Bear River First Nation

Bear River First Nation (population: 300) is a Míkmaq First Nation located in both Annapolis County and Digby County, Nova Scotia. It is also known as Muin Sipi.[1] The Mi'kmaq population is approximately 100 on-Reserve, and approximately 200 off-Reserve.[2]

The Bear River First Nation is composed of three parts as shown, of which the largest is regularly occupied:[1]

Community Area Location Date established
Bear River 6 633.8 hectares (1,566 acres) 17.6 km. southeast of Digby March 3, 1820
Bear River 6A 31.2 hectares (77 acres) 9.6 km. southeast of Annapolis Royal March 3, 1938
Bear River 6B 24.3 hectares (60 acres) 6.4 km. southeast of Annapolis Royal October 1, 1962

Bear River First Nation lies adjacent to the village of Bear River, Nova Scotia. It has a church, Saint Anne's, completed in 1836, and a school which serves Grades P to 8.[3] The Mi'kmaq language is taught to children attending the school.[4] A health centre was established in 1998.[5]

Contents

History

Archaeological evidence suggests the community has existed in the area for 2,000 to 4,000 years. It lies in the ancient District of Kespukwitk, a part of the Mi'kmaq nation.[6][7] The people of Bear River would have been the group that welcomed Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Mons, Samuel de Champlain and others who settled at Port-Royal in 1605.[8] The sakmow, or chief, was Henri Membertou who befriended the French. The area around Port-Royal was the traditional summering site of Membertou's people.[9]

The community were known as canoe builders who used their craft for fishing and hunting porpoise, in the Annapolis Basin and Bay of Fundy. Oil rendered from the porpoise was sold as a machine lubricant into the early part of the twentieth century.[10][11]

Tourism

Each summer the Bear River First Nation Heritage & Cultural Centre offers authentic cultural immersion in the life and traditions of the Mi’kmaq, featuring hands-on craft-making workshops.[12] Local resident and former Chief of the Bear River First Nation, Frank Meuse Jr. also offers retreats in the backcountry.[13]

References

  1. ^ a b Mi'kmaq Resource Centre (UCCB), Mi'kmaw Bands in Nova Scotia, 2010
  2. ^ Bear River First Nation: About Bear River First Nation
  3. ^ Community Profile
  4. ^ Bear River Educational Profile
  5. ^ Bear River First Nation Health Centre
  6. ^ Bear River First Nation: Way of Life: Pre-contact Times
  7. ^ Daniel Paul, We Were Not the Savages, (second edition), 2000. p. 33
  8. ^ Bear River First Nation: The French
  9. ^ John Mack Faragher, A Great and Noble Scheme, Norton, 2005, p. 12
  10. ^ Mi'kmaq Resource Centre (UCCB), Brief History of Muin Sipu (Bear River) and Early Porpoise Hunting
  11. ^ Bear River First Nation: The Porpoise Hunt
  12. ^ Nova Scotia.com
  13. ^ Stone Bear Home Page

External links