Mi'kmaq Table - Garden of the Gulf Museum
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Artefact History:
This table was built around 1900 and was owned by a family in the village of Morell in eastern Prince Edward Island. The eight-pointed star design on the top of the table is a traditional symbol of unity for the Mi'kmaq First Nation. The points of the star indicate the four compass directions - north, south, east and west - which is meant to signify the importance of maintaining a balance between oneself and the external world. The presence of four additional points on the star references "the Great Mystery", a recurring theme in Mi'kmaq cosmology that implies there is something beyond that which is seen with the naked eye. Mi'kmaq elders also explain that the eight points of the star represent the original seven Mi'kmaq districts that were present in the Maritimes, plus the Treaty of 1752 signed between the Crown and the Mi'kmaq. The Mi'kmaq of Prince Edward Island are comprised of two main communities - the Abegweit First Nation and the Lennox Island First Nation. Many Abegweit (from Epekwitk, the Mi'kmaq name for Prince Edward Island) Mi'kmaq live in the Morell region from where this table originates.