Ducks, including Black Ducks (‘Apji’jkmuj’ in Mi’kmaw) were an important food source. Eggs from a variety of waterfowl and sea birds were nutritious and beneficial to the Mi’kmaq. Oil and feathers from ducks were also utilized. In the spring months, many Mi’kmaq would move to the coastal regions of Mi’kma’ki and set up villages. There they would catch, kill, and eat marine species such as salmon, eels, other fish, clams, mussels, scallops, geese, ducks, and very rarely, seals, porpoise, and whales. Lightweight birch bark canoes made sneaking up on unexpecting flocks of ducks easier as they are very quiet gliding through water.
Learn about Netukulimk