Mikmaq share their culture, traditions at community college Mawiomi

TRURO - David Meuse wants the next generation to know about native traditions.
The 31-year-old Bible Hill resident is a part of a drum group and believes it is a great way to educate the youth about a component of First Nations heritage.
"Our hearts are there. We do it for the people, we do it for the drum and we do it for the culture," Meuse said Tuesday. "If our kids wake up one day and there's no culture, what do they have? It will be our fault that we didn't teach them or they didn't learn."
Meuse was only a teenager when he started drumming while growing up in Indian Brook. He is now a student at the Nova Scotia Community College Truro Campus taking academic career connections. On Tuesday, Meuse was able to display his drumming and singing talents for his fellow students at the Truro campus as part of the third annual Mawiomi (A Mi'kmaq word for gathering).
The sounds of drumming and singing echoed through the packed gymnasium as dancers, dressed in traditional regalia, performed and the smell of burning sweet grass floated through the room.
An estimated 400 people, including students from Truro Junior High School and Redcliff Middle School, attended the gathering during the first two hours. A key to the event is trying to create dialogue between performers and visitors.
Meuse said it is a great opportunity for people to find out more about a different culture. He said there has been a lot of progress made and awareness raised during the past few years.
Principal Kevin Quinlan said the event is a special one for the campus. "One of the comments I heard last year from a student, who was here from a First Nation in the province, is that 'today I felt like I was home,'" he shared.
"I think that kind of captures the feeling that this kind of event generates on the campus. It's a chance for us to observe and be part of a culture that we don't celebrate often enough."
Quinlan has witnessed the culture of the campus change since he came to Truro in 2001. At that point, there were an estimated 10 students from First Nations communities; today there are five times that many. While some years there were only a couple of graduates, last year there were 13.

jmalloy@trurodaily.com