Mi’kmaq presence returns to Louisbourg
New Aboriginal interpretive centre operating at Louisbourg historic site
Given the centuries-old relationship between the Mi’kmaq and the French, it makes sense that the Fortress of Louisbourg is the site of a new Aboriginal Interpretive Centre.
The new fixture in the partially restored 18th-century French fortification was officially opened in late September and is one of the attractions that highlight Nova Scotia’s Mi’kmaq History Month.
Parks Canada visitor experience manager Eddie Kennedy said the historical connection between the two cultures in Cape Breton is very strong.
“The French used the Mi’kmaq as scouts carrying messages overland and they used them as a military force in almost every battle they had with the British in this neck of the woods in the 1700s,” related Kennedy. “The Mi’kmaq strongly allied themselves with the French, in part because of the fact that the French went out of their way to culture that - they embedded missionaries in with the Mi’kmaq to convert them to Roman Catholicism which helped to strengthen their ties with the French and on a yearly basis they would bring in the chiefs to exchange gifts and renew their alliance and friendship.”
Kennedy said the Mi’kmaq proved especially helpful to the French, who were mostly cityraised, when it came to sharing their woodland skills.
The centre, which has been open since June, is a partnership between Parks Canada and the Kwilmu’kw Maw-klusuaqn Negotiation Office, better known as the Mi’kmaq Rights Initiative, and involved all Mi’kmaq communities in Cape Breton.
The three major themes of the centre are pre-European contact, the building of new relationships and modern day Unama’ki.
Clifford Paul, a member of the Unama’ki-Parks Canada Advisory sub-committee, said the new facility, to which the federal government contributed $100,000, represents another step in the ongoing process of reconciliation.
“The centre is a positive step towards further achieving recognition and understanding of our Indigenous Peoples as we continue our work to revive. Promote and protect a healthy Mi’kmaq identity,” said Paul.
The centre itself is located in former house of military captain Michel de la Vallierè, who sent two of his sons to live with the Mi’kmaq to learn their language and customs, while at the same time cultivating relations between the French and the Mi’kmaq.
According to Parks Canada, the interpretive centre has been one of the Fortress’ most popular attractions over the past summer.
It is one of the many Canada 150 initiatives that recognize the theme of reconciliation between the country’s Aboriginal Peoples and mainstream society.
More than 125,000 people have visited the almost 300-year-old partially restored fortification so far this year.