Prince Edward Island: History
=== Mi'kmaw district ===
The Mi'kmaq are the Indigenous inhabitants of what is now Prince Edward Island, calling their country Mi'kma'ki. The island's land base formed one part of the district Epekwitk aq Piktuk (also spelled Epegwitg aq Pigtug). Named "Epekwitk" (and rendered as "Abegweit" in English)—meaning "cradled on the waves"—the island was governed by Saqamaq, or community chiefs, a women's council (Saqama'sgw), and wampum keepers (Putu's), eventually falling under the jurisdiction of the Sante' (or Mi'kmawey) Mawio'mi and the Grand Chief, or Kji Sagamaw. Today, Epekwitk (aq Piktuk), along with the other seven districts of Mi'kma'ki, are protected by the Peace and Friendship Treaties that the Mi'kmaq have with the Crown; however, rather than district-level governance, administration is currently overseen by band governments. On Epekwitk, the two communities are the Abegweit and Lennox Island First Nations.
Stretching back into deep history, the earliest stories of the Mi'kmaq go back to the time of Glooscap, a cultural hero and first human in Wabanaki mythology. Big in size and power, Mi'kmaw legend says that when Glooscap finished painting the splendour of the world, he dipped his brush into a blend of all the colours and created Epekwitk—his favourite island. When Glooscap slept, Enmigtaqamu'g (or mainland Nova Scotia) was his bed and Epekwitk his pillow. Another legend tells us that Minegoo—another name for the island, meaning, simply, "island" in Mi'kmawi'simk—was formed by the Great Spirit placing on the Blue Waters some dark red crescent-shaped clay.
Mi'kmaw oral history recalls a time when the world was covered in water. It was then that the being Sebanees, arriving in kjiktu’lnu ("our great boat"), landed on the shores of Epekwitk. The boat, made of ice, carried all the animals and fish his family would need for survival, and it is said that Epekwitk's unique land formation was a result of the melting of the ice boat. Archaeological evidence, such as shell middens and campsite remains, corroborate Mi'kmaw stories which indicate an ancient presence in Epekwitk. Prior to European colonization of the Americas, Mi'kmaq engaged in varied relations with neighbouring nations, such as the Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet), Passamaquoddy, and Abenaki, with whom they formed the Wabanaki Confederacy in Dawnland.
In 1534, Jacques Cartier was the first European to see the island. In 1604, the Kingdom of France laid claim to the lands of the Maritimes under the discovery doctrine, including Prince Edward Island, establishing the French colony of Acadia in Mi'kma'ki. The island was named Île Saint-Jean (St. John's Island) by the French. The Mi'kmaq never recognized the claim but welcomed the French as trading partners and allies. …