Treaty Day in Nova Scotia: October 1st.

Fort Anne Commemorative plaque detailing Treaty Day history.

In 1726, Chiefs of the Mi’kmaq, Wolastoqiyik, and Abenaki Nations gathered at Fort Anne, in Annapolis Royal, at it’s West Bastion to hear the Terms of the Boston Treaty.

The 64 Chiefs ratify the Treaty with the British Lieutenant-Governor John Doucett. This Treaty was the basis for later treaty negotiations and continues to cited in Supreme Court rulings.

Seeking peaceful coexistence.

The Peace and Friendship Treaties is an inter-connected group of treaties among the Atlantic First Nations and the British seeking peaceful coexistence.

After years of conflict, the governors of Boston, New Hampshire, and Nova Scotia and many indigenous leaders meet in Boston negotiate a Peace Treaty in 1725. British Nova Scotia, represented by Lt. Paul Mascarene, needs the treaty to function as a Colony. Penobscot diplomats represent the Mi’kmaq, who want to protect their way of life and livelihoods.

Text: Parks Canada

Photography: Andrew Tolson