The Bygone Days

Reginald "Dutch" Thompson has worked in film theatre television and radio but his true love is collecting stories and memories from the bygone days in the Maritimes. His 900 recorded hours of oral history and folklore led to a 27 year and counting column on CBC radio and numerous heritage awards. He lives in a 170 year old house in Bunbury, Prince Edward Island.

Reginald--better known as "Dutch"--Thompson is a multi-faceted storyteller with unforgettable voices--those of Roy from Murray Harbour North, Adelaide from Bunbury, Gus from Chepstow, and countless others--to tell the stories of the Bygone days in Prince Edward Island [sometimes NS, too]. Stories that, without Dutch's talent and care, might be remembered only by family and close friends or lost altogether.

The Mi'kmaq people have been here since the ice began to melt over this great land. They learned the medicines in nature to keep them healthy and they hunted the animals of the land and fished the waters of the sea. During the summer months they would gather in large community groups to celebrate, dance and sing. When the cold winds started to blow, they would go off in their own little family units to survive the winter. It was a hard life and it was always a struggle to make it through the long cold winters. One thing is certain, at night, by the campfire under the stars those families would tell stories, stories about who they were, where they came from, and all the lessons they needed to learn about life. Those stories passed on traditions, songs, language and the culture of the Mi'kmaq people. Here we present to you just a couple of those stories that were passed down from generation to generation. Hear them, learn from them, experience them, but most of all enjoy them!

The Mi'kmaq people have been here since the ice began to melt over this great land. They learned the medicines in nature to keep them healthy and they hunted the animals of the land and fished the waters of the sea. During the summer months they would gather in large community groups to celebrate, dance and sing. When the cold winds started to blow, they would go off in their own little family units to survive the winter. It was a hard life and it was always a struggle to make it through the long cold winters. One thing is certain, at night, by the campfire under the stars those families would tell stories, stories about who they were, where they came from, and all the lessons they needed to learn about life. Those stories passed on traditions, songs, language and the culture of the Mi'kmaq people. Here we present to you just a couple of those stories that were passed down from generation to generation. Hear them, learn from them, experience them, but most of all enjoy them!