Halifax Treaties

Halifax Treaties were 11 written documents signed by the various bands of the Mi’kmaq and the British in Halifax, Nova Scotia between 1760 and 1761. The Treaties ended the conflict that had persisted between the two peoples for 85 years. The Treaties include both military submissions, or oaths of allegiance made at the three fortresses in the region followed by treaties signed at Halifax. The ceremony with the most primary sources was the Burying the Hatchet ceremony, which happened on 25 June 1761.

During the final period of this conflict, the French and Indian War, French Officers, Mi’kmaq and Acadians carried out military strikes against the British. The Mi'kmaq and their French allies conducted the Northeastern Coast Campaign (1755) in Maine and extended this campaign into Nova Scotia, attacking civilians during the raids on Lunenburg. Following the British capture of Louisbourg in 1758, Quebec in 1759, and Montreal in 1760, French imperial power was destroyed in North America. There were 300 Mi'kmaw fighters in the region compared to many more British regulars and rangers. After the defeat of the French, the Mi’kmaq no longer had a source of guns and ammunition to fight or even hunt for food. The Mi’kmaq immediately asked the British for guns and ammunition, claiming that “the French always Supplyed Them with these Things and They expect that we will do the Same.” According to those at Louisbourg, after the defeat the Mi’kmaq wanted bread and had “no prospect of relief.” By the spring of 1760, General Amherst determined that the Mi’kmaq and Acadians posed no significant threat to British control of the region, and that provincial forces were adequate to meet the defence needs of Nova Scotia. Such a situation forced the Mi’kmaq to surrender.

Three earlier treaties had failed: the 1725 Treaty was not ratified by many Mi’kmaq bands; the 1749 was only signed by the Mi’kmaw band at Chignecto; the 1752 Treaty was only signed by Shubenacadie and was renounced 6 months after it was signed.

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