CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS
RELEVANT TO THE HUNGER STRIKE
IN 1759 SAQAMAW JEANNOT PEGUIDALOUET JOURNEYED FROM HIS TRAPPING GROUNDS IN KTAQMKUK TO LOUISBOURG FOR TREATY MAKING: "THIRTY FOUR FRENCH PEOPLE HAVE SURRENDERED AND ALSO SEVEN INDIANS, AMONG THEM JEANNOT PEQUID OUALOUET CHIEF OF THE INDIANS OF THIS ISLAND; THEY HAVE TAKEN THE OATH OF ALLEGIANCE TO HIS BRITTANNICK MAJESTY AND PROMISED TO BE FAITHFUL GOOD SUBJECTS IN ALL TIME TO COME" (GEN. WHITMORE TO GEN. AMHERST, DECEMBER 1, 1759)
SEPTEMBER 6, 1763. CAPT. THOMSON OF LARK INTERCEPTS PARTY OF MI'KMAQ LED BY SAQAMAW OULAT (SAQAMAW JEANNOT PEGUIDALOUET) AND HIS SON BERNARD, WHO "RENEW TREATY OF PEACE [HALIFAX TREATY] WITH HIS MAJESTY [A COPY WHEREOF I HAVE ALREADY SENT YOU]"; CAPTAIN SAMUEL THOMPSON TO PHILIP STEVENS, SECRETARY TO THE LORDS OF THE ADMIRALTY, APRIL 16, 1764. ADMIRALTY RECORDS, LONDON, 1/2590. #4 . ASKS FOR VARIOUS TREATY GIFTS AND "EXPRESSED A GREAT DESIRE TO TO GET TO ST. PETER'S (ST. PIERRE) TO GET A PRIEST, BUT THIS CAPTAIN THOMPSON…TOOK ALL PRECAUTIONS HE COULD TO PREVENT". (THESE PRESENTS REQUESTED WERE CLOTH, KETTLES, GUNPOWDER, SHOT, MUSKETS, HATCHETS, SHIRTS, HATS, NETS, FISHING LINE, A BOAT COMPASS, AND OTHER ITEMS
ON NOVEMBER 24, 1765 SURVEYOR GENERAL OF THE COLONY, SAMUEL HOLLAND, IN NOVA SCOTIA, REPORTS "THE INDIANS ARE VERY PEACEFUL AND STRONGLY DESIRE A PRIEST. ALSO THEY DESIRE A TRACK OF LAND ALONG ST. PATRICK'S LAKE AND CHANNEL...FOR THE CONVENIENCE OF HUNTING AND IN WHICH THEY MIGHT NOT BE MOLESTED BY ANY EUROPEAN SETTLER. BUT AS [SAQAMAW] JEANNOT [PEGUIDALOUET], THEIR CHIEF IN THIS ISLAND, WAS NOT YET RETURNED FROM NEWFOUNDLAND, TO WHICH PLACE HE WENT LAST FALL, THEY COULD NOT FIX UPON THE EXTENT THEY WOULD HAVE, UNTIL THEY SAW HIM".
ON JULY 21, 1860 SAQAMAW MAURICE LOUIS RECEIVED HIS LEADERSHIP FROM SECOND GRAND CHIEF AT SYDNEY, NS. KTAQMKUK BECOMES THE "EIGHT" DISTRICT OF THE GREAT MI'KMAQ NATION.
IN 1870 MIAWPUKEK RESERVE IS SURVEYED BY MURRAY.
IN 1880 REUBEN LOUIS, "NOT CARING TO TAKE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF SAQAMAW AT SUCH AN EARLY AGE WAS ASSISTED BY ONE NAMED JOSEPH BERNARD WHO WAS APPOINTED SAQAMAW UNTIL REUBEN LOUIS WAS OLD ENOUGH".
IN 1900 SAQAMAW JOE BERNARD DIED AND SAQAMAW REUBEN LOUIS WAS APPOINTED TO THE POST BY KJI-SAQAMAW JOHN DENNY.
ON DECEMBER 1, 1918 SAQAMAW LUPE'N (REUBEN LOUIS) DIED. SAQAMAW NUELL GIETOL (NOEL JEDDORE) WAS APPOINTED CARETAKER SAQAMAW UNTIL SAQAMAW-IN WAITING ANTLE JOE, NEPHEW OF SAQAMAW LUPE'N WAS OLD ENOUGH.
IN THE SUMMER OF 1925, SAQAMAW NUELL GIETOL WAS FORCED INTO EXILE. HE, ALONG WITH MANY OF HIS FOLLOWERS, MOVED TO UNAMA'KIK AND WOULD NEVER RETURN TO THEIR HOMES IN MIAWPUKEK AGAIN.
ON APRIL 1, 1949, NEWFOUNDLAND JOINED CANADA. ALL MENTION OF OUR PEOPLE ORIGINALLY DISCUSSED IN THE TERMS OF UNION WAS "…PENCILLED OUT"! MI'KMAQ IN NEWFOUNDLAND WERE EXPECTED TO DIE OUT OR BE TOTALLY ASSIMILATED AS "NEWFOUNDLANDERS".
ON APRIL 20, 1960 SAQAMAW-IN-WAITING ANTLE JOE DIED.
ON MARCH 21 - 23, 1972 SOSEP AND MARTIN JEDDORE ATTEND ASSEMBLY OF NOVA SCOTIA INDIANS TO SEE WHAT'S AVAILABLE FOR MI'KMAW COMMUNITIES.
ON FEBRUARY 2 - 4, 1973 A PROVINCE WIDE ORGANIZATION CALLED THE NATIVE ASSOCIATION OF NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR AND REPRESENTING THE INNU, INUIT AND MI'KMAQ WAS ESTABLISHED TO SEEK BETTER COLLECTIVE RIGHTS FOR ALL THREE GROUPS..
ON DECEMBER 23, 1973 NANL AND CONNE RIVER PROTESTED THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A PROVINCIAL PARK AT JIPU'JI'J KUEU QOSPEMK. (Daily News January 9, 1974)
IN 1974 SAQAMAW WILLIAM JOE WAS SELECTED AS SAQAMAW OF CONNE RIVER NATIVE COUNCIL.
ON OCTOBER 26, 1975 SAQAMAW BILLY JOE LEADS A BLOCKADE OF A FOREST ACCESS ROAD IN RETALIATION FOR PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT'S UNFAIR TREATMENT IN ALLOCATING TIMBER RIGHTS. PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT UPGRADES ROAD TO SECONDARY HIGHWAY TO MAKE IT LEGAL TO STOP US.
IN 1976 OUR INTERIM REPORT ON MI'KMAQ LAND RIGHTS IN NEWFOUNDLAND IS SUBMITTED TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. IMMEDIATELY REJECTED BECAUSE "... BECAUSE OF NO HISTORICAL VALIDATION".
IN 1977, WE CONFIRM SAQAMAW BILLY JOE AS OUR TRADITIONAL SAQAMAW FOR LIFE.
IN JUNE 1977, A REGISTRATION COMMITTEE IS SET UP TO WORK ON REGISTERING OUR PEOPLE AS "REGISTERED INDIANS".
IN FEBRUARY 1978 THE TRAPPING SEASON IS CLOSED A MONTH EARLY BECAUSE OF PRESSURE ON THE LYNX POPULATION. OUR TRAPPERS MOUNT A STRONG PROTEST SAYING THEY STILL NEED TO TRAP OTHER SPECIES.
ON AUGUST 23 1979, AFTER SAQAMAW BILLY JOE OF KTAQMKUK LNUI SAGAMAWOUTIE, (NOW MIAWPUKEK MI'KAMAWEY MAWI'OMI) ADVERTISES IN NEWSPAPERS THROUGHOUT THE PROVINCE, OUR OPPOSITION TO THE UPPER SALMON HYDRO DEVELOPMENT, THE NEWFOUNDLAND GOVERNMENT AGREES TO "PAY NATIVE INDIAN TO MONITOR UPPER SALMON DEVELOPMENT".
ON MAY 12, 1981 SAQAMAW WILLIAM JOE SENDS A LETTER TO PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT SUGGESTING CHANGES WE WILL ACCEPT IN REGARDS TO THE NEWLY PROPOSED ACT TO ESTABLISH THE BAIE DU NORD WILDERNESS AREA.
IN JULY 1981 THE FIRST "CANADA - NEWFOUNDLAND - NATIVE PEOPLES OF CONNE RIVER AGREEMENT IS NEGOTIATED BUT IN JUNE 1981. THE NEWFOUNDLAND GOVERNMENT REFUSES TO SIGN "FEDERAL/PROVINCIAL AGREEMENT FOR NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR INDIANS" (TOTALING $ 43.8 MILLION OVER FIVE YEARS) IF "INDIANS" ARE ALLOWED TO SIGN AS EQUAL PARTNERS.
ON SEPTEMBER 25, 1982 THE EVENING TELEGRAM REPORTS THAT "CONNE RIVER ECONOMY IS TOTAL DISASTER".
IN NOVEMBER 1982 SAQAMAW BILLY JOE FILES A COMPLAINT AGAINST FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, CHARGING DISCRIMINATION.
ON DECEMBER 14, 1982 SAQAMAW WILLIAM JOE AND MIAWPUKEK MI'KMAQ FILE COMPLAINT AGAINST NEWFOUNDLAND GOVERNMENT FOR VIOLATIONS OF HUMAN RIGHTS.
ON DECEMBER 23, 1982 SAQAMAW WILLIAM JOE AND ELDER MARTIN JEDDORE KILLED IN AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT. MARTIN JEDDORE WAS ONE OF THE FIRST ORGANIZERS OF THE MIAWPUKEK MI'KMAQ.
ON JANUARY 7, 1983 SAQAMAW MISE'L JOE SELECTED AS OUR SAQAMAW AND ON JANUARY 21 IS SWORN IN AS TRADITIONAL SAQAMAW FOR LIFE BY KJI SAQAMAW DONALD MARSHALL.
ON MARCH 21, 1983 OUR GOVERNMENT RECEIVES CHEQUES TOTALING $822,000. WE REJECT THE PROVINCIAL CONDITIONS ATTACHED TO CHEQUES AND THE PROVINCE ISSUES STOP PAYMENT ORDER ON THE CHEQUES.
ON APRIL 18, 1983 ONE HUNDRED OF US TRAVEL TO ST. JOHN'S TO SHOW OUR SUPPORT FOR SAQAMAW MISE'L JOE.
ON APRIL 21, 1983 THIRTY-ONE OF US STAGE AN OCCUPANCY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT OFFICE (8:15-11:30 AM). THEY ARE FORCED OUT BY THE POLICE AND TWENTY-THREE FACE CHARGES.
ON APRIL 22, AT NOON A FAST (HUNGER STRIKE) BEGINS...
NINE WARRIORS - SAQAMAW MISE'L, MICHAEL BENOIT, WILFRED DREW, RICKY JEDDORE, ANTLE JOE, AUBREY JOE, CHESLEY JOE, SULIA'N (William Joe) AND SALUSAL (George Drew) PUT THEIR LIVES ON THE LINE FOR US AS THEY BEGIN THE FAST.
©Miawpukek Mi’kamawey Mawi’omi. P. O. Box 10, Miawpukek, Ktaqmkuk
