Mi’kmaw is an Eastern Algonquian language spoken by the Mi’kmaq, an Indigenous people whose traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory, Mi’kma’ki, spans present-day Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, the Gaspé Peninsula of Québec, and parts of the northeastern United States, particularly northern Maine. As part of the larger Algonquian language family, Mi’kmaw has been spoken throughout the region for generations and remains an important expression of Mi’kmaq identity, culture, and connection to the land. Today, there are approximately 8,000–11,000 speakers and more than 100,000 Mi’kmaq people across Canada and the United States.
Mi’kmaw is considered vulnerable, but it remains one of the strongest Indigenous languages in Atlantic Canada thanks to ongoing community-led revitalization efforts. The term “Mi’kmaw” refers to both the language and an individual Mi’kmaw person, while “Mi’kmaq” refers to the people collectively and to Mi’kmaq culture. Through language programs, immersion initiatives, and educational resources, communities continue to strengthen the use of Mi’kmaw among younger generations. This course was created by 7000 Languages Fellow Kristin Hall to support learners and help ensure the continued growth of the Mi’kmaw language.