Mi'kmaq people believe they have special rights because their ancestors lived, hunted, trapped, and fished in Newfoundland before Europeans settled on the island. They believe their claim is fair because Europeans took away their land and their resources—not just because they are a different colour or race than their neighbors.

But many Newfoundlanders don't buy the Mi'kmaq claims. They believe another version of history. That version claims the Mi'kmaq people came to Newfoundland after Europeans arrived on the island. They were brought over from Nova Scotia by the French. They were brought over to hunt and kill another group of native people—the Beothuks. As one Glenwood resident said: "The average Newfoundlander knows that these people aren't native to this province. They were brought in as assassins to kill the Beothuks off. They were brought in to do what the white man couldn't do himself—and that was to finish off a troublesome people. Normally an assassin would go home. They stayed."⁵

The Glenwood Mi'kmaq band is part of a provincial group. The group is called the Federation of Newfoundland Indians. It represents nine other Mi'kmaq bands. Band members live side by side with their non-native neighbours. They live in the outports and towns of the central, southern and western areas of the island. The Mi'kmaq people of Newfoundland have been trying to gather enough historical proof to set up a land claim. They have been trying to do this for at least 30 years. Proving their right to fish for food is part of that process.

So the conflict between the Glenwood Mi'kmaq people, their non-native neighbors, and the government is all about history. It is also about status, the right to use resources, and the ownership of land.

It's not a new problem, or a new argument. Non-native Newfoundlanders and Mi'kmaq people have been fighting for the right to live and work on the island since the 1700s. Mi'kmaq people have been arrested on the Gander River before.