Peskotomuhkati Nation

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Peskotomuhkati Nation at Skutik
Qonasqamkuk
TypeNon-profit organization
HeadquartersSaint Stephen, New Brunswick
Coordinates45°04′26″N 67°03′08″W / 45.07399°N 67.05209°W / 45.07399; -67.05209
Members≈ 350
Official language
English
Websiteqonaskamkuk.com

The Peskotomuhkati Nation at Skutik, also known as the Passamaquoddy at St. Croix[1] and Passamaquoddy Recognition Group, Inc. (PRGI) is a Passamaquoddy First Nation in New Brunswick, Canada.

It does not have official First Nations status in Canada.[2][3] The Peskotomuhkati Nation at Skutik is based in Saint Andrews[4] 20-40km away from the Sipayik and Passamaquoddy Indian Township Reservation reservations in the United States.

Hugh Akagi is the chief (sakom)[4] of the Peskotomuhkati Nation at Skutik, having held the position since he was first elected in 1998.[1] He is a former scientist of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.[5] His sister, Kate Akagi, was the deputy mayor of Saint Andrews, New Brunswick.[1]

History and recognition efforts

As part of the Wabanaki Confederacy, the Peskotomuhtaki people were signatories of the Peace and Friendship Treaties with the British Crown.[6] The original 1760 treaty was discovered in the Massachusetts Archives in 2024 by the local Saint Andrews Historical Society.[7]

The tribe was not included in the 1951 Indian Act.[5]

In 2004, the French Legion of Honour was presented to the Passamaquoddy tribe by Xavier Darcos, commemorating their historic aid to the 1604-1605 St. Croix Colony founded by Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Mons' 79-man French expedition.[8]

In 2017, the Ministry of Crown-Indigenous Affairs began negotiations with the Peskotomuhkati to define their treaty relationship.[4]

In 2018, the Canadian federal government assisted the Peskotomuhtaki in acquiring 2,500 acres of land along the St. Croix River, which is held in trust by the Nature Trust of New Brunswick.[9][10] [11]

In 2021, a plaque was installed documenting the history of the Peskotomuhkati Nation in the St. Stephen portion of the Coastal Link Trail.[12]

In 2021 the tribe's naming committee collaborated with Claire Goodwin of the Huntsman Marine Science Centre on the naming of a new sea sponge species discovered off the coast of Deer Island. The second word of the sea sponge's scientific name, Crellomima mehqisinpekonuta, means "something reddish orange and animate that gets water squeezed out of it" in the Maliseet-Passamaquoddy language.[13][14]

References

  1. Chilibeck, John (1 April 2025). "Aging chief hopes his forgotten people will soon be recognized". Telegraph-Journal.
  2. "Peskotomuhkati chief, 79, battles a ticking clock in fight for formal recognition". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
  3. "Tribes Served by the Eastern Region". Bureau of Indian Affairs. U.S. Department of the Interior, Indian Affairs. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  4. "The Government of Canada is taking action to preserve Peskotomuhkati history and culture". Government of Canada. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
  5. Chilibeck, John (8 August 2024). "Worried about going extinct, Passamaquoddy calls for the end of fishery". Daily Gleaner.
  6. "What you should know about the Peace and Friendship Treaties | CBC News".
  7. Chilibeck, John (24 October 2024). "Finding peace and friendship, 264 years later". Miramichi Leader.
  8. Brown, Chuck (28 June 2004). "Passamaquoddy, French hold sombre ceremony". Telegraph-Journal.
  9. "Our History". Nature Trust of New Brunswick. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  10. MacNeill, Jon. "Land, Legacy and Trust". Nature Trust of New Brunswick. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  11. "The Passamaquoddy people could be close to gaining recognition in Canada". CBC News. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
  12. Glass, Marlo (9 October 2021). "Plaque shows history of Peskotomuhakti". Telegraph-Journal. p. 4. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
  13. Glass, Marlo (9 October 2021). "Saint Andrews scientist discovers new sponge species". Telegraph-Journal. pp. C1, C6. Retrieved 28 March 2026. Its name carries local and historical significance, as the local Peskotomuhkati at Skutik's naming committee collaborated on the name.
  14. Sweet, Jennifer (19 September 2021). "Who lives on a bed of rock under the bay?". CBC News New Brunswick. Retrieved 28 March 2026.