Listening to our Mi'kmaw neighbours
February 3, 2023
Hosts: Frances MacEachen, Shannon MacMullin
Guests: Susan Copage, Ella Nicholas, Eva Nicholas
Visiting with people from other cultures who have a deep love of their language, traditions and community can bring new perspectives and appreciation for one’s own heritage. It is a wonderful privilege when these are also people who have lived here in Mi'kmak'i for 10,000 years, and who still remember and practice their traditional ways.
In this visit we listened to, and learned from, stories told by three proud Mi'kmaq women who are doing amazing work to reclaim their traditional knowledge.
Last summer, as part of the Gaelic Narrative Project, Bernadette Campbell and Frances MacEachen worked with Ella Nicholas, Tourism Coordinator for We'koqma'q First Nation to bring more than 80 settlers to the Skye River Trail, where they learned from trail interpreters and Elders about Mi'kmaw baskets, restorative berry teas, the game Waltes, medicinal plants and so much more. We also enjoyed a delicious feast, and came together in a large circle to learn Mi’kmaw dances and songs, share Gaelic songs and exchange gifts.
We thought we would bring some of this summer warmth to our online winter session, inviting Ella, Eva and Susan to share stories and reflect on why Mi'kmaw language, traditions and culture matter to them.
Susan Copage is a proud Mi'kmaq woman who originates from both the Frog (Prosper) and Bear (Sylliboy) clans. She was raised since birth in We'koqma'q First Nation. She defines herself as a traditional knowledge keeper and has worked at Skye River Trail since 2013, and is currently a Heritage Interpreter Supervisor.
Ella Nicholas, also known by her spirit name Golden Eagle Woman, is a proud Mi'kmaq woman of We'koqma'q First Nation. Ella is the Tourism Coordinator for Skye River Trail, a mother of three adult children, and a Kiju (grandmother) of one handsome boy. She is passionate about her culture and spirituality, and her goals are to bring her ceremonies back into the community and have people know and be aware of Mi'kmaq culture and history.
Eva Nicholas is a traditional Wabanaki artist from We'koqma'q First Nation. Her artistic skills include porcupine quilling, drum making, painting, basket weaving, beading, leather work and drum making. She specializes in creating unique creations with porcupine quills, beads and leather and is well-known for her hand drum and art creations. She also loves permaculture and has a passion for harvesting traditional medicines and sharing her traditions and knowledge as a guide on the Skye River Trail.
What we heard
Our visit began with the music video Kina'mu (“teach them”), a song written by Jaime Battiste and performed with We'koqma'q's own Morgan Toney on fiddle.
"I thought the song would be appropriate because it does have fiddle music in it, and the fiddle is also an instrument of the Gaels," said Susan. "The song is also talking about teaching the youth, which is exactly what we are trying to do at Skye River Trail, and what you guys are trying to do with the Gaelic."
The video also features Koju'a dancing, which Susan taught the group that gathered on the trail last August, and which she learned from her father, Howard Prosper.
“I was six years old. My dad was in the kitchen. He was sitting at the table. My mom was probably at bingo. My dad looked at me and said: ‘You are Mi'kmaq,' I said 'I know, Dad.' He goes, 'It is time you learned how to be Mi'kmaq.’ And he got up and taught me how to do the first dance that I had ever seen, which was the Koju'a….I never saw my father dance before.”
Susan said the Koju'a was a dance the Mi’kmaq would do at gatherings. She said during centralization (1942) the government tried to move all Mi'kmaq to two reserves, Shubenacadie and Eskasoni. Some people stayed back in We'koqma'q, including her grandfather, and hid their kids in the woods. They kept up traditional practices like dancing, which Indian Affairs Agents frowned upon.
"The Indian Agents would end up coming over to raid their homes, to make sure there was nothing traditional that the people left behind were doing . . . that they were acting ‘civilized,’ I guess."
At that time the Mi'kmaq did not use the drum, but rather an instrument called the Ji'kmaqn, which they made from a round of the spruce tree.
"So, when the Indian Agent came, because these instruments would be so easy to make, they would either be thrown into a fire or they would be put upside down into a bucket beside the fire to look like a piece of kindling."
When the person on the lookout saw the Indian Agent, they would warn everyone and they would stop any traditional activity such as dancing. As soon as the Indian Agent left, the kids would get back in a circle and the teachings would continue.
“And one of those little kids in that circle was my dad. My dad was taught by Andrew Gould, so he was taught the Gould way of dancing."
Eva also shared stories of how important the elders were to keep their language alive. However, she remembers one in particular who influenced her, Caroline Gould, who preferred the name Kalolin, and was probably the best basket maker in Mi'kma'ki. She was also a strong language advocate.
Eva remembers one time she and a few others were learning how to make baskets from Kalolin, who only spoke Mi’kmaw to them.
"I was the only one learning that could understand it and speak it, but I wasn't nearly as fluent as her. . . When she started class she said, 'I am going to teach this . . .and I am going to speak nothing but Mi'kmaw.’ And the other girls were nervous and I was nervous for them because I had to translate . . .But it ended up being a lot of fun."
Kalolin also taught her about traditional medicines. It wasn't until a few months before she passed away in her nineties, that she realized that Kalolin had learned about traditional medicines from Eva's great-grandmother.
"She said we have come full circle . . . now I'm teaching you," Eva recalls.
Many of their Elders are residential school survivors. Ella said she never heard about residential schools and didn’t know that her father and his siblings went to a residential school until she was an adult. In her work as tourism coordinator for Skye River Trail, as people are connecting with the beautiful trail, she tries to find ways to ensure that future generations know their history, and the importance of their language and traditions. By spring there will be a longhouse, a traditional Mi'kmaw meeting place, at the Trail. "We want to use it as a place for ceremonies, for healing, for learning and teaching our Mi'kmaw ways and culture," said Ella.
Eva spoke about the importance of healing: "We have a lot of grief. It's not just culture, it’s language, it’s even the land. We've been so connected to the land, and now we are disconnected. We are in reserves and we don't have access to the land like our ancestors once did."
She spoke about the stages of grief, and how angry she was when she first learned about the residential schools. She said realizing the lies that have been told, and the loss of culture is very painful.
“To offset that grief and to heal you kind of have to connect back to your culture, connect back to your language, for me, anyway.”
She said today there is greater awareness that land-based teachings heal.
When asked what settler people like the Gaels could do to support the Mi'kmaq in reclaiming their language and traditions, the answer is gracious and meaningful.
"Taking part in our events," suggested Eva. "Come learn, ask questions, just come learn about our culture and history from our narrative from our perspective because what has been taught has not been from our perspective and narrative."
She spoke about the importance of understanding what happened to the Mi'kmaq, the systemic racism, and the laws that put them on reserves and took away their children, traditions, land. She said she can just go down the road and see a farm owned by someone that is the size of their whole community.
She said opening up access to the land and waterways is important so they can collect medicine. Perhaps someone has an ash tree, birch tree, or even porcupines that could be used in crafts. She said it would be nice to get an invitation to someone’s land.
"Attend our programs or invite us," Eva said. "We are open, and we love to share. Making those opportunities to share is much appreciated."
Susan adds that one of the most important things we can do is to share our culture with our children and respect other cultures.
"One of the biggest things in our culture is to teach respect and to have respect for each other. That's who Mi'kmaw people are."
Susan concluded the evening by drumming and singing a beautiful woman’s song, which she said is used to close ceremonies.
What we said
In the breakout rooms, we all responded to the stories we’d heard, and shared our own reflections. When we returned to the main room, we wrote some highlights and themes in the chat stream. Read all our comments here.