The city of Halifax is grappling with the complicated legacy of its founder, Edward Cornwallis, as historical reassessment leads to the removal of his commemorations. The British military officer who established Halifax in 1749 has become a controversial figure due to his decision to place a bounty on Mi'kmaq warriors' scalps.
The Violent Context of Colonial Settlement
Edward Cornwallis arrived on Nova Scotia's shores on June 21, 1749, with 13 transport ships carrying 2,576 settlers. The first winter proved devastating, with more than one-third of these pioneers perishing. Cornwallis had been appointed governor of Nova Scotia by King George II and faced immediate challenges in establishing the British settlement.
The historical context reveals a brutal conflict between colonial settlers and Mi'kmaq warriors. According to multiple historical accounts, including eyewitness John Wilson's gruesome description of the 1751 Dartmouth Massacre, Mi'kmaq warriors conducted violent raids against British settlers. Wilson documented that prisoners were chained to trees and scalped while still alive, suffering exquisite tortures before dying.
Historical Accounts of Mi'kmaq Attacks
Thomas B. Akins, Nova Scotia's first Commissioner of Public Records and a Person of National Historic Significance, documented another account of the Dartmouth attacks in his History of the Settlement of Halifax. He described how torch light and musket fire alerted Halifax residents to the assault across the harbor.
Akins wrote: The Indians were said to have destroyed several dwellings, sparing neither women nor children... The night was calm, and the cries of the settlers, and whoop of the Indians were distinctly heard on the western side of the harbour. The following morning, settlers recovered multiple bodies, noting that the Mi'kmaq had taken scalps as trophies.
Cornwallis's Controversial Response
In response to these attacks, Cornwallis issued his infamous scalping proclamation in 1749, offering a bounty for Mi'kmaq warriors. This decision has become the focal point of modern criticism and what some describe as cancel culture targeting historical figures.
The conflict occurred during a complex period of colonial warfare. The Mi'kmaq had been living in Nova Scotia for centuries before European arrival, but their population had significantly declined due to disease by 1749. They were allied with French forces during Father Le Loutre's War (1749-1755) and the French and Indian War (1754-1763), with French missionary Le Loutre leading resistance forces that included both Acadian and Mi'kmaq fighters.
Cornwallis now joins other controversial Canadian historical figures like John A. Macdonald, Egerton Ryerson, Henry Dundas, and Matthew Begbie in facing modern reevaluation. His statues have been removed, and institutions bearing his name, including a Canadian Coast Guard ship, have been renamed to reflect contemporary understanding of this difficult history.
The ongoing reassessment of Edward Cornwallis highlights the challenging process of reconciling Canada's colonial past with modern values and Indigenous perspectives.
