Heritage Canada The National Trust Conference 2014 Charlottetown, - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Heritage Canada The National Trust Conference 2014 Charlottetown, PEI Dan Christmas, Senior Advisor October 3, 2014

Overview

• Community of Membertou
• Historical Background
• Old King’s Road Reserve
• Donald Marshall Jr. Case
• Membertou’s Growth and Expansion
• The Strength of Culture

Community of Membertou

• We are an urban Mi’kmaw Community

surrounded by 100,000 people in CBRM

• Named after Grand Chief Membertou

(1510 – 1611)

• Unama’ki District of the Mi’kmaw Nation
• One of 5 Mi’kmaw Communities in Cape

Breton

Early Historical Background

• Pre-contact, Sydney Harbour was the location
• f a seasonal Mi’kmaw Community
• 1500’s: Basque frequented the Harbour
• 1700’s: Relationships with the French at St.

Anne’s Bay and Louisbourg

• 1780’s: British loyalists began arriving in large

numbers

Early Historical Background

• 1832: Colonial government granted 2.3 acres

to the Mi’kmaq along King’s Road

• 1882: Federal Indian Affairs designated the

land as an Indian Reserve

• Became known as the King’s Road Reserve

The Community at King’s Road

• 1901: Steel plant opened in Sydney;

population tripled to 9,000

• Early 1900’s: Many Mi’kmaw moved to King’s

Road for trade & employment

• 1913: 122 Mi’kmaw lived in the Community;

27 homes with a school

The Community at King’s Road

Forced Relocation

• 1915: City of Sydney finally convinced Indian

Affairs to call a judicial review to relocate the Community

• J. A. Gillies, represented the City and

himself; called 33 witnesses

• 3 Mi’kmaw testified
• 1916: The Court ordered the Community to

relocate

New Home

• Finding a new location was not easy
• 1926: Indian Affairs purchased 65 acres
• Only 1 km away from the King’s Road Reserve
• 1929: Relocation was completed

Community of Membertou

• New Community called Membertou
• Community members continued to trade and

work in the Sydney area

• Traditional activities continued – hunting,

fishing, trapping and harvesting

• 1960’s: Highway 125 impacted traditional

activities

Donald Marshall Jr.’s Arrest

Donald Marshall Jr. Case

• May 1971: 17 year old Donald Marshall Jr.

arrested & charged with murder

• Nov. 1971: Sentenced to life imprisonment
• 1982: New evidence; Released on parole
• 1983: Acquitted by Appeal Court; blamed him

as ‘the author of his own misfortune’

Marshall Inquiry

• 1986 - 1989: Royal Commission on the Donald

Marshall Jr. Prosecution

• Commission found that ‘the criminal justice

system failed Donald Marshall Jr. at every turn’

• ‘The fact that Marshall was a Native was a

factor in his wrongful conviction and imprisonment’

1980 to the Present

• In 34 years, on-reserve population has grown

from 333 to 900 – almost 3x

• Today, our total population is over 1,400

members both on & off reserve

• Expanded from 65 acres to 1,000 acres
• Built many new Community facilities and

kilometers of new roads and services

1980 to the Present

• Housing has grown from 65 to 346 houses
• Since 2000: Added 109 new housing units
• Since 2000: 30 new businesses & offices
• Since 2000: Increased from 50 to 538

Membertou employees

• Since 1994: Annual revenues from $4 million

to $114 million

Membertou Trade & Convention Centre

Membertou Market

Entertainment Centre

Hampton Inn and Suites

Heritage Park

Heritage Park

New School

The Strength of Culture

• King’s Road relocation and the Donald

Marshall Jr.’s wrongful conviction were Community tragedies – racist events

• How did Membertou work through them?
• Traditional values are sources of strength
• Love, Respect, Humility, Courage, Wisdom,

Truth and Honesty

The Strength of Culture

• Our Elders continue to live these values
• 1990: NS Minister of Justice Tom McInnis

apologized to the Marshall family and to the Community

• 1999: CBRM Mayor David Muise apologized to

the Elders for the King’s Road’s relocation

• Apologies were accepted and Membertou

moved on

Thank You

• Comments?
• Questions?