The Early Peoples

Fossils on the Island

Fossils are rare on P.E.I. Due to the fact our “rock” is mainly sandstone.

No complete dinosaur skeletons have been found on P.E.I. only fragments. The most famous being from a Dimetrodon (sail-backed dinosaur) in French River in 1845.

Fossils on the Island

Other sites where fossils have been found include: Cape Traverse, Spring Valley, Irishtown, Hog Island, Rocky Point, Kinlock, Governor’s Island, Cherry Valley, Earnscliffe, and Selkirk Park.

These locations are all located around the shores of Prince Edward Island. Most fossils are found as the shore eroded away and they are left on the beach.

The Paleo-Indians

The Paleo Indians lived or travelled across the Island around 8000 years ago when the Island was still attached to the mainland.

They were mainly –hunter-gatherers who did not use bows or arrows.

A camp site was found at Basin Head in 1980.

The Shellfish People

Around 3500 years ago the Shellfish People lived on the Island. They camped mainly by the shores and ate shellfish.

What happened to the Shellfish People remains a mystery…

The Mi'kmaq

The Mi'kmaq, meaning “the people” arrived about 2000 years ago having appeared to come from the Ohio Valley along with the Malecite and the Penobscot.

The Mi'kmaq The Mi'kmaq were semi-nomadic, meaning

they would move from time to time in search of food.

They would spend their summers on the North Shore and would move inland in the winter to hunt.

Places where they stayed still have their original Mi'kmaq names: Bedeque, Malpeque, Cascumpec, Minmegash, Tignish, Tracadie, Pisquid, and Miscouche.

The Mi'kmaq

The Mi'kmaq lived in structures called Wigwams which were made from big sheets of birch barksewn together over a frame of spruce poles.

There were two styles of Wigwam a cone shape and a lodge shaped structure.

The Mi'kmaq

The cone shaped wigwam would hold up to ten people. It had a fire in the centre and a hole in the roof to let the smoke out.

The second would hold up to 25 people and had fires at each end.

Both had a floor made of fir twigs and reed mats and robes. They were also insulated with mats in the winter.

The Mi'kmaq

In the summer men wore loincloths and the women wore light robes and both wore moosehide leggings to protect against branches.

In the winter they wore blanket sized robes of moose over their clothes , and they rolled up in them to sleep.

The children were dressed in soft fox fur and wore moccasins of old moose robes.

The clothes were all brightly decorated with lots of colour and ornaments.

The Mi'kmaq

The Mi'kmaq ate on a yearly cycle: January- Seal Feb & March- beaver

otter moose bear caribou April- fish and birds May-Sept.- shellfish,

roots, berries, fish Oct.-Nov.-moose and

caribou Dec. cod.

The Mi'kmaq

Meat was boiled in a kettle or roasted over an open fire.

Leftovers were smoked and dried to preserve them for a later time.

The Mi'kmaq kettle consisted of a hollowed out piece of wood in which a heated stone would be placed to heat the water.

The Mi'kmaq

Men were in charge of hunting, fishing, and making kettles, canoes, snowshoes, and bows and arrows.

The women made clothes, set up the wigwam, carried all the provisions to the next camp, cleaned the killed animals, prepare the food and cared for the children. (Ahh, the good old days!)

Women were highly respected and well treated due to the major workload they carried.

The Mi'kmaq

Children were considered to be a man’s wealth and were highly cherished in Mi'kmaq culture.

Mothers would nurse for three years and the whole community would help in the raising of a child.

The child would learn by working alongside adults in the tribe.

Orphaned children would be adopted and treated the exact same as other children in the family.

Questions

1. __________ These are rare on P.E.I.2. __________ Sail-backed dinosaur.3. __________ Famous fossil found

here.4. __________ Three other places where

fossils found.5. __________6. __________

Questions

7. __________ First group of people on the Island.

8. __________ Camp site found here in 1980.9. __________ They arrived 3500 years ago.10. __________ Appear to be related to the

Algonquin group of the Ohio Valley.11. __________ Move around in search of food.12. __________ “the people.”13. __________ Made of birch bark sewn over a

wooden frame.

Questions

14. __________ Floors were covered with these three things…

15. __________16. __________17. __________ In the summer men wore…18. __________ Children were dressed in…19. __________ Women wore…20. __________ Three things men made.21. __________22. __________

Questions

23. __________ Three things women were responsible for.

24. __________25. __________26. __________ Considered a man’s wealth.27. __________ Women would nurse for this many

years.28. __________ This was quashed in children.29. __________ “Camaco”.30. __________ Used to clean teeth.

The Mi'kmaq

Elderly were greatly respected because of their wisdom knowledge and experience.

They were given the best places, food , clothes, and given help moving when it was time to shift camps.

The Mi'kmaq

A favorite pastime of the Mi'kmaq was Waltes, a game of tossing six two sided dice into a bowl in order to score the highest.

Stories were told by the elders of the tribe which included: creation, battles, animal helpers, and genealogy.

The Mi'kmaq The Mi'kmaq used

snowshoes for traveling in winter. They were made on an ash frame and strung with rawhide or sinew.

Canoes were made of birch bark spread over a cedar frame. A canoe could be anywhere from 9 to 25 ft. long.

The Mi'kmaq

The Mi'kmaq kettle was made of a fallen log that was hollowed out in which hot stones were placed to heat water.

Bows were made from maple and then polished with oyster shells. The arrows were made from cedar and had a stone or bone tip and eagle feathers.

The Mi'kmaq The engagement process under Mi'kmaq tradition

involved a time spanning 1 to 3 years. The young man, who was able to marry after he

killed his first moose, would move in with his fiancé's family and would have to prove his worth to her parents.

The young girl most likely around 16years old would show that she could cook and take care of a household.

The wedding feast was provided by the young man as he had to hunt enough food to feed everyone.

The Mi'kmaq

After the passing of a member of the community there was a period of mourning followed by stories of the deceased.

Presents were given to the dead as they were wrapped in robes and bark and then buried.

After the burial a festival was held to celebrate the life of the person.

Festivals

The Mi'kmaq festivals involved dancing, storytelling,music, hunts.

Stories were told through their dances. Stories of hunts and fights for men and the discovery of medicine for women.

The Mi'kmaq Great respect was given to

animals. The Mi'kmaq would only hunt what was needed for food and clothing.

The Mi'kmaq used different techniques for hunting including a moose call to attract moose which was easier to hunt in the snow.

They would hunt bear as well as beaver,geese cormorants and ducks.

The Mi'kmaq

The prize fish amongst the Mi'kmaq was the sturgeon which could measure 20 ft.

Salmon were caught along with eels, and shellfish.

Fish were smoked after being caught in order to preserve them.

Review

1. __________ Arrived on the Island 3500 years ago.2. __________ The Island is primarily made up of this.3. __________ These are rarely found on the Island.4. __________ Arrived around 2000 years ago.5. __________ “Speaks Mi'kmaq Poorly.”6. __________ The most important animal to the

Mi'kmaq.7. __________ Made of a fallen log.8. __________ This was used because it was

waterproof.9. __________ A boy could marry after killing one of

these…

Review10. ___________ Arrived on the Island 8000 years ago.11. ___________ Another name for a sail backed

dinosaur.12. ___________ Used as transportation over water.13. ___________ Mi'kmaq game involving dice.14. ___________ Mi'kmaq history was told this way.15. ___________ Name of a Mi'kmaq dwelling.16. ___________ This made it easy to hunt moose.17. ___________ Worn to protect against branches.18. ___________ Made from maple and used for

hunting.19. ___________ Used for traveling in winter.20. ___________ Average age in which a young girl

could marry.