Mary Bernard, Whycogamaugh, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, ca. 1840, by Ellen Nutting (active 1840-1852)

When European settlers arrived, Native peoples had already been on this continent for centuries. They had survived and prospered in a hostile environment using skills well adapted to the world in which they lived. While their "subsistence" culture was often denigrated, many visitors to the New World marvelled at the beauty and intricacy of the decorations of everyday objects, such as baskets and moccasins.

Mary Bernard was one of the many Micmac craftswomen who created such objects; she has been portrayed here by a woman artist from Halifax, whose picture was then purchased for a colonial administrator’s keepsake album.

C-092811