A member of Wagmatcook First Nation, one of the oldest Mi’kmaq settlements in Nova Scotia, Mary Louise Bernard started a company in 2005 called Native Trail Tours to offer excursions of Nova Scotia's Cabot Trail through an Indigenous lens.Ross Andersen
Dozens of people, young and old, sit cross-legged around Mi’kmaq elder Mary Louise Bernard as she performs a sacred gathering song to the percussive beat of her hand drum, while the sound of her voice singing a Mi’kmaq folk song echoes through the rolling mountains of the Atlantic coastline.
She follows with a smudging ceremony at the Chéticamp campground of the Cape Breton Highlands National Park in Nova Scotia. Campers await to hear her recite the same legends her mother once told her 50 years ago, stories that helped her understand her Mi’kmaq heritage and made her proud to be Indigenous.
For as long as she can remember, Ms. Bernard has memorized Mi’kmaq stories and shared them with people from within and outside her community. Like other Indigenous storytellers across Canada in a growing movement, she does so out of a sense of duty to preserve a culture once targeted for erasure.
A member of Wagmatcook First Nation, one of the oldest Mi’kmaq settlements in Nova Scotia, Ms. Bernard started a company in 2005 called Native Trail Tours to offer excursions of the world-famous Cabot Trail through an Indigenous lens. The 62-year-old guided tourists through historical sites such as Wagmatcook and the Fortress of Louisbourg and sacred places of gathering, educating them about the history and culture of Miꞌkmaq people.
In 2017, she became part of Parks Canada’s interpretation program, quickly becoming a local celebrity as she travelled from campground to campground to celebrate Mi’kmaq culture.
“I wanted people to see the beauty of our culture and our language. It’s so empowering to pass down our knowledge to people who are not familiar with our background and who we are,” said Ms. Bernard, one of many elders who are exposing a new generation of Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth to Mi’kmaq culture.
“I wanted to show the world the positive side of our culture – because even though we struggle – it’s important to protect our spirituality."
Kelly Deveaux, manager of visitor experience at the national park, said Ms. Bernard has brought a whole new perspective to the camper experience at the park.
“Mary Louise has an innate ability to tell a story – it’s just second nature for her. Her personality is very warm and welcoming, and she is so deeply passionate about sharing her culture with Canadians,” Ms. Deveaux said. “We’re very fortunate to have her a part of our team to help create a better understanding of Canada’s Indigenous culture.”
Ms. Bernard became so popular that she eventually published her most well-known oral legend into a children’s book: Sweetwater Maiden: The Legend of Maple Syrup.
Mary Louise Bernard is the author of the children’s book Sweetwater Maiden: The Legend of Maple Syrup.Ross Andersen
The legend of Sweetwater Maiden revolves around a young girl who dreams of searching for her grandfather as he embarks on his life’s journey. Upon finding him, she discovers his tomahawk in a tree, dripping sismoqnapui (maple sap). As she boils down the sap, she discovers maple syrup and her grandfather then bestows her the name Sweet Water.
“It’s necessary that we continue to pass on the teachings to other people about the importance of our dreams, and follow our intuition – that’s what Sweetwater Maiden means to me,” Ms. Bernard said.
When she isn’t displaying Mi’kmaq culture at campgrounds, Ms. Bernard travels to schools across the province to share stories of Mi’kmaq legends with Indigenous and non-Indigenous students.
Indigenous legends are not only told for educational purposes. Oral storytelling is a sacred practice that is considered an act of healing and resilience. Ms. Bernard emphasizes how important her stories are as they offer a first-person historical record of Mi’kmaq culture.
“It’s important for children nowadays to feel proud of their culture, because there was a time where being Indian was to feel ridiculed,” she said.
Ms. Bernard recalls that it was her interactions with young Indigenous people decades ago that set her on her current path. A growing number of them knew little about their own history and language, mainly because of how much was historically erased because of the residential school system.
Bernard self-published Sweetwater Maiden in four languages: English, French, Mi’kmaq and Gaelic.
“I believe that Gaelic and Acadian cultures are both struggling here, and these are the four prominent languages of Cape Breton Island. If I am to have people understand my culture, it’s important I understand theirs,” she said.
All the positive feedback she has received inspired her to write a second book about the Mi’kmaq legend of the wiklatmu’j (little people). She hopes to have her second book published before the end of 2020.
What Ms. Bernard finds most rewarding is knowing that she has sparked a new-found interest in Mi’kmaq culture in the lives of young people. She sees herself as fulfilling her duty as an elder by passing down the knowledge of her ancestors.
At the campgrounds of Cape Breton Highlands National Park, she personally greets every camper after she concludes her ceremony – regardless of how many there are. She answers every question about the stories she tells and the songs she sings. Some ask about her smudge, while others ask about her language. She even signs copies of her books as if she were a bestselling author.
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