Wagmatcook Culture and Heritage Centre - Report Example

Wagmatcook Culture and Heritage Centre, Cape Breton. A bald eagle, which is perched on top of a stone embellished with hieroglyphics of Mi’kmaq culture, appears within the glass window dominating Wagmatcook Culture and Heritage Centre’s main foyer on the north Bras d’Or Lakes shore. Wagmatcook is a small community of two MiKmaq Indian Reserves in Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada. The population of MiKmaq people was 551 people on-Reserve, as well as approximately 179 people off-Reserve, based on a 2011 survey. The Wagmatcook Culture & Heritage Centre is a spotlight of the ancient rich traditions and history of the aboriginal MiKmaq people, with native guides providing cultural entertainment and interpretations (Wagmatcook.com, 1). This centre was opened in the year 2001 and is dedicated in reviving the Mi’kmaq culture. An ancient tools collections, A wigwam of real size, photos of the Mi’kmaq people while catching salmon, hunting for caribou, and making baskets portray the Wagmatcook Culture & Heritage Centre’s theme, which is, “The Way a Mi’kmaq Lives.” Wagmatcook Culture & Heritage Centre is home to a display and heritage exhibition of Mi’kmaq cultural artifacts. There are special activities in this great facility’s hall which include dancing, drumming, and storytelling which are done by the community’s elders. Tourists and visitors get a chance to sample the traditional Mi’kmaq foods including “four cent cake,” roasted venison, and eel stew which are offered at the Centre’s restaurant. Visitors can also shop for beadwork, baskets, Mi’kmaq regalia, quill-work, and original artwork and paintings. The Wagmatcook Culture & Heritage Centre opens daily, all year-round (Wagmatcook.com, 1). Cape Breton Island, where Wagmatcook Culture & Heritage aboriginal site is located, is in the Nova Scotia province of Canada. It is a 3,981 sq mi (10,311 km2) island, which is 18.7% of Nova Scotia’s total area. Even though, the Strait of Canso physically separates it from the Nova Scotia peninsula, they are artificially connected by the Canso causeway for easy transport. Cape Breton’s landmass upwardly slopes from south to north, hence culminating in the Northern Cape islands. The first residents of the Cape Breton Island were the Maritime Archaic natives who are ancestors to the Mikmaq people who were the island’s inhabitants at the time of discovery by the Europeans (Wagmatcook.com, 1). The Wagmatcook people history dates back many centuries. The reservation was, however, not established officially until May 2nd, 1834 by Sir Peregrine Maitland. He has been referred as the gentleman who refused to accede to the Scottish settler’s wishes of removing the Native people from the West-Side Middle River’s mouth. The centre’s operation is part of the five year development strategy by the Wagmatcook Band Council. The Wagmatcook Culture & Heritage Centre’s future plans include featuring an interpretive village offering marine opportunities and outdoor activities and travelling exhibits (religious and medicinal themes). The Smithsonian Institute possesses some four thousand artifacts collected from the Wagmatcook First Nation community (Wagmatcook.com, 1). A tour inside the Wagmatcook Culture & Heritage Center entails visiting interpretive exhibits with available guides, and witnessing first-hand the Mikmaq people way of life over the past centuries. The centre offers craft shops where local artisans demonstrate their craftsmanship which has been passed over for generations. You can experience the Mikmaq culture through story-telling, drumming, and dancing. Traditional foods of the Mikmaq people are available at the Clean Wave Restaurant inside the museum. These include eel stew, stewed venison or roasted, rabbit, deer, moose, poached salmon, four-cent cake, lisknikn, and bannock. There is a variety of souvenirs available for sale including; beadwork (bookmarkers, necklaces, etc.), baskets, earrings, bracelets and hair pins; leather goods (medicine pouches, mocassins, full Mikmaq regalia etc.), quill-work; dream catchers; wooden flowers; original artwork and paintings; candles, cards and postcards; music CDs (Eagle Feather, Denny Family, George Paul, Sarah Michael, etc.); maple syrup, among other things. The centre also sells books about Mikmaq culture. Amongst the available are; “The Turtle: the unspoken - patience, active listening,” “The Eagle: the message coming from Niskam, the Great Spirit,” “The Great Horned Serpent: of the supernatural race, he lives in lakes; the horn is the source of his power,” “The Peace Pipe: peace amongst nations, families and individuals,” and “The Medicine Wheel: the faith and wisdom of the First Nation communities.” In addition the centre offers a course in Mikmaq language, dancing, and drumming (Wagmatcook.com 1). All these activities bring revenue to the museum. The Wagmatcook Culture & Heritage Centre’s location the centre of the beautiful Cape Breton Island is a big advantage businesswise. Cape Breton Island is the only place in the world where Mikmaq, Gaelic, and English are used as living languages. Cape Breton has a reputation for warm hospitality with enchanting surroundings. The island has been named the number one island to visit in both Canada and the continental United States by Travel and Leisure Magazine. It is roughly an hour and fifteen-minutes to drive around the Bras d’Or Lakes, with Wagmatcook Culture & Heritage Centre located at its shores. The nearby Sydney is the third largest city in Nova Scotia, with historical museums, lively nightlife, vibrant restaurants and shops. Wagmatcook Culture & Heritage Centre is a perfect location for a family getaway and a vacation in the island’s fine resorts, bed and breakfasts or inns. The island is easily accessible from the Nova Scotia mainland via road using the Trans-Canada Highway (Hwy 104) through the Canso Causeway. It is roughly fourteen driving hours from New York City, twelve from Hartford, and ten from Boston. Shuttle Services are provided between Sydney, and its environs, and Halifax by several companies travelling at various times all day long. Acadian Lines offers bus services to the island as well. Sydney Airport, which is close to the Wagmatcook Culture & Heritage Centre, services the island. Most flights flying to and from Sydney airport connect to major destinations like Boston, Montreal and Toronto via Halifax (Wagmatcook.com, 1). Wagmatcook Culture & Heritage Centre is not the only Mi’kmaq reserve in Cape Breton. The island has got five Mi’kmaq reserves, four of which are located along the Bras d’Or Lakes shores. These reserves complement each other as tourist attractions hence making the businesses to thrive on their own capacities. They include: Wagmatcook, which is situated on St. Patrick’s Channel, west of Baddeck village with a population of five hundred and fifty people; Eskasoni, which is the largest of the four reserves with a population of 2,865, situated just below Boisdale Hills on Bras d’Or Lakes’ East Bay north shore; Chapel Island, with a population of four fifty and which has for a long time been associated with the Mi’kmaq culture and an early French Catholic mission site, situated near the south-west shore of Bras d’Or Lake, within the St. Peter and Barra Head’s vicinity; and Waycobah (Head of the Waters) community, situated east of St. Patrick’s Channel close to Whycocomagh, the Scottish settlement, with a population of six hundred (Wagmatcook.com, 1). The Wagmatcook Cultural Centre is a very impressive facility. The staff at the centre is very knowledgeable and helpful in respect to the Mikmaq community and their cultural displays. The hospitable staff is led by Madeleine Isadore, the centre manager. She is assisted by Pauline Isadore, the cultural programmer, and Murdena Marshall, the cultural consultant in charge of language, customs, and traditions. The centre is managed by a board of directors who are responsible for policy making (Wagmatcook.com, 1). Wagmatcook Culture & Heritage Centre receives funding from different organizations and individuals as well. Amongst the notable financiers is the Smithsonian institution. The Diversity Management Group (DMG), a fully aboriginal owned and operated firm, has been very supportive. DMG was contracted for consultancy to assist during set up, operation and negotiation of a cable television network for the community through the support and coordination of the Wagmatcook Culture & Heritage Centre. A further setup included developing a company for Aboriginal Video Productions which focused on preserving the culture, language, and history of the Wagmatcook Mikmaw people and the surrounding communities. DMG was again hired by the Wagmatcook Culture & Heritage Centre to come up with proposals for a video documentary about the involvement of Aboriginal companies in the remediation project of Sydney tar ponds. As a result, the Unamaki Economic Benefits Steering Committee was presented with a proposal, and through their support, Sydney Tar Ponds Agency was presented with the idea of a twenty two minute documentary. Wagmatcook Culture & Heritage Centre worked with DMG to identify new sources of funding for the documentary project. DMG worked with WCCTV to start work on first ever video outlining Aboriginal involvement in the first ever Aboriginal Set Aside for the Province of Nova Scotia. Partnership with the Federal government and Mikmaw was a huge financial boost for Wagmatcook Culture & Heritage Centre (Diversity Management Group, 1). In conclusion, by the look of the many cultural displays is an instant reminder of Native American history. The hands-on approach including the smell, touch, and seeing of different available cultural items is enjoyable.  The service is top notch and the food is terrific. I would strongly advise anyone to visit the Wagmatcook Culture & Heritage Centre to get a good understanding of the Mikmaq community, history, and culture. Works Cited Wagmatcook Culture & Heritage Centre. “A Centre of Activity in the Heart of Cape Breton.” 13 Dec. 2012. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. Diversity Management Group. “Developing Strategies for Capacity Building Opportunities.” 17 Jan. 2010. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. 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