The history of Kejimkujik National Park including the deep ancient history is very interesting.

380 million years ago the continents of Africa and North America moved together closing the Atlantic Ocean in the process. This collision of continents baked and bent the layers of silt and shale into the metamorphic rock that we call shale.

Later the continents shifted again and the continents separated once more leaving some African slate as part of what we now call Nova Scotia.

The Kejimkujik region was formed by many glaciations when at different times massive continental glaciers covered much of North America. This occurred many times over the past 3 million years. The last glaciation ended about 12,000 years ago when the great ice sheet retreated.

The first people to settle here, so far as can be told, were the Mi’kmaq.

In the Mi’kmaq language the Kejimkujik refers to “tired muscles,” probably a reference to the great efforts it takes to canoe through the waterways of the region. Others say the word refers to “swollen waters’ or “attempting to escape.” Some Mi’kmaw knowledge holders say that the name is derived from the Mi’kmaq word Kejimkuji’jk, which means “little fairies”.

Historically in winter, the Mi’kmaq travelled up the lovely Mersey River which leads to the centre of the peninsula. Historically, the Mi’kmaq travelled up the Mersey River (inland) to the area around Kejimkujik Lake, where they lived and hunted during the fall and winter months.

At the same time caribou migrated inland at that time of year but I think they were extirpated from the region after Europeans arrived. They were historically an important source of food for the Mi’kmaq together with eels. In the park there is evidence of eel weirs that are thousands of years old.

There are also a number of petroglyph sites in the park but we did not see them on our visit. The petroglyphs are currently protected sites because of their cultural and historical value.

After European settlement in the region, the Mi’kmaq living that still lived here found it very hard to maintain their traditional life style. Many of them were forced off of their hunting grounds when the Europeans cleared them of tree cover. The Europeans of course were more interested in farming and logging.

After they were forced off their traditional lands many tried to take up farming themselves as well as acting as fishing guides for Europeans. Even though Mi’Kmaq people don’t live here anymore they still consider it their spiritual home.

Albert Einstein, as usual said it smart:   “Look deep into nature and then you will understand everything better.”