Passamaquoddy

The Block

Margaret Apt and collaborators, Tonia Smith and Debbie Yarmal, believe it is important that the Passamaquoddy be represented as a people who have roots in Canada. The women brought a vital community spirit to the making of the Passamaquoddy block, which features a porpoise leaping up from the waters of Passamaquoddy Bay. Revered as gifts from the Creator, the porpoise and other marine life represent traditional food sources for this First Nation. Set against a red cotton background, the porpoise and water shimmer in solid beadwork. Five-coloured feathers – blue, for the sky, and red, white, yellow and black symbolizing the colours of man – frame the image. Porcupine quills and a double curve motif at top and bottom provide further accents.

Cultural Profile

The Passamaquoddy are originally from the Maritime region of Canada, along the Atlantic Coast between New Brunswick and Main. The boundary agreed to by Great Britain and the United States in 1842 cut right through Passamaquoddy ancestral lands. Today, there are approximately 3,200 Passamaquoddy worldwide, with many now living along the shore of the Passamaquoddy Bay in Pleasant Point, Maine. The Passamaquoddy, whose name means “people who spear pollock”, are linguistically and culturally related to the Maliseet/Malecite of New Brunswick.

A coastal people, the Passamaquoddy subsisted primarily on marine life. The staple fish may have been flounder, but haddock and pollock were preferred as the “sweetest fish”. Cod was typically considered as a last choice, and then only used in stews. Some elders of the community remember standing along the beach and scooping fish out of the water after whales had chased them towards shore. Those who owned boats and fished regularly would share with others. Porpoise hunters were exceptionally skilled, returning from expeditions with two or three fine specimens weighing down each canoe. The blubber from the porpoise was used to make lamp oil.

Like many other First Nations People, the Passamaquoddy taught the next generation their cultural practices and spiritual values through mythological stories. Thus, instructions on how to live a good life were beneficial on a personal and communal level. Each story had a moral intertwined in its magic, such as not to destroy something without intent to use it well.

Sharing was another common theme in Passamaquoddy stories. Traditionally, sharing was a way to ensure that the community survived, especially when it came to food. It would be considered rude not to share food with a guest. Respect for elders was expected and rules for behaviour enforced through accountability. This was accomplished by a pseudo “community watch” program where any adult had the right to require of a child a sense of responsibility. This has kept the Passamaquoddy people strong and vibrant, and helped to preserve their culture.

Sponsor: Linda Norton-McLaren, in memoriam Margaret Leblanc