THE MI'KMAQ
For thousands of years before the arrival of European settlers,
the Mi'kmaq called themselves L'nu'k, which means 'the people.'
Their present name, Mi'kmaq means 'my kin-friends.' Their descendants
are still living in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and parts of
New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Québec. Many Mi'kmaq
also make their homes elsewhere in North America, particularly in
Maine and Massachusetts.
The Mi'kmaq’s first contact with Europeans did not surprise them or alter
their worldview. A legend in which one of their spiritual beings traveled
across the Atlantic to "discover" Europe taught that blue-eyed people would
arrive from the east to disrupt their lives. Micmac people also knew the
story of a woman who had
a vision of an island floating toward their lands; the island was decked
out with tall trees on which were living beings. The Mi’kmaq were not startled
by the appearance of early explorers in sailing ships.
Instead, they greeted the newcomers, set up a brisk trade with them,
and looked forward to incorporating the strangers' new technologies into their
own culture.
The Word 'Mi'kmaq
The word 'Mi'kmaq is the unpossessed form of the possessed nouns nikmaq,
kikmaq, and wikma - my people, your people, his/her people. The word 'Micmac'
is a mispronunciation of the Mi'kmaw word. Mi'kmaq is
the plural form of Mi'kmaw, and when one uses the word Mi'kmaq
it always refers to more than one Mi'kmaw person or the entire nation.
I used these websites to find my informarion:
UCCB
NOVA SCOTIA MUSEUM
