File:DGJ 8620 - Surprise to me... (4954546790).jpg

English: I was surprised to see this at Saint Anne's Church, but since it is at a First Nation Reserve I guess it makes sense. I was surprised because this event happened at Port Royal in Nova Scotia.

It says on the plaque: June 24th, 1610, Grand Chief Membertou and twenty others were baptized by Father Jesse Fleche. As a Memorial of the Birth in Christ of those first fruits of the Micmac Tribe this monument was erected June 24th, 1910.

Dark side of this event:

The dark side of that legacy is well known. Many natives have since turned their backs on the church, repelled by brutal assimilation attempts and the dark stain of the residential schools. Mi'kmaq author and historian Daniel Paul argues that the baptism was a “nail in the coffin” of his people's freedom. But to others the church retains a strong appeal.

“The values of Christianity are good,” commented Morley Googoo, chief of the Waycobah First Nation. “There's no doubt there's a disconnect in the hurt that was created by the residential schools. But it's still an important part of our history.”