Education Day Offers Unique Opportunity

Teachers and students will have a rare opportunity to walk through a traditional Mi'kmaq village and learn first-hand about Mi'kmaq culture, traditions and beliefs during Membertou 400 Education Day.

"As schools prepare to close for the summer, this is a fabulous opportunity for a field trip that will also be a fun, learning experience," said Deborah Ginnish, executive director, Mi'kmaq Association of Cultural Studies. "There will be something of interest for students of all ages, including story-telling, interactive demonstrations of traditional children's games, quill crafts, basket weaving, lessons on ancient healing techniques and a lot more."

The cultural village, on the Halifax Common, will include about 20 wigwams that visitors can enter and ask questions of elders, who will demonstrate their crafts. They can also learn about the Sacred Fire and watch a traditional Wigwam be constructed.

Education Day, Friday, June 25, is the start of a three-day, Pow-Wow, or Mawio'mi in Mi'kmaq, to honour the 400th anniversary of the baptism of Grand Chief Henri Membertou. The free, family event, will include native dance and drum competitions, a concert by singer, songwriter and Academy Award winner Buffy Saint Marie, a musical tribute to the Mi'kmaq Nation and an open-air mass.

"We invite people of all races and denominations to join the Mi'kmaq community as we celebrate an important milestone in Canadian history and honour a great Mi'kmaq leader," said Ms. Ginnish. "We are particularly hopeful that teachers and parents will see this as an opportunity to teach today's youth about a culture that is not well known or often misunderstood."

The Grand Chief Membertou 400 Celebration begins with a re-enactment of Membertou's baptism at Port Royal National Historic Site on June 24.

On June 24, 1610, Grand Chief Henri Membertou, Mi'kmaq shaman and prophet, was the first aboriginal person to be baptized in what would become Canada. In taking the rite of baptism, Membertou influenced the course of history by signaling his desire for peaceful relations with the European nations.

For more information on the Grand Chief Membertou 400 celebrations, visit www.membertou400.com .