Father-daughter duo Todd and Melissa Labrador are passionate about preserving their Mi'kmaw traditions
The father-daughter duo of Todd and Melissa Labrador is passionate about preserving their Mi'kmaw traditions.
"I always think, you know, education is the key to breaking down so many barriers," says Melissa Labrador. "So the more we do this in public, the more the public is able to come in and be a part of this."
These days, you'll find the pair of Mi'kmaw artisans at the Lunenburg School of the Arts. They're building a birch bark canoe, while welcoming curious visitors who wander into the workshop.
"Sometimes we don't get a lot of work done because we just talk all day," chuckles Todd. "I enjoy the chats with people, they'll give me experiences that they've had on their journey."
The pair has had a busy summer.
In August, Todd and Melissa took one of their birch bark canoes in Lunenburg harbor and sailed with Bluenose II.
It was an emotional moment for the father, daughter and their entire family.
"My great grandfather Joe Jermey actually made hoops for the mast, for the sails – the mast hoops for the Bluenose."
They're also in the process of building a traditional wigwam at Ross Farm – a museum that highlights Nova Scotia's rural heritage.
"This just adds to that whole story of Ross Farm," adds Melissa. "The history there, so by creating this project and bringing a wigwam to the farm, then you can build on all that history and that story that needs to be told of that relationship."
With the first ever National Day for Truth and Reconciliation happening on Sept. 30, Todd offers some words for everyone to reflect on:
"If you look at some of the canoes I make, we have a canoe with birch bark, but every piece of bark that we put in has a different shade, a different colour," he explains. "Every person has a different shade of skin. The different colours of skin, but in the canoe, we put all those different colours together and we sew them together and they all work together, and it creates something beautiful. And I'm thinking we can do that in the future, if we come together and work together and help each other, we can create a beautiful future and that's what I hope."
You can catch Todd and Melissa Labrador working on their current birch bark canoe at the Lunenburg School of the Arts for the majority of the fall season.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Fewer medical students going into family medicine contributing to doctor shortage
As some family doctors are retiring and others are moving away from family medicine, there are fewer medical students to take their place.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Competition bureau finds 'substantial' anti-competitive effects with proposed Bunge-Viterra merger
The proposed merger of agricultural giants Viterra and Bunge is raising competition concerns from the federal government.
Douglas DC-4 plane with 2 people on board crashes into river outside Fairbanks, Alaska
A Douglas C-54 Skymaster airplane crashed into the Tanana River near Fairbanks on Tuesday, Alaska State Troopers said.