Introduction
Cape Breton Island is one of the Islands that lie on the coast of North America. The island is found in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The Island is important as far as Canadian history is concerned. This is because one of the maritime archaic native communities inhabited it. In 1497, historians report that Giovanni Cabot, the European explorer, visited the island for the first time.
Most of the island’s historical information is found in the Cabot’s landing historic site and Provincial Park (Grenier 21). In 1521, the settlers established fishing as the main economic activity on the island. History shows that the island was of interest to many colonial powers. This is because a war was fought in 1627 under King Charles 1 between French and British, which was referred to as Anglo-French war.
In 1784, the island was taken over by British and was divided into three major colonies, including New Brunswick, Cape Breton Island, and Nova Scotia. The Micmac is the main native language spoken by people of the Cape Breton Island. The language is still used in many parts of the county, especially by communities around the Island.
The Micmac nation went through various challenges because each colonial power was after its land (Griffiths 63). The territory was divided into seven districts that were traditionally governed by independent administrations. Each district had a chief, with a council of elders that assisted the King in running the affairs of the chiefdom.
Several scholars have developed an interest in understanding the history of the Micmac nation. In this regard, several books have been published. This article aims at evaluating the works of William Wicken on Mi’kmaq treaties on trial: history, land, and Donald Marshall Junior.
Synopsis of the Book
The book starts by reporting that the British government signed a treaty with the residents of Nova Scotia in 1725. The treaty aimed at bringing about peace between Mi’kmaq and the British settlers. In the treaty, the British acknowledged the existence of the local community and promised to respect its norms and regulations.
However, the historian notes that the British were forced to sign the treaty after realizing that the resistance from the local community was harmful to their interests. Moreover, the relationship between the aboriginal communities of Acadia and the British influenced the signing of the treaty. In 1749, the British military changed tact and decided to stamp authority over the local administrations.
This affected the relations between the British and the local community. The locals were forced to adjust their relationships with the British since the British administration decided to be too harsh to the locals (Wicken 88). In one the legal tussles between the Mi’kmaq and the government, the author claims that he volunteered to be a witness since he had enough evidence that the local community was used to making treaties with foreign administrations.
In this regard, the historian was in support of treaty making between the government and the local community. The local community wanted the government to interpret the law according to its norms and culture. Wicken shows that the 1726 treaty between the Mi’kmaq and the British has shaped the modern lawmaking process because the laws made in the state are always based on the tenets of the treaty.
Whenever policymakers come up with a suggestion as regards to new regulations, the provisions of the 1726 treaty always resurface. The historian suggests that for the authorities to understand the local community better, it should analyze the contents of the 1726 treaty. In the current struggles, the Mi’kmaq community finds it hard to convince the government to honor its culture because of the many changes that have taken in the world.
Minority communities face several challenges ranging from neglect to abuse. In government, the minorities are never represented fully implying that policies made do not aim at safeguarding their interests. Due to this, the Mi’kmaq nation has been forced to engage the government in legal suits to achieve its interests.
During colonialism, the interests of the minority ethnic group were catered for because of the existence of the treaty. In the current state of affairs, the minority group does not have a clear law that safeguards its interests.
Analysis
Wicken presents some of the most important ideas as regards the rights of the minorities. If minorities are to achieve their rights, they have to engage the government in legal tussles, by tracing the historical treaties. Before colonization, communities existed peacefully, and their economic activities were never interrupted.
Colonialists came in with different administrative policies that were oppressive and offensive. After independence, the government never formed a commission to investigate the historical injustices but instead went ahead to inherit the administrative units owned by colonialists. Colonialists ruled by force because they consulted the locals on matters about governance (Creighton 47).
In this regard, the colonial government came up with regulations governing economic activities in the country. For instance, fishing was reserved for the British settlers who undertook commercial fishing in the Islands belonging to the locals. It is surprising to note that the British never allowed the locals to exercise fishing in their land. This act angered many locals, and they decided to resist British rule.
It was upon this realization that the British agreed to sign a treaty with the locals. To understand the local communities, the government should, therefore, study the provisions of the treaty. Therefore, the ideas of Micken are valid based on this fact.
Even though the ideas of Micken are valid, the historian does not explain the injustices meted out to other minority groups such as homosexuals, immigrants, and women. Immigrants go through several challenges in Canada because their culture is never respected. They are always viewed as people who came in the country to take what rightfully belongs to the natives.
On their side, women are known to have contributed greatly to the existing rights and freedom, yet their effort is never appreciated. Micken does not mention the role of women in the signing of the 1726 treaty (Landry 19). Moreover, he does not talk about the position occupied by women in the ongoing legal struggle between the government and the Mi’kmaq community.
Women have always played an important role as far as the restoration of democracy and human rights are concerned. During the first and the second world wars, women played a critical to the role because they provided needed support to men. Some women were involved in battles during the Second World War, yet few scholars talk about them. Micken is another scholar that does not care about discussing the position of women in society.
Works Cited
Creighton, Helen. Songs and Ballads from Nova Scotia. Toronto: Dover Publications, 1966. Print.
Grenier, John. The Far Reaches of Empire. War in Nova Scotia, 1710–1760. Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 2008. Print.
Griffiths, Naomi. From Migrant to Acadian, 1604–1755: A North American Border People. Montreal: Queen’s University Press, 2004. Print.
Landry, Peter. The Lion & the Lily. Victoria: Trafford Publishing, 2007. Print.
Wicken, William. Mi’kmaq Treaties on Trial: History, Land, and Donald Marshall Junior. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2002. Print.