Ta’n me’j Tel-keknuo’ltiek: How Unique We Still Are

Ta’n me’j Tel-keknuo’ltiek (Da’n mej Del-geg-new-ol-tee-egg): How Unique We Still Are

Mi’kmaw people past and present are shaped by their deep and abiding relations to the place they sprouted from. The Mi’kmaq continue to sprout from this land, to be nourished by these waters, to defend their inherent rights, and to respect treaty relationships with others in this place.

Launched November 9, 2021 at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, Ta’n me’j Tel’keknuo’ltiek: How Unique We Still Are, reflects how Mi’kmaw people remain connected to the lands and waters of Mi’kma’ki. This exhibit featuring Mi’kmaw historian and guest curator, Salina Kemp, offers a platform for Mi’kmaw people to express their continued experiences with an understanding of the lands and the waters of Mi’kma’ki. Mi’kmaw single-word concepts are represented through personal testimony and histories of individual Mi’kmaw people, featured objects, artifacts, images and symbolic artwork. These experiences and understandings are rooted in cultural expressions that connect past, present and future in this place.

Ta’n me’j Tel’keknuo’ltiek: How Unique We Still Are offers the visitor, especially the non-Indigenous Canadian public, opportunities for fundamental treaty education, and to learn about the truths that must precede reconciliation.

This exhibit has been translated into Mi’kmaw using the Smith/Francis orthography. Throughout the translation process, the French and English versions have been changed as necessary to more accurately capture Mi’kmaw perception of the concepts presented.

Ta’n me’j Tel’keknuo’ltiek: How Unique We Still Are was developed as part of the Nova Scotia Museum’s contribution to the 2023 North American Indigenous Games taking place in Nova Scotia July 15-23. 2023.