John Joe Sark

Early Life

John Joe Sark was the son of Dorothy Sark and Joe Labode. He was adopted by his mother’s parents: Jacob Sark, chief of Epekwitk (Prince Edward Island) and Alma Cormier, who raised him. Sark had several brothers and sisters. After he dropped out of school in eighth grade in 1960, he lived with relatives in Boston, Massachusetts, where he worked as a machine operator and tool maker.

Education

John Joe Sark realized that he needed to further his education if he were to accomplish the goals he had set for himself. He returned to Lennox Island and completed high school (see also First Nations on Prince Edward Island). In 1979, Sark became the first Mi’kmaw to graduate from the University of Prince Edward Island and earned a bachelor of arts degree in political science. In 2005, the university awarded him an honorary degree in Doctor of Laws.

Activism

John Joe Sark was a spiritual leader for his people, as well as an activist who lobbied for their rights and recognition. In 1990, the Mi’kmaq Grand Council elected him to the lifetime position of keptin, responsible for Mi’kmaq cultural and spiritual affairs. The Council then appointed him Mi’kmaw ambassador to the Vatican, where he presented a letter to Pope John Paul II asking for an apology for the residential school system.

In 1994, Sark was appointed Mi’kmaw ambassador to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in Geneva. During a 12-year period, he helped draft the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which the UN adopted in 2007. Canada did not adopt the declaration until 2021. He was also ambassador to the Acadian National Society on two occasions: 1999 (New Orleans) and 2002 (France).

For 15 years, Sark was a community resource officer for Prince Edward Island’s provincial government where he was responsible for First Nations affairs. He also served as band manager for the Lennox Island First Nation.

In 2005, Sark received the National Aboriginal Achievement Award (now Indspire Award) in heritage and spirituality.

Fort Amherst Controversy

Beginning in 2008, John Joe Sark lobbied to convince Parks Canada to change the name of the Port-la-Joye—Fort Amherst National Historic Site across the harbour from Charlottetown (see also Fort Amherst). His objection was based on allegations, which were eventually confirmed, that in the 18th century British officer Jeffery Amherst encouraged using blankets impregnated with smallpox to kill Indigenous peoples, in fact an early form of biological warfare.

In 2016, Sark received the Order of Prince Edward Island, the province’s highest honour. The award was in recognition of his role as a guardian of the spiritual and cultural integrity of the Mi’kmaq. In 2017, Sark resigned from the Order and returned his medal and pin to the provincial legislature. Even though any decision on renaming the site was a federal government issue, Sark returned the provincial order because the PEI government refused to get involved and remained silent on the issue.

Although the Historic Sites and Monuments Board had considered Sark’s request on two occasions, it decided it could not change the name as that was its “historic place name” selected by the British soldiers who built it (see also National Historic Sites in Canada). The board went on to explain that the site did not “commemorate or celebrate the actions” of Amherst, it was simply the name attached to the site. In 2018, Parks Canada announced that the Mi’kmaw name for the location would be added to its title and now be known as Skmaqn—Port-la-Joye—Fort Amherst National Historic Site of Canada. Skmaqn means “the waiting place.” Although the chiefs of the two Mi’kmaq First Nations on Prince Edward Island expressed their pleasure at Parks Canada’s decision, Sark remained opposed to any change that did not remove Amherst’s name.

Creative Contributions

In 1988, John Joe Sark published Micmac Legends of Prince Edward Island, while in 2000 he co-edited Mi’kmaq and the Crown: Understanding Treaties in Maritime Canadian History. Sark released his last book Epekwitk: Stories and Histories of the Mi’kmaq Nation in 2022. The book tells historical and contemporary stories, such as Mi’kmaq relationships with the French and British, war heroes, veterans, institutional racism and residential schools. The book was illustrated by Dozay Christmas, wife of Mi’kmaw senator Daniel Christmas.

Sark also co-edited the television programme Spirit World — The Story of the Mi’kmaq, which aired on Vision TV in 2003.

Later Life

In January 2023, John Joe Sark passed away at his home after a long battle with diabetes, renal failure and heart disease. He continued to uphold his principles and argue for change even as his health declined.