by Solange Richer de Lafleche, Mi’kmawey Debert Communications Officer
A unique and long overdue resource, The Ta’n Weji-sqalia’tiek: Mi’kmaw Place Names Digital Atlas and Website Project, has unfolded over the past fourteen years bringing to life the profound relationship Mi’kmaq have with the ancient landscape of Mi’kma’ki. The documentation of place names and dozens of interviews with Elders and community members brings multiple layers of lived experience to life as expressed through the Mi’kmaw language and worldviews. The Website and Digital Atlas now have a new look and feel, making it easier for users to engage with this unique history and ancient landscape.
“The naming of places in Mi’kma’ki was always very logical and descriptive, so our people would know where they were at all times,” recounts the late Elder Gregory Johnson in the short film ‘The Nature of Place Names’ which is featured on the homepage of the Ta’n Weji-sqalia’tiek website.
Initiated in 2008 by the Mi’kmaq – Nova Scotia – Canada Tripartite Forum, Culture and Heritage Committee, the project grew to include numerous other partners and funders. There has been close to $1M invested to protect and share this data through the creation of the Ta’n Weji-sqalia’tiek website and digital atlas.
“Our instructions were to build a high-end website that would deliver the data through audio, video and a mapping infrastructure, which was completed in 2015,” states the committees Mi’kmaw Co-chair and Project Di ...
Tags: Atlantic Canadian Studies MA degree at Saint Mary’s University, featured, Mi'kma'ki, Mi’kmawey Debert Cultural Centre, The Ta’n Weji-sqalia’tiek
