Celebrating Mi'kmaq Heritage
Mi'kmaq Peoples and Petroglyphs
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The people of the Mi'kmaq First Nation have lived in what is now Nova Scotia and the Maritimes for thousands of years. They express their culture and world view in stories and traditions. We are able to glimpse aspects of Mi'kmaq traditions and culture through these stories and through the art they have created. They created enduring art. Some of this art has been carved into the rock of the province. These rock pictures, or petroglyphs, record their lives and the things they saw around them. Many petroglyphs can be found along the rocky shores of the lakes and rivers of Kejimkujik National Park, the Medway River and McGowan Lake, in southwest Nova Scotia.
Petroglyphs have also been created at several other locations around the province. The smooth, fine-grained slates found in the Kejimkujik area make an excellent surface for recording images. The lines were cut, scratched, or pecked using stone or metal tools. |
The Mi'kmaq recorded images of people, animals, hunting, fishing, and the decorative motifs women sewed or painted on clothing. The long heritage of Mi'kmaq art continues today. Mi'kmaq artist Alan Syliboy, for example, blends modern themes and traditional petroglyph images to create a fusion of ancient and modern, expressing his pride and understanding of Mi'kmaq heritage.
Note: Tracings and text taken from Nova Stories — http://www.novastory.ca/novastories/petroglyphs/index.html
Note: Tracings and text taken from Nova Stories — http://www.novastory.ca/novastories/petroglyphs/index.html
Vistas: Little Thunder |
Alan Syliboy |
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The short film Little Thunder was created by Alan Syliboy and published by the National Film Board.
Little Thunder is inspired by the Mi'kmaq legend, "The Stone Canoe" explores Indigenous humour. We follow Little Thunder as he reluctantly leaves his family and sets out on a cross-country canoe trip to become a man." |
While watching the film pay close attention to Syliboy's combination of petroglyphs and modern, vibrant colour and images.
Tiam's Promise (Mi'kmaq Legend of the First Moose)
Oral Story Telling
The Mi'kmaq have . . . "very efficient ways of passing information on to following generations — ways of teaching the children of their past and their customs, of how the world worked and the People's place within the world.
They did this through stories — dramatic, poetic, wonderful stories. These were not stories as we think of them today: short tales with a beginning, a middle and an end. These were more like story cycles. They could go on for days in the telling."
Excerpt taken from Six Mi'kmaq Stories
They did this through stories — dramatic, poetic, wonderful stories. These were not stories as we think of them today: short tales with a beginning, a middle and an end. These were more like story cycles. They could go on for days in the telling."
Excerpt taken from Six Mi'kmaq Stories
The Activity
A) Listen to the telling of Tiam's Promise. Pick an image — a scene, item, animal, plant, place or person that stood out to you and connects to that theme — that you will use to base the rest of your work on. Note: If everyone picks a moose, we are going to have a monotone class experience.
B) Create a piece of art in the style of Alan Syliboy's work in Little Thunder. Consider the four questions below when creating your piece. You will need to answer them in some form later on.
C) Present your artwork to the class by sharing your work and answering the four questions below. If you don't like presentations, don't worry. There are options on how to do this that we will discuss as a class.
B) Create a piece of art in the style of Alan Syliboy's work in Little Thunder. Consider the four questions below when creating your piece. You will need to answer them in some form later on.
C) Present your artwork to the class by sharing your work and answering the four questions below. If you don't like presentations, don't worry. There are options on how to do this that we will discuss as a class.
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