The Bras d’Or First Nation held its first public meeting on May 6th, 2007 at the Exhibition Grounds in North Sydney.
Bras d’Or Indians including the Youngs, the Jessomes, the Dugas, the LeBlancs, and the Tobins were among the nearly 200 participants attending this first public meeting – a far greater number than was expected. The meeting agenda included the history of the Bras d’Or Indians; presenters focused specifically on the genealogies of several Bras d’Or Indian families traced from the 1708 Indian census up to the present day, illustrating the deep historical and blood ties of these families to the Bras d’Or Indians earliest communities.
At the end of the meeting there was a general question and answer session, giving meeting participants a chance to ask questions about Bras d’Or First Nation membership requirements and the membership application process.
Feedback from the first public meeting of the Bras d’Or First Nation has been extremely positive among those who attended. Bras d’Or First Nation members and non-members alike have commented that they are “extremely happy” there is a voice in the community to represent the Bras d’Or Indians.
We hope to schedule another Bras d’Or First Nation information session in June.
