Sipekne'katik

Sipekne'katik is a Mi'kmaw district centered on the Shubenacadie waterway, which links the Atlantic side of Nova Scotia with the tidal waters of the Bay of Fundy. Rivers and lakes formed a route across the peninsula long before European settlement. Acadians learned the waterway from their Mi'kmaw allies, and a mission grew near the junction of the Shubenacadie and Stewiacke rivers.

In 1738 the French missionary Jean-Louis Le Loutre came to serve the Mi'kmaq at the mission of Sainte-Anne. As British and French rivalry intensified, the district became involved in the struggle over Acadia. In 1752 the Shubenacadie Mi'kmaq concluded a treaty with British representatives that renewed earlier agreements and set out terms for trade. The following years brought war and the expulsion of Acadian communities from the peninsula.