Indigenous Antigonish: Mi’kma’ki, Nations and Community
An introduction to Antigonish: its history, the Nations whose lands it sits on, and Indigenous community life today, with sources.
About Antigonish
Antigonish is a small town with 4,656 residents in the 2021 census. It sits on a plain about a kilometre from Antigonish Harbour. The Mi'kmaq held a seasonal coastal community here before European settlement. St. Francis Xavier University calls the town by its Mi'kmaw name, Nalikitquniejk, which it translates as place where branches are torn off. Paqtnkek Mi'kmaw Nation is a short drive away on the harbour's southern shore. The town was incorporated in 1889 and grew as a university town and service centre. StFX and St. Martha's Regional Hospital are major employers. Antigonish is also known for its Highland Games, first held in 1863. St. Ninian's Cathedral, built of local blue limestone, is a notable landmark.
Antigonish history
Mi'kmaw families gathered on this coast each summer long before European settlement. The town's name comes from the Mi'kmaw language. The Canadian Encyclopedia records an early form, Articougnesche, describing where bears tear branches off trees. Other sources note the original meaning has shifted over two centuries of language change. In the 1700s, Britain and the Mi'kmaq made Treaties of Peace and Friendship. Nova Scotia's Treaty Education program now teaches residents about Mi'kmaw Aboriginal and treaty rights and a shared history. British settlement began in 1784, when Lieutenant Colonel Timothy Hierlihy received a land grant for a settlement called Dorchester. Around 1821 the community took the name Antigonish. It grew during the Napoleonic Wars by shipping timber to Britain. St. Francis Xavier University, founded in 1853, moved to Antigonish in 1855. The first Highland Games were held in 1863 to raise money for St. Ninian's Cathedral. The cathedral opened in 1868, built of local blue limestone in the Romanesque style. Antigonish incorporated as a town in 1889. In the 1920s, priests and educators at StFX, including Moses Coady, launched the Antigonish Movement. It promoted adult education and co-operative development.
Treaty and territory
Antigonish is in Mi’kma’ki, the unceded ancestral territory of the Mi’kmaw people, where the Treaties of Peace and Friendship apply. Paqtnkek Mi’kmaw Nation lies on Antigonish Harbour, about 15 minutes from town.
Nearby: Paqtnkek Mi'kmaw Nation · Pomquet · Tracadie · Havre Boucher · New Glasgow · Port Hawkesbury
Indigenous Antigonish today
Paqtnkek Mi'kmaw Nation sits on the southern shore of Antigonish Harbour, right off Highway 104. The Nation says its name means by the bay. Many members still fish, hunt and trap on lands their ancestors have known for millennia. Paqtnkek runs departments for education, health, employment, fisheries, housing and social development. Its Bayside development is the community's commercial hub, with an entertainment centre and four electric vehicle chargers. The Nation holds an annual powwow that welcomes members and visitors. In town, St. Francis Xavier University acknowledges that it stands in unceded Mi'kma'ki and shares its land acknowledgement in both English and Mi'kmaw. The Kiknu Indigenous Student Centre, in the Coady West building, supports Indigenous students with advising, counselling and scholarships. It also shares learning resources on Mi'kmaw history and Truth and Reconciliation. Elder in Residence Kerry Prosper created the StFX L'nu Pin, a graphic for the university's Indigenous community. The centre also coordinates an Indigenous student society. Province-wide, Nova Scotia's Treaty Education program offers resources in English, Gaelic and French.
Life in Antigonish
Antigonish is proudly a university town. St. Francis Xavier University shapes its calendar, and Maclean's ranked it Canada's top primarily undergraduate university for five straight years, from 2002 to 2006. The Antigonish Highland Games are the town's signature event. They are described as the oldest continuous Highland games outside Scotland, held every year since 1863. The Canadian Encyclopedia calls them North America's oldest celebration of Scottish dance and sports. Theatre thrives here too. Festival Antigonish Summer Theatre and Theatre Antigonish perform at the Bauer Theatre on campus. St. Ninian's Cathedral, from 1868, remains a landmark. The local economy leans on services, with StFX and St. Martha's Regional Hospital as major employers. StFX also remains linked with Moses Coady and the Antigonish Movement.
Antigonish seasons and weather
Antigonish has warm, humid summers and cold, snowy winters. January's daily mean is about −6 degrees, and July's is close to 19 degrees. The town gets roughly 229 cm of snow a year and over 1,200 mm of total precipitation. A warm hoodie and toque handle winter, while a tee works for summer harbour days.
More on the region: Indigenous Nova Scotia · all of Canada.
Keep learning in the XUSI Journal
- First Nations, Métis and Inuit: What’s the Difference?
- How to Write a Land Acknowledgement That Means Something
- Orange Shirt Day & the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
- National Indigenous Peoples Day and History Month: A Guide
- All Journal articles
Antigonish questions
Do you ship XUSI clothing to Antigonish?
Yes. Orders of $90 or more ship free to Antigonish and anywhere else in Canada. Orders under $90 show the shipping cost at checkout. Every order leaves our Saskatoon shop within 1 to 3 business days.
Can you print custom shirts for an Antigonish team or StFX society?
Yes. Custom screen printing starts at 10 garments, with up to 4 colours per design. Every order gets a full quote before anything is printed, and design help is included. We print everything in Saskatoon and ship the finished order to you in Antigonish.
Is Antigonish on treaty land?
Yes. Antigonish is in Mi'kma'ki, unceded Mi'kmaw territory where the Treaties of Peace and Friendship apply. Paqtnkek Mi'kmaw Nation is nearby on the harbour. Our own shop is on Treaty 6 land in Saskatoon, and our designs carry Cree words and stories explained on our meanings page.
Can StFX student groups order custom XUSI shirts?
Yes. Any group can order custom screen printing with a 10-garment minimum and up to 4 colours per design. Every order gets a full quote before anything is printed, and design help is included. Everything is printed in Saskatoon and shipped to Antigonish, so plan ahead for events like orientation week.
Last reviewed . Facts on this page come from the sources listed below.
Indigenous clothing from XUSI
From the StFX campus to the shores of Antigonish Harbour, people in Nalikitquniejk can wear Indigenous-designed tees, hoodies and hats from XUSI, printed in Saskatoon and shipped east.
Antigonish swings from snowy campus winters to humid summers by the harbour, so we like simple layers. A heavyweight hoodie gets StFX students across a frosty campus to early lectures. The Revitalize Culture crewneck works well under a coat on snowy walks through town. In July, a heavyweight cotton tee suits the Highland Games field, and an A-frame snapback keeps the sun off. The Golden Era ringer tee is an easy choice for a summer theatre night at the Bauer. For the Paqtnkek powwow, a Cree-word tee is a respectful way to share a story from the prairies.
