Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Grenfell college builds database to recognize Mi'Kmaq soldiers from Newfoundland

More than 150 Newfoundland Mi'kmaq soldiers
Memorial University's Grenfell Campus in Newfoundland is home to an online database listing Mi'kmaq from the province who enlisted in World War I. ...

When asked whether she was surprised by the results of her research, Hanrahan answered, "I knew that First Nations people elsewhere in Canada enlisted in large numbers and I expected that to be the case here. But I was surprised at how high the numbers are: there were more than 150 Newfoundland Mi'kmaq soldiers"...."It is important to note that the Newfoundland Mi'kmaq were not recognized as Indigenous people by the then-Dominion of Newfoundland. Unlike Canada, Newfoundland had no recognition legislation like the Indian Act. The absence of such legislation had advantages as well as disadvantages but in this case it meant that the soldiers listed here were not seen as Mi'kmaq or Indigenous soldiers, which they were. This database aims to correct that oversight."


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Monday, November 9, 2015

Kalolin Johnson - Singing O'Canada in Mikmaq & Engish

The national anthem in L'nuisi
Kalolin Johnson singing Canada's National Anthem, O Canada in Mikmaq and English.


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MediaSmarts' Youth Safety Guide Translated for Aboriginal Teens

"Think Before You Share" available in Ojibwe, Cree and Inuktitut
"To help Aboriginal teens make smart decisions when sharing online, MediaSmarts, Facebook and the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) partnered to translate MediaSmarts "Think Before You Share" guide into three common languages: Ojibwe, Cree and Inuktitut. The guide offers teens advice on safe, wise and ethical online behaviour. The new resources are freely available on MediaSmarts' website."

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Thursday, November 5, 2015

Native American worldviews and the environment

A different, genuinely sustainable relationship with nature
Peter Whitely:
"As an anthropologist, I am a scientist, and profess the standard commitment to search for objective truth via observation and reason; I cheerfully accept established scientific laws. Yet this commitment has often been challenged by my experiences among Native communities involving the natural world, which I am unable to explain by scientific reason. I have come to believe that such experiences point towards a different, genuinely sustainable relationship with nature. But taking account of them means listening much more carefully to other people's world views than we have done to date."

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Eskasoni Mi’kmaw Nation Opens First Mi’kmaw Immersion School

A milestone for Mi'kmaw Education
"After years of careful planning and hard work, the Eskasoni Mi'kmaw Nation has opened its first Mi'kmaw Immersion School. The initial program, developed in the early 2000s, started as a single class of Mi'kmaq immersion students that soon expanded to include students from K–grade 4. The increasing interest in the program led staff and language specialists to discuss developing a separate school, within which all communications — on the playground and in the classroom — would be held in Mi'kmaw.

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Monday, November 2, 2015

Hiqw Sto:lo - The Big River

How salmon came to the Fraser River


"Musqueam Elder Larry Grant and Sto:lo Cultural Historian Dr. Sonny McHalsie oral histories of how salmon came to the Fraser River and discuss their personal connections to the Fraser River. Produced by Kamala Todd, this film is part of Our Bones are Made of Salmon, an education program at the Fraser River Discovery Centre. (For more information contact programs@fraserriverdiscovery.org)"

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Monday, October 26, 2015

Jen Adomeit - A Canadian Artist creates aboriginal inspired art

An 'interpretive representation' of the Northwest Coast style
Jen writes:
"My heritage includes Swiss, German, French Canadian, and Ukrainian – I am Canadian. Although I have no Aboriginal ancestry, I have always been fascinated by the striking artistic style of the Northwest Coast First Nations. ... In 2006, I created a painting called 'Our Home and Native Land' [...] which is an 'interpretive representation' of the Northwest Coast style. [...] I recently completed 'The Spirit of BC' with hopes of creating more Canadian inspired pieces in the future."

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Mi'kmaq resistance kept British holed up in their forts, historian finds

Cornwallis was ineffective in suppressing Mi'kmaq
"In the early clashes between the British and Mi'kmaq, the British usually came out on the losing end, new research suggests.  The Mi'kmaq were so successful at defending against the settlers, British soldiers were often too scared to leave their forts, according to historical documents."

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Canada Heirloom Series: "Micmac" Aboriginal Life

Government, conservation, science and education pre-contact.

This is a webarchive link to a the "Canada Heirloom Series" materials. Chapter 1 of this particular volume introduces pre-contact Mi'kmaq practices and customs.

 "...the Micmacs had their own territory, a civilization with a distinct system of government, education and economy."

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Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Traditional Mi'kmaq (Micmac) Culture

History and traditions


excerpted from a longer article:

"Today, Mi'kmaq culture has changed considerably since the days when the first European vessel arrived off the shores of Mi'kmaq country, but we should remember that all cultures, including our own, change over time, and today's Mi'kmaq are no less Indian simply because they wear the same clothes as other Canadians, drive cars, and watch television. Glooskap still lives in today's Mi'kmaq."