Previously pronounced as “Micmac”, it is the official name and language of the L’nu people in what is now the maritime Canadian provinces, along with parts of Quebec, Maine and Newfoundland. The word Mi’kmaq originated from a mispronunciation of the word Ni’kmaq which meant “my family/my clan”. It was early settlers who coined the term and continued its use through documentation. The Mi’kmaq people were one of the first people that Italian explorer John Cabot encountered in 1497. It is said that Mi’kmaq language was one of the first languages in the Algonquian language family to branch off, making it one of the oldest languages in this region as well as the largest tribe in Eastern Canada. Design created by Ricky Knockwood.