News Release Archive
NS MUSEUM/EDUCATION&CULTURE--NEW MI'KMAQ KIT AVAILABLE ------------------------------------------------------------ Education and Culture Minister, John MacEachern today released a new version of the Nova Scotia Museum's First Peoples kit, which he called "a wonderful classroom resource." He said the kit explains the important role the Mi'kmaq people have played in shaping Nova Scotia's cultural heritage. The revised kit was also presented to Grand Chief Ben Sylliboy and the 13 band chiefs at a board meeting of the Mi'kmaq Association of Cultural Studies today in Dartmouth. Available to teachers and groups since the 1970s, the kit is the most popular of the museum's hands-on teaching resources. Thirty kits are distributed for two-week periods during the school year throughout Nova Scotia, reaching approximately 9,600 students. The kits are also used by youth groups when taking their Native Lore badges. Over the years changes have been made to contents, as new research and resources became available. This newest version was updated after consulting teachers and the Mi'kmaq community, including Mi'kmaq educators at the University College of Cape Breton and the Department of Education and Culture in Halifax. The kit is filled with hands-on material to help students understand Mi'kmaq culture over the years. Students can handle reproduction stone tools, some of which date to more than 10,000 years ago. They can also learn how the Mi'kmaq were skilled at using natural materials in their daily lives. The kit now includes an audio tape of Six Micmac Stories read by Mi'kmaq author Katherine Sorbey. The popular video Mi'kmaq: The people and Their Culture is included in two formats, video and filmstrips. A computer database, particularly valuable for older students, includes excerpts from Mi'kmaq history mentioning individuals by name from 1534 AD to 1950. A unit on petroglyphs has also been added so that students can examine and talk about this important cultural record. Sister Dorothy Moore, Mi'kmaq education consultant for the Department of Education and Culture said "the kit helps students learn about Mi'kmaq life in the past. Teachers must bring the students beyond the past to the present in Mi'kmaq history, culture and language". The Nova Scotia Museum is part of the Department of Education and Culture. -30- Contact: Joan Waldron 902-424-7398 trp Jan. 25, 1996 - 4:45 p.m.