The Mi'kmaq First Peoples originally called themselves Lnu'k (or L'nu'k), "". The word "Mi'kmaq"
means "" and is used
today to refer to the Indigenous People of Eastern Canada.
Traditional Mi'kmaq territory, "Mi'kma'ki" is concentrated in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, but the
Mi'kmaq also had a presence in parts of Quebec, Newfoundland, and Maine. There are about 25,000
Mi'kmaq Indians today, most of whom still live on their traditional lands.
The BrasDor Indians are the descendants of a number of Mi'kmaq families
whose ancestral roots can be traced back to Mainland Nova Scotia. Areas such as
Lunenburg-LaHave [Merligueche], Cape Sable, and Windsor were all once called
home to the ancestors of the BrasDor Indians, but in the 1749-1750 period when Cornwallis would
place a bounty on the scalp of Indians, many fled the insecurity of the mainland
and made their way to Cape Breton, which was still under French rule, and
settled in the BrasDor Lakes region. Over
the years, these iterant Mi'kmaw, would be uprooted more than once from their homeland
by the English, but through their determination, strength of character and love
for their land, made their way back and eventually settle down around the BrasdOr Lakes and surrounding areas to become known as the BrasDor Indians.
We descend predominately from the following Mi’kmaq families, some of whom were
recorded in the 1708 Indian census:
Philippe Mius Jr. & Marie (Mi’kmaq) - 1708 Indian Census
Claude Petitpas & Marie-Thérèse (Mi’kmaq) - 1708 Indian Census
Michel Gallant [Haché] (son of an Eskimoo woman) & Anne Cormier
Jean Roy [LaLiberté] & Marie Aubois (Mi’kmaq)
Réné Rimbault & Anne Marie (Mi’kmaq)
François Joseph (Mi’kmaq) & Jeanne Lejeune (Mi’kmaq) - 1708 Indian Census
Pierre Lejeune & Unknown (Mi’kmaq), parents of Jeanne above
See: Lejeune
Study
Paul Lejeune & Angélique Hélène (Mi’kmaq)
Peter Pierro & Mary ? ( Haplogroup X - Native American)
The Indian Chego family - most of the BrasDor Indian families in
Newfoundland which immigrated to Newfoundland in the 1830-1840 period.
*** This is not an exhaustive list, but these are the more prominent
families
Their descendants today are found throughout the North America
continent, but the largest pockets of their descendants are found living on
their traditional lands around the BrasDor
Lakes of Cape Breton and the Western Shore of Newfoundland. [List
of BrasDor Indian Surnames] Since much of our culture and history has been
lost through the circumstances of history, the purpose of this website is to provide a
gateway for the purpose of re-educating the descendants of the BrasDor Indians
regarding their culture, their ancestors and their future as we move forward to
recognition and forge our identify among the First Peoples of Canada.
