Indigenous and Acadian French Connection

The Mi’kmaq people have been present in this area for more than 9000 years, and the French and Acadian settlers, who began to arrive in the early 1700s, prospered in harmony.

Havre Saint Pierre, or St. Peter’s Harbour, was the first commercial settlement on the Island, established in the early 1700s. It has been home to the Epekwitnewaq Mi’kmaq and their ancestors for at least 9000 years. Archaeological evidence from the Jones site at Greenwich National Park, as well as other archaeological sites in the vicinity, point to a continuous Indigenous occupation in this area before and after European settlement. The Epekwitnewaq Mi’kmaq continued to live here in the early 1700s with the arrival of the French and Acadian settlers. These European settlers were attracted to the area by the harbour, the fishery, and arable lands. Although the Epekwitnewaq Mi’kmaq and European settlers had a different way of life they were both dependent on the abundant local resources and managed a peaceful co-existence. This came to an end when the Island was surrendered to the British Forces in 1758 and the Acadians were deported disrupting the previous way of life here.