Nicole Yeba and Major Stewart Written by the Government of Prince Edward Island

Elder Judy Clark is still learning to read and write in Mi’kmaw as a tribute to her ancestors.
The highly respected Mi’kmaw Elder and member of the Abegweit First Nation remembers growing up on Lennox Island in the 1960s when children were forced to learn English at Indian Day Schools. Some even faced punishment for speaking their Indigenous language.

“I was brought up in a home where Mi’kmaw was our first language, and we used it fluently,” said Elder Clark. “But we were told that we had to speak English, so Dad taught us how to speak English, and I think that was because he was trying to protect us and to have it so that we didn’t go to residential school.”

Mi’kmaw language, culture and traditions were passed down through generations of storytelling. Time is passing and Elder Clark is immersing herself in Mi’kmaw language to share important history lessons with her community before the information is lost forever.

“From the stories my Mom told us, she always said ‘Never forget who you are’ especially for me as an Indigenous woman,” said Elder Clark. “I’m L’nu, which means the people. Ni’n na L’nu means I am one of the people. Never forget where you came from and never forget your ancestors.”

L’nuey, the Mi’kmaw rights initiative under the authority of the two First Nations on PEI, is working hard to revitalize and preserve the Mi’kmaw language, a common goal for Indigenous communities a ...

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