Animal Personhood in Mi’kmaq Perspective

The Mi’kmaq are the First Nation people that traditionally inhabited the eastern coast of North America. This article explores the Mi’kmaq cultural view of non-human animals as siblings and persons, including elements shaping the Mi’kmaq relation with animals such as the belief that animals sacrific...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Societies
Main Author: Robinson, Margaret
Language:unknown
Published: 2014
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/1807/87497
https://doi.org/10.3390/soc4040672
Description
Summary:The Mi’kmaq are the First Nation people that traditionally inhabited the eastern coast of North America. This article explores the Mi’kmaq cultural view of non-human animals as siblings and persons, including elements shaping the Mi’kmaq relation with animals such as the belief that animals sacrifice themselves for food, that human and animal spirits are eternal, and a belief in reincarnation. The role of reciprocity in the animal–human relationship is examined through the concepts of respect and honor, and the Mi’kmaq value of avoiding scarcity ( netukulimk ) is expanded to include non-human animals.