Ntjigsu’g

I am Mi’gmaq/Mennonite on my father’s side and Scottish/Irish on my mother’s side, and I grew up in Southern Ontario, on the unceded traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee, Mississaugas of the Credit, and the Attiwonderonk (Neutral) peoples in an area now known as the Haldimand Tract. My grandmother’s home community of Listuguj is situated on the Restigouche River on the Quebec and New Brunswick border, in Gesepe’ge’wa’gi in Mi’gma’gi, and I am connected to that land as a proud member of the Listuguj community.

Language also connects me to the land as my grandmother was a fluent Mi’gmaq speaker and gave me my name, Jipji’j (Little Bird). This was probably because I loved to eat (and she loved to bake, so it worked out), but I have since come to understand that even the littlest bird can have a powerful voice. Because of my grandmother, I work to reclaim my language, one word at a time. As Mi’gmaq Elder Albert Marshall once told me, I’m not learning my language but remembering it. However, as a neurodiverse person, learning/remembering can be quite a challenge, so my progress is slow.

I hope to contribute to language revitalization efforts. Please contact me if you’re a Mi’gmaq language speaker or knowledge holder and need help with book design or writing.

The same goes if you are a Mi’gmaq youth who needs writing help. We need your stories and your voices, and I would be honoured to be your writing Auntie.

Wela’lin for visiting!