Mi'kmaq

American  

[mik-mak] / ˈmɪk mæk /

(Older Spelling) Micmac

noun

1. Also called Mi’kmaw.  a member of a North American Indian people now living mostly in Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island.

2. the Algonquian language of these people.

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adjective

1. of or relating to the Mi'kmaq or their language.

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• Mi'kmaq
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Mi'kmaq

First recorded in 1755–65; from French Micmac, from Mi'kmaq m'ikmaq “allies”

Example Sentences

At UC Berkeley, Elizabeth Hoover remains a professor after apologizing last year for identifying incorrectly as being of Mohawk and Mi’kmaq descent.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 3, 2024

"As a child, Buffy's adoptive mother self-identified as part Mi'kmaq but knew little about indigenous culture."

From BBC • Oct. 27, 2023

Lemay was born into hardship in Toronto, with roots in African-Canadian culture and among the Mi’kmaq peoples of Canada’s East Coast.

From New York Times • Jun. 1, 2023

But the bill would allow the Passamaquoddy, Penobscot and Maliseet and Mi’kmaq tribes in the state to benefit from more than 150 federal laws that apply to tribes.

From Washington Times • May 31, 2023

There'd been a time long ago when the Mi'kmaq people of Newfoundland played hockey with frozen rotten apples.

From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely