An event being held next month in Grand Pré to celebrate the historical ties between the Mi’kmaq and Acadians is taking heat over a decision to contract the work to build 15 teepees to a company that’s not Indigenous-owned.
Mi’kmaq lawyer Natalie Clifford said the move runs counter to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which Canada adopted last year.
Under the declaration, Indigenous people have the “right to maintain, control, protect and develop their intellectual property over such cultural heritage, traditional knowledge, and traditional cultural expressions.”