ABORIGINAL PEOPLES
The aboriginal people were the first people to live in North American and groups lived all over the continent. Each group had their own way of life, their own language, spiritual beliefs and way to keep order. The way each group lived was linked to the kind of land they lived on.
The aboriginal people were the first to meet the Europeans who came to Canada in the 1500's and 1600's. The Mi'kmaq people were a sect of aboriginal people who lived on the east coast of Canada, and area now called Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. Others lived in the New Brunswick area. This group was the first aboriginal people to meet the Europeans when they arrived in Canada.
The land where the Mi'kmaq people lived was covered with forests and contained many rivers and streams that ran to the ocean. The climate was difficult, with harsh storms in the winter. In spite of this the Mi'kmaq people were able to use the resources around them to live- the land and water. Oceans, rivers, and forest played an important role in helping the Mi'kmaq's meet their basic needs. Using canoes, rivers helped the Mi'kmaq people move form place to place.
The Mi'kmaq's moved from place to place as the seasons changed. In the winter they moved inland to forests where they hunted beaver, moose, bears and caribou. In the spring they moved to the coast where they fished in the ocean and rivers for fish, shellfish and hunted sea animals. Most of their food came from the sea. They used hooks, lines, nets and harpoons to fish for their food. Women were also involved in fishing, trapping smaller animals and gathering wild plants for food. They also prepared food for storage for the winter by drying or smoking it.
Since they moved a round so much, they needed light homes that could be carried with them. They lived in light, bark-covered wigwams of different sizes. The Mi'kmaq made their clothes and moccasins from hides and fur and decorated their clothes with moose-hair embroidery and designs made from porcupine quills.
The Mi'kmaq people held feasts to mark special events such as marriages. At the feasts, the people told stories, played games, sang and danced. The Mi'kmaq's lived in close harmony with nature. They believed there was a single creator of the world and believed that all plants and animals had spirits as well as certain places, like waterfalls. The spiritual leaders of the Mi'kmaq people were called "shamans". The shamans performed spiritual ceremonies and cared for the people when they were sick.
It was common for the Mi'kmaq people to live in groups. in the winter several families would live together and in the winter they would forms bands with each band having a chief, called a sagamore. The sagamore gave leadership and advice to the band and when he died his place would often be taken by his son.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
How French Settlement Affected Mi'kmaq People
USED WITH PERMISSION
