Pokemouche Mi'kmaq and the colonial regimes

Abstract

The community of Pokemouche existed since before European contact. During the early European contact, fur traders were looking to gain as much profit as possible and made lopsided exchanges which often involved alcohol. The emphasis of the fur trade drastically changed the traditional economies of the Mi'kmaq, systematically coercing them to change from community based-lifeways to individualist economies. During the British colonial era, the Mi'kmaq were forced from their vast traditional lands into small reserves, such as Pokemouche. In 1844, New Brunswick passed an Act to dispose reserves that government officials had deemed not required for indigenous use. Pokemouche took the greatest hit, going from a vibrant traditional community to unoccupied land. Concurrently, laws helped eliminate traditional native economies, forcing the Mi'kmaq to change their means of economic survival. Some of the Pokemouche Mi'kmaq moved to neighbouring reserves while others moved into wage labour near the Pokemouche River.