Maliseet people of New Brunswick featured in new exhibition at
Canadian Museum of Civilization: Wolastoqiyik – Portrait of a People
Gatineau, Quebec, December 18, 2003 – An exhibition opening today at the Canadian Museum of Civilization profiles the history of New Brunswick’s Maliseet First Nation. Wolastoqiyik – Portrait of a People explores the traditional lifestyles, landscapes, technologies and oral histories of the Maliseet people who call themselves the Wolastoqiyik.
For thousands of years, the Wolastoqiyik possessed a physical, intellectual and spiritual bond with the River Wolastoq (Saint John River), its tributaries, lands and forests. This special bond is chronicled in this exhibition of archival photographs and artifacts. Wolastoqiyik – Portrait of a People is produced by the Archaeological Services of the Culture and Sport Secretariat of the Government of New Brunswick in partnership with Maliseet First Nation Communities in New Brunswick, and by the Canadian Museum of Civilization. Major funding for the New Brunswick component of the exhibition is provided by the Museum Assistance Programme of the Department of Canadian Heritage and the New Brunswick Aboriginal Affairs Secretariat.
To complement the over 100 historic photographs and 24 contemporary images, over 40 artifacts from the Canadian Museum of Civilization and other museums are on display. In particular, the Museum of Civilization acknowledges the generous loan of several key pieces in the exhibition by the York-Sunbury Museum in Fredericton, New Brunswick.
The artifacts include such items as carved wooden snowsnakes that were used in a Maliseet winter game; a beautifully preserved cloth doll; a decorated paddle; snowshoes, baskets, tools, clothing and other objects. “This exhibition shows how the Maliseet people, known in their language as the Wolastoqiyik, developed technical skills that were perfected through many generations,” said Dr. Victor Rabinovitch, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation. “We can see here how generations of experience produced expert woodworkers, potters, canoe builders and other skilled artisans,” he said.
Songs, dances, festivals and ceremonial rites that have been passed down through centuries demonstrate the rich spiritual life of the Maliseet. Ancestral teachings and oral tradition reflect a profound respect for the wisdom of the Creator and the need to protect the natural environment.
The Wolastoqiyik speak a language that is related yet distinct from other Maritime Native languages. There are names for virtually every place within Wolastoqiyik territory in the Maliseet language. Some of these names are current place names along the beautiful Saint John River valley in New Brunswick, such as Sitansisk (Fredericton), Menahkwesk (Saint John) and Kapskook (Grand Falls).
Today there are approximately four thousand Wolastoqiyik living in the province of New Brunswick. An additional fifteen hundred live in nearby Quebec and Maine. Members of the Wolastoqiyik community who developed this exhibition are proud to offer Museum visitors this fascinating portrait of a people as told through historic photographs and artifacts.
Wolastoqiyik – Portrait of a People is on display at the Canadian Museum of Civilization (Special Exhibitions Mezzanine on Level Four) from December 18, 2003 until February 27, 2005.
The photographic portion of the exhibition can be seen on the Web at http://www.gnb.ca/culture/heritage.
For further information on the Canadian Museum of Civilization, visit www.civilization.ca or call (819) 776-7000 or 1-800-555-5621.
Media Information:
Chief, Media Relations
Canadian Museum of Civilization
Tel.: (819) 776-7167
Media Relations Officer
Canadian Museum of Civilization
Tel.: (819) 776-7169
Fax: (819) 776-7187
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