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Indigenous-owned · Saskatoon, Treaty 6 · Shipping across Canada
An introduction to Sydney: its history, the Nations whose lands it sits on, and Indigenous community life today, with sources.
Cape Breton University stands on the outskirts of the city, and its Unama’ki College offers Mi’kmaq Studies and Integrative Science and has graduated more than 1,000 Indigenous students. Membertou First Nation borders Sydney; its residents were forced to relocate from the Kings Road Reserve on Sydney Harbour in the early twentieth century, and the community now runs a convention centre and a sports and wellness centre. Cape Breton Island is Unama’ki, one of the seven districts of Mi’gma’gi, the Mi’kmaq homeland. The Mi’kmaq Grand Council, or Sante’ Mawio’mi, governed before Europeans arrived and still brings representatives together today. The Mi’kmaq signed treaties with the British in 1726, 1749, 1752 and 1760–61. These became known as the Peace and Friendship Treaties. In 1999 the Supreme Court’s Marshall decision affirmed a Mi’kmaq right to a moderate livelihood from hunting and fishing, based on the 1760–61 treaties.
Sydney is in Unama’ki, part of Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq, covered by the Peace and Friendship Treaties. Membertou First Nation is within the city.
Nearby: Membertou First Nation · Eskasoni First Nation · Glace Bay · North Sydney
The Canadian Encyclopedia reports 13 Mi’kmaq nations in Nova Scotia, with 19,157 registered members as of January 2024. About 9,000 people spoke Mi’kmaw in 2021, up from around 6,000 in 1970. Since October 1, 1986, Treaty Day has marked the Peace and Friendship Treaties each year. Membertou calls itself an urban and progressive Mi’kmaq community on Unama’ki. It is led by a Chief and twelve councillors. Its development corporation, incorporated in 1989, drives business growth, and Membertou has been named one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies. Membertou Heritage Park offers guided tours, workshops, archives and community stories. Eskasoni describes itself as a leader in self-governance and cultural preservation, and it greets visitors in Mi’kmaw. At Cape Breton University, Unama’ki College has supported Indigenous education for almost 50 years. It has Mi’kmaw-speaking faculty and staff, and it delivers courses in Mi’kmaw communities. Its Elmitek Pathway Program was built with local communities to open doors for high school and mature learners. Its student spaces include study pods, kitchenettes and room for language learning and ceremonies.
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 Sydney 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 Sydney 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 Sydney 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 Sydney. 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 Sydney.
Orders of $90 or more ship free anywhere in Canada, including Cape Breton. Below that amount, the shipping cost is calculated at checkout.
Returns can be requested within 30 days. Every order ships from Saskatoon, usually leaving within 1–3 business days.
Yes. Send us your wording and we will help with the layout, using up to 4 colours per design. Runs start at 10 garments, and every order is quoted before printing. Please check spellings with your own speakers, because we print exactly what you approve.
It could be a thoughtful choice. Our designs come from our home in Treaty 6 and carry Cree words and stories, explained on our meanings page. They are not Mi’kmaw designs, so pairing a gift with support for local Mi’kmaw artists is a good way to honour Treaty Day in Unama’ki.
Last reviewed . Facts on this page come from the sources listed below.
The clothing sits between streetwear and the gym: heavy cotton tees, hoodies, crewnecks and A-frame snapbacks, all drawn by two Indigenous brothers in Saskatoon and shipped to Sydney.
Nothing is licensed or bought in. Every design, and every Cree word on it, comes from the founders. Browse the whole line, or read the meanings behind the words.
