James,
After reading the info below, I guess I made a big faux pas with the
spelling for Micmac., so I hope no one was offended.
What is the right way to spell "Mi'kmaq"? What is the best way to refer to
Micmac people? The correct way according to the most accepted Mi'kmaq
spelling system is 'Mi'kmaq'. The most common way is Micmac. You will find
Mi'kmaq people who spell it either way. Some people also drop the vowel
marker ('Mikmaq') or use an accent mark or double letter instead ('Míkmaq,'
'Miikmaq'), and some people write a 'g' instead of the middle 'k'
('Mi'gmaq', 'Migmaq', 'Miigmaq') As you can see, spelling is not very
standardized! Don't spell the word 'Miqmak' or 'Miqmaq,' though, and don't
capitalize any letters in the middle of the word. That just looks silly to
Mi'kmaq speakers.
I have not had occasion to personally use these links for genealogy yet, but
thought they may be useful to you or someone looking for Micmac genealogy
(particularly "Maliseet & Micmac Vital Statistics From New Brunswick Church
Records"). I found them to be very interesting reading: ~Diane
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Micmac Indian History _
In 1611 Biard estimated the Micmac at 3,000 to 3,500. In 1760 they were
reported at nearly 3,000, but had been lately much wasted by sickness. In
1766 they were again estimated at 3,500; in 1880 they were officially
reported at 3,892, and in 1884 at 4,037. Of these, 2,197 were in Nova
Scotia, 933 in New Brunswick, 615 in Quebec, and 292 on Prince Edward id.
In 1904, according to the Report of Canadian Indian Affairs, they numbered
3,861, of whom 579 were in Quebec province, 992 in New Brunswick, 1,998 in
Nova Scotia, and 292 on Prince Edward island. The number in Newfoundland is
not known.
Micmac (Migmak, 'allies'; Nigmak, 'our allies.' Hewitt). The French called
them Sourigeois. An important Algonquian tribe that occupied Nova Scotia,
Cape Breton and Prince Edward Islands, the north part of New Brunswick, and
probably points in south and west Newfoundland.
http://www.accessgenealogy.com/native/tribes/micmac/micmachist.htm
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Native Genealogy Data Bases :
Maliseet & Micmac Vital Statistics From New Brunswick Church Records
http://www.lib.unb.ca/Texts/Maliseet/ChurchRecords/
Descendants of Jacques Masta - includes Abenaki line
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~esthersgenealogypage/mastawoutline.html
Native People of Massachusetts - GEDCOM files constructed from documents
http://www.mayflowerfamilies.com/philip/
Gail Morin's Metis Families
http://www.televar.com/~gmorin/index.html
Native American Records online (Has Micmac tribe)
http://www.daddezio.com/records/room/indian.html
New England Indians - some nice genealogy on southern groups
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~massasoit/index.htm
MicMac Genealogy resources for Nova Scotia (Surname Search page)
http://www.gov.ns.ca/nsarm/virtual/mikmaq/genealogy.asp
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Mi'kmaq Culture and History Links -
http://www.native-languages.org/mikmaq_culture.htm