1 - Puna'ne'wimk - New Year's Day
1976 - Roy Gould named to Sydney Board of School Commissioners, the first Mi'kmaw in Eastern Canada to be offered such a post.
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3 - 1908 - Richard Mac Ewan is born at Bear River Reserve. He would go on to serve six terms as chief, three of them by acclamation.
4 - 1998 - Seven year old Peter William Levi of Lennox Island, P.E.I., watches himself in his role as "Wowkwis" in the first episode of the television series "Emily of New Moon".
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6 - Elekewia'timk aqq kaqiaq pestie'wa'taqatimk - Old Christmas
1945 - Acting Director of Indian Affairs' welfare program writes in a letter to the member of Parliament for Antigonish - Guysborough, "...for many years the problem of how to administer the affairs of the small group of Indians in Nova Scotia has been a matter of serious concern and in order to place it on the soundest possible basis a partial consolidation of the Reserves and the gradual centralization of the Indian population has been decided upon." This plan will have far reaching effects upon the Mi'kmaq of the province.
7 - 2022 - Benoit First Nation opened a food bank due to the food security issues for regional families and seniors impacted by the covid-19 pandemic. It is now a permanent service offered every Friday from 9am to noon for all those in need.
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.
1973 - Musician Lee Cremo is invited to play his fiddle in Nashville, Tennessee.
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10 - 1732 - The British in Nova Scotia hold a Council meeting at which plans are made for further surveying of Mi'kmaq lands in the province for the purpose of making land grants.
1979 - Official opening of the day school at Eskasoni
11 - 1974 - Union of Nova Scotia Indians launches its campaign for Aboriginal rights and land claims; each chief was to bring the resolution back to his community.
12 - 1989 - Principal of Wagmatcookewey School, Murdena Marshall, takes Grades 5 and 6 ice fishing in the company of community Elders as they are taught a lesson in the Mi'kmaq language.
1998 - Queen of Prayer Annie Cremo (neé Denny) of Eskasoni is laid to rest and given full honours by the Sante' Mawio'mi.
13 - 1992 - January issue of the Micmac News publishes a letter entitled, "Sneaky, in His Own Special Way". The anonymous writer of the letter, who had been unemployed prior to Christmas one year was hired by Grand Chief Donald Marshall Sr. to sand drywall that didn't need sanding so he could make money for the upcoming holiday. It was only after someone else told him that the writer understood Marshall's kindness. The Grand Chief never mentioned the matter.
14 - 1992 - In his presentation to the Assembly of First Nations Circle on the Constitution Eskasoni Chief Leonard Paul says, "There should be no compromise of the humanistic values of trust, honesty, integrity, justice, honour, pride, and respect. And it is critical that these values are incorporated in the Canadian Constitution and that the notwithstanding clause be abolished from the Constitution if it purports to compromise Aboriginal self-government."
15 - 1973 - First reading of a bill in the House of Commons, lowering the voting age to 18 in elections for reserve chiefs and councilors.
16 - 1991 - Assembly of First Nations Chief Leonard Tomah of Woodstock First Nation addresses members of the European Parliament to explain issues confronting Aboriginal people in Canada.
17 - 1908 The first School in Miawpukek opened. Ann Matthews was first teacher. She was replaced with Michael McDonald (taught for 12 years. 1923) by St. Croix who subsequently appointed only English teachers. Ann went to New York and trained as a nurse. She later worked as nurse on the Restigouche reserve in Quebec.
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21 - 1926 - Benjamin Pictou, James Pictou, Stephen J. Fraser, and Joseph Paul of Annapolis sign a land surrender of 572 acres in the New Liverpool Road Reserve, Nova Scotia.
22 - 1991 - Work begins in Bear River on a tapestry featuring the history of the Annapolis Valley over a 400-year period. Local Mi'kmaq are asked to make the first of the nine planned panels because "…they were here first…", director of the Fort Anne Historic Park said.
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25 - 1841 - Grand Chief Pausauhmigh Pemmeenauweet writes to Queen Victoria asking for help for his starving people.
1843 - Joseph Howe tells the House of Assembly that 100 pounds will be set aside each year for the Indians in Nova Scotia primarily to purchase blankets and coats for them.
26 - 1850 - Census has many categories, "M" or "F", "deaf", "dumb", "blind", "idiotic", "lunatic", "coloured", and "Indian".
27 - 2002 - St. George's Bay Mi'kmaq website set up by local Mi'kmaw Jasen Benwah. First website in Bay St. George dedicated to the promotion of Mi'kmaq culture and awareness.
1989 - Official launch in Truro, N.S. of the video "Ktapehagn Kaqui-Theik - The Song Says It All", featuring Mi'kmaw poet Rita Joe. Produced by the Mi'kmaq Association for Cultural Studies, the video is the first of a planned eleven part series.
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30 - 1839 - The Guardian newspaper reports: "The spirit of revenge is still smothering in their [the Mi'kmaq] bosoms and although they make their canoes, and their snowshoes, and their baskets…and are indebted to the inhabitants in whose neighbourhood they live for the sale of them it is only the lack of opportunity, or the settled conviction that their hostility is unavailing, which prevents that spirit from breaking forth in all fury or its wonted cruelty."
1987 - Simon Denny receives prestigious M. G. Griffiths Plaque presented by the Royal Life Saving Society at the Lieutenant Governor's residence in Halifax for a rescue he made in December of 1985.
31 - 1833 - Waycobah First Nation is established. Originally called Whycocomagh, it would not officially be declared a band until May of 1958.
Acknowledgements/Sources
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