Setting a Welcoming Table: Mitji - Let's Eat! Mi'kmaq Recipes from Sikniktuk by Margaret Augustine, Dr. Lauren Beck, and Patricia Bourque

Accompanied by warm family photos shared by community members and richly toned photographs created specially for the book by Patricia Bourque, Margaret Augustine and Dr. Lauren Beck have prepared a welcoming place setting for anyone interested in Indigenous history and culture in Mitji – Let’s Eat! Mi’kmaq Recipes from Sikniktuk.

Containing great information and advice for those interested in further honing their kitchen craft, the cookbook’s recipes are organized by the four seasons (plus a fifth, “year-round” chapter), with straightforward directions and further references and general tips for food preparation, storage, and even recycling into home gardens. While I haven’t had the chance yet to try out recipes in my own kitchen, the bookmarks are there, ready to be tested the next time I’m leaning towards a stew or a dessert. (I’m fairly certain it will be mere days before I find an excuse to make one of the various quick breads or cakes on offer).

Unlike the often-maligned recipe blogs that have one scrolling endlessly through an anecdote before arriving at the ingredients and instructions, the stories provided in this cookbook are integral to the depth and value of each recipe. Sure, one could skip to the simple recipes to create the desired meal, but that would be missing a key seasoning: the history and culture generously shared by elders and other community members. These stories celebrate community, and the survival of community, that are at the heart of each dish. And, for many settlers in the Maritimes, these stories also serve to fill in some of the gaps that exist in our local history education (for example, how the influence of the Indian Act and existence of the Indian Agent on reservations led to certain recipes out of necessity, or how settler manipulation of Indigenous foodways tried to control, limit, or extinguish, communities).

To understand this background is to truly understand the choices of ingredient or the methods still used — and how it doesn’t take much beyond a few ingredients and a sense of community to make a comforting, beautiful meal.

MARGARET AUGUSTINE was born in Malta and first made a connection with Atlantic Canada when she started her Master’s degree in Island Studies at the University of Prince Edward Island, which is where she met her now-husband, Dr. Patrick Augustine, of Elsipogtog First Nation. Margaret has been a community member in Elsipogtog for many years. There, she has taught in the Aotiitj programme, which is destined for youth interested in pursuing higher education at St. Thomas University, and she has spent much time among the Elders in the community learning from their wisdom.

DR. LAUREN BECK came to the Atlantic region when she was hired as a Professor by Mount Allison University. She researches visual and material culture of the Atlantic world and teaches courses on food and on subjects relating to settler colonialism and decolonization. She is married to Rob LeBlanc (St. Thomas University), who teaches in the Aotiitj programme at Elsipogtog First Nation.

Patricia Bourque is Mi’kmaw First Nation of Lennox Island First Nation, from Epekwitk also known as Prince Edward Island, located in the traditional territory of Mi’kma’ki. Her work is driven by her love and passion for Mi’kmaw traditional cultural events, live music performances, community events, Island life and the beautiful landscapes and characters around her. She sits on the board of directors for The Guild and the East Coast Music Association. She has exhibited her photography at The Guild, the Confederation of the Arts, and Eptek Art & Culture Centre and is part of public collections on the Island and in the Confederation Centre of the Arts.

Publisher: Nimbus Publishing Limited (April 9, 2024)
Paperback 9″ x 8″ | 151 pages
ISBN: 9781774712276

Bryn Robinson

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Bryn Robinson lives in Quispamsis, NB, although she still, and always will, consider herself a Saint Johner. She uses her BA in psychology and French, and her PhD in experimental psychology, from the University of New Brunswick, to help her support health research in the province. She prefers contemporary fiction, narrative non-fiction, graphic novels and poetry - and if they are humorous, all the better. When not reading, she's exploring the New Brunswick forests and seascapes, camera in hand.