The York-Sunbury Historical Society Ltd. is pleased to announce the opening of a new exhibition highlighting the history and culture of First Nations Peoples in New Brunswick at the Fredericton Region Museum. The exhibition will open on Friday June 9th, with a Pow Wow at 2pm and Full Moon Ceremony in Officers’ Square at 8pm. Both events are open to the public.

The exhibition is called The Wabanaki Way after the Wabanaki Confederacy, as curator Ramona Nicholas explains: “The Wabanaki means the People of the Dawn, and this is what we (sc. the Malecite) call each other as a larger group including the Mi’kmaq, Wolastoqiyik, Passamaquoddy, and Penobscot.” The gallery will display traditional Wabanaki objects from both the pre- and post-contact periods and present the histories and cultures of the Wabanaki.

The Wabanaki Way exhibition was designed in dialogue with elders from First Nations communities in New Brunswick. The exhibit comes at an important time, in the wake of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s recommendations to Canadian museums and archives as Ian Andrews, President of the York-Sunbury Historical Society Ltd., notes:

“We take great pride in providing the venue where such an impressive exhibit of Wabanaki artefacts and related objects can be used to promote intercultural understanding, empathy, and mutual respect.  The project has been a labour of love for curator Ramona Nicholas.  Her collaborative exhibit should provide a unique insight into Wabanaki history and heritage.  We invite everyone to join in this celebration of a past that should be known by all.”