Jean Baptiste Cope

Jean Baptiste Cope was also known as Major Cope, a title he was probably given from the French military, the highest rank given to Mikmaq. Cope was the sakamaw of the Mikmaq people of Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia . He maintained close ties with the Acadians along the Bay of Fundy, speaking French and being Catholic. During Father Le Loutres War, Cope participated in both military efforts to resist the British and also efforts to create peace with the British. During the French and Indian War he was at Miramichi, where he is presumed to have died during the war. Cope is perhaps best known for signing the Treaty of 1752 with the British, which was upheld in the supreme court in 1985 and is celebrated every year along with other treaties on Treaty Day .

Cope was born in Port Royal and the oldest child of six. During Father Rales War, at the young age of 28, Cope was probably one of a number of Mikmaq who signed the peace treaty, which ended the war between the New Englanders and the Mikmaq.

Source: Wikipedia