Metepenagiag: New Brunswick's Oldest Village

Raymond B. Blake is an assistant professor of history at Mount Allison
University and the author of Canadians at Last: Canada Integrates
Newfoundland as a Province.

Patricia Allen, who has worked for more than a decade at various
archaeological sites in New Brunswick, offers a very limited picture of
precontact Micmac life at Metepenagiag, now known as Red Bank,
reportedly the oldest known campsite in the region. From the evidence
unearthed, Allen tells us that the Micmac were hunters and gatherers.
Their life revolved around fish, particularly sturgeon and salmon, which
sustained them during the whole year and served as an important article
of trade. The Micmac spent their summers near the river and moved inland
during the fall. Life was relatively pleasant for them. During the
summer and fall, they gathered much of the food needed for the winter
and supplemented it with fresh meat in winter. Then, “nestled into
their winter lodges,” they participated in crafts, stories, and games
to fill the winter hours. This way of life disappeared shortly after the
arrival of the Europeans.

This is a curious little book. Although it is written by an
archaeologist, we are not told what archaeology is and how it can help
us understand the past. There is a glossary, but the reader will know
that only at the end of the book. Moreover, the reader will learn little
about the Micmac way of life. What was it like for the young boys and
girls of the village? What did the initiation rites mentioned on page 32
involve? What were the traditions surrounding marriages and burials? How
did the “complicated trading system” with Natives as far away as
central Ohio work? Other important questions are also ignored.

With the current interest in all things Native, a great opportunity was
missed here to bring the cultural history of the Miramichi Micmacs to a
wide audience of young people. Except for the fabulous artwork of Roger
Simon, there is little

in this book to recommend. Not a first-choice purchase.