Mi’Kmaq Mawiomi at White Point

October is Mi’Kmaq History Month in Nova Scotia. We’re incredibly proud to celebrate and honour this rich culture of our area. We’re teaming up with Acadia First Nation‘s Sipuke’l Gallery in Liverpool, to present a unique day here at the beach. Please join us as we honour more than 10,000 years of Indigenous Peoples presence, our neighbours and friends.

Hope you’ll come along.

While you are here, for the weekend, or anytime, linger in the Lounge to discover a pair of maple carved paddles by Ed Benham. Count and marvel at the eagles etched beautifully into the moose antler by Bucky Moore by the Front Desk. Pause and take in the meaning that’s inspired the paintings hung on our walls by Melissa Labrador. Touch the handmade birch bark bowl by canoe builder Todd Labrador, and stroll along the pathway to appreciate his legacy within our 90th Anniversary Sculpture Show, Sea’spired, entitled ‘Our Spirits Remain’ petroglyph. Drop by the Gift Shop and you’ll discover works by many local Mi’Kmaq artists too.

Be sure to explore our area’s Mi’Kmaq heritage and culture at one of our many sites including:
Sipuke’l Gallery in Liverpool
Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site of Canada, don’t miss the encampment!
Queens County Museum in Liverpool

Mi’Kmaq Mawiomi Itinerary
(complimentary with your overnight stay experience, please note program subject to change/expand)

Hand Crafted Paddles by Mi’Kmaq Artist Ed Benham
Friday October 12:
3:30 – 7:00pm: Artist in Residence, carver, Ed Benham
We invite you to drop by and meet the creator of the beautiful maple paddles that hang proudly in our Main Lodge. Carved by local Acadia First Nation member Ed (Edwin) Benham this pair of paddles are incredible works of art. Drop by the Lounge to meet Ed as he works away at other carvings to learn about his inspiration, his craft and tools and history he is sharing through his work .Known for his design and detail in wood, he’ll also have a number of unique woodcarving, crooked knives and gift items on display.

Saturday October 13:
1:30 – 4:30pm: Meet our Mi’Kmaq Artists, Crafts and Creators
We’re proud to celebrate our areas rich cultural heritage. We invite you to meet and explore the works of a growing list of local Mi’Kmaq artists from our community who will be here to showcase their talents, traditions and creations, including:
Cherry Whynot, leather and bead works along with demonstrating how to make moccasins
Pat Garrison, basket weaver and maker
Jackie Boucher, painter
Crow Eddy, carver and bead crafter, demonstrating how to make a Dream Catcher
More to be confirmed!

4:30 – 5:15pm: 10,000 years Unearthed: Artifacts Speak Volumes
Roger Lewis, Curator of Ethnology and Katie Cottreau-Robbins, Archaeology Curator, Nova Scotia Museum
For more than ten thousands of years, people of the Mi’Kmaw Nation lived sustainably, year-round, within Nova Scotia depending upon the natural world for food, clothing and shelter. We know this from the legends passed down through the generations, but so too from artifacts found within the Acadia First Nation area, in Kespukwitk. Artifacts collected from archaeological digs on the Mersey River bed, from Shell Middens in T.H. Raddall Park and findings present in Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site all have provided insights into ancestors who preceded all of us. Our special guests Roger Lewis and Katie Cottreau-Robins from the Nova Scotia Museum will connect the dots which provide the clues to the relationship to the natural world and the characteristics of the Mi’kmaq people, here within our community.

7:30-8:30pm: Bonfire Gathering
Come gather by the oceanside bonfire as we roast a traditional ‘bread’ called Luskinikn that we’ll savour with local maple syrup as we listen to legends and learn the Honour Song guided by Crow Eddie.

Sunday October 14:
9:30 – 10:30am: Mi’Kmaq Medicine Plant Walk
Join Laurie Lacey, traditional medicine maker, naturalist, writer and painter, of mixed ancestry, including Mi’kmaq and Irish, for an interactive stroll of discovery around White Point. Laurie’s knowledge is extensive and sense of humour used in his story telling and sharing of knowledge is always enlightening.
Please note RSVP by email to confirm your participation, space is limited to 20 people.

About our Presenters from Nova Scotia Museum:

Roger Lewis, Curator of Ethnology
His research interests lie in Mi’kmaw knowledge-practices tied to land and resource use. Roger works closely with Mi’kmaw communities throughout Nova Scotia to gather and record information about their cultural objects. He has a special appreciation of the relationship between Mi’kmaw artisans and the “living objects” they create. “It is important to remember that the maker’s soul breathes within them, making them more than a simple craft.” He is also excited by the recent resurgence of Mi’kmaw artistic skills – a blending of traditional techniques with a contemporary outlook.

Katie Cottreau-Robins, Archaeology Curator
Dr. Katie Cottreau-Robins is our Curator of Archaeology. She loves the hands-on connection to the past that archaeology provides. “With the physical evidence that is collected and studied, you gain insight into the daily lives of people like you and me.” She enjoys learning things that can’t be found in archives or historical documents. Katie earned her PhD from Dalhousie University in 2012. Her dissertation, “A Loyalist Plantation in Nova Scotia, 1784-1800,” is closely connected to her work at the museum. One of the objects found at the plantation dig site is part of this exhibit. Though Katie’s job has many opportunities to explore the wide range of past cultures and experiences represented in Nova Scotia, she continues to have a special interest in uncovering the daily lives of the enslaved in the loyalist era.