Modern-Day Mi’kmaq Communities of Bras d’Or
Today, 4 of Cape Breton’s 5 Mi’kmaq reserves are located on the shores of the Bras d’Or Lakes. They include:

Eskasoni – A large reserve (population 2,865) located below the Boisdale Hills, on the north shore of the Lakes’ East Bay. The community’s name is derived from the Mi’kmaq word we’ksistoqnik, meaning “where the fir trees are plentiful.”

Chapel Island – Long associated with Mi’kmaq culture, and the site of an early French Catholic mission. Located near the southwest end of Bras d’Or Lake, in the vicinity of Barra Head and St. Peter’s. (Population: 450)

Waycobah – “Head of the Waters” community, located at the eastern end of St. Patrick’s Channel, near the Scottish settlement of Whycocomagh. (Population: 600).

Wagmatcook – Located on St. Patrick’s Channel, just west of the village of Baddeck. (Population: 550)

Powwow Revival: Eskasoni’s Annual Celebration
With a resurgence of cultural identity and pride in the maritime Mi’kmaq Nation, Eskasoni, Atlantic Canada’s largest native community, has revived the ancient tradition of the ko’jua, or powwow gathering. Held each year in late June, the Eskasoni powwow is the largest event of its kind in the Atlantic provinces. Visitors from throughout Canada and the United States take part in storytelllng, drumming and dancing, “talking circles” and traditional Mi’kmaq games, including waltes. Colourful competitions include “Best Regalia,” and daily pageantry features the “Grand Entry” and the “Retiring of the Flags.”

Visit the Wagmatcook Culture and Heritage Centre
A bald eagle, perched atop a stone adorned with Mi’kmaq hieroglyphics, appears in the stained glass window that dominates the main foyer of the Wagmatcook Culture and Heritage Centre on the north shore of the Bras d’Or Lakes. The Centre, opened in 2001, is dedicated to the revival of the Mi’kmaq culture. A life-size wigwam, collections of ancient tools, photographs of Mi’kmaq people catching salmon, making baskets and hunting for caribou, portray the Centre’s theme, “The Way a Mi’kmaq Lives.” The site is home to a permanent heritage exhibit and display of Mi’kmaq artifacts entitled “Let Us Remember the Old Mi’kmaq.” Special activities in the facility’s Great Hall include drumming, dancing and storytelling by community elders. Visitors can sample traditional Mi’kmaq foods such as eel stew, roasted venison and “four cent cake” at the Centre’s on-site restaurant, and shop for baskets, beadwork, quill-work, Mi’kmaq regalia, and original paintings and artwork. The Wagmatcook Centre is open daily, year-round.

Lee Cremo, Mi’kmaq Fiddler Extraordinaire
What does Cape Breton culture sound like? To find out, pick up a recording by the late Lee Cremo a Mi’kmaq musician from the Bras d’Or Lakes community of Eskasoni. Cremo, born into a talented musical family, was a gifted fiddler and composer who produced a unique blend of Mi’kmaq music, Scottish reels and Irish jigs. A charming and colourful performer, Cremo was a 6-time winner of the Maritime Fiddling Championships and the “Best Bow Arm in the World” competition at the World Fiddle Championships in Nashville, Tennessee. He appeared with some of country music’s most famous stars, and was the subject of a movie, “Arm of Gold,” and a Smithsonian Institute production, “Creation’s Journey.” Until his death at the age of 60, in 1999, Cremo was a tireless ambassador for the Mi’kmaq culture and often performed at aboriginal events.