For thousands of years before Europeans came to North America, the Indigenous people of Mi’kma’ki travelled in canoes from Tewapskik (the Annapolis River) across to the Atlantic Ocean via a chain of lakes leading to Oqomkikiaq (the Mersey River) and…

Messamouet had an extraordinary career as sagamow, District Chief, diplomat, navigator, trader, and warrior. He was one of the few Mi’kmaw chiefs respected, known by name, and recorded by contemporary French and English explorers and settlers. Such…

The first half of the 20th century was a challenging time for indigenous peoples across Canada, including for the Mi'kmaq in Nova Scotia. The federal governments of the era were generally disregarding the treaties of the 18th century and…

If you came to Nova Scotia in the 19th century to hunt or fish – and there were quite a few who did – you hired a guide. You wanted someone who knew the woodlands and wetlands like the back of their hands. Nine times out of ten that meant a…

There are more than a few Nova Scotians who do not make headlines, yet still make important contributions. (Mary) Ellen Robinson (1927-2012) is a wonderful example. In countless, unpublicized ways, this Mi'kmaw Elder lived a life filled with…

Rita Joe's childhood was about as hard as it could be, and her life as an adult was rarely easy. Yet hardships and suffering never broke her spirit. Rita always sought to overcome what stood in her way by living with kindness, strength and…

Over the thousands of years the Mi’kmaq have lived in what is now called Nova Scotia, they have had hundreds of chiefs. One of their many leaders was the remarkable Peter Wilmot (1824-1932). His forest expertise was legendary. As one story goes:…