The Journey To Prosperity

by Morgan Leet  |  Photographs by Ritche Perez

The inspiring story of Chief Mi’sel Joe and the transformation of Miawpukek First Nation

Along the bank of the idyllic Conne River sits the Miawpukek First Nation, far from the main centres of Newfoundland and Labrador. In the early 1960s, the small community was isolated from the rest of the province, unacknowledged as a First Nation reserve, written out of government treaties, and living off the land. It was at that time that 16-year-old Mi’sel Joe left to find work in Nova Scotia.