‘We lived in perfect harmony’
Eskasoni elder builds traditional wigwams to educate youth about Mi’kmaw culture
Eskasoni elder builds traditional wigwams to educate youth.
It’s the final day of the 2018 Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Summer Games and the Noel R. Denny Powwow Grounds is the place to be in Eskasoni.
The highway side of the spacious clearing is crowded and loud as hundreds of people gather to cheer on participants in the always popular tug of war competition. Two gigantic tents are also busy as event-goers take advantage of the shade to enjoy food and refreshment. And, in the centre of the grounds, a lone musician performs for those taking some time out to enjoy the entertainment.
On the part of the grounds closest to the nearby waters of Bras d’Or Lake, groups of Mi’kmaw sit outside a number of conical shaped wigwams. Hidden in the midst of the photogenic lodges is the skeletal frame of a similar, but different, kind of structure.
And, standing in the middle of it is John Henry, an Eskasoni elder, who is only too delighted to talk about the dome-shaped framework of skinny tree trunks that he calls a “model” of a fullsized wigwam.
“They used to be much bigger — this is just a toy,” he says of the surprisingly sturdy wooden enclosure that he is preparing for transport on the final day of the annual Games that wrapped up on Sunday.
Henry, who learned the skills of traditional lodge building from his father, said there seems to be a public misconception that the Mi’kmaw only used the conical teepees.
“Oh no, these were very common with our people and they were bigger — they could be as long as 30 feet and as wide as 16 feet with the top being more than 12 feet high,” he said, as he shows off the binding method he uses to join lopped off trees in the frame that while predominantly horizontal and vertical, is also curved to give the structure its dome-like top.
According to Henry, the wood used for his lodges is of many varieties, including silver birch and maple.
“Part of it is about gathering the wood you need — you have to be smart like a beaver, you have to know where to go deep in the thickets to get it,” he said.
Henry says that that once the frame is fully lashed together, efforts are then made to affix covering, usually bark that is waterproof and easily removed from trees in large sheets. But, for the Eskasoni elder, the process is about more than just building a shelter.
“When I make these, I feel so connected to nature, our past, our history, our culture — I feel like I live it,” he said.
And, he’s not keeping it to himself. During the justwrapped up Games, Henry had the opportunity to share some of his lodge building secrets with young Mi’kmaw people.
“It’s important that our traditional knowledge is passed on and this lodge is all about teaching — it’s about our culture, connecting with each other and it’s about our way of life and it comes from a time when we lived in perfect harmony with nature,” he said, adding the building expertise of the Mi’kmaw involved more than just their lodges.
Henry says that at one time his people would build canoes that were so sturdy and reliable that they sailed all the way down the east coast of North America and into the Gulf of Mexico.
“We were gatherers, but we were also traders — then came the Europeans and most of us were wiped out by their diseases to which we had no immunity,” he said.
“But, it’s still important for us to remember who we are and our connection with Mother Earth.”