This thesis examines the history of the Mi'kmaq people inhabiting Kmitkinag (Nova Scotia) and Unimaki (Cape Breton Island) from before contact to 1760. While contact precipitated change in Mi'kmaq society, the process was gradual, the result of the particular historical circumstances in which interactions between the two societies evolved. In the late seventeenth century, the Mi'kmaq established an alliance with the French Crown, made possible by previous social and economic relationships between Mi'kmaq families and French traders, fishermen and settlers. As European settlement increased and imperial rivalry in North America intensified in the eighteenth century, tensions emerged in the alliance, revealing the cultural differences between the Mi'kmaq and France's subjects. The thesis demonstrates that economic and political factors were more important than national identity in influencing the texture of Mi'kmaq-European relations.

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In this qualitative research study, First Nation students in high school participated in an interview study designed to (1) describe how their school experiences related to academic success and (2) to identify learning strategies used to achieve success. Participants described the importance of achieving academic success to ensure future economic security. In their approaches to learning, participants preferred multiple modes of learning. Various types of learning strategies included both visual and verbal methods such as teacher demonstrations, reading, and writing. Motivational influences were also identified as contributing to their educational success which came from a variety of sources such as teachers, parents, peers, and community leaders. Educational success for these Aboriginal students is both multi-dimension and multi-modal. Implication of the research and future direction will be discussed.

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