Mi’kmaq activist’s announcement at former Cornwallis school heavy with symbolism

In a moment heavy with symbolism, a Mi’kmaq activist delivered the inaugural acknowledgment that a Halifax school once named for controversial city founder Edward Cornwallis sits on her people’s ancestral land.

Rebecca Moore kicked off a daily recognition of Mi’kmaq land Wednesday at Halifax Central Junior High, which was known as Cornwallis Junior High until it was renamed in 2011.

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Moore, who went to the school, sees Cornwallis as an oppressor of her people

Moore, 27, says that when she walked through the school’s hallways as a student, she was inundated with reminders of what she sees as a “genocide” of her Mi’kmaq ancestors.

In 1749, Cornwallis issued a bounty on the scalps of Mi’kmaq men, women and children in response to an attack on colonists.

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Moore returned to her alma mater on Wednesday to “formally welcome” students to Mi’kmaq territory during the morning announcements.

The Halifax Regional School Board voted in June 2017 for all schools to start the day with an acknowledgment of Mi’kmaq territory.

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The principal of Halifax Central Junior High, Robert MacMillan, says the practice was supposed to begin in October, but was delayed at the school due to scheduling issues.

Moore told reporters the school is doing a “perfect job” in making strides towards reconciliation, and encouraged Halifax Regional Council, which is revisiting several municipal tributes to Cornwallis, to follow suit.