Every institution of higher learning has developed a course of studies called the humanities that has been core to education. Contextually, philosophy, religion, history, languages, literatures and arts have been described as belonging to Eurocentric humanities. Areas of anthropology, sociology, education, law, and Native Studies have since been added to the humanities.
While the humanities have deep roots among Indigenous peoples in their livelihood and traditions, Indigenous forms of knowledge keeping, transmission, and creation have not been structured or conveyed in the frames, divisions, and vocabularies of contemporary educational systems, nor have they been conceived or much celebrated in the humane disciplines of philosophy, history, theology, languages and literatures. Rather the Eurocentric humanities have maintained a virtual monopoly on disciplinary knowledge thought, although this Eurocentric grip and gaze are changing. This section seeks to illustrate an awareness of the depth and breadth of Mi’kmaw humanities and to find the connections between the Eurocentric humanities and their gaps to address how the Mi’kmaw humanities can help to build a learning starting from place in the Atlantic region where Mi’kmaq people largely have served as stewards to the land, renewing the ecologies, connecting to the spirit/s of the land and where inspiration and creativity in this humanity has shaped their conception of space, place, humanity, ideals, values and beliefs that continue to today.