Indigenous influence in the Saint John area is largely overlooked. Prior to the establishment of Canada’s oldest incorporated city, a flourishing culture already existed.
Discover the local history of the Wolastoqi and Mi’kmaq peoples from a unique Indigenous point of view while meandering along the harbor and the Beautiful River – Wolastoq. Walk along a historical portage route and over archaeological sites and become acquainted with the timeless wisdom of our ancestors. Learn how stewardship of the earth should look in a modern world while respecting and celebrating the traditions of the past.
Prior to the landing of European settlers in what is now called New Brunswick, thriving cultures existed for thousands of years which lived in harmony with the land and the life that resided on it. Survival on this land depended on ingenuity and knowledge wrought from a sometimes harsh and unforgiving environment.
Passed down through the generations were the spoken teachings that served as lessons to the younger generations to ensure their survival into the future. Despite today’s world of modern conveniences and industrialization, respect and protection of the land is a way of life still followed today in every aboriginal community across Canada.
When Samuel-de-Champlain first arrived in the Saint John harbor he was met by the Indigenous inhabitants of the village of Ouigoudy that called the Wolastoq their home.
Their expertise and knowledge of the land proved invaluable to the new visitors and would ultimately allow the creation of Canada’s first incorporated city. Explore the relationship Fort la Tour had with the Wolastiqiyik people and how this location is the origins of Saint John, and Canada itself.
The Gathering
The stories of the Indigenous origins of Canada’s oldest incorporated city are not widely known. Prior to the arrival of Europeans to this area, families and friends gathered around fires and told stories handed down through the ages. Learn the importance of stories and how their timeless wisdom still applies today.
The Mi’kmaq people of the Atlantic provinces of New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland flourished in the land Mi’kma’ki. From their winter hunting grounds inland to the summer shores and even into the ocean, they built a Nation by living in balance with nature. Explore how this balance may have looked and why it is a desirable goal to achieve today.
Prior to the landing of European settlers in what is now called New Brunswick, thriving cultures existed for thousands of years which lived in harmony with the land and the life that resided on it. Survival on this land depended on ingenuity and knowledge wrought from a sometimes harsh and unforgiving environment.
Passed down through the generations were the spoken teachings that served as lessons to the younger generations to ensure their survival into the future. Despite today’s world of modern conveniences and industrialization, respect and protection of the land is a way of life still followed today in every aboriginal community across Canada.
Discover the local history of the Wolastoqi and Mi’kmaq peoples from a unique indigenous point of view while meandering along the tides of the Bay of Fundy. Get back to the Earth and its many gifts while enjoying the spectacular views of the Fundy Trail Parkway.
First Nations Storytellers recognizes and affirms that we operate on the unceded and unsurrendered ancestral lands of the Wolastoqiyik, Peskotomuhkati and Mi’kmaq, respectively known as Wolastokuk, Peskotomuhkatik and Mi’kmaki. These lands are covered by the Treaties of Peace and Friendship first signed with the British Crown in 1725, and then recognized and affirmed by Canada in section 35 of the Constitution Act of 1982. We invite you to learn about these agreements and how they protect the livelihood and cultural practices of the original inhabitants of this land you call home.