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Indigenous-owned · Saskatoon, Treaty 6 · Shipping across Canada
An introduction to Halifax: its history, the Nations whose lands it sits on, and Indigenous community life today, with sources.
The Mi’kmaq name for the area, recorded as Jipugtug and today often written Kjipuktuk, is the source of the older English name Chebucto. Several Mi’kmaw First Nations hold reserve lands in the region, including Millbrook at Cole Harbour, Sipekne’katik at Wallace Hills and Acadia on Hammond Plains Road, while the Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre serves as a hub for the urban Indigenous community. The Mi’kmaq followed a seasonal round, fishing the coast in summer and hunting inland through the winter. Relations with the Mi’kmaq broke down quickly. Cornwallis put bounties on Mi’kmaq scalps, and the Mi’kmaq declared war that same year. In 1752 Mi’kmaq chief Jean-Baptiste Cope signed the Halifax Treaty, one of the Peace and Friendship Treaties Britain made between 1725 and 1779. These treaties had no land or money provisions. Instead they protected hunting, fishing and land-use rights for the Nations’ descendants. More chiefs signed a peace treaty with British officials in 1761.
Halifax, K’jipuktuk in Mi’kmaw, is in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq, covered by the Peace and Friendship Treaties.
Nearby: Dartmouth · Bedford · Millbrook First Nation (Cole Harbour) · Sipekne’katik First Nation · Acadia First Nation
The Mi'kmaw Native Friendship Centre has served urban Indigenous people and their families since 1973. It is a non-profit, charitable organization built around culture-focused programs. Its office sits at Brunswick and Cogswell streets downtown. Cultural programs include drum circles, language revitalization, traditional teachings, seasonal feasts and powwow dancing. The centre also offers tutoring, employment training, family support, food security, harm reduction, housing help and justice support. Treaty rights remain a living issue. In 1985 the Supreme Court's Simon decision upheld Mi'kmaq hunting rights under the 1752 Halifax Treaty. The Marshall decision in 1999 found that treaty hunting and fishing rights had never been extinguished. Between 2016 and 2023, Aboriginal title claims argued that these treaties never surrendered any land. Nova Scotia marks Treaty Day every October 1. In 2026, Canada recognized the 1726 treaty as a National Historic Event. The 1725 and 1726 treaties, initiated by Penobscot leader Sauguaaram, ended Dummer's War.
More on the region: Indigenous Nova Scotia · all of Canada.
XUSI is an Indigenous-owned business from Saskatoon, started in 2020 by two brothers from northern Saskatchewan. Along with our clothing, we bring Indigenous youth workshops and custom screen printing to Halifax and across Nova Scotia.
Strong Roots Strong Future is our interactive workshop for Indigenous youth, led by the two brothers who founded XUSI. We travel to schools, First Nations and Indigenous communities, youth organizations and funding programs in Halifax and across Nova Scotia. Youth ages 10 and up work through identity and culture, financial literacy, fitness, entrepreneurship and business skills, career readiness and hands-on screen printing.
Custom t-shirts, hoodies and crewnecks for Halifax schools, sports teams, businesses, events and First Nations and Indigenous organizations. Send us an idea, get free design help and a full quote before anything is printed. We print in Saskatoon and ship to Halifax. 10-garment minimum, up to 4 colours per design.
Heavyweight cotton tees, hoodies, crewnecks and A-frame hats with Cree words and the stories behind them. Fitness is part of how XUSI started, so our pieces are built for the gym and the street, and we ship them to Halifax.
Local pickup is offered only in Saskatoon. Orders to Halifax ship from Saskatoon and typically leave within 1–3 business days, with the shipping cost calculated at checkout.
Yes. Custom screen printing starts at 10 garments, allows up to 4 colours per design, and every order is quoted before printing. Design help is included, the maximum screen size is 23x31 inches, and everything is printed in Saskatoon and shipped to you.
Yes. Custom screen printing starts at 10 garments, with up to 4 colours per design, and every order is quoted before printing. Design help is included, and we can lay out Mi'kmaw wording you supply. Plan ahead for October 1, since orders are printed in Saskatoon and then shipped.
Many of our designs carry a Cree word and story, shared on our meanings page, because we are based in Saskatoon on Treaty 6 territory. Halifax is Mi'kmaw land under the Peace and Friendship Treaties. For Mi'kmaw words, a custom order with your community's wording is the respectful route.
Last reviewed . Facts on this page come from the sources listed below.
Putting nêhiyawêwin on a shirt is a small way of keeping it in use. XUSI does it on purpose: each design carries a Cree word, and each one is explained in the founders’ own words for whoever picks it up in Halifax.
The brand is Indigenous-owned and based in Saskatoon, on Treaty 6. Read every meaning on the Meanings page, or shop Cree language clothing.
