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The Mi'kmaq of Metepenagiag: 3,000
Years of History
For years, the clues were everywhere: in
the arrowheads that 19th century settlers
plowed up in their newly-cleared fields,
the stone chips and shards of pottery that
construction crews uncovered as they built
the Miramichi's first roads, and the souvenir
artifacts that visiting fly-fishers found
along the riverbanks. To those who were
well-acquainted with the land, the village
of Red Bank, located at the junction of
the Northwest Miramichi and Little Southwest
Miramichi Rivers, and known in the Mi'kmaq
language as Metepenagiag, appeared
to have a rich and ancient history.
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Bountiful World of the Miramichi
Mi'kmaq
Even for an ancient Maritime
culture that was accustomed
to resource richness, Metepenagiag
- at the junction of 2 great
freshwater rivers, not far from
the saltwater sea and near the
edge of a thick, game-filled
forest - was a prime and privileged
camping site. Its proximity
to all that the ocean, river
and forest had to offer is reflected
in the size of its villages,
and the thousands of years that
they were inhabited.
Food A-Plenty: Archeological
evidence shows that the people
of Metepenagiag could dine on
birds' eggs and fiddleheads
in early spring; Atlantic sturgeon,
Atlantic salmon, smelt and gaspereau
in May and June; oysters, clams,
tom cod, American eels and striped
bass in summer; and ducks, geese,
deer, moose, bear and caribou
in autumn. Preserved foods,
such as dried and smoked fish
and game, berry cakes made from
dried wild strawberries, blueberries
and cranberries, and "moose
butter," a grease made
from moose bones that were boiled
and pounded, were stored for
winter. Birchbark for canoes
and baskets was plentiful and
small animals such as rabbit,
beaver, fox, mink and lynx were
easily trapped or snared. An
abundance of food and other
resources supported large villages
and camps, a prosperous trading
network, and a socio-economic
structure that featured a well-developed
ranking system and the regulated
division of territorial rights.
Post-Contact Decline:
The fragments of decorated pottery,
jewelry, smoking pipes, knives
and finely-crafted household
items that have been found in
the Red Bank area suggest that
the Mi'kmaq of Miramichi lived
bountifully - and creatively
- for almost 30 centuries. But
the sparseness of the Red Bank
archeological record after the
1600's mirrors the lifestyle
changes that took place throughout
the Maritime Mi'kmaq world following
European contact. Large, semi-permanent
Inland sites such as Metepenagiag
were largely abandoned, as smaller
groups of Mi'kmaq began to spend
the winter deep in the forest,
hunting for furs, and the summer
on the coast, trading pelts
for the food they were no longer
able to gather and store. The
arrival of the Europeans marked
the decline of the Mi'kmaq during
the 18th and 19th centuries,
when malnutrition, infectious
disease, settler encroachment
and an ongoing genocidal campaign
by the British reduced the Maritime
Mi'kmaq population from about
20,000 to 5,000 by 1850.
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That richness was confirmed in 1928, when
men working on the Northwest Miramichi near
the village discovered the remains of a
native burial ground. The find prompted
a visit from a prominent Canadian National
Museum of Man archeologist, who proceeded
to excavate thousands of stone tool and
pottery fragments from the site. When Red
Bank Mi'kmaq Elder Joseph Augustine located
an ancient burial mound - now known as the
Augustine Mound National and Provincial
Historic Site - in the same area in
1972, investigation of Metepenagiag began
in earnest. Between 1974 -1984, a series
of archeological excavations and historical
research projects identified over 100 ancient
Mi'kmaq sites and traced a history of Miramichi
habitation that dates back 3,000 years.
Red Bank archeological discoveries include:
• Several large villages and fishing
camps, including the Oxbow Site,
over 250 metres in length and 2 metres deep,
located on the Little Southwest Miramichi,
identified as the largest and deepest prehistoric
village site in the Maritimes, and known
as "New Brunswick's oldest village;"
the Wilson Site; and the Mitchell
Site, a fishing camp thought to be at
least 2,000 years old. At the Oxbow Site,
believed to be 2,500 - 3,000 years old,
burned fish bones, charred seeds and fragments
of cooking pots, stone tools and charcoal
are interspersed with layers of sand and
silt laid down by centuries of spring flooding;
the site was used as farmland until the
1960's, but is now covered in brush.
• At least 4 ancient burial grounds,
including the Augustine Mound and
the McKinley Site, containing ornamental
and ceremonial artifacts such as polished
stone smoking pipes, copper beads, shell
necklaces and flint knives. The nature of
the artifacts suggests that many were obtained
through trade with other First Nations as
far away as the central United States.
• About 60 large food storage pits,
some up to 1,200 years old, located on higher
land between the Northwest and Little Southwest
Miramichi Rivers, dug into heavy gravel
to allow good drainage. The pits are thought
to have been covered with bark or sod.
• Evidence of face-to-face contact
with people of the Great Lakes area. Fragments
of finely-decorated clay pots, dating back
almost 3,000 years, reflect the influence
of the central Canadian "Meadowood"
tribes; remains of 2 people buried in an
ancient cemetery are thought to be those
of Meadowood visitors.
Tin Whistles, Ballads
and Bagpipes: Folklore Festivals of the
Miramichi
Pipers, drummers, fiddlers and highland
dancers - every summer, the multicultural
heritage of the Miramichi echoes along its
riverbanks, as a rich mixture of Irish,
Scottish and Acadian culture is celebrated
in the region's annual festivals:
• Irish Festival on the Miramichi
- Concerts, musical and cultural workshops,
a walking parade to the tune of Irish pipes
and drums, and non-stop fun and entertainment
highlight one of Canada's largest celebrations
of Irish Culture. The week-long festival,
which takes place in mid-July, is held in
the City of Miramichi (formerly the towns
of Newcastle and Chatham). Since 1973, it
has featured both homegrown talent and some
of Ireland's best entertainers and musicians.
The festival commemorates 19th century Irish
immigration to New Brunswick.
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Miramichi
Mi'kmaq Today
Visitors to the modern Mi'kmaq
community of Metepenagiag, or
Red Bank, located about
50 kilometres north of the City
of Miramichi on the Little Southwest
Miramichi River, will find a
community of about 400 people
who work in the fishery, and
in forestry, health care, government
administration and education.
At the local school, traditional
teachings are part of the curriculum;
local arts and crafts including
paintings, decorative quillwork,
birchbark basketry, and
traditional jewelry. The
community features a multi-media
Heritage Exhibit, "Where
Spirits Live," (open
daily, June - September); events
include an Annual Powwow
in June and a Trout Fishing
Derby (held each year in
May during the Victoria Day
weekend.) Red Bank is also a
popular Atlantic salmon fishing
location. |
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• Miramichi Celebration of Scots
- Head to the City of Miramichi in August
for a weekend of highland dancing, bagpipe
music, Highland Games, a horseshoe tournament,
and special performances by the Miramichi
Celtic Pipes and Drums. Presented by the
Highland Society of New Brunswick, the weekend
event celebrates a Miramichi cultural heritage
that dates back to the arrival of Scottish
shipbuilders in 1760.
• Miramichi Folksong Festival
- One of the longest running events of its
kind, the Miramichi Folksong Festival has
been presenting a Maritime-flavoured, multicultural
menu of traditional song, fiddling and stepdancing
since 1957. Held each year in early August
in the City of Miramichi, the festival features
5 days of open air concerts, children's
shows, social events and a special multicultural
show. |
