Colonial Ghosts in Indigenous-British Conflict: A Revisiting of Two 1726 Piracy Trials

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2024

Abstract

In 1726 five men who had long been part of a Mi’kmaw community were hanged for piracy in Boston. Through an analysis of sources such as 18th-century newsletters, trial records, and genealogical data, this article addresses the debates over the place of Métis among the Mi’kmaq and the practice of Indigenous community elasticity. It also presents a new way to understand the agency, actions, and lived experience of Indigenous Acadian men – “colonial ghosts” or colonists who disappeared from the colonial record – while underlining the importance of revising imperial identity designations as well as of placing greater weight on local kinship, culture, and practice.

Publication Title

Acadiensis

ISSN

00445851

E-ISSN

17127432

Volume

53

Issue

1

First Page

37

Last Page

77

DOI

10.1353/aca.2024.a947470

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