Mi'kmaq theatre group wins Parks Canada Sustainable Tourism Award

Mi’kmaq Legends originally developed by Mi’kmaq Confederacy of Prince Edward Island in 2011

Image | Mi'kmaq Legends

Caption: Jessica Francis, Julie Pellessier-Lush and Richard Pellessier-Lush accepted the 2016 Parks Canada Sustainable Tourism Award on behalf of Mi’kmaq Legends. (Patricia Bourque/Mi'kmaq Confederacy of P.E.I.)

A Mi'kmaq performance troupe has won a sustainable tourism award from Parks Canada.
Mi'kmaq Legends, a feature of Prince Edward Island National Park's interpretation program for the past three years, combines poetry, music, dance and theatre based on Indigenous legends.
It was first developed by the Mi'kmaq Confederacy of P.E.I. in 2011.
The group was presented the Parks Canada Sustainable Tourism Award at the Tourism Industry Association of Prince Edward Island Annual Awards Gala on Nov. 24.
"It has been a long journey over the past six years working and presenting and adapting and changing," said Julie Pellissier-Lush, one of the founders of the troupe.
"It feels amazing to be able to say we have achieved this."
"This award recognizes a demonstrated commitment to excellence, encourages appreciation, and respect for our natural, cultural and esthetic heritage, promotes sustainable development, and fosters a greater public awareness of the economic, social, cultural, and environmental significance of tourism," Parks Canada said in a news release.
Mi'kmaq Legends is funded by the Aboriginal Skills and Employment Training Strategy.