Skmaqn – Port-la-Joye – Fort Amherst National Historic Site
Skmaqn – meaning “waiting place”– has long been an important place. Due to the strategic location, it served as a gateway to the Island and a gathering place for centuries. As its three-part name, Skmaqn – Port La Joye – Fort Amherst, suggests, it has played an important role in the shared history of this Island, Epekwitk/PEI. It has distinct significance for Mi’kmaw, French, Acadian, and British-descendent communities because of events that took place between 1720 and 1768, which helped shape the future of Prince Edward Island.
To honour this site’s importance, you can dive into a fascinating 18-minute video, available online here and at the visitor centre at Skmaqn – Port La Joye – Fort Amherst NHS during July and August. This video, presented in French, English, and Mi’kmaq, shares the captivating tales of four distinct cultures, each with their own beliefs, aspirations, experienced hardships, and successes.
Also on site at Skmaqn, you’ll come across interpretive panels in English, French, and Mi’kmaw, situated outside the Visitor Centre and amidst the Fort Amherst earthworks and Haché-Gallant homestead site. These panels are brimming with vivid historical descriptions and captivating photographic artistry, shedding light on the intricate human history that weaves through this site. The video and new exhibit were created in collaboration with Parks Canada. L’nuey and Parks Canada wish to thank the advisory committee which included representatives from the Mi’kmaw, Acadian, and British communities on PEI.