The Peace and Friendship Treaty of 1726 has been designated as an event of national historic significance.
Today, the Sante' Mawio'mi and the Government of Canada commemorated the 300th anniversary of the signing of the Peace and Friendship Treaty of 1726 with a day of cultural programming and a special plaque unveiling ceremony at Fort Anne National Historic Site in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia.
The announcement of the national historic designation and unveiling of the commemorative plaque were made by the Honourable Rebecca Alty, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations on behalf of the Honourable Julie Dabrusin, Minister of Environment, Climate Change, and Nature through Parks Canada's National Program of Historical Commemoration.
On 4 June 1726, Mi'kmaw, Wəlastəkokewiyik, and Peskətəmohkatewey leaders gathered at Annapolis Royal to ratify a treaty that the nations of the Wabanaki Confederacy had negotiated with representatives of King George I in Boston the previous December. This treaty expressed the unified political will and cooperation of the Wabanaki allies to establish a peace throughout this region.
Leading up to these events, hostilities had been increasing between Wabanaki Nations and the British in Northeast North America as a result of the Treaty of Utrecht of 1713, in which France ceded its territorial claims in the region to Britain without consultation with or recognition of the Indigenous Peoples whose lands were the subject of the treaty. In December 1725, Governor William Dummer of Massachusetts convened peace negotiations in Boston, and agreement was reached with the nations of the Wabanaki Confederacy on a treaty that outlined how the British and Indigenous Peoples could co-exist in these territories in the future.
The Peace and Friendship Treaty of 1726 was the first treaty between Indigenous Peoples and any European state in the region that would become the Canadian Maritimes. It served as the basis for future negotiations and Peace and Friendship Treaties. These treaties are the foundation for Crown-Indigenous relations in what is Eastern Canada today.
The Government of Canada, through the recommendations of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, recognizes significant persons, places, and events that have helped shape our country as one way of helping Canadians and youth connect with their past. National historic designations illustrate the defining moments in the story of Canada. Together, they tell the stories of who we are and connect us to our past, enriching our understanding of ourselves, each other, and our country.
Today's event was a collaboration between the Mi'kmaq Grand Council and First Nations of the Mi'kmaw Nation, Mi'kmaw Kina'matnewey, and the Government of Canada. Support was provided by St. Barbara Gold, Freeman Lumber, the Confederacy of Mainland Mi'kmaq, the Union of Nova Scotia Mi'kmaq, Kwilmu'kw Maw-klusuaqn, the Nova Scotia Women's History Society, Canadian Heritage, Parks Canada, Indigenous Services Canada, and the Canadian Coast Guard.
