Description
The Wolastoqiyik, also Walastekwewiyik, Malecite or Maliseet are a First Nation of the Wabanaki Confederacy. They are the Indigenous people of the Wolastoq (Saint John River) valley and its tributaries. Their territory extends across the current borders of New Brunswick and Quebec in Canada, and parts of Maine in the United States. The arrival of European settlers in the 1700s and 1800s curtailed the Wolastoqiyik’s agricultural territory on the river.
Language
Maliseet–Passamaquoddy
Culture
At the time of European encounter, the Walastekwewiyik were living in walled villages and practicing horticulture (corn, beans, squash and tobacco). In addition to cultivating and growing crops, the women gathered and processed fruits, berries, nuts and natural produce. The men contributed by fishing and hunting, and the women cooked these finds. The French explorers were the first to establish a fur trade with the Walastekwewiyik, which became important in their territory. Some European goods were desired because they were useful to Walastekwewiyik subsistence and culture.