Symbolism

A look at the symbols used by the Mi’kmaq shows their use of feminine and masculine polarities, most notably in the prayer pipe (often mistaken as a “peace pipe”). It was considered “complete” in that it came in two parts, the bowl and the stem, which represented female and male- a rare example of literal sexual symbolism in Mi’kmaq culture!

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Another example of gender symbolism appears in one of their four sacred: herbs, sage. Sage was considered women’s medicine: it symbolized the life-giving powers of women, as well as strength wisdom, strength, and clarity. Whether these attributes were supposed to be special to women who had borne children is anyone’s guess.

* * * One of the few signs of androgyny or “genderqueer” in Mi’kmaq is their pronoun nekm, meaning “his/her.” It is gender neutral and no other third person singular pronoun existed in the Mi’kmaq language existed. This might seem trivial to some, but to the Mi’kmaq language was a sacred gift from their creator, so it is important. The only possible equivalent of this pronoun in English is “their”, and, unlike that word, nekm was never used for more than one person at a time.

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