Asitu’lɨsk, meaning that which gives you balance, is a place of learning, healing, and gathering in Mi’kma’ki. 

Located on the LaHave River watershed near Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, it is home to an ancient 200-acre forest that has been cared for across generations. It is a place where the ancestors of the Mi’kmaq flourished for thousands of years.

Today, Asitu’lɨsk is being revitalized as an Indigenous-led place of teaching, culture, and community connection through the Ulnooweg Education Centre. Youth, Elders, and Knowledge Holders gather here to learn on the land, practise language, and take part in hands-on programming rooted in Mi’kmaw values. In recent years, Asitu’lɨsk has hosted Land Camps for Indigenous youth, welcomed ancestor ceremonies such as Chii By, and brought together volunteers, families, and communities for learning, ceremony, and healing.

This stewardship also includes caring for the forest itself. When the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid was discovered at Asitu’lɨsk, the Ulnooweg Education Centre launched a long-term conservation effort to protect the old-growth hemlocks that define the heart of the site. Volunteers, youth, and partners continue to support this work, reinforcing the shared responsibility to heal and protect the land.

Asitu’lɨsk is undergoing important infrastructure upgrades so it can reopen fully in the spring and continue welcoming communities in a good way. Once reopened, it will remain a place where people of all ages can learn about culture, ecology, language, science, and wellness.

Your support helps protect this space, expand land-based education, and ensure Asitu’lɨsk continues to offer balance, connection, and healing for generations to come.

The Story of Asitu’lɨsk

The name Asitu’lɨsk emerged through time spent listening to the land. After Windhorse Farm was transferred to the Ulnooweg Education Centre in 2021, COO Chris Googoo began searching for a name that reflected the spirit of the place and its future. He worked closely with Mi’kmaw language experts Pauline Bernard and Jane Meader to confirm the meaning and spelling of the verb Asitu’lɨsk, which translates to that which gives you balance. The name was shared publicly at the first Dreamers’ Gala in 2022, marking a new chapter for the forest and honouring the long line of caretakers who helped keep this land healthy until it could return to Mi’kmaw stewardship. 

For generations, families such as the Wentzells, the Dreschers, and the ten Forest Families protected this forest from clearcutting and cared for it with intention, ensuring the old-growth hemlocks and diverse ecosystems would endure. Their stewardship helped make it possible for Asitu’lɨsk to once again become a place where Mi’kmaw people can gather, learn, and strengthen cultural and community connections.

Learn more about Asitu'lisk on our website.