Cape Breton Island is part of Atlantic Canada, in the far north of the province of Nova Scotia. It is a place where Mi'kmaq First Nations communities share the land with Gaelic and English speaking people whose ancestors came from Scotland. There are Cape Bretoners whose ancestry connects with France, those who trace their roots to Ireland, to New England, to other parts of Canada, and to other places in the world.

Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, is a place in the far north of Atlantic Canada where mountain meets forest meets sea. Over the centuries, it has also become a place where cultures meet and mix and respect each other. The Mi'kmaq people came first, to fish the waters and live in the forests.

It might seem an unlikely place for cultures to meet and for tradition to endure -- and for both of those things to happen along side each other -- yet such things occur on Cape Breton Island.