Welcoming the world
Mi’kmaq culture and history on display across Cape Breton
On a cool afternoon in early October, a tour coach pulls up in front of the Membertou Heritage Centre and drops off a full busload of passengers.
The group hails mostly from Wisconsin and is travelling on the Norwegian Dawn cruise ship that is berthed on the Sydney waterfront. While in port, members of the Sew We Go tour group opted to take the Spirit of Senses tour that included an interactive experience at the heritage centre where they were exposed to Mi’kmaw music and learned of the local Aboriginal people’s culture and history.
“This is a great experience,” said Will Heard, a 64-year-old resident of Milwaukee. “It’s nice to see how proud they are of their culture and history – things that for years have gone by the wayside.”
For Membertou and Cape Breton’s other Mi’kmaq communities, the group represents just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Aboriginal Tourism.
Last December, the Sydney reserve hosted the International Aboriginal Tourism Conference at the Membertou Trade and Convention Centre.
During the conference, the head of Aboriginal Tourism Association of Canada, Keith Henry, said the time had come to realize the enormous potential of First Nations tourism initiatives.
“Canada’s Indigenous People have what foreign visitors want when they visit this country,” said Henry, who hails from Prince Albert, Sask.
“The problem now is that we don’t often talk about that (Native history) and even as Canadians we don’t understand the long history of our country.”
The fact is that as Canada celebrates its 150 years as a nation, the country’s Aboriginal peoples can trace their history in this land back at least 15,000 years.
That irony is not lost on Jeff Ward who, as general manager of the Membertou Heritage Centre, often serves as the face of the community.
Ward said he’s starting to see the benefits of cooperation and the cross marketing of various Aboriginal attractions.
“Our tourism has been going really good – we’re getting a lot of people through here who come from places like the Mi’kmaq Interpretive Centre at the Fortress of Louisbourg and viceversa,” said Ward, who is often seen wearing his ceremonial and traditional regalia at events across Cape Breton.
Although set in a centuries old French fortification, the new interpretive centre focuses on modern day Unima’ki as well as the Mi’kmaqs pre and post European contact periods.
According to Parks Canada visitor experience manager Eddie Kennedy, the centre also serves to promote Indigenous tourism in all of Cape Breton’s Mi’kmaq communities.
“One of the things we were very clear on when we redeveloped the building as an interpretive centre was that it was to be a kind of a teaser to Indigenous culture,” said Kennedy. “It’s designed to pique your interest, but then directs you back to their own communities for a more in-depth and richer experience.”
And with no fewer than five Mi’kmaq communities – Membertou, Eskasoni, Potlotek, Wagmatcook and Whycocomagh – located on Cape Breton, there are plenty of opportunities for locals and visitors alike to learn more about the rich and colourful history and culture of the island’s Aboriginal People.
“This is a great experience. It’s nice to see how proud they are of their culture and history – things that for years have gone by the wayside.” Visitor Will Heard