The Most Pause-Worthy Marty Moment On Curse Of Oak Island

"The Curse of Oak Island" has been a History Channel cornerstone since 2014, and is still going strong. The island itself — off the coast of Nova Scotia — has been the site of several different treasure hunting efforts since the late 1700s, and is now the focus of brothers Rick and Marty Lagina. The Michigan natives first discovered the island's mysteries via a 1965 Reader's Digest article and have since dedicated much of their time and personal fortune to discovering what hides beneath the tiny island's surface (via The Detroit News).

The Laginas and other searchers have found artifacts dating back hundreds of years and even recovered pieces of human bone from deep underground. "The Curse of Oak Island" has grown from just a treasure hunt to an archaeological expedition and historical investigation as well, and the brothers have brought in millions of dollars worth of sophisticated drilling and testing equipment.

While it remains to be seen whether the curse at the center of the show is real, the island definitely holds some mystery, and the Laginas seem determined to unravel it. But in one moment early in Season 9, Marty's stubborn determination came out in a childish and cringe-worthy manner. 

In Season 9, Episode 3, members of the archaeology team digging in the southeast corner of the island's swamp find fragments of Mi'kmaq First Nations pottery. The team reports the findings to the Nova Scotia provincial government as required, and the Department of Communities, Culture, Tourism, and Heritage responds by ordering the Lagina brothers to stop work in the areas where they uncovered the artifacts.

Marty Lagina initially responds gracefully, saying the team will follow governmental requirements to the letter. But after the Acadia First Nations orders them to pause excavating a handful of areas on the island until cultural representatives can visit, Marty erupts, saying he'd become "increasingly frustrated" and that their ability to "function on our own island is getting eroded in leaps and bounds." He complains that if the oversight continues, they will "finish the year... and go home."

Although the Laginas do hold deeds for much of Oak Island, the narrow-mindedness of a non-Native person using such language of ownership with First Nations definitely rings lots of alarm bells. Fortunately, Marty's older brother Rick keeps a calmer head, saying "there is a way to move forward and I think we should." Considering that the Laginas should be doing as much as they can to generate good relationships with those who came to Oak Island before them, the territorial attitude towards an island with a history long preceding theirs seems like a very bad idea.