Membertou 400th Anniversary

During the late 15th and early 16th century, Grand Chief Henri Membertou led a group of Mi’kmaq who hunted and fished in the area encompassing a basin of water that the French named Port Royal in the year 1604. Today we know this area as the Annapolis Basin. A great and respected leader, Membertou had a tremendous following and was the Grand Chief of the Grand Council of the Mi’kmaq.

On June 24th, 1610 Grand Chief Henri Membertou expressed his faithfulness to the French by allowing himself and his family to be baptized into the Roman Catholic Church. Membertou was a very wise Saqamaw (Chief) who cared deeply for his people. Both Mi’kmaq and French paid tribute to him in a solemn funeral. He was so influential a figure in Mi’kmaq society that within the next fifty years many most, Mi’kmaq had also converted to Christianity. The baptism was seen as a symbolic gesture of friendship, loyalty, and respect, traits that are still central to the Mi’kmaq culture today.

Named after the Grand Chief, the community of Membertou has planned a series of events in order to commemorate the 400th Anninversary of the baptism, and to celebrate our traditions, culture and heritage. Events will take place throughout the year with the key celebrations taking place in June of 2010 as the community celebrates National Aboriginal Day, the 400th Anniversary, and hosts the 1st annual Membertou Music & Arts Festival. Membertou looks forward to “Welcoming the World” in 2010 to share our rich Culture and to join in recognizing this significant milestone in Canadian history.

This year’s campaign was inspired by the Membertou stamp © Canada Post Corporation (2007). Reproduced with permission.