History of the Mi'kmaq People of Epekwitk


The Great Spirit shaped a piece of clay, as red as the skin of the Mi'kmaq people, into a crescent and lay this "Meniku" in the singing waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It was the most beautiful place on Mikjikj Meniku.

The Mi'kmaq people do not explain how the great spirit came into existence only that gisoolg is responsible for creating everything. Glusgap was chosen by the creator to take a portion of the heavens for the Mi'kmaq people.

L'nu believed that Gisoolg's dominion was all inclusive and that Gisoolg encompassed all positive attributes including love, kindness, compassion, knowledge and wisdom. Gisoolg was responsible for all existence and was personified in all things .

Pre- Contact
Epekwitk has been home to the Mi'kmaq for thousands of years. The name means " lying down flat" , but is freely translated as " cradled by the waves". During the summer months L'nu gathered berries, hunted and fished along the coasts and rivers often venturing out to sea to hunt whales and porpoises.

Their winter camps were inland where they hunting by spearing and trapping eels and other water creatures. Wiknom's were built using Birch bark and clothing was made from the skins of mammals, birds and fish.

The nature of Mi'kmaq society included spirituality, tradition ,valued elders, sharing ,cooperation and respect. These were inherent qualities of tribal consciousness.

These qualities are still the prevalent characteristics of the Mi'kmaq people today . In Mi'kmaq tribal society, people were accepted as equals. Greed and intolerance were all but unknown to the First People of Epekwitk.

History and tradition were passed down orally from generation to generation by Elders who were the Keepers of L'nu wisdom. A local Saqmaw presided over the council of Elders and was responsible to carry out the decisions of his group of Elders.

Important decisions were brought forth to the Grand Council. The Sante' Mawio'mi consisted of a seat for each of the seven districts of Mi'kmak'ik and for Nikanus, Kji-Keptin, Putu's and Kji-Saqmaw. All discussions within the Sante' Mawio'mi were based on consensus and included mutual respect and trust as a code of governance.

Ceremonies such as Fasting, The Vision Quest and talking curcles were as important to the Mi'kmaq people then as they are today. Included in the ceremonies are the Eagle feather, tobacco, sweetgrass, smudge, pipe and drum. all play their individual roles in asking and receiving from the creator.

Love was the prime factor in creating marital bonds between Mi'kmaq couples. Marriage rites were celebrated with great ceremony and feasting. The preliminaries leading up to a marriage provide an excellent example of the individual freedoms the People enjoyed.

Funerals also called for ceremony and feasting. The Sagamaw would be the first to speak at the feast of the dead.

Waso'q "Land of Souls," was a place of eternal rest, peace and happiness where the dead were welcomed by the Great Spirit and their ancestors. In Waso'q, the souls were able to hunt, feast, sing and dance. There was no concept of hell.

Today the Mi'kmaq people of Epekwitk struggle to have their historic aboriginal rights honoured, respected and compensated. Land claims must be commensurate with the loss of use and occupancy. Constitutional talks with the Government of Canada and the province have yet to yield substantial results. Historic Mi'kmaq Treaty rights must be respected giving the First People "free liberty to hunt and fish as usual."

Sources:
Daniel N Paul ,( http://www.danielnpaul.com/dpresume.html)
( http://www.shunpiking.com/)
Mi'kmaq resource Center
(Micmac Ab http://mrc.uccb.ns.ca/default.htm)
Original life , Peter Christmas ,
(http://collections.ic.gc.ca/heirloom_series/volume2/section1/2-6.htm)
Mi'kmaq Language and the Mi'kmaq Indian Tribe
(www.native-languages.org/mikmaq.htm)