Restoring the Overwritten Native Families of Nova Scotia
The Native Continuity Thesis argues that dark-skinned Indigenous families across mainland Nova Scotia—especially within Kespukwitk, K’jipuktuk, and Chedabucto— were administratively absorbed into racial categories such as “coloured,” “mulatto,” or “black” between 1760–1900.
These families were not refugees, nor Loyalists, nor African-descended settlers. They were local—rooted, generational, land-based, and continuous. Their identities were bureaucratically overwritten, not erased.
Key Points of the Thesis
- Dark-skinned Indigenous peoples were documented across the Eastern Woodlands.
- Mainland Nova Scotia observers repeatedly described Native families as brown, dark, or copper-toned.
- Colonial officials often misread or mislabeled these families based on complexion.
- Administrative reclassification occurred throughout the 19th century.
- Modern racial categories cannot accurately reflect pre-1900 Indigenous diversity.
Why This Matters
The Living Line restores the historical identity of families whose Native presence predates refugee, Loyalist, or Maroon migrations. This work does not claim the Mi’kmaw Nation; it documents distinct Native continuities overwritten by colonial administration.
This thesis anchors the archival, genealogical, and land-based research of the Living Line.