Whycocomagh, Nova Scotia

Whycocomagh is both a small community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, which numbered just 854 inhabitants in 2001.

It lies on the eastern edge of Inverness County in the central part of Cape Breton Iceland, more precisely on the northwest shore of the St. Patrick 's Channel, the north-western arm of over 1000 km ² Bras d' Or Lake. Its name is an anglicized version of a Mi'kmaq word which, source of water means'.

On the other hand, is close to the resort, on the other, the west side of Skye River, the reserve of the eponymous We'koqma'q First Nations, to which 624 people are expected, and of which some 88 % mastered their mother tongue in 1998. Your reservation is called Whycocomagh 2 and 2006 had just 623 residents in 182 accommodations, in 2001 there were still 635 The Waycobah First Nation, as she calls the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, counted in June 2011, 936 members of whom 822 lived on the reserve.

On the east side, however, mostly descendants of English and Scottish immigrants live, who lived there in the 18th century, and named the place Hogamagh founded in 1821. Perhaps the local tradition is true that there were mid-18th century a chief named Hogoma'w ​​who fought on the side of the French

History

In the 1820s, it attracted many families of the Scottish islands Tiree, Coll and Mull on the west side of the Bras d'Or. With them the Presbyterianism came to the region that prevailed in their home. This led to tensions with the Mi'kmaq, so that in 1834 a field reserved only to them has been established. It included a total of 12,205 acres, and was divided into six districts.

1847 to 1848 there were on Cape Breton Iceland due to a particularly snowy and long winter, and a potato disease to a year of famine, and the farmer and justice of the peace in Whycocomagh petitioning the government for grain and seed corn. Many animals were starved. But the supplies arrived only slowly, the small amounts could still get in June 1848 hardly people alive. Early 1880s it moved westward, many residents, approximately to Manitoba.

From the United States fled since the beginning of the 19th century some slaves in the region around the place and settled there. They learned Gaelic.

1853, the largest Presbyterianerversammlung took place in the small town that has ever taken place on the island, perhaps the largest in Canada. Here, 8,000 people came together, 200 boats were in the harbor and 500 horses were coupled.

With the Indian Act, the Indian Act, it had been largely prohibited non-Indians to live in Indian reservations. But the Squatter - these were suitable in their opinion unused land without compensation to - David McLean ignored the demands of the Mi'kmaq, to leave their country and sued the Indian agent in 1879 employed Donald McIsaac. McLean called for compensation for the last 25 years he has carried out land reforms and did not react otherwise to the demands of the Indians. In 1882 he was arrested along with his son. The jury now used advocated, despite admonitions from the judge in Port Hood, in favor of the squatters. McIsaac now turned to the Nova Scotia Supreme Court, the highest Court of the Province, who decided in 1885 against the squatters. However, had delayed so long that his Indian Agent made ​​it possible to buy reserve land the decision.

At several places in the province of the Catholic Mi'kmaq celebrated regularly the day of Saint Anne (St Anne 's Day). 1923 onwards, therefore visitors from a wide area, such as. Breton from the places of Iceland, but also from Pomkat in Antigonish or from Truro, even from Rocky Point on Prince Edward Iceland To the Presbyterian church stood in this year alone, 75 wigwams.

One of the well-known across Canada literary women had died in 2007, the poet Rita Joe.

Religion

While the Mi'kmaq are Catholic in their reserve village, the early immigrant families were in the next village all Presbyterians.

Traffic

Highway 105 of the Trans-Canada Highway, which runs along the Bras d ' Or Lake, is the main access road to Whycocomagh.

Education

The Whycocomagh Education Center, which also houses the Whycocomagh Eco Centre is also carries the local primary school. A historical society, Whycocomagh Historical Society is concerned with the history of the double community, has published a book on the history of the place and is planning a museum.

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