'The scalp of Edward Cornwallis' to be sold online by Mi'kmaq group

A well-known Mi'kmaq grandmother is raising some eyebrows in Nova Scotia with an online auction that lists "the scalp of Edward Cornwallis," and other risqu items, for sale.

Cornwalliswas a British military officer who founded the city of Halifax in 1749. Later that year, he issued a bounty on the scalps of Mi'kmaq people. Also up for grabs is a piece of wood that's said to come from "the casket ofCornwallis' great-grandmother," among other symbolic items.

'Poking the bear'

Elizabeth Marshall of EskasoniFirst Nation, who organized the auction, said she'shoping the controversial itemswilldraw attention to various issues affectingMi'kmaqcommunities in her area, but addedthe auction is strictly satirical no grave digging has taken place.

"I am 'poking the bear,'" Marshall saidwith laugh.

"The scalp is just a moose [hide] my dog brought home, which is perfect. I just found out that Cornwallisfirst settled in moose territory. All these things just came together."

Marshall, a history teacher by trade,is well known in Mi'kmaqcommunitiesfor her outspokenactivism and roles as a grandmother, warrior and water protector. She saidprovoking reactions, good or bad, is part of aMi'kmaqresistancestrategycalled "The Crow-Hop," adding that the crow is one of the fewanimals to use tools to provoke their prey.

The auction will be part of the third Facebook livestreamin a series Marshall is calling"Treaty Talks." The series, Marshall said, is to serve as an educational tool for anyone who wants to learn about Indigenous rights.

Conversations in the first two livestreams included missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, the Mi'kmaqscalping proclamation of Edward Cornwallis, and what Marshall calledthe "desecration" oftraditionalMi'kmaq lands.

Marshall said the auction idea stems from a Mi'kmaqtradition carried out when a community member dies. An auction of the person's beloved possessions is held to raise moneyto ease the financial burden of their family members. In this case, Marshall said any money raised will go to her not-for-profit, the Treaty Beneficiaries Organization.

"Back when Cornwallis made the scalp proclamation, a scalp was worth 35 pounds sterling," she said.

"A friend of mine did the math with inflation and it would be worth almost $13,000 Cdn today."

'Selling their dead people'

The"Treaty Talks"auction is being held forsome ofNova Scotia's first European settlers, said Marshall, laid to rest at St. George's Anglican Church cemetery in downtown Sydney, N.S. St. George's isa designated provincial heritage building, and sitsalong an "Old Sydney" touring route for visitors to the area.

"[The church] is a tourist attraction that's marketed by the Cape Breton tourist industry," said Marshall.

"Since they're selling their dead people, I figured it's OK."

In a conversation with CBCNews, a spokesperson from St. George's was sympathetic to Marshall's cause, but said there isno charge for visitorsto the church.

But Marshall said there are otherpoints to be made by selling the "scalp."

Recently, the Mining Association of Nova Scotia proposed mining within a protected wilderness area on Kellys Mountain in Cape Breton.The area isone of the mostsacred spaces in Mi'kmaq culture, and protesters were calling itthe "scalping of Kluscap mountain."

"The non-native community doesn't like it when we apply a valueto their sacred remains, but that's what's happening to the Mi'kmaq," said Marshall.

"It doesn't feel very good, does it?"

Though it is her intention to cause discomfort, Marshallsaid she's very awareof the criticism the auction is receiving.

"Even in my own community I'm feeling it," she said.

"There is some uneasiness around [the auction], but I'm uncomfortable that they're trying to scalp Kluscapmountain.Humbleness is an important part of our culture, but I'm bold enough to go out into an non-Aboriginal community and ask for attention on these issues."

Payingrespects

Marshall has asked for the forgiveness of Mi'kmaqelders for any perceived disrespect to the dead.

After the auction and livestream ends,shesaid a ceremony will be performed to honour the spirits of the dead settlers, which is part of the Mi'kmaq's treaty agreements to help the spirits of those who have died in Nova Scotia to "continue their journeypeacefully."