In 1604 the famous French explorer Samuel Champlain named the town Port-Royal. Now we call it Annapolis Royal on the Annapolis Basin.

The French had tried a few times to establish successful settlements until 1605 when they started one that worked at Port Royal Nova Scotia. This one was led by Pierre Dugua le Sieur de Mons and worked mainly because they were helped by the local Mi’kmaq.

The Mi’kmaq offered their valuable knowledge about the land and its inhabitants that proved immeasurably helpful to the new arrivals. They also became military allies. The alliance lasted for 150 years. And, of course, many of them joined the French in their religion as well. They became Christians.

Christiane and I visited the reconstructed Habitation on what is now a designated  historic site of Canada. It is located close to where the original one was believed to be. The reconstructed Habitation was completed in 1941 and was instrumental in providing an example of how such projects should be handled. The reconstruction was based on Champlain’s picture plan of the settlement.

Before Europeans arrived the people now called Mi’kmaq were called L’Nu’k which like names claimed by so many Indigenous Peoples means, “the people.” The Mi’kmaq lived here for thousands of years before the Europeans arrived. The traditional territory of the Mi’kmaq included all of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island and part of New Brunswick including the land north of the St. John River and the Gaspe area of Quebec. In other words, it included pretty well all the land we travelled on for 3 weeks in the Maritimes. The Mi’kmaq called the southern part of Nova Scotia Kespukwitk which means “the end of the flow.”

The first two years of the French settlement were very hard and many of them died, even though they had help from the Mi’kmaq. As a result morale was understandably very low among those settlers. As a result, Champlain wisely started a social group in the winter of 1606 to 1607 called the Order of Good Cheer. What a great name! The group had regular nights of singing, feasting, and story-telling. Naturally, some beverages were also consumed. How could you have an Order of Good Cheer without that? The Mi’kmaq chiefs were often invited to sit at the head table with the “gentlemen.”

Bed & Roses B & B

Today the historic site is called Port Royal. A number of years ago we stayed for a number of days at a lovely B &B. It was elegant, but also comfortable.

It is also an artistic community. Now the community admits “Visitors are invited to delve into the rich Mi’kmaq history and heritage, witnessing its enduring impact on our vibrant culture.”