Welcome to the
Mi'kmaq
Portraits Collection		 The star occurs in Mi'kmaq hieroglyphic writing as a symbol for the sun

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The Nova Scotia Museum's Mi'kmaq Portraits database is a collection of portraits and illustrations in various media, of the Mi'kmaq of Atlantic Canada.

For thousands of years before the arrival of European settlers, the Mi'kmaq called themselves L'nu'k, which simply means 'the people,' 'human beings.' Their present name, Mi'kmaq, derives from nikmaq, meaning 'my kin-friends.' Their descendants are still living in what are now Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and parts of New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Québec. Many Mi'kmaq also make their homes in New England, particularly in Maine and Massachusetts. Would you like to know more about the Mi'kmaq?

[1930 St. Anne's, Chapel Island]
1930 St. Anne's Day, Chapel Island, Nova Scotia

This website features 800 selections from the Nova Scotia Museum's Mi'kmaq Portraits Database.

[1923 Mr. and Mrs. John Thomas]

1923 Mr. and Mrs. John Thomas

The complete database at the Nova Scotia Museum is designed to be a reference catalogue, currently providing access to more than 1,100 extant Mi'kmaq portraits in different media.

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The entire collection of the Nova Scotia Museum is presented here, even works of poorer quality. In addition, images and information from other participating institutions have been included, as have images (mostly family snapshots) lent for copying by Mi'kmaq and other friends.

This collection results from research by the Museum over many years, often with the participation of Mi'kmaq individuals and other institutions. The collection does not list all of the historical Mi'kmaq portraits still in existence, but it is a beginning.

Dr. Ruth Holmes Whitehead
Ethnologist
The Nova Scotia Museum

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NOTE: We are a provincial museum and have no genealogical documents. We therefore cannot answer questions regarding family history. You may try the Nova Scotia Archives & Records Management web site for information on conducting genealogical research in the province. Their phone number is (902) 424-6060.

Nova Scotia Museum

Copyright © 1997 Nova Scotia Museum


This digital collection was produced under contract to the
SchoolNet Digital Collections program, Industry Canada.