The ribbon was cut and a new Mi’kmaq Interpretive Centre officially opened at Cape Breton’s Fortress Louisbourg on Saturday.

It’s a place that brings together the history and culture of French Maritimers and will now celebrate Canada’s first people as well.

John Sylliboy, who has been a costumed interpreter and guide at the fortress for 12 years, says the opening is a dream-come-true because he’ll be able to better share his culture with visitors from all over the globe.

"It provides that bridge between our people and the rest of the world,” he says. “It's just something that I’ve been hoping and praying for a very long time.”

Visitors took in authentic Mi’kmaq artifacts and costumed presentations both inside and outside the new Centre, Saturday afternoon.

"Historically, the Mi’kmaq and the French here at Louisburg started a relationship in the early 1600's,” says Chief of the Mi’kmaq Grand Council, Stephen Augustine.

The Centre cost between $60,000 and $70,000 to build and Parks Canada worked with all five Cape Breton First Nations communities in the process.

Along with sharing French-Mi'kmaq history, they say the goals are to celebrate modern day First Nation’s culture and promote indigenous tourism on the island.

"They'll see actual artifacts that were found here at the time: a basket, for instance,” says Eddie Kennedy from Parks Canada. “They'll see reproductions of both cooking techniques and clothing worn at the time.  It’s a bit of a mixture of 18th century pre-European contact, with a touch on modern-day communities as well."

The Mi’kmaq Interpretive Centre has been in the works for a little more than a year and there are plans to expand the visitor experience into the future.

"We were telling the story here before, but we really wanted to refresh it and tell it better than what we were doing in the past,” Kennedy says.

Sylliboy says he looks forward to sharing his culture’s history with as many people as possible.

"It’ll provide that opportunity for the rest of the world to know more about our people and in knowing more about our people, it pushes the unknown away."

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Ryan MacDonald.