Millbrook, Nova Scotia: The Mi’kmaq History Month (MHM) Committee are pleased to announce Mi’kmaw Traditional Games & Sports as the theme for this year’s History Month poster.
Mi’kmaq History Month educates and celebrates our history and culture, and the poster is produced each year as a resource for teaching and for helping audiences better understand significant aspects of Mi’kmaw life. This year’s poster is inspired by the thousand of athletes that will be gathering this July in Mi’kma’ki for the 2023 North American Indigenous Games.
As indigenous participants from over 750 nations compete in a range of sporting events, we see an opportunity to showcase and highlight our traditional and contemporary games and recreation. “From throwing atlatls to dancing ko’jua, games and recreation have been important activities for us for millennia. We always had time for fun, learning and friendly competition,” explained the Mi’kmaq History month co-chair, Tim Bernard.
The knowledgeable team from Mi’kmawey Debert Cultural Centre, including celebrated Mi’kmaw artist and storyteller Gerald Gloade, will share not only transformations of our traditional activities to several of today’s modern sports, but also ancestral practices like waltes and wapnaqn.
The poster is printed in three languages: Mi’kmaw, English and French, and is made available to schools across the province. A PDF version will also be available for download from the MHM website, mikmaqhistorymonth.ca and will be made available in mid-September.
The Mi’kmaq History Month Committee has also launched calls for the 2023 Community Activities Program Initiative and more details and downloads can be found at www.mikmaqhistorymonth.ca
About the Mi’kmaq History Month Committee:
The Mi’kmaq History Month Committee was established to promote awareness of Mi’kmaw culture, history and heritage and encourage educational and cultural activities during the month of October. The Committee, lead by The Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq, draws on the expertise of representatives from the Mi’kmaq Grand Council, Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw communities and organizations, as well as the Federal, Provincial , Municipal governments.
About Mi’kmaq History Month:
In 1993, Premier John Savage and Mi’kmaw Grand Chief Ben Sylliboy declared October as the official month to recognize and celebrate Mi’kmaw culture and heritage. Each October, community activities, events, sharing and showcasing of Mi’kmaw history and culture takes place across Nova Scotia. All are encouraged and welcome to participate in Mi’kmaq History Month events.