Honouring connections to place: Mi’kmaw language is included on signage

Prince Edward Island National Park

Stanhope Trilingual sign Install
Trilingual signage welcomes visitors entering PEI National Park and other Parks Canada-administered sites in the province.

Indigenous peoples’ long-standing relationships with, and sacred responsibilities for, the lands, waters and ice have shaped their identities and influenced their cultures and languages for millennia. Many Indigenous place names have been replaced by colonial names through practices and policies, including some aimed at erasing Indigenous peoples, their cultures, and languages. By supporting the reclamation of Indigenous place names and the use of Indigenous languages in the sites it administers, Parks Canada is taking steps toward reconciliation. 

Parks Canada has worked closely with Mi’kmaw leadership and community members to develop and implement trilingual (English, French, and Mi’kmaw) signage, interpretive panels, and displays throughout places administered by Parks Canada on PEI. As a result of this effort, signage at all principal points of access to Parks Canada-administered sites on PEI has been updated to reflect trilingual place names.  

Work continues to expand the list of trilingual site names and to incorporate terms into visitor-facing signage and literature. It's not just about language; it's about respect, understanding, and honouring the Mi’kmaq for being caretakers of this land since time immemorial.


Name - English

Name - French Name - Mi’kmaw Phonetic pronunciation Mi’kmaw term lexicon
Brackley Beach Plage de Brackley Brackley qasqe’k  Ĝus-ĝeyg
Beach
Cavendish Cavendish Pemamkiaq Bem-um-kee-aĝ Long sand bar
Cavendish Beach Plage de Cavendish Pemamkiaq qasqe’k 
Bem-um-kee-aĝ
Long sand bar beach
Cavendish Beach Trail Sentier Cavendish Beach Pemamkiaq qasqe’k awti’j
Bem-um-kee-aĝ out-eej
Path/trail
Cavendish Campground Camping de Cavendish Pemamkiaq ewi’kat
Bem-um-kee-aĝ eh-wee-gut s/he is building his/her house; pitches a tent; camp 
Cavendish Dunelands Trail Sentier Cavendish Dunelands Pemamkiaq apatamkiaq awti’j   Bem-um-kee-aĝ ubb-udd-umk-eeaĝ out-eej Sandy shore winding and turning
Cavendish Grove Boisé de Cavendish Pemamkiaq umkutiaska’qamikt     Lots of trees (grove)
Clarks Lane Trail Sentier Clarks Lane Clarks Lane awti’j    Out-eej Path/trail 
Covehead Bay Baie Covehead  Nlukunejk   Nlook-oon-ejk The place where there is a bump or lump
Farmlands and Bubbling Springs Trails Sentiers Farmlands et Bubbling Springs
Ika’taqan aqq tgupoq awti'jl  Ig-uh-tuĝ uĝ tk-oop-oĝ out-eej Garden/ cultivated land or field (farmland) and bubbling spring 
Greenwich trails Sentiers de Greenwich  Msiku aqq atuomk awti’jl    Msigu-uĝ ud-oo-omk-out-eej
Grass and sand paths/trails  
Havre Saint Pierre Trail Sentier Havre Saint Pierre Puku’samkek awti’j    Boog-oo-sum-geg out-eej At the place where there are plenty of clams in the sand 
Tlaqatik Trail Sentier Tlaqatik Tlaqatik awti’j   Tluĝ-ud-ig out-eej
The place where people gather, the gathering place 
Greenwich Dunes Trail Sentier Dunes de Greenwich
Elmamketik awit'j   El-mum-ged out-eej
The place where the sand extends away from 
Gulf Shore Way East Trail Sentier Golfe – Est Wjipenuk qasqe'k atwi  Oojee-benoog-ĝusĝ-eyg out-ee
Multi-use trail that runs parallel to the Gulf Shore Parkway in the central sector of the park
Gulf Shore Way West Trail Sentier Golfe – Ouest Pekte'snuk qasqe'k atwi Peck-days-snook ĝusĝ-out-ee
Multi-use trail that runs parallel to the Gulf Shore Parkway in the western sector of the park
Homestead Trail Sentier Homestead Apsi'kan awti’j   Ub-see-gun out-ee Lodge, hut, small house (homestead)  
Prince Edward Island National Park Parc national de l’Île-du-Prince-Édouard Kanata Aqq Epekwitkewey Tepkistek Maqamikew Anko’tasik  Gun-ah-duh aĝ ebb-eg-wit-gay-way teb-gis-teg muĝ-um-ig-oh Unk-oh-duss-ig
 
Robinsons Island Trail System Réseau de sentiers de l’île Robinsons Tapu Tuitn awti’jl    Dawb –oo doo-idn out-eej
Double narrows paths/trails
North Rustico North Rustico Tapu tuitn Dawb-oo doo-idn
Double narrows 
Oceanview Oceanview
Apaqtuk   Ub-uĝ doog
Far out to sea (Oceanview) 
Stanhope Stanhope Atoqwa’su walney Ud-oĝ-ah-soo wul-ney
Trout cove 
Stanhope campground Camping de Stanhope Atoqwa’suwalneyewi’kat
Ud-oĝ-ah-soo wul-ney eh-wee-gud Trout cove 
Tracadie Tracadie  Tlaqatik  Dluĝ-ud-ig  The place where people gather, the gathering place

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