Mi'kma'ki or Mi'gma'gi is composed of the traditional and current territories, or

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

, of the

Mi'kmaq The Mi'kmaq (also ''Mi'gmaq'', ''Lnu'', ''Mi'kmaw'' or ''Mi'gmaw''; ; , and formerly Micmac) are an Indigenous group of people of the Northeastern Woodlands, native to the areas of Canada's Atlantic Provinces, primarily Nova Scotia, New Bru ...

people, in what is now

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island is an island Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. While it is the smallest province by land area and population, it is the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...

, and eastern

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. It is shared by an inter-Nation forum among Mi'kmaq

First Nations First nations are indigenous settlers or bands. First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to: Indigenous groups *List of Indigenous peoples *First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...

and is divided into seven geographical and traditional districts with ''Taqamkuk'' being separately represented as an eighth district, formerly joined with ''Unama'ki'' (Cape Breton). Mi'kma'ki and the Mi'kmaw Nation are one of the confederated entities within the

Wabanaki Confederacy The Wabanaki Confederacy (''Wabenaki, Wobanaki'', translated to "People of the Dawn" or "Easterner"; also: Wabanakia, "Dawnland") is a North American First Nations and Native American confederation of five principal Eastern Algonquian nations ...

History

Each district was autonomous, headed by a '' Sagamaw''. He would meet with

Wampum Wampum is a traditional shell bead of the Eastern Woodlands tribes of Native Americans. It includes white shell beads hand-fashioned from the North Atlantic channeled whelk shell and white and purple beads made from the quahog or Western ...

readers and knowledge keepers called ''turkey keepers'', a women's council, and the ''Kji Sagamaw'', or Grand Chief, to form the ''Sante'Mawio'mi'' (or ''Mi'kmawey Mawio'mi''), the Grand Council. The seat of the Sante'Mawio'mi is at Mniku, ''Unama'kik''. It still functions as the capital today in the

Potlotek Potlotek First Nation, also known as Chapel Island, is a Mi'kmaq community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the thre ...

reserve. Following European contact, Mi'kma'ki was colonized by the French and British in modern

, who made competing claims for the land. Siding with the French, the Mi'kmaq fought alongside other Wabanaki warriors during the repeated wars between France and Britain in North America in the 17th and 18th centuries, between 1688 and 1763. These European powers divided Mi'kma'ki in the treaties of

Utrecht Utrecht ( ; ; ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city of the Netherlands, as well as the capital and the most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. The ...

(1715) and

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

(1763). After the latter, when France ceded its territories east of the Mississippi River to Britain, the British claimed Mi'kma'ki as their possession by conquest. The defeated Mi'kmaq signed the

Peace and Friendship Treaties The Peace and Friendship Treaties were a series of written documents (or, Treaty, treaties) that Kingdom of Great Britain, Britain signed bearing the Authority of Great Britain between 1725 and 1779 with various Miꞌkmaq, Mi’kmaq, Wolastoqiyik ...

to end hostilities and encourage cooperation between the Wabanaki nations and the British. They wanted to ensure the survival of the Mi'kmaq people, whose numbers had dwindled to a few thousand from disease and starvation. The power held within Mi'kma'ki faded further after the

Confederation of Canada Canadian Confederation () was the process by which three British North American provinces—the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick—were united into one federation, called the Dominion of Canada, on July 1, 1867. This process ...

in 1867 united the colonies, establishing four provinces. The Dominion of Canada passed the ''

Indian Act The ''Indian Act'' () is a Canadian Act of Parliament that concerns registered Indians, their bands, and the system of Indian reserves. First passed in 1876 and still in force with amendments, it is the primary document that defines how t ...

'' in 1876, which resulted in the loss of autonomous governance among the First Nations. The Mi'kmaq had said that they never conceded sovereignty of their traditional lands. Some analysts have advanced legal arguments that the Peace and Friendship treaties legitimized the takeover of the land by Britain. For more than 100 years, until 2020, the ''Sante'Mawio'mi'' (or Grand Council) was limited to functioning solely as a spiritual and dialogue forum. The Mi'kmaq and other First Nations were required to elect representatives for their governments. In 2020, however, by agreement with the

Government of Canada The Government of Canada (), formally His Majesty's Government (), is the body responsible for the federation, federal administration of Canada. The term ''Government of Canada'' refers specifically to the executive, which includes Minister of t ...

, the Grand Council was authorized to consult on behalf of the Mi'kmaq First Nations and all First Nations in the province.

Governance

Traditionally each Mi'kmaq district had its own independent government. Those governments were composed of a chief and a council. The council included the band chiefs, elders, and other important leaders. The role of the councils was similar to those of any independent government and included the ability to make laws, establish a justice system, divide the common territory among the people for hunting and fishing, make war, and search for peace. The overarching Grand Council ''Santeꞌ Mawioꞌmi'' was composed of the ''keptinaq'' (captains), or the district chiefs. The Grand Council also included elders, ''putus'' (historians reading the wampum belts), and a Council of women. The Grand Council was headed by a grand chief who was one of the district chiefs, generally the Unama'kik chief. Succession was hereditary. The seat of the Grand Council was generally on Unamaꞌkik (

Cape Breton Island Cape Breton Island (, formerly '; or '; ) is a rugged and irregularly shaped island on the Atlantic coast of North America and part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The island accounts for 18.7% of Nova Scotia's total area. Although ...

)..

Districts

Mi'kma'ki hosts eight

administrative division Administrative divisions (also administrative units, administrative regions, subnational entities, or constituent states, as well as many similar generic terms) are geographical areas into which a particular independent sovereign state is divi ...

s called

district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

s, each headed by a ''keptinaq'', or district chief. The eight districts are the following: (names are spelled in the Francis-Smith orthography, followed by the Listuguj orthography in parens):

References

* {{Indigenous countries of the Americas Mi'kmaq Cultural regions of Canada Human geography Former countries in North America

History

Governance

Districts

See also

References