The Traditional Life of the Mi’kmaq

When Europeans first arrived in Maritime Canada in the 15th century, they found a native people whose lives were finely-tuned to the rhythms of the seasons and the natural bounty of the land and sea. The Mi’kmaq, an Algonkian-speaking tribe indigenous to present-day Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, followed an ancient pattern of hunting and fishing that owed its success to the portability of birchbark wigwams, the versatility of sturdy, sea-going canoes, and the serviceability of snowshoes and toboggans.

In January, the Mi’kmaq hunted seals on the maritime coasts and off-shore islands; from February to mid-March, they moved inland to harvest moose, caribou, beaver and bear. In spring, they shifted to the estuaries of coastal rivers to catch smelt, herring and salmon, moving to coastal shores from May to September to gather shellfish, and to lakes and rivers to fish for eel. By October or November, they were back in the forest, hunting game. December was a time for ice fishing. Winter Mi’kmaq camps were small and scattered, with only 1 or 2 families sharing the warmth of a wigwam’s central fireplace. Summertime villages were more convivial, with up to 300 people congregating in temporary villages on the coast of the sea or the shore of a lake.

The Mi’kmaq’s nomadic way of life demanded portable, easy-to-erect dwellings. The frames of lightweight, waterproof birchbark-covered wigwams (from the Mi’kmaq word “wikuom”) consisted of only 5 spruce poles, lashed together at the top with split spruce root and braced underneath with a hoop of moosewood. Birchbark sheets (later replaced with canvas sailcloth) were laid over the poles like shingles, and the top was left open for smoke to escape. Animal skins were spread over bough-covered floors for extra warmth, but were not used as exterior coverings. Larger, oblong dwellings were sometimes built in summer, when camp times were extended.

Pre-contact Mi’kmaq clothing was made from skin and furs; as European influence spread, woolen cloth became incorporated into native dress. Mi’kmaq women were known for their beaded, pointed caps, often ornamented with a distinctive double-curve motif. Moose-hide moccasins were worn by all, and tobacco pouches were a standard accessory for both men and women. The finest traditional Mi’kmaq dress is known as “full regalia.” Still worn at modern-day ceremonies and powwows, regalia combines feathers and other natural ornamentation with European-inspired medals and crosses.