Grand Pre to host big celebration of Mi'kmaq-Acadian bond this summer
Government officials announce $1M in funding for August event marking more than four centuries of friendship
A centuries-old friendship between the Mi'kmaq people and Acadians will be celebrated at a major festival scheduled for the Grand Pre national historic site this summer in Nova Scotia.
The federal and Nova Scotia governments announced a total of about $1 million in funding for the event at a news conference Friday attended by Premier Stephen McNeil and federal treasury board president Scott Brison.
The Grand Pre 2017 event is being billed as "a celebration of peace and friendship" between the francophone and aboriginal populations in the region, and is set for Aug. 10 to 13.
Four Mi'kmaq bands hosting
Musical performers will include Grammy-nominated artist Northern Cree and francophone artist Edith Butler, along with a number of Acadian and First Nations acts.
The event is being hosted by the four Mi'kmaq communities of Acadia, Annapolis Valley, Bear River and Glooscap First Nations, along with the Nova Scotia Acadian Federation.
A news release from organizers says the goal is to celebrate a friendship that has endured for more than 400 years and has helped to forge a nation.
The relationship began when Mi'kmaq leader Chief Membertou extended a warm welcome to French explorer Samuel de Champlain when he arrived in Mi'kma'ki in 1605 and established Port-Royal near Annapolis Royal, N.S.