First Nations Of Canada - The Mi'kmaq

Introduction
Throughout the east coast of what is now North America, many Aboriginal societies suffered because of diseases and warfare brought by people from Europe. Very few Aboriginal societies on the East Coast were able to survive. One that survived is the Mi'kmaq. There are now Mi'kmaq communities in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Prince Edward Island and the island of Newfoundland. The Mi'kmaq language is still spoken in some communities.

History
When people from Europe arrived on the shores of the "new" continent (in what is now Canada), they met an Aboriginal people who were called Mi'kmaq. The Mi'kmaq told how they had first arrived on what is now Prince Edward Island by floating on a boat of ice. Perhaps they had drifted on an ice floe.

Creation Story - Glooscap
The stories that the Mi'kmaq liked to tell the most were about Glooscap. Glooscap was said to be both a human being and a spirit. He lived on the earth before there were any Mi'kmaq. One day Glooscap arrived with his brother Malsum on an island he called Uktamkoo. (Today that island is known as Newfoundland.) It was there that Glooscap made the little people. The little people are similar to fairies and are hairy in appearance and known to live among the rocks. Today, it is believed that only children can see them most of the time. Rarely do the little people make themselves known to grownups.

Next, Glooscap made the marten. This is a small creature that has a long furry body. The marten became Glooscap's companion. Then Glooscap created men and women. Soon after, these men and women left Uktamkoo. They spread out, becoming the Mi'kmaq, Maliseet, Penobscot, and Passamaquoddy peoples. These four Aboriginal peoples are very similar to one another in their customs and language. Glooscap taught them everything they needed to know about how to survive.

The First Arrivals from Europe
There is a Mi'kmaq story about a girl who had a dream. In her dream she saw an island floating towards her. On the island she could see bears climbing up and down three trees. The Mi'kmaq say that soon after the girl had this dream, an island with bears appeared far in the distance. When it got close they saw it was not an island but a large three-masted ship with men climbing up and down ropes.

Before the arrival of Europeans, there were many more Mi'kmaq than there are today. Like other Aboriginal societies, they caught strange sicknesses from the newcomers. These were measles, colds, the flu and -- worst of all -- smallpox. Many of the Mi'kmaq died from these diseases. One chief long ago said that at one time there were so many Mi'kmaq along the shore that you could see their fires burning at night all along the coast.

The Mi'kmaq developed good relations with the French. The French settled in Acadia. This was an area covering what is now Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and parts of New Brunswick, the Gaspé peninsula of Quebec, and Maine. It was the English people, who arrived after the French, that the Mi'kmaq would have the most problems with.

The first treaties that the Mi'kmaq made were with the French. Because of their treaties with the French, whenever the French and English would fight against one another, the Mi'kmaq would side with the French. This angered the English. They placed a bounty on the heads of Mi'kmaq people. A bounty is a form of payment -- in this case, for killing Mi'kmaq.

In 1725, the Mi'kmaq and the English decided to stop fighting. They made a treaty with each other -- the Mi'kmaq promised not to fight the English and the English agreed not bother the Mi'kmaq when they went hunting. This was called a peace and friendship treaty. Soon after, however, the Mi'kmaq and the English began fighting each other once again.

The English general , Edward Cornwallis, placed a higher bounty for killing Mi'kmaq. Soon after, another peace and friendship treaty was made. The Mi'kmaq chief who signed the treaty was named John Baptist Cope. The treaty promised that the Mi'kmaq would not only be able to hunt and fish in return for keeping the peace, but also trade their goods at truck houses. Truck houses were small trading posts the English had set up. This treaty was signed in 1752 and would become important later on when the Mi'kmaq wanted to have the right to fish once again.
The years between 1744 and 1761 were some of the hardest for the Mi'kmaq. The English and French were at war once again and the Mi'kmaq were caught in the middle. Many Mi'kmaq were killed during this time.

In 1763, the King of England made a royal proclamation. A proclamation is a written set of laws set down by the king that everyone is supposed to obey. This proclamation was supposed to protect Native hunting grounds forever. However, many of the English settlers ignored it.

Starvation
In the year 1780, the English allowed settlers loyal to the king (United Empire Loyalists from the thirteen British colonies) to claim Mi'kmaq lands in Nova Scotia and Saint John's Island (now called Prince Edward Island). These settlers cleared the land of its forests and animals. This resulted in starvation for the Mi'kmaq. Pretty soon Mi'kmaq people were begging for food. At the same time, many Mi'kmaq were dying of smallpox.

Much later, the federal government set up around 60 small reserves for the Mi'kmaq to live on. By the 1940s, the federal government decided that the Mi'kmaq had too much land. They took some of the small reserves and placed them together into larger ones. The Mi'kmaq often had to move away from some of the best lands in the country.

The Mi'kmaq Today
Over the years the Mi'kmaq have asserted their right to fish and sell their catch. In 1993, a Mi'kmaq man named Donald Marshall went fishing for eels. He was arrested for fishing without a license. He said that he could fish, and even sell his catch, because of the treaty his people signed in 1752. The case went to the highest court in Canada, the Supreme Court, and Donald Marshall won.

Native fishermen in the Maritimes felt that this meant that they could fish any time, and began to fish lobster out of season. Non-Native fishermen have strict rules about when and where they can fish, how many fish they can catch and the type of equipment they can use. Non-Native fishermen got angry because they were afraid the Mi'kmaq would take too many fish and destroy the fishery. In New Brunswick things even got violent. Most Native fishermen agreed to stop fishing for a while until things calmed down. The Supreme Court changed its decision. It gave the government the power to limit Native fishing (when, where and how many fish) to conserve fish stocks.

Language
Mi'kmaq is part of the Algonkian language family. This is a type of language spoken by many different Aboriginal peoples in the east and some in the west. The Mi'kmaq also called themselves Elnu, meaning "the people".

Religion
Mi'kmaq spiritual leaders were called "puoin". This name comes from the same root word that we get the word powwow from. These puoin could heal the sick by using certain plants. They also acquired guardian spirits to help them in their healing. The beliefs of the Mi'kmaq were similar to other Algonquin societies in that they used the sweat lodge. The Mi'kmaq also believed that all living things -- plants, animals and humans -- had a spirit, so they treated all forms of life with respect.

Some Mi'kmaq people became Christians. In about 1610 the Mi'kmaq sagamore (or chief) Membertoo, became the first Mi'kmaq Roman Catholic. This resulted in a long relationship between the Mi'kmaq and the Catholic Church that continues to this day.

The Earth and Spirit Worlds of the Mi'kmaq
Like other Aboriginal societies, the Mi'kmaq believe there are other worlds that exist besides the earth. Imagine it this way: if you were to plant a tree, the roots would go into the earth, the trunk would spring up from the earth, the branches would reach the sky and then there would be the stars, moon and sun above. The tree is an example the Mi'kmaq use to describe how all the different worlds are connected to each other. The Mi'kmaq call these different worlds lodges. There are five lodges:

The earth lodge is the center of all the other worlds. This is where we live. It includes air, water, grass, trees, humans and animals. It is circular. The Mi'kmaq lived in seven districts on the east coast of the earth lodge: Gespegeoag, Sigenitog, Pigtogeog, Onameg, Espigeoag, Segepenegatog and Gespogoitnag. These names are very difficult to pronounce, but these districts are all in the areas of what we now call Prince Edward Island, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and the St. Lawrence region of Quebec.

Below the earth lodge is the root lodge. This can be a dangerous and mysterious place. However, it is where things are born and spring up from the earth, like plants. It is said that our spirits need to be careful in this place.

There is also a deep root lodge. There are caves in the deep root lodge where we can get instructions while we are dreaming. The protector of animals lives here. When humans hurt animals the protector gets mad at them.

Above the earth lodge is the sky lodge. This is the place where the birds wander. Here are the clouds, stars, sun, moon, thunder and the four winds.

Above all of the other lodges is the ancestors' lodge. This is where the people's spirits go when they die. They travel along a trail that can be seen in the night. We call it the Milky Way. If someone has not been good in life, they are sent back to be born again and to learn more lessons in life.

Arts and Crafts
The Mi'kmaq used the materials that were around them: animal bones, claws, shells, quills, hair, feathers, leather, clay, roots and bark. Bark was used to make baskets, dishes, eating utensils, fans and headbands. They decorated objects with intricate patterns of porcupine quills that were dyed different colours.