Mi'kmaq hieroglyphic writing

Have you ever seen a picture and knew what it meant without having to read any words? Like a picture of a dog or a tree? That is kind of what the Mi'kmaq hieroglyphic writing is like.

The Mi'kmaq people are indigenous to what is now known as Atlantic Canada, and they created symbols to represent words and ideas. There are over 200 symbols in their writing system, and they were often carved into trees or rocks, or drawn on birch bark or animal hides.

These symbols could represent things like animals, plants, people, or actions. For example, a symbol of a bear might mean "bear", while a symbol of a canoe might mean "travel by canoe". Sometimes, two or more symbols were combined to create a new word or idea.

This writing system was kept alive and passed down through generations of Mi'kmaq people, but it was largely forgotten by the 20th century. However, there have been efforts to revive it and teach it to new generations.

So, Mi'kmaq hieroglyphic writing is kind of like a picture language that the Mi'kmaq people created to represent words and ideas, and it was often used to communicate before there were a lot of written words.