300+ Years of Peace and Friendship: Mi’gma’gi is Unceded

Today marks the 300th anniversary of the ratification of the 1725–1726 Peace and Friendship Treaty at Annapolis Royal (Parks Canada, 2023). While this is a monumental milestone, it has also led to widespread public misunderstanding about what occurred three centuries ago.

The Peace and Friendship Treaties were not land-surrender documents. Even when viewed within the broader context of Canadian history, where the Crown used written clauses in later Numbered Treaties to claim that land was given up, our ancestors never ceded or sold a single inch of land, water, or resources (Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada [CIRNAC], 2024). The foreign and colonial concept of buying and selling land did not exist in our legal systems, and our leadership had no intention of surrendering our sovereignty (Peskotomuhkati Nation at Skutik, 2021).

Instead, these treaties are enduring and sacred, nation-to-nation agreements intended to end years of warfare and to establish a path to peaceful coexistence (L’nuey, 2026). As a sovereign nation, we, the Mi’gmaq, routinely engaged in diplomatic relations with other Indigenous nations, negotiating bilateral agreements that set the rules for shared space. The treaties with the British were a continuation of our nationhood. They were grounded in the concept of parallel living, allowing settlers and the Wabanaki nations to live side by side, sharing the territory safely while fully respecting each other’s distinct laws and governance (Mi’gmawei Mawio’mi Secretariat, 2023).

MMS remains dedicated to Treaty implementation and to holding the Crown to its duties under these original agreements. Grounded in this dedication, we have fought to uphold Mi’gmaq stewardship and Aboriginal Rights and Title, as mandated by the communities of Gesgapegiag, Gespeg, and Listuguj 25 years ago. We must continually remind resource developers, corporate proponents, and colonial governments that Mi’gma’gi remains unceded territory. Our rights and sacred duties as caretakers of this land do not end at the artificial borders of government-made reserves (MMS, 2023). True coexistence requires settlers, industries, and provincial and federal governments to hold themselves accountable for these original promises. If we are to live together as our ancestors intended, colonial governments must respect Mi’gmaq jurisdiction and honour the treaties’ true spirit – which is for all to live as treaty people.

Explore our Treaty Education Resources

If you want to learn more about the history of these agreements, please visit our Treaty Education Resources: [Click Here to Access MMS Treaty Education Resources]

Additional Reading & Sources

Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada. (2024). Peace and Friendship Treaties. Government of Canada. https://www.cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1100100028589/1539608999656

L’nuey. (2026). 300 Years: The 1726 Peace and Friendship Treaty. https://lnuey.ca/

Mi’gmawei Mawio’mi Secretariat. (2021). Nmtginen: Me’gva’gig elgowa’qgula’gwati’gw: Our land, we still live by our laws / Notre territoire, nous vivons toujours selon nos lois. https://www.migmawei.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Nmtginen-book-Full-3Languages.pdf

Mi’gmawei Mawio’mi Secretariat. (2023). Treaty Day & Mi’gmaq History Month brochure. https://www.migmawei.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Treaty_Day__Migmaq_History_Month_Brochure-1.pdf

Parks Canada. (2023). The Peace and Friendship Treaty of 1726 at Fort Anne. Government of Canada. https://parks.canada.ca/lhn-nhs/ns/fortanne/culture/1726

Peskotomuhkati Nation at Skutik. (2021). Peace and Friendship. https://qonaskamkuk.com/peskotomuhkati-nation/peace-and-friendship/