The 18^th Century Mi’kmaq-French Alliance

In the 18^th century, a military and political alliance between Mi’kmaq and French leaders was established. Emerging from relationships and ties of religion and trade that dated back to the early 17^th century, this alliance of sovereign peoples was based in shared and respective needs in trade and war. At Skmaqn–Port-la-Joye, Mi’kmaq and French leaders renewed this alliance by exchanging gifts, strengthening religious ties, and engaging in diplomacy. Through their alliance, the Mi’kmaq strengthened their position within the territory and, with the French, slowed British colonial expansion until the capture of Louisbourg in 1758.

Contact between the Mi’kmaq and European fishermen first began in the 1500s, and by the 17^th century, relationships based in trade, kinship, and religion between the Mi’kmaq, French fur traders, Acadian settlers, and French missionaries had developed. These century-old relationships formed the base for the political and military alliance between the French Crown and Mi’kmaq leaders that developed in the 18^th century, during a period of increased hostility and outright war. In Mi’kma’ki, the traditional territory of the Mi’kmaq, which included present day Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, the eastern coast of New Brunswick, and the Gaspé Peninsula around Chaleur Bay, the French and British both sought to expand their colonial empires, while the Mi’kmaq wanted to engage in trade but retain their territory. Within this increasingly hostile environment, the Mi’kmaq and French joined forces against their mutual adversary: the British.

Formally renewed each year in ceremonies that included speeches, feasting, and the exchange of gifts, the alliance reflected both Mi’kmaq and French understandings of diplomacy. Beginning in the 1720s, the annual renewal ceremonies took place at Skmaqn–Port-la-Joye on   (now Prince Edward Island) and Port Toulouse on Île-Royale (now Cape Breton Island), and included the distribution of weapons to the Mi’kmaq and an agreement to fight the British together. Both partners required the help of the other: France’s position in the Maritime region was dependent on the military assistance of the Mi’kmaq, as French garrisons were too small to fight the British alone, while the Mi’kmaq needed the weapons provided by the French to wage war against the British, who were encroaching on their land base.

The alliance was effective and had a direct impact in the colonial wars of the Maritime region. The Mi’kmaq fought side-by-side with French soldiers and also engaged in their own raids on British ships and settlements. In 1745, a contingent of Mi’kmaq, French, and Acadians fought a force of New Englanders who attacked Port-la-Joye, and then in 1746, an allied force of French and Mi’kmaq again fought the British at Port-la-Joye. In 1758, after over half a century of hostility, the once strong Fortress of Louisbourg on Île-Royale was captured by Great Britain and France lost its foothold in the Maritime region. Ile-Saint-Jean became British territory, the British deported Acadians from the island, and a new fort was built on the site of Port-la-Joye- Fort Amherst.

The plaque commemorating 18^th Century Mi’kmaq-French Alliances at Skmaqn–Port-la-Joye–Fort Amherst was developed collaboratively with the Mi’kmaq Confederacy of Prince Edward Island.

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