Signs in the Mi'kmaw language celebrate the indigenous history of two places on Prince Edward Island

Prince Edward Island has two new highway signs in the Mi'kmaw language, bringing the total number of signs in the province to over 40.

One of the signs is located at Portage Lake and bears the traditional name Meski'k pu'ta'sk. The other is located at Rocky Point and bears the traditional name of the area, Kuntal Kwesawe'kl.

The first Mi'kmaw language signs on the island were installed by L'nuey PEI in 2020 as part of the Indigenous Awareness Week project.

Jenene Wooldridge, executive director of L'nuey, said language revitalization has always been important to the organization and she fondly remembers the time when the first signs were put up on the island.

“It gives such a rich historical context to the place where they live today,” says Jenene Wooldridge, executive director of L'nuey. (submitted)

“It was something new and it was really something that involved our shared history,” Wooldridge said. “It included descriptions and stories of how the M'kmaq people in the past had relied on different places for their survival.”

Since then, L'nuey said she has tried to put up more signs each year during Indigenous Awareness Week, and she would like to see that practice continue.

“It adds a rich historical context”

Wooldridge described the feedback on the signs as extremely positive.

“We've had communities want to put up traditional place name signs throughout their communities; Stratford has installed a number of signs themselves through a partnership with L'nuey,” she said.

“People have been very supportive of this initiative and it adds such a rich historical context to where they live today.”

Keptin Jimmy Bernard of Lennox Island First Nation stands in front of the new sign in Portage Lake that displays the traditional Mi'kmaw name. (L'nuey)

The L'nuey website has an interactive map showing traditional place names in the Mi'kmaw language and their meanings.

For example, the Mi'kmaw name for the Hillsborough River, which English speakers call Elsitkuk, pronounced “el-sid-goog.” In English, it means “the place where water flows out, but you can't see where it comes from.”

Every time Wooldridge drives past one of these signs, she feels connected to her ancestors. But it also reminds her of what has been lost.

“It makes me realize how much of the language has been lost through colonization and how difficult it is to try to save a language.”

Despite this challenge, Wooldridge believes her ancestors would be proud to see these signs posted all over the island.

“That's how they communicated with each other. It was very descriptive,” she said. “Often the place names tell a story about how they used the land, what the land was best used for in their traditional way.”

“I’m sure they would be proud if this continued.”