“from stone to canvas” in Liverpool

The featured artists are mother and daughter, Jean Augustine-McIsaac and Melissa S. Labrador (Labrador-Posey).

Muin'iskw is the Mi'kmaw name of Jean Augustine-McIsaac. Originally from the Big Cove First Nation community in New Brunswick, Jean has been living in Nova Scotia for over 30 years. She works with Parks Canada at Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site as the supervisor of the Cultural Heritage Presentation section. This section tells the story of the Mi'kmaq people, who have inhabited this area since time immemorial.

Doah Aye Nibi is the Mi'kmaw name of Melissa Sue Labrador (Labrador-Posey), granddaughter of the late Mi'kmaq Elder and Hereditary Chief of the Acadia First Nations, Charles W. Labrador, and daughter also of the Mi'kmaq artisan and Birch Bark Canoe builder, Todd Labrador.

Melissa is a self-taught artist who is strongly in touch with her native heritage and has been brought up on traditional ways and values. She was born in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia and raised in South Brookfield and is a current resident of the area.

Both Jean and Melissa's artwork have always been inspired by the petroglyphs, which are images that were incised on slate rocks along the shores of Kejimkujik Lake by the Mi'kmaw Ancestors hundreds of years ago. Today there are about 450 images that depict the daily lives of the early Mi'kmaw people. This is their history “Written In Stone.”

For further details on the featured artists and the significance of Mi'kmaq History Month, visit www.autumn-leaf.netfirms.com

Treaty Day, (Oct. 1) marks the beginning of Mi'kmaq History Month in Nova Scotia as proclaimed in 1993 by then Premier John Savage and Mi’kmaq Grand Chief Ben Sylliboy.

Its purpose is to promote public awareness about the Mi’kmaw culture and heritage for all citizens of Nova Scotia. A poster is produced and numerous events are organized throughout the month in recognition of Mi’kmaq History Month.