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ON UNCEDED TERRITORY SINCE 1895
TREATY DAY AT STFX ISABELLE VAUTOUR
Friday October 1, 2021 marked Treaty Day in Nova Scotia as well as the beginning of Mi’kmaq Heritage Month for the province. StFrancis-Xavier University organized some informational activities for this occasion. Booths with informational posters and pamphlets were set up throughout campus, running from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday and were located throughout campus but were mostly condensed around the area of Mulroney Hall and the Student Union Building. The booths were mainly manned by students, though one was manned by Ashley Sheppard of the International Office and Dr. Jane McMillan floated between the booths throughout the day.
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and outlined in these Treaties. While the event was more on the casual side, it was certainly informative and interesting for all those who visited the various booths. Moreover, various other events are to follow in the month of October to celebrate Mi’kmaq Heritage Month.
Students had the opportunity to fill out forms explaining what being a treaty person meant to them and students also could read treaty sections out loud. Each booth was set up with different informational pamphlets containing information regarding the Treaties, some were made by the university itself, while others were from the province of Nova Scotia. Students were encouraged to take as many pamphlets as they wanted to educate themselves on the Treaties and the rights of Indigenous peoples. Furthermore, each booth was adorned by hand-made posters illustrating various objects or words associated with the Treaties. A booth set up in front of Mulroney Hall near the Angus L. Macdonald library had a drawing of the Mi’kmaq flag on it. The event was organized to educate StFX students about the various treaties signed between the Indigenous peoples and the British Crown during the 1700s. These Treaties ensure Indigenous peoples have rights that cannot be taken away by other legislation, whether that be federal or provincial. Non-Indigenous people in the area are often unfamiliar with the rights of Indigenous peoples established
TRUTH AND RECONCILLIATION DAY: MI’KMAQ RELIGIOUS BELIEFS ISABELLE VAUTOUR
This past Thursday, September 30, 2021, was the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. To mark the occasion, St-Francis-Xavier University held ceremonies in memory of the survivors, victims, and families of both survivors and victims on-campus. Of those events, one was held at the StFX chapel where there was a demonstration of Mi’kmaq spiritual beliefs along with a discussion period afterwards where members of the audience were invited to engage in meaningful conversations. The event began at 3 p.m. and lasted about an hour, it was organized for both students and faculty of StFX, but members of the public were also encouraged to participate in the spiritual discussion. Overall, there was very good attendance at the event. The day began with Father Donald MacGillivray introducing the speakers, Elder Katy McEwan and her daughter Natalie, who are Mi’kmaq. They began their portion of the ceremony by smudging themselves and objects of importance they were to use afterwards, including smudging an eagle feather and a rattle. Smudging is an Indigenous practice in which people will typically burn sage and use their hands to guide the smoke from the burning sage over their heads and the rest of their bodies. This allows the smoke of the sage to cleanse them spiritually. Elder Katy was seated at the front of the room preparing objects and her daughter walked the perimeter of the chapel burning sage and proceeded to smudge the audience, guiding the smoke of the sage with the eagle feather she had previously smudged. Most members of the audience sat in quiet observation while some used their hands to guide the smoke over their heads.
PHOTO CREDIT: StFX University Facebook Page
When the smudging of the audience and the chapel space concluded, Katy and Natalie spoke about the process of smudging and explained what they had just done. Following some words from the speakers, Elder Katy McEwan filled a pipe with tobacco while Natalie explained the importance of tobacco, sweetgrass, cedar, and sage in Mi’kmaq ceremonies and belief. Some members of the audience joined in the song as well. She also sang a song of prayer and shook the rattle she had previously smudged afterwards as her mother smoked the pipe of tobacco. These four plants are considered the four sacred medicines of Mi’kmaq culture and are used in various ceremonies. She also explained that tobacco is often used on a near-daily basis and that children and pregnant women are often anointed with the ash of the burnt tobacco instead of smoking it themselves. Elder Katy McEwan and her daughter Natalie also shared their perspective on the role of Catholicism in the Mi’kmaq belief system. For them, there is only one Creator, whether you call him God or another name. It is all a matter of perspective. Furthermore, regardless of the way in which you pray, you are reaching the same entity, the same god through your various means of prayer. For them, that meant not only praying in traditional Mi’kmaq ways, but also incorporating Catholic prayers into their life, in the Mi’kmaq language. The discussions were very fruitful, covering a range of topics from the use of various materials such as sage in ceremonies and the combination of Mi’kmaq religious beliefs with Catholicism. The audience was very engaged in the presentation and it was evident that all who attended were interested in the topic. Overall, the event was a very informative and interesting for any student that attended.