Distorted images : attitudes towards the Micmac in Nova Scotia, 1788-1900

Abstract

This paper, through an examination of Nova Scotian literature, analyses changing attitudes towards the Micmac in Nova Scotia from 1788 to 1900. The roots of stereotypes held by non-natives are explored as well as the influence of stereotypes on interaction between the two groups and on public policy.

Nova Scotian literature of the period reveals two contradictory images of the native people, one based on the concept of the Noble Savage, the other rooted in tales of bestial wild men who lived outside the bounds of civil society. These images, the Noble Savage and the Demonic Savage, shaped the attitudes of Nova Scotians towards the Micmac.

From 1788 to 1850, the intellectual framework which justified a discriminatory social hierarchy was based on theories of historical, social and moral development.

From 1851 to 1900, rapid social, economic and political change left Nova Scotians, feeling more uncertain about their place in the world. As their hierarchical society crumbled, a new justification for discrimination was provided by emerging sciences. Scientific speculation contributed to the development of another image, the Vanishing Indian. The wide spread belief that the Indians would soon disappear strengthened assimilative efforts. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)