I would encourage you review the treaties. They are remarkably short documents, and reading the original words—while also recognizing that the Mi’kmaq and British approached those agreements from very different political, legal and cultural traditions—is worthwhile.
If you are interested in reading further, I would suggest a few places to begin:
- Daniel N. Paul, We Were Not the Savages: Collision Between European and Native American Civilizations
- Marie Battiste (ed.), Living Treaties: Narrating Mi’kmaw Treaty Relations
- William C. Wicken, Mi’kmaq Treaties on Trial: History, Land, and Donald Marshall Junior
The library has also compiled a booklist for Mi’kmaw History Month.
Treaty Day is a useful reminder that these are not simply historical documents. The treaty relationship continues. Understanding what that means requires more than acknowledging that the treaties exist; it requires some effort to understand their history, the different ways they have been understood, and the obligations they continue to carry.
I hope members of the King’s community will take some time on October 1, and throughout Mi’kmaw History Month, to do some of that reading and reflection. And remain mindful of how as treaty people we live into peace and friendship, as well as right relationship.
Wela’lioq,
Tim Vine
President and Vice-Chancellor
