Oral tradition often contrasts sharply with archaeological theory with the belief that ancestors of the First Peoples have inhabited this continent since the beginning of time. If so, the post-glacial rise in ocean levels since glaciation has effectively concealed any proof of their presence. In the interior, the scouring effect of the ice has obscured any trace of human occupation.

Although there is no way that the oral tradition can determine the precise date of the earliest occupation, it can tell us a great deal about these people and their land. Memories of an ancient landscape are embedded in the consciousness of First Peoples, through the many myths and legends that have been passed down from generation to generation. These stories tell how mountains, rivers, and lakes assumed their present form.

Some stories have passed into the safekeeping of a particular family. Canadian historian Stephen Augustine received the following story from his Great Grandmother, Isabel. She, in turn, had received it from her grandfather, a hereditary chief of the Mi'kmaw Grand Council and a Keeper of the Story. In this version, Glooscap was created by a series of lightning bolts. Later, he spoke with the bald eagle, sent from the heavens as a guardian of the Mi'kmaw people. As the bird soared overhead, Glooscap caught and held one of the feathers that drifted to the ground. Since that day, the Mi'kmaw people have revered the eagle feather as a symbol of their connection with the Great Spirit [ref. Augustine, Stephen A. "Mi'Kmaq Knowledge in the Mi'Kmaq Creation Story: Lasting Words and Deeds," April 8, 1977, page 3].

    
In this version, the people emerge as sparks from the Great Spirit Fire: 7 sparks in one direction, 7 more in another. From these sparks would emerge 7 women and 7 men, the forebears of 7 families. The Mi'kmaw people form one of these families. Their nation, in turn, is divided into 7 districts. The number "7" is sacred in the Mi'kmaw culture.

Did the people, then, emerge from a tree or a spark? Was Glooscap formed by a lightning bolt, or did he sail across a great sea? This can be confusing for those of us who prefer a single version of the "truth." Often, this means the earliest written version. Yet, as we shall see, this too presents problems.

One of the best ways to learn about the creation of the world, therefore, is to hear it from an elder. In oral cultures, narratives such as the Glooscap tales are not written down, but are passed from one generation to the next, for safekeeping. Each storyteller filters the story according to his or her own understanding and experience. No one version claims to tell the complete story. Taken together, however, they embody the accumulated experience of Canada's First Peoples [ref. Prins, Harald E. L. The Mi'kmaq: Resistance, accommodation, and Cultural Survival. Fort Worth: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1996, page 41].

Olive Dickason
Professor of History

"Why do you think the historians had a reluctance to recreate the pre-contact history?"

Bern Francis
Mi'kmaq Linguist

"It has been said that language is a record of the past. Do you agree?"
The apparent contradictions and distortions mean that we cannot approach creation stories in the same way as we approach more conventional histories. Instead, they must be understood on the figurative, or allegorical, level. As humans, we are mythic, narrative creatures, who use stories to make sense out of our experiences. Often, for example, creation stories contain the unwritten rules of a culture, such as how to treat others or how to protect the natural world. A story can also be a narrative response to a disaster such as a flood.

Creation stories are found all over the world, in all cultures. The Bible was a collection of oral stories, until it was finally frozen into print. We will never know what was deleted from, or added to, the original. Even today, the Bible is constantly changing, through the various translations and editions. Yet this does not make it any less sacred, or any less true.

The same holds true for Canada's oral tradition. We should approach these stories as the First Peoples do: not with the intention of separating fact from fiction, but with the goal of finding the truth embedded in them. The myths and legends passed down through the oral tradition tell us about the cultural values and beliefs of the First Peoples. They convey deeply spiritual meaning about the underlying relationship between human beings and all of Creation.