Oncle Antoine

When I was a teenager, my grandmother shared this story with me. She made me swear to keep it a secret. My grandmother passed 3 years ago at 100 years old and now I understand why I needed to keep this a secret, and feel that it is OK to share this story.

Back during my grandma’s youth, the family would get the regular visit of a Mi’gmaq man who had certain “gift”. He knew my great-grandmother really well and was close to the family. My uncle Antoine had serious asthma problems as a young man and this Mi’gmaq man healed him from his ailment.

They had to do a secret ceremony on the full moon in the middle of the night hidden in the forest. My uncle had to cut some of his hair and place it under the bark of a certain tree. After that ceremony, he never suffered from asthma ever again.

As for our indigenous identity, these stories had to remain secret. In those years to practise these kinds of ceremonies were illegal and strongly opposed by the church. Many other stories in the family demonstrate the proximity our family kept with the surrounding mi’gmaq community of Pokemouche, Pabineau or Esgenoopetitj.