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Epekwitk
< Mi'kmaq
DCHP-3 (Mar 2024)
n.
the original Mi'kmaq name for Prince Edward Island.
Type: 1. Origin — Epekwitk is the standardized spelling of the name for Prince Edward Island in the Mi’kmaq language. This form, introduced in 2020, replaces the less accurate colonial spelling, Abegweit.
See: Abegweit
Note that Abegweit, the spelling featured in DCHP-1, is not considered an authentic form.
Quotations
1855
The country people will not use or adopt that pretty word "Epaigwit," 'the home of the wave'...
1962
Abegweit is the Micmac Indian name for Prince Edward Island; tradition says it was given ... by the Micmacs' mighty god Glooscap. It means "resting place."
2020
Epekwitk Place Names L’nuey engaged the Mi’kmaq community on their vision for their Rights and Reconciliation Initiative, which included a series of community-based consultation sessions held between December 2019 and March 2020, as well as an online survey.
A number of themes emerged from the visioning sessions. One of these was: “The importance of revitalizing Mi’kmaq language and culture.”
A number of themes emerged from the visioning sessions. One of these was: “The importance of revitalizing Mi’kmaq language and culture.”
2024
Renaming Confederation Bridge as Epekwitk Crossing: What's the holdup? ‘We just need to get on with it,’ says senator from P.E.I.'s Lennox Island First Nation[...]Epekwitk (pronounced ehb-uh-gwihd) is the name given to P.E.I. by the Mi'kmaq, the Indigenous people who call the Island home. It means "something lying on the water."