Mi'kma'ki, also spelled Mi'gma'gi, is composed of the traditional and current territories, or country, of the Mi'kmaq people, located in Wabanakia, or the Dawnland region, along the north east coast of North America (or Turtle Island). Portions within Canada are protected under the Peace and Friendship Treaties signed with the British Crown in the 1700’s and the territories of Mi'kma'ki overlap with the Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and eastern Quebec, as well as parts of the U.S. state of Maine. The Mi'kmaw homeland is sub-divided into seven geographical and traditional districts with Newfoundland island designated Taqamkukand being separately represented as an eighth district, formerly joined with Cape Breton Island designated Unama'ki. As of 2025, governance over the Mi'kmaw nation is delegated to a number of First Nations, such as the Eskasoni and Potlotek First Nations, the latter of which is home to Mniku, the traditional capital—or fire—of Mi'kmaw Country. Historically and in the 21st century, the various Mi'kmaw communities are governed by a centralized council, the Sante' (or Mi'kmawey) Mawio'mi, composed of district chiefs (Saqamaq), a women's council (Saqama'sgw), wampum keepers (Putu's), and headed by a Grand Chief, or Kji Sagamaw, who as of 2025 is Norman Sylliboy.
Etymology The name Mi'kma'ki is composed of two elements: The first references the Mi'kmaw nation, whose name comes from the Mi'kmawi'simk word ni'kmaq meaning 'my kin-friends'. The second element comes from the Algonquian word for 'land'—*axkyi in Proto-Algonquian—which can be seen in the name of neighbouring countries like Ndakinna, Nitaskinan, Nitassinan, and Anishinaabewaki, as well as in the name for the Dawnland region, Wapna'ki. Alongside Mi'kma'ki, there are additional ways to describe the Mi'kmaw homeland. Both Mi'kmaw homeland and Mi'kmaw Country use the adjectival and singular form of Mi'kmaq. Within the language, one can also say gm'tginu, as in the example sentence from the Mi'kmaq Online Talking Dictionary: Gm'tginu, mnaq ignmuetug aq mnaq naqtmug! meaning "Our territory, we've never given it away and we've never left it!"
History According to tradition. Mi'kmaq go back to the time of Glooscap, a legendary cultural hero and first human in Wabanaki mythology. Mi'kmaw legend says that when the large and powerful Glooscap finished painting the splendour of the world, he dipped his brush into a blend of all the colours and created Epekwitk—his favourite island—which would be his pillow and Enmigtaqamu'g as his bed as he slept. Mi'kmaw oral history recalls a time when the world was covered in water. It was then that the being Sebanees, arriving in kjiktu'lnu ('our great boat'), landed on the shores of Epekwitk. The boat, made of ice, carried all the animals and fish his family would need for survival, and it is said that Epekwitk's unique land formation was a result of the melting of the ice boat. Archaeological evidence, such as shell middens and campsite remains, corroborate Mi'kmaw stories which indicate an ancient presence in Mi'kma'ki, with dates ranging from 5,000 to 12,000 years ago. Prior to European colonization of the Americas, Mi'kmaq engaged in varied relations with neighbouring nations, such as the Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet), Passamaquoddy, and Abenaki, with whom they formed the Wabanaki Confederacy in Dawnland. According to Mi'kmaq traditions recorded by S. T. Rand, the Kwēdĕchk were the original inhabitants of the land. The two tribes engaged in a war that lasted "many years", and involved the "slaughter of men, women, and children, and torture of captives", and the eventual displacement of the Kwēdĕchk by the victorious Mi'kmaq. Archeological evidence shows human habitation in the region by 4,000 years before present. Research published in 1871 showed that some Mi'kmaq believed they had emigrated from the west, and then lived alongside the Kwēdĕchk. Following European contact, Mi'kma'ki was colonized by the French as Acadia and the British in modern Nova Scotia, who made competing claims for the land. Siding with the French, the Mi'kmaq fought alongside other Wabanaki warriors during the French and Indian Wars, between 1688 and 1763. These European powers divided Mi'kma'ki in the treaties of Utrecht (1715) and Paris (1763). After the latter, when France ceded its territories east of the Mississippi River to Britain, the British claimed Mi'kma'ki as their possession by conquest. The defeated Mi'kmaq signed the Peace and Friendship Treaties to end hostilities and encourage cooperation between the Wabanaki nations and the British. They wanted to ensure the survival of the Mi'kmaw people, whose numbers had dwindled to a few thousand from disease, starvation, and warfare. The power held within Mi'kma'ki faded further after the Confederation of Canada in 1867 united the colonies, establishing four provinces. The Dominion of Canada passed the Indian Act in 1876, which resulted in the loss of autonomous governance among the First Nations. Whilst some analysts have advanced legal arguments that the Peace and Friendship treaties legitimized the takeover of the land by Britain, the Mi'kmaq maintain that they have never conceded sovereignty of their traditional lands. For more than 100 years, until 2020, the Sante' Mawio'mi (or Grand Council) was limited to functioning solely as a spiritual and dialogue forum. The Mi'kmaq and other First Nations were required to elect representatives for their federally-imposed band governments. In 2020, however, by agreement with the Government of Canada, the Grand Council was authorized to consult on behalf of the Mi'kmaw First Nations.
… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.
