The Journey Of The Mi’kmaq.

The Journey Of The Mi’kmaq (Mig- Muck) to the continent of North America is filled with much mystery, struggle, hardship. The Mi’kmaq tribe is a native tribe to the Atlantic Provinces of Canada. Many names for the Mi’kmaq have appeared in many historical sources some of those names include Souriquois, Gaspesians, Acadians, and Tarrantines.

The name Mi’kmaq comes from a word in their language meaning “allies”. Their communities of today are located mostly in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick but have a significant presence in Québec, Newfoundland, Maine, and in the Boston area. So Who are they? Where did they come from? Let’s find out more about The Journey Of The Mi’kmaq.

Origin.

There’s is not much evidence on how they came to this land but it was said that they followed the tracks of animals over the Bering straight which is located now between Russia and Alaska. From there they most likely traveled across what is now Canada until they arrived at what is now today the area of Atlantic Canada and North Eastern United States.

With that being said the story of the creation is entirely different.

Creation Story

The Mi’kmaq use stories to tell about the past and about their spirituality. Mi’kmaq traditional story explains that the world was created in seven stages. The great Creator made the sky, the sun, Mother Earth, and then the first humans: Glooscap and his grandmother, nephew, and mother. From sparks of fire that Glooscap commanded to come forth, came seven men and seven women which were the founding families of the 7 Mi’gma’gi districts.

The 7 Districts Of The Mi’kmaq

There are Distinct Districts of the Mi’kmaq people. This traditional territory is known as Mi’gma’gi (Mi’kma’ki) and is made up of 7 districts

Unama’gi (Unama’kik), Esge’gewa’gi (Eskikewa’kik), Sugapune’gati (Sipekni’katik), Epegwitg aq Pigtug (Epekwitk aq Piktuk), Gespugwi’tg (Kespukwitk), Signigtewa’gi (Siknikt) and Gespe’gewa’gi (Kespek).

The Mi’kmaw Nation belonged to a much larger tribal group known as the ‘Wabanaki Confederacy,’ which included the Mi’kmaq, Maliseet, Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, and Abenaki tribes of Eastern North America. All of these were members of the larger Algonquin family which occupied the lands east of the St. Lawrence River, the Adirondacks, the Appalachians and the Adirondacks

When Did They Arrive?

Exactly when they arrived in the area is very difficult to say, like many tribes of North America they taught only orally to the next generation. Evidence of was found of the tribe in archaeological sites in Nova Scotia some of these artifacts date back, 10,000 years these.

This was presumed to be the first of the Mi’kmaq people.

Shelter.

Much like the tribes of the great plains, the Mi’kmaq people lived in tipi’s called a wigwam but instead of buffalo hides sewn together, they used large pieces of birch bark wrapped around a large tipi like structure. Half logs would then be placed onto the birch bark in order to keep everything intact.

Food.

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As for food, many of the tribespeople were skilled hunters and gather’s. Making use of all resources, the people at this time would hunt caribou and moose in the winter. They would also rely on the sea as a food source year-round. They often used Three-pronged fish spears called leisters which were used to spear and hold fish, but the Mi’kmaq people also made use of hooks, nets, and weirs. On the water, harpoons were commonly used to kill seals. 

Clothing.

Much of the clothing too was a show of respect for all living creatures and the people at that time would make use of every part of the animals. The hides were stretched and sewn into robes leggings moccasins and other garments.

Many other parts of animals were used such as tendons for sinew, bones, claws, and teeth were often used for sewing, hunting tools, weapons, and ornaments. They also made paints and dyes from animal fat, leaves, and flowers.

Tools.

Experts on the water they developed various handcrafted tools and created the distinctive humpback canoe which was made from birch bark trees which became very useful to people at the time because of its durability and lightweight properties.

Laws.

The Mi’kmaq Grand Council (Sante’ Mawio’mi) is the traditional government of the Mi’kmaq peoples which was established even before the arrival of Europeans. The council still survives to this day, although its political powers have been dramatically restricted by federal legislation, such as the Indian Act.

From the 1600s and 1700s, the council discussed different political issues and entered into treaties with the British. The Council is still is considered the spiritual authority of the Mi’kmaq people. Today, the Mi’kmaq Grand Council advocate for the promotion and preservation of Mi’kmaq people, culture, and language.

Although there was no actual law’s like today and you could hunt anywhere you please, many of the tribes respected each other’s territory out of respect for mother nature and other Mi’kmaq hunters. A “take only what you need” policy and belief system was in place and was a “strict” sign as respect to the creator in doing so. When they did kill an animal, much like other unrelated tribes, they too did not waste anything they animal had given them.

Many decisions were made by the elders of the tribe. Many things like murder and rape were not even considered based on their belief of peace and harmony.

Belief System

Like many Native American Beliefs, theirs was a one of peace and respecting mother earth. They believe that everyone is all connected and that we must respect all thing’s that has been given to us. Everything around them had a spirit, including the sun which had special significance to them.

The Mi’kmaq had many ceremonies, belief’s and teaching’s some of which have been lost, and others still practiced to this day.

Things like smudging, sweat lodge ceremonies, pipe ceremonies, storytelling, singing, drumming, traditional weddings, feasts, traditional funerals, and many more were practiced amongst these people.

When European settlers arrived much of the Mi’kmaq were early to adopt Christian teachings from the Jesuits Priests. They allied and intermarried with the French against the British.

Langauge.

The main language the Mi’kmaq speaks is an Algonquian language that is still spoken fluently to this day.

Mi’kmaq is among the Wabanaki group of Eastern Algonquian languages, which include the various the Penobscot, Abenaki dialects, and Maliseet-Passamaquoddy languages.

A substantial number still speak the Algonquian language, which was once written in Míkmaq ancient hieroglyphic writing and is now written using most letters of the standard Latin alphabet.

The Mi’kmaq tribe had as many as 17 different dialects, including these the unique Québec dialect Restigouche, but with the linguistic contact between English and French speakers with the Mi’kmaq people, it seems to have eroded the prevalence of the language and smoothed dialectical differences.

National Household Survey of 201has said that 8,935 people have reported knowledge of the Mi’kmaq language. In 2016, The Government of Canada’s 2016 Census listed 8,870 people as speaking Mi’kmaq and the numbers still continue to grow.

First Contact.

The first-ever recorded encounter of the Mi’kmaq People was with the Italian explorer, John Cabot on June 24, 1497.  At first, Cabot set sail in hopes of finding a quick route to Asia but Instead, he landed on what is now known as North America and met the people of the Mi’kmaq.

Cabot was sponsored by the English King Henry VIII to find the riches of Asia, but the encounter brought him different riches, oceans full of codfish, and land filled with many fur-bearing animals. These stories of riches’ were brought back to Europe, and captured the interest of many explorers who then went after Cabot did.

The peaceful Mi’kmaq people were very accepting of these new people and their ways. Many traded a great deal of many things.

 Fur traders later moved into the tribes territories. This caused them to move more farther inland to trap furs, changing the primary food source from sea mammals to land mammals. The Peaceful Mi’kmaq adjusted to European presence and were willing to share their traditional territory.

After First Contact.

After the first contact with Europeans came a lot of changes, one of them being a new belief called Christianity. A man named Henri Membertou (Mi’kmaq chief) became the first Indigenous person to be baptized as a Catholic in 1610 thus beginning a pattern of conversion to Christianity and intermingling of customs. The Mi’kmaq peoples, who openly adapted to European trade goods, were likewise openminded to religious practices.

In 1610 a formal agreement between the Mi’kmaq and the Vatican marked by the creation of treaty wampum which combined trade, treaty, and religion in relations between the Mi’kmaq and the French people.

The treaty made the Mi’kmaq, Catholic subjects, and therefore made trade between settlers and Indigenous peoples in Acadia or Mi’gma’gi legitimized. Mi’kmaq people continued to practice their own customs but also incorporated the teachings of priests who had learned the Mi’kmaq language, entrenching Catholicism beliefs into Mi’kmaq’s spiritual identity thus making a hybrid of the two beliefs.

Mi’kmaq religion remains firmly based on Catholic beliefs. In the early 90s, The Mi’kmaq peoples from across Mi’gma’gi began celebrating Treaty Day (October 1) by including traditional Mi’kmaq customs like drumming and the burning of sacred herbs into the Catholic Mass. However, traditional Mi’kmaq spirituality is still practiced today, with a great effort on the part of Mi’kmaq people to protect and promote their religious beliefs and customs.

With these new people coming to their home a-lot of the tribespeople ended up contracting fatal diseases such as smallpox, dry cough, and other diseases that they were not yet immune too. It was said that a very large significant amount of first nation’s people died from sickness and from the battle’s often fought around this time.

Father Le Loutre’s War

Father Le Loutre’s War was also known as the Indian War, the Micmac War, and the Anglo-Micmac War which took place between the times of 1749–1755. This war took place in Acadia and Nova Scotia. On one side of the conflict, New England and the British colonists were led by British Officer named Charles Lawrence and New England Ranger named John Gorham. On the other side, Father Jean-Louis Le Loutre led the Mi’kmaq people and the Acadia military in warfare between settlers and British forces. The war ended after 6 long years with the defeat of the Mi’kmaq, Acadians, and French in the Battle of Fort Beausejour.

Population.

The number of people registered in 2015 with Mi’kmaq First Nations was 58,763 and out that number, 23,997 were members of the Qalipu First Nation of Newfoundland. Not including the landless Qalipu, 56 % of the Mi’kmaq people lived on reserves in 2015.

Mi’gma’gi is home to 30 Mi’kmaq nations, 29 of them are located in Canada All but two communities (the Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation and La Nation Micmac de Gespeg in Fontenelle, Québec) possess reserve first nation’s land. Many of the Mi’kmaq people live off-reserve, either in Mi’gma’gi or elsewhere. Many More still may not be included by registered population counts, as they are not recognized as status Indians under the Indian Act.

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