Mi'kma'ki
/miɡˈmaːɡi/noun
The traditional Mi'kmaq name for their homeland, especially the region of present-day Atlantic Canada.
Did you know?Mi'kma'ki is the Mi'kmaq term for their ancestral territory, and its meaning is tied to a living Indigenous geography rather than a borrowed European place-label.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Contact / traditional usage
Mi'kmaq
Mi'kma'ki
“The Mi'kmaq homeland, the land and waters belonging to the Mi'kmaq people.”
17th-19th Century
French
Micmac
“A French spelling used for the people, later borrowed into English.”
19th-20th Century
English
Micmac / Mi'kmaq
“English forms referring to the people and their territory, often with inconsistent spelling.”
Modern English
English
Mi'kma'ki
“The preferred contemporary spelling for the Mi'kmaq homeland.”