Glooscap First Nation is located in Sipekne’batik (meaning ‘land of the wild turnip’) or Shubenacadie, one of the 7 districts that make up Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral territory of the Mi’kmaq. The Peace and Friendship Treaties with the British from 1725-1761 recognized Mi’kmaw rights to their lands but in the subsequent years the colonial government removed them to small, designated reserves, opening up more lands for white settlement. Although Mi’kmaq had lived in the local area for thousands of years, Glooscap First Nation was established in the colonial context in the early 1800’s when approximately 450 acres was purchased by the Micmac Missionary Society, and Mi’kmaq were encouraged to make a living at the nearby marketplace. In 1907, this land was transferred to his Majesty the King to be used as an ‘Indian Reserve,’ and was considered a part of the Annapolis Valley Band. Later, Rita Smith the first Chief of Glooscap First Nation, persuaded the government that the reserve should be independent as it was 30 km from the Annapolis Valley Reserve and not receiving enough services. In 1984, the two communities separated and Glooscap First Nation, which was known as Horton Reserve at the time, became the 13th Mi’kmaw Band in Nova Scotia. The name shifted to Glooscap in 2001.