Honouring Mi’kmaq History

 

The Language of this Land, Mi’kma’ki (M)
by Trudy Sable and Bernie Francis

“The Language of this Land, Mi’kma’ki is an exploration of Mi’kmaw world view as expressed in language, legends, song and dance – these include not only place names and geologic history, but act as maps of the landscape.

In this book, Sable and Francis illustrate the fluid nature of reality inherent in its expression – its embodiment in networks of relationships with the landscape. Language has sustained the Mi’kmaq to the present day, a product of a lineage of Elders who spoke it, who danced the dances and walked this land, Mi’kma’ki, carrying its traditions forward despite centuries of cultural disruption,
discrimination and degradation.” – publisher

We Honour the Water (M)  – compact disc
by A Tribe Called Mi’kmaq

“A Tribe Called Mi’kmaq formed in 2008 and this is our first cd. We are all from the Mi’kmaq Nation living in Nova Scotia. In the First Nation tradition when we dance and sing we do so to celebrate our health and that of our people. Our songs are prayers for the health and well being of the people. At this time we need to pray for the water. The life, culture and strength of the Mi’kmaq people can not be separated from the water. We wish to dedicate this cd to the life blood of our people and encourage all to remember that water is precious and must be defended at all cost.”

Stories from the Six Worlds: Mi’kmaw legends (M)
by Ruth Holmes Whitehead

“In Stories from the Six Worlds, it is their stories, passed down by word of mouth, that best preserve and present Mi’kmaw culture. For in their tales, the People themselves speak about their world and give us glimpses of how their universe manifests, in all its fascinating otherness. Mi’kmaw stories have many levels: entertainment, instruction, warnings. They might subtly encode maps of the land’s important resources, or of the wheeling skies at night. Telling stories, Elders wove humour and stark tragedy, terror and beauty, to teach their listeners how to survive. More importantly, they underlined, over and over again, how their listeners, as humans, must conduct themselves. Their tales resound with the universal themes included in any worldview—Order and Chaos, Courage and Fear, Change, Revenge and Mercy, Death, Rebirth, and Power—yet are powerfully rooted in Mi’kmaw tradition, Mi’kmaw land. Their voices still speak to us, down the centuries.” – publisher

The Colonization of Mi’kmaw Memory and History, 1794-1928 : the King v. Gabriel Sylliboy (M)
by William C. Wicken

“In 1927, Gabriel Sylliboy, the Grand Chief of the Mi’kmaw of Atlantic Canada, was charged with trapping muskrats out of season. At appeal in July 1928, Sylliboy and five other men recalled conversations with parents, grandparents, and community members to explain how they understood a treaty their people had signed with the British in 1752. Using this testimony as a starting point, William Wicken traces Mi’kmaw memories of the treaty, arguing that as colonization altered Mi’kmaw society, community interpretations of the treaty changed as well.

The Sylliboy case was part of a broader debate within Canada about Aboriginal peoples’ legal status within Confederation. In using the 1752 treaty to try and establish a legal identity separate from that of other Nova Scotians, Mi’kmaw leaders contested federal and provincial attempts to force their assimilation into Anglo-Canadian society. Integrating matters of governance and legality with an exploration of historical memory, The Colonization of Mi’kmaw Memory and History offers a nuanced understanding of how and why individuals and communities recall the past.” publisher

Real Justice: Convicted for being Mi’kmaq: the story of Donald Marshall Jr. (M)
by Bill Swan

“When a black teen was murdered in a Sydney, Cape Breton park late one night, his young companion, Donald Marshall Jr., became a prime suspect. Sydney police coached two teens to testify against Donald which helped convict him of a murder he did not commit. He spent 11 years in prison until he finally got a lucky break. Not only was he eventually acquitted of the crime, but a royal commission inquiry into his wrongful conviction found that a non-aboriginal youth would not have been convicted in the first place. Donald became a First Nations activist and later won a landmark court case in favour of native fishing rights. He was often referred to as the “reluctant hero” of the Mi’kmaq community.” publisher