Parks Canada and the Mi’kmaq of Nova Scotia are working together to preserve Mi’kmaq heritage before renovations begin at Kejimkujik Seaside Park.

The park has been closed since Oct. 20 to repair infrastructure damage as a result of Hurricane Dorian.

Some trails will be repaired, and others rerouted.

Parks Canada and the Mi’kmaq of Nova Scotia, as represented by Kwilmu'kw Maw-klusuaqn Negotiation Office (KMKNO) along with Boreas Heritage Consultants have planned all aspects of the archaeological dig together to ensure the Mi’kmaq perspective is at the forefront.

KMKNO staff archaeologist Kait MacLean says it’s important to preserve and protect Mi’kmaq heritage.

“One of the ways that we can protect Mi’kmaq heritage is to locate it. We know that Mi’kmaq people were here, we know that Mi’kmaq people would have used this landscape. Being able to protect that heritage before infrastructure goes in is really important to us. The work that we’re doing with Parks Canada allows us to have that Mi’kmaq perspective into how the work is planned and how it is undertaken,” said MacLean.

A 10-person team from Boreas Heritage consultants is digging test holes at five metre intervals along the proposed trails to ensure nothing of significance is being disturbed.

Archaeologists Rebecca Dunham and Kait MacLean at Keji Seaside. Photo by Ed Halverson.

Parks Canada Terrestrial Archaeologist Rebecca Dunham says construction crews won’t have to wait too long to begin their work.

“Things are moving along pretty quickly. Probably will be another couple of weeks. If something is found though, things change. They’ll be more tested required and that may prolong the actual testing timeline a bit. It will be a few weeks anyway,” said Dunham. “The construction crews will move along as the archaeology is completed. It will be a progressive process.”

MacLean says by working together, Parks Canada and the Mi’kmaq of Nova Scotia have ended up with what she calls, better archaeology.

“Through this process we’ve found sites in areas where Parks [Canada] previously wouldn’t have necessarily thought were high risk areas or would’ve necessarily looked,” said MacLean. “I think that’s a real positive outcome of this, is that we’ve been able to see real achievements from it. We have found sites that previously would’ve been unrecorded. I think that’s a great success.”

Crews will continue to work on the trails through the end of the year.

Keji Seaside is expected to reopen in January.

E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson

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