This trail is currently closed due to trees across the trail and storm damage.
This is a relatively level path through and attractive mixed forest with diverse and interesting trees, plants and berries. There are areas of this trail with large downed trees across the trail that are a challenge to get through at the present time as the result of recent storms. This is not recommended for smaller children or those hesitant to climb and navigate through thickets. Older kids and active parents might enjoy the challenge. Make sure you are prepared to take on these challenges if you venture here now. A clean up is planned but not yet accomplished.
Take Highway 101 to exit 8a (Ben Jackson Road). Take the exit and turn toward the gas station side of the highway. Enter the traffic circle and take the third exit (Sweetgrass Road). Pass the gas station and continue 2.1 km to a stop sign (Sweetgrass Road merges onto Ben Jackson Road). Turn right at the stop sign onto Bishopville Rd. Go 2.9 km and turn right onto Smith Rd. just before a convenience store. Go about 900 m until you come to the Band Office and Health Centre. Park in the lot to your right and the trail starts from the side of the parking lot at the sign, “Glooscap First Nation Nature Trail.”
Stand at the start of the trail at the sign post.
You are headed off on a forest journey based on a Mi’kmaw Legend about the importance of learning from Elders and respecting all the creatures of these lands. You will learn about some traditional Mi’kmaw activities along the way. Oral traditions are very important for the Mi’kmaq and offer much wisdom for others as well. They have been passed down over many generations and have lessons that are very valuable for us as we live our lives today.
In a circle, start by each of you sharing a favourite story and what it teaches us.
Walk down the trail 75 metres until you encounter stepping stones on the path.
These stepping stones take you into the story world of Nukumi and Kluscap. Move slowly and carefully, only step on the stones, and count the number of stones you step on until you get to the end of the stepping stones.
Once you have crossed all of the stones, look back to a particularly large and interesting stone near the end and circle around it. Sit down if it is comfortable.
Listen to the start of the Nukumi and Fire Legend,34 this stone represents the stone in the story…
“One cold, autumn morning in a low valley, a great, grey stone sat covered with dew. The rock was very old and had sat there for many, many moons. It had seen the passing of many animals and many seasons, but this day as Niskam (Grandfather Sun) heated the rock and the dew rose as a mist from it, Niskam decided to give life to this rock. So as the rock grew hotter and the steam from the dew hovered over it, this one old rock was given the body of an old, old woman. This was Nukumi.
Kluskap [cultural hero of the Mi’kmaq) had been watching the birds and the plants and the animals and learning all he could. Now there came a day as he traveled that he wandered into this valley and there he met Nukumi. As Kluskap talked to Nukumi, he realized how much wisdom she had and he wanted to learn all that he could from her. Nukumi explained that she would be happy to be his grandmother and share her wisdom, but as an old woman, meat was necessary for her. She could not live only on plants and berries.“
So Kluscap needs to find meat and build a fire to feed Nukumi, and this is your mission— to set up a fire and find meat for the Grandmother Nukumi, then you will learn the end of the story.
Let’s start with gathering the materials for a fire. Later we will seek an animal for meat.
Starting fire is a challenge, remember there were no matches in ancient times.
You need to gather five types of things for this fire— bark, tinder, small sticks, middle sticks and big sticks. These things are offered to you by Creator and they must be taken with respect in places where they are plentiful. At various stops you will learn a little bit about some of the traditional Mi’kmaw ways of being in the forest.
Cross the wooden bridge ahead and go another 75 m up the hill, stop 5 m past a pile of rocks on the right side of the trail.
To start a fire, you need dry materials. One way to tell is through smell. You can smell the difference between dry wood and wet wood. Smell is an important sense to develop for anyone who lives in the forest to help them survive. It can be a way to find plants and track animals. Let’s work on this skill and here are a couple of tools to help.4
Do you notice a difference between the sticks? The water helps capture smells, that’s why dogs and coyotes have wet noses— it helps them smell.
It smell’s like peppermint if you have the right leaf. This is one traditional way of identifying plants.
Now try smelling lots of other things: a leaf, needles, bark, soil, logs, plants, etc.
Finish off by finding 8 small sticks (no thicker or longer than a pencil). Say thank you to the forest for letting you use them. Put them in your sack for collecting the materials to build the fire for Nukumi.
See if you can find three more neat smells as you move to the next stop.
Walk 100 m until you see a coloured sign on your left entitled “Seasonal Photo Location.”
Everything changes each season. This sign suggests you take a photo and upload it to create a photo gallery of this place across the year. Try it and upload it to our trail gallery when you are finished this trail. Look at other photos of this place at differing times to see how much it changes. Look for what has recently changed as you continue up the trail.
Continue 30 m up the trail until you see numerous large, fallen poplar trees to your left which create a jungle of tree trunks and branches.
This is a fallen tree jungle created by a hurricane and a climate that is changing. It’s a great spot for collecting a few larger sticks for the fire.
Climb around and explore all the neat branches and perches. On cooler days, Mi’kmaq needed warm and comfortable spots to rest on their travels as well as places to watch for creatures and other things happening around them. Observation is another important survival skill in the forest.
Find a neat, comfortable and sheltered spot among the fallen trees and snuggle into it with your Adventure Journal in hand.
Sit quietly and watch and listen for all of the sounds and movements around you. Draw a picture of something you see in your Adventure Journal.
Once you are done, collect three larger sticks about 30 cm long and a bit thinner than a ping pong ball. Say thank you for taking them and put them in your fire building sack.
Walk silently to the next spot and see how many different bird calls you can hear.
The fallen trees in this area are largely poplar and they were felled by Hurricane Dorian in September 2019. Poplar are a fast-growing pioneer species with shallow roots which fill in open areas. They are particularly susceptible to high winds. Large numbers of poplars, but little else, were brought down across Nova Scotia in the hurricane, which are increasing in severity due to climate change. A mature Acadian forest would not have many poplar, but this one has been cut over the years with the poplar growing up afterwards. Human activities have rapidly accelerated the natural processes of change and many traditional Acadian forest species are struggling or unable to adapt. A key ecological process for all species is…
Walk 70 m until you come upon a giant oak tree on the right side of the trail.
At different times of the year, Mi’kmaq ate different things, wore different things and lived different places. It is much harder to start a fire in some seasons while in others there is danger that a cooking fire will start a forest fire. Let’s get creative and imagine what this spot looks like in different seasons without using a camera. Let’s use all the things that are here now…
Are there things here now left from each season… Yup!
Before you move on, take four mid-sized sticks from the frame and break them in half to create 8 sticks about 20 cm long. Add them to the sack for the fire building. Scatter the rest of your materials across the forest floor so there is no trace of your pictures.
On your way to the next stop you will come across another Seasonal Photo Location. Try it!
Walk 125 m until you see the Seasonal Photo Location sign on the right. After taking the photo if you choose, continue another 50 m until you see a tall (about 13 m), broken off tree trunk on the left about 5 m off the trail. Just past it, on the left side of the trail, find three different small needle trees, each with a different type of needle.
You better know one forest plant from the other if you are harvesting them. Make a mistake and you could get sick. Let’s see if you can learn the difference between three important forest trees using only your sense of touch.
Remember what the spruce feels like as you will be collecting needles from one later for tea. See how many large spruce trees you can spot as you walk to the next stop
.
Walk 80 m to a birch tree on the right edge of the trail with two vertical cuts on the trunk. Each cut is less than a half metre long.
Traditionally, Mi’kmaq met all their needs from the offerings of nature, so they used things wisely and took only as much as the forests and waters could sustain. Birch bark was valuable for so many things, from building fires to canoes, as drawing material and as covering for wikuoms (wigwams). The cut marks on this birch tree to the right show that someone started to carefully harvest the bark from it by not going too deep to avoid hurting the tree. You can see that the inner bark is hardening.
Let’s see what you can make with bark in a small way.
At the end, spread the materials back around the forest except for the some of the birch bark. Put a couple small pieces in your fire building sack.
See how many birch trees are around as you move to the next stop.
Birchbark is special because it is strong, waterproof and does not rot.28 Summer is the best time to harvest it because the sap running in the tree helps the bark separate from the trunk more easily relative to the colder temperatures of winter. To harvest it, a vertical line is cut straight. Cutting horizontal all the way around the tree could damage or even kill the tree. Harvesters cut in one big sheet, 1 to 2 metres long and gently work the outer bark off the tree with their hands. If the initial cut is too deep and the inner bark gets cut, the tree could die because it is left unprotected. If carefully harvested, the tree’s inner bark will become coarser and act as the new outer bark for protection. This could take 10 years or more. For canoes, larger sheets the length of the tree are cut. Birch bark was used for many items— wigwams and other shelters, canoes, and tools. Todd Labrador from Acadia First Nation is a Mi’kmaw artist who still builds traditional Mi’kmaw canoes today and shares his knowledge with others.
Walk 75 m until you see a maple tree just to the left of the trail with 6 thin trunks that has a big base with many holes in it. You will note many large ferns in this area.
The Wiklatmu’j (sounds like wih-guh-lah-tuh-mooch) are the ‘little people” who live in the forest with the Mi’kmaq. They are mostly known as tricksters. They are less than a metre tall and are very clever and quick on their feet. Stories of the Wiklatmu’j teach children to not disobey or be disrespectful. Be kepmite’tagn! (respectful).
They sound like birds when they speak with each other. Maybe you hear some now?
Let’s crawl into and explore their world beneath the ferns with sharp eyes and a magnifying lens, if you have one…
Before you move on, gather the last ingredient for the fire. It is tinder, the very smallest dry materials that need to catch once you light the birch bark. This gets from the quick burn of the bark to the small sticks. Here are some things to look for:
Collect a large handful of these things and put them in the fire building sack.
Walk 75 m until you spot a patch of low spruce about 2 m wide and a half metre high, just off the trail and up to the right. It is just past a tree on the right with large woodpecker holes in it.
Now you have gathered all of the materials for the fire, but what is to be the meat? Let’s listen to the next part of the story…34
“Kluskap was so happy to have a grandmother that he called to Marten swimming in the river. He asked Marten if he would give his life so that Kluskap’s grandmother could live. All of the animals were friends to Kluskap, and Marten said he would do this for his friend. Now Kluskap told Marten that for this sacrifice he would make Marten his brother. So Nukumi snapped Marten’s neck and placed him on the ground but Kluskap felt so bad that he called to Kisúlkw (Creator) to return Marten to life.
Now Nukumi used her wisdom to speak with Kisúlkw and Kluskap, and Marten was brought back to life so he could return to his river. But where he lay on the ground was the body of another marten. Nukumi told Kluskap that from this point the animals would be brother and friend to Kluskap. They would be there willing to provide food and clothing, shelter and tools, but always they must be treated with the respect given a brother and friend, because they would only be there to provide what is necessary for life. Marten will always be the first of Kluskap’s friends.”
Chat and ask questions about the story passage:
Martens are small and fierce animals, about the size of a small cat, but they are thinner with shorter legs and a bushy tail. They are very quick and quiet and live alone in old and mature forests. They eat small creatures like mice, chipmunks and squirrels. Let’s practice being a marten and try to catch something to eat.
When the game is over, search on the ground for a piece of bark or an old leaf that looks a bit like the shape of a marten. Add it to your sack to bring to the fire.
Stay at the same spot near the patch of spruce.
Grandmother Nukumi asked Kluscap to provide her with meat to nourish her, but she would need something to drink as well. How about gathering things to make tea?
The Mi’kmaw used many plants to make tea, both to give them warm and good tasting drinks, and to provide medicine as many plants are good for treating illnesses and injuries.
Lets collect the needles for making spruce tea and you can actually make the tea at home using the recipe in the box below. Collect a half cup of spruce needles.
Walk 75 m until you see the underneath of a large uprooted tree with grass growing on it (the Grass Monster). It is just off the right edge of the trail.
Did you notice the change?… You have passed from the older forest into the Kingdom of Grass, the last stop before you reach the place where you will set up the fire. The grass monster rules this part of the forest. Can you make out the monster’s face in the uprooted tree?
The monster values the beauty in nature and asks that you create some pictures using natural materials in your journal before you pass through the kingdom. Try it.
Here are personal steps you can take towards Reconciliation, which will be a long generational and societal journey.
Learn more about the Mi’kmaq and Mi’kmaw culture. L’Nuk, The People by Theresa Meuse is a wonderful resource on this topic for young people.
Walk 100 m to a flat spot on the trail just before it bends right and exits the forest at a sign.
Find a comfortable spot where everyone can sit in a circle to set up the fire.
Note: You are not to light the fire as you do not have permission to do so on Glooscap First Nation Land.
So only one more thing is needed to start the fire for Grandmother Nukumi. Listen to the story…34
“Kluskap asked Robin to fly to the place where the lightning had hit the ground to give Kluskap life, and bring the sparks that were there to him. Robin flew to the place but he had to use two dry sticks to carry the sparks because they were so hot. As he flew the wind caused the sticks to burn and robin’s breast turned red. Still he brought the fire to Kluskap.“
To fulfill Robin’s mission and ‘get’ a spark, exit the trail and find a a pile of pebbles just to the left of the sign. Choose one red coloured pebble to be the spark. Find two sticks and use them to carry the pebble back and place it in the teepee fire.
Now read the final part of the story…34
“Robin brought the fire to Kluskap and Nukumi put more wood on this fire and Niskam breathed on the sparks so that they burned the wood and created Great Spirit Fire. But all robins after this had red breasts and when two dry sticks are rubbed together they make fire. So the first meat was cooked over fire and Kluskap and his grandmother started their time together. Kluskap would help his grandmother survive and she would share her wisdom and knowledge with him.“
Chat about the story using the following questions.
When you are finished your discussion, please put the materials back in the sack and bring them home to use them for a fire there. You can use that fire to boil your spruce tea using the needles from the trail.
If you do not want to make the fire and tea at home, respectfully spread your fire materials around the area so as to leave no evidence of it.
Your final challenge is to find the mystery plaque and creature. Take a guess as to where it might be? Hint: It is on something nearby made by Mi’kmaq in this community. Make a rubbing of the mystery creature on the plaque in your Adventure Journal with the side of your pencil.
The plaque symbol is:
Please login if you would like to record your trail completion, provide feedback or upload photos to the trail gallery.
Retrace your path back to the parking lot. Another shorter but less attractive option is to walk out to the road, turn right, and walk back that way to the parking lot.
There are lots of other ways to explore Mi’kmaw culture. Here are a few good ones:
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