The streets of downtown Halifax hold more than the hum of traffic and footsteps. They are layered with Mi鈥檏maw history and stories that predate the city by millennia.
Those voices are now being given a new platform through the Mi鈥檏maw SoundWalk, an interactive learning experience that turns Halifax into an open-air archive of memory, music and culture with the help of mobile technology.
Available through the , the SoundWalk allows participants to self-guide themselves through nine historical sites across the city anytime. The app uses GPS to trigger audio and visual storytelling on a user鈥檚 device at different locations.
For Mi鈥檏maw people and non-Mi鈥檏maw people, 鈥淚t's a way to walk together,鈥� says Membertou storyteller and singer, Graham Marshall, the voice behind it all.听
It's a way to walk together.
The Mi鈥檏maw SoundWalk came to life in collaboration with Marshall,听Dr. Jennifer Bain 鈥� professor of musicology at 网红黑料 and a co-producer of the project 鈥� along with Cape Breton University鈥檚 and the . Designed as a digital storytelling experience, the SoundWalk weaves together maps, photographs, audio recordings, text, and links to additional resources.
Released this year on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (Sept.30), the SoundWalk carries symbolic weight. It aims to educate, offering non-Indigenous participants a chance to engage with Mi鈥檏maw history at their own pace.
鈥淭here are some obvious, very important things we need to do when it comes to Truth and Reconciliation,鈥� says Dr. Bain. 鈥淎lthough this doesn鈥檛 meet all those needs, having non-Mi鈥檏maw people, who live here in Mi'kma'ki, hear the voice of a Mi鈥檏maw storyteller is a good start.鈥�
For accessibility and for those outside of Halifax, the SoundWalk can also be experienced directly through the app without visiting the sites in person.
An immersive experience
As users approach each site, the voice of Marshall is GPS-triggered. Participants pause to take in their surroundings, while he draws them into the story, asking them to 鈥減icture this land as it was before European contact.鈥� He provides historical insight and reflection, inviting walkers to hear the ground beneath their feet in new ways.
The route begins at the Treaty Truckhouse on the Halifax鈥檚 waterfront, before moving to the Wave and Dockyard Clock. From there, participants are guided to the Lorne Julien mural in Granville Park, Province House, and Grande Parade, before continuing along Barrington to Spring Garden, with final stops at St. Mary鈥檚 Basilica, Grafton Park, and the Public Gardens.
Each location carries its own resonance. At the Basilica site, singer Walter Denny Jr. shares a Mi鈥檏maw Catholic chant for St. Anne.
The Wave, an iconic monument on the Halifax Waterfront and second site of the SoundWalk, is repositioned by Marshall as a symbol of the Mi鈥檏maw connection to water, vital for food, travel, and protection.
In the audio recording he says, 鈥淚n the land of the Mi鈥檏maw, we are surrounded by water. The water was our highways. When you see the highways on which vehicles are driving on, they are parallel to old Mi鈥檏maw rivers that were utilized before that. That was our way of protecting our territory. But also in peace and friendship.鈥�
For Ostashewski, a multimedia approach fit the project well. 鈥淲hen you do things in different formats simultaneously, you are connecting with different audiences who connect through different channels,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t allows us to share knowledge and information to a broader audience.鈥�
A new lens on Halifax landmarks
Halifax was a deliberate choice, not only as a city with deep Mi鈥檏maw roots, but also as one of Canada鈥檚 most vibrant tourism hubs. 鈥淎 lot of foreign visitors to Canada, when they travel here, one of the things they say they want to do is experience Indigenous culture,鈥� says Dr. Bain. The creators hope the project can help expand the development of Mi鈥檏maw business opportunities.
For scholars and students, the project is both a teaching tool and a new lens on the city. Dr. Ajay Parasram, a professor of International Development at Dal, is excited about the learning, imagining, and reconciling to come, having already assigned the SoundWalk to students in his Halifax and the World course.
鈥淓verybody has this relatively static and simplistic understanding of Canada from the outside and even from other regions of Canada,鈥� Dr. Parasram says. 鈥淯nderstanding Halifax as a global city, an imperial city for hundreds of years, I think is going to be transformative for people who don't know that much about Halifax, but also those who think they know a lot about Halifax.鈥�
This is about Mi鈥檏maw people telling stories about Mi鈥檏maw places in Mi鈥檏maw voices.
Halifax鈥檚 long-closed Memorial Library on Spring Garden Road, built atop a former cemetery, marks the eighth site on the SoundWalk. It also serves as the project's installation site for the , Halifax鈥檚 immersive arts celebration. This year, the festival's theme is Ground, offering a timely opportunity to reflect on those who were here first.
鈥淭his is about Mi鈥檏maw people telling stories about Mi鈥檏maw places and experiences in Mi鈥檏maw voices,鈥� Ostashewski says.
Throughout Mi鈥檏maw History Month this October, and everyday thereafter, each step 鈥� whether along the waterfront, through a cemetery, or in the Public Gardens 鈥� echoes with the same reminder: we are walking on Mi鈥檏maw ground.