Honouring Mi’kmaw Elder Daniel Paul

Daniel Paul’s portrait by Mi’kmaw artist Alan Syliboy will be displayed at Dalhousie University to honour his enormous contributions to the recognition and understanding of the history and continued significance of the Mi’kmaq people regionally and nationally.

Mi’kmaw elder, author, editor, and activist Daniel Paul has made an indelible mark in Canadian history and the history of Turtle Island, as the author of his ground-breaking book, We Were Not the Savages, which is now in its fourth edition. This authoritative version of Mi’kmaq history challenges conventional versions of Canadian colonial history by exposing the violence inflicted on Mi’kmaq populations from the beginning of European colonization of the New World to the present. Daniel Paul has fundamentally changed how we understand Canada’s origins and the complex roles and sophisticated social, political, economic and cultural structures of the Mi’kmaq people. He was recently diagnosed with terminal cancer; the portrait of Daniel Paul by talented Mi’kmaw artist, Alan Syliboy will provide a lasting tribute to Paul and his singular impact on Canadian history.

Our goal is to raise $8500 for this commissioned portrait. Any extra funds raised will be put toward a scholarship to be established in Daniel Paul’s honour at Dalhousie.