THE EARLY YEARS

ABORIGINAL

Aboriginal people obtain their History through the Oral tradition of storytelling. Stories, tales, and beliefs are passed through generations without the aid of books or papers. As it is with all Aboriginal Canadians, this unique tradition also applies to the Mi’Kmaq of Prince Edward Island.

’ What we know of Mi’Kmaq history on PEI comes from archeological

1 and anthropological studies, Mi'Kmaq oral history and from the writings of early explorers and settlers who provided us with the first written accounts of the Mi’Kmaq people and their lifestyle. The problem with

1. these early accounts was that the Europeans “judged the Mi’Kmaq

3 according to their own cultural standards.” (1) Many of these accounts

} negatively represent the Mi’Kmaq simply because the early settlers and

explorers could not understand or accept the cultural differences that

existed between them. In spite of these differences, the Mi’Kmaq did

Q befriend the French settlers and helped them to survive their difficult

first winters here in the early wilderness of PEI.

Q POOGOOSUMKEK BOKTABA (2)

A. As the Mi’Kmaq preferred “A bay with protective sandbars across the mouth,” (3) it is immediately apparent why St. Peters Bay was an

, attractive location for them. Poogoosumkek Boktaba, the Mi’Kmaq name 3 for St. Peters Bay means “the place of clam digging.” (4) We know that Aboriginals have lived in the St. Peters area, for as far back as 8000 years, the proof of their existence having been unearthed at Greenwich. Artifacts that have been discovered along the shores of PEI have provided another source of insight into the Mi’Kmaq lifestyle and history. Archeological Digs have been done along the Island’s North Shore, since the early 1900s. In 1913, St. Peters was one of the locations for archeological digs performed by W.J. Wintemberg, who was an archeologist with the National Museum in Ottawa. Sadly, the results of his work were never published. [5)

In the 1960s, Rollie and Jeanette Jones, amateur archeologists :and private collectors of Island artifacts, began exploring the sand dunes at Greenwich. When asked why they specifically chose Greenwich, they replied that they “looked at a map of PEI and figured big body of water

"‘i

. ike that... good spot!” (6) Little did they know that their site at Greenwich

E Would be become one of the most important archeological sites in 1%. Eastern Canada.

'3, 1E if; 3%