What a difference a few weeks can make! Until this year, the annual St Anne’s Mission resulted in mountains of garbage and complaints about sewage being dumped in the Lakes. This year, things were different. Thanks to the far-sighted work of Pitu’paq, the unique group of First Nations, municipal governments and their federal and provincial … Read More
Cape Breton University was the host for a full-day workshop on two-eyed seeing in May and UINR was a major contributer for the event. Clifford Paul was the day’s MC and he also gave a presentation on Indigenous Science. Albert Marshall gave a spirited presentation on two-eyed seeing from the perspective of a Mi’kmaq Elder … Read More
Ask Albert Toney and Brian Toney and they’ll tell you what they are mining is White Gold! Albert and Brian are long-time employees at Georgia Pacific’s Melford gypsum mine near Waycobah and they love their jobs. “It’s like winning the lottery.” Brian explains, and this is the general reaction from people who land a job … Read More
A long, long time ago, the Mi’kmaq people were faced with a dilemma–a situation of great proportion that Kluskap was summoned for a solution. It was at a time in our history when the people told Kluskap that the animals were too big and fierce in the forest. The bear was too big, gigantic in … Read More
As a result of the difficulties experienced during the 2006 lobster food fishery, the Unama’ki Chiefs have agreed that a lobster food fishery management plan is required. While Mi’kmaq follow similar regulations as the rest of the industry (with the exception of season), the industry fails to realize this. A documented management plan for the … Read More
Lisa Young and Shelley Denny from UINR recently participated in the Banff Centre Aboriginal Leadership and Management Development Program. Lisa explains “I was more than impressed with the whole experience. The facilitators were knowledgeable and engaging. I would definitely recommend this program to any one of our leaders or managers who are interested in bettering … Read More
Elder Albert Marshall says it best. “Two Eyed Seeing” is what he calls the approach to incorporating Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) with traditional scientific methods. UINR, Parks Canada, and the Government of Canada want to incorporate both TEK and western science in the pursuit of ecological integrity in the national parks. First Nations are always … Read More
“When I was a kid I walked through eelgrass beds. They are great nurseries. You would see a lot of minnows, pinfish, and eels and watch them swim away. I want to talk to youth to let them know that eelgrass beds are important nurseries. Eelgrass has decreased a lot. It is different today.” Fifty … Read More
by Albert Marshall On a bright sunny afternoon in June of 1955, the Canso Causeway opened to the general public. There were hundreds of people applauding on both sides of the Strait. The Strait was known to the Mi’kmaq as Tui’knek. The pomp and festivities were deafening. Among the group were some Mi’kmaq, huddled together … Read More
by Elder Albert Marshall Cape Breton Mi’kmaq Elders have added our voice to the many environmental groups, fishermen’s unions and ordinary citizens opposed to Texas company Hunt Oil’s seismic testing in Sydney Bight. The testing covers an almost 1000 square kilometer area and is as close as 10 kilometers off shore. The Mi’kmaq community was … Read More