In the early 17th century,
a group of French colonists ventured from France
to the northern coastal regions of North America. The group first established
a fort in 1604 at Île-Ste-Croix at the mouth of the St. Croix River, but after
a harsh winter, moved across the bay to establish the first permanent French
settlement in North America at Port-Royal,
in present-day Nova
Scotia. The area eventually became known as Acadia, and the people and
their decedents known as Acadians (or Acadiens in French).
These first settlers quickly
became sociable with the Micmaq (the local First Nations group), and learned
their hunting and fishing techniques. The Acadians farmed land along the coast
and lived a largely peaceful life; however, they were often caught in the middle
of conflicts between the British and French as they inhabited land on the frontier
of the two powers' territory and often got passed back and forth between the
countries. No matter the outcome of a conflict, the Acadians always insisted
on remaining neutral when dealing with Britain and France.
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| Village
Historique Acadien1 |
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In 1713, France ceded land
populated by the Acadians to England
for the final time and within a few decades the British insisted that the neutral
Acadians swear an oath of allegiance to the British monarch. The oath included
taking up arms to defend Britain's interests when necessary. The Acadians refused,
fearing the oath would someday force them into battle against fellow Frenchmen
and the Micmaq people with whom they had established friendly relations. As
a result in 1755, the British forcefully evicted the Acadians from their territory
and seized their land and homes in an act known as the Great Expulsion (also
called the Great Upheaval, The Deportation and the Acadian Expulsion).
Twelve thousand Acadians
were expelled from the region. Some fled deeper into the province while others
resettled in other areas of the country such as Quebec
and New Brunswick.
Many returned to France and others headed south, eventually ending up in the
U.S. in the state
of Louisiana,
where they intermarried with the local population and became known as Cajuns.
Today over 70,000 Canadians
identify themselves as being of Acadian descent. This group is primarily French-speaking
(or Francophone) and are fiercely proud of their roots and culture. These ancestors
of the Acadians who established settlements elsewhere in Canada after the Great
Expulsion work to preserve their heritage, and as a result there are a number
of historic sites, museums and other attractions in Atlantic
Canada and Quebec where visitors have the opportunity to experience,
learn about and appreciate this unique, lively and friendly cultural group.
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Celebrate
With Locals at One of Canada's Many Acadian Festivals2 |
QUEBEC
Despite being considered
Francophone like all other French-speaking Quebecers, most Acadians originally
came from different areas of France and settled seperate regions than fellow
Frenchmen and, consequently, have a culture that is distinct from the rest of
the province's French population.
Over 17,000 residents in
Quebec classify themselves as being of Acadian lineage, and their presence, as
well as the presence of their ancestors, is still felt in a number of areas
throughout the province. Visitors hoping to experience some Acadian culture,
history and hospitality while in Quebec will find what they are looking for
in the Îles
de la Madeleine (Magdalen Islands).
Visit the Musée
de la Mer of the Îles de la Madeleine, which features permanent exhibits
relating to the earliest explorations and settlers on the islands, including
the hundreds of Acadians who headed to the area in the years after the Great
Expulsion. Mid-August is a great time to head to Îles de la Madeleine as islanders
celebrate all things Acadian during the Acadian
Festival. The lively event includes a parade and a boat-building competition.
Festivities conclude on August 15, which is the day of the Feast of the Assumption
celebrating the Virgin Mary's ascension into heaven. Queen Elizabeth II of England
has declared August 15 as a day to commemorate the Great Expulsion. This national
Acadian holiday is traditionally celebrated with a festive noise-making known
as Tintamarre.
The town of Bonaventure
in the South
St. Lawrence region of Quebec boasts the Acadien
Museum of Quebec at Bonaventure. The museum chronicles the lives and
times of those who fled deportation and subsequently founded the town in 1760.
Temporary and permanent exhibitions tell the stories of the town and its past
residents.
NOVA SCOTIA
Port Royal, the first Acadian
settlement established in 1604, was a colonial outpost located close to the
modern-day town of Annapolis
Royal, Nova
Scotia. The original Acadian inhabitants spent over 150 years spreading
out and founding communities along the coast. While most of the population fled
during the Great Expulsion, many Acadians headed deeper inland, and eventually
the British allowed some of the French-speakers to re-establish small settlements
around the province.
As a result of the amount
of Acadian history that unfolded in Nova Scotia, the province is full of sites
and events that illustrate the group's importance in shaping the area. Travellers
looking for a good place to start their explorations might want to begin in
some of the small villages that dot the Nova Scotian landscape.
Cheticamp
is located on the western coast of Cape
Breton Island. The small community, which boasts approximately 4000
residents, was one of a number of locales fled to by Acadians after The Deportation.
Today, many of the town's inhabitants speak French and identify themselves as
Acadian or as having Acadian ancestry.
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| Acadian
Homestead in Nova Scotia3 |
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A number of attractions
that relate to this history and culture exist in the town making it a great
place to stop during a tour of the island. The Acadian
Museum displays local artifacts and offers demonstrations of traditional
crafts such as spinning, weaving and rug hooking. Visitors can even sample Acadian-style
food. La
Pirogue Fisheries Museum features, among other attractions, an Acadian
homestead, while Les
Trois Pignons: Museum of the Hooked Rug and Home Life is a visitor centre
offering information on Acadian culture and genealogy. In addition, a number
of local lodgings
and restaurants
offer Acadian-style hospitality and charm.
The pretty seaside town
of Clare
is located in western Nova Scotia, a region which is largely known for its Acadian
population. Visitors who make the community part of their trip to the province
can learn about its past by participating in a guided tour provided by Histoires
de la Baie. The walking tours, which take place from the beginning of
June to the beginning of October, offer information on local Acadian history
and culture.
Major
Point Beach, located on the edge of town, is known for being the spot
of the first Acadian cemetery
and travellers can visit the graveyard as well as the small church located onsite.
Visitors who are in town for the Festival
Acadian de Clare will have the opportunity to kick up their heals and
party with the locals while commemorating the deportation of Acadians during
the Great Expulsion. The festival began in 1955 as a family reunion and has
become a popular annual event that includes a parade, fireworks, live music
and dance performances and much more.
The little village of Church
Point, located on Saint Mary's Bay in the District of Clare, is home
to Université
Sainte-Anne, an institution devoted to promoting Acadian culture. The
university includes the Acadian
Centre Archives, where visitors will find photographs, books, newspapers
and more that offer historical and genealogical information on the province's
Acadian past.
Currently inhabited by a
large number of artisans, the town of Grand
Pré was settled by Acadians who moved east from the original settlement
at Port Royal. The town is home to the Grand
Pré National Historic Site, which commemorates The Deportation in 1755.
Open from May to October, facilities at the site include an interpretation centre
with a theatre, exhibition hall and gift shop. While in town, visitors can also
see the Acadian
Cross Historic Site. A cross originally erected near the end of the
18th century stands here as a memorial to those forced from their homes as part
of the Great Expulsion. The site also includes interpretive signs and displays.
Settled in 1653, the town
of Pubnico
is the oldest Acadian community still inhabited mostly by Acadians, and is the
place where visitors can find Le
Village Historique Acadien. Discover the lives of villagers and learn
how they survived deportation at the site, which overlooks the harbour and includes
a cemetery and a number of original, restored Acadian buildings including a
fishing shed and a blacksmith shop.
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The
Acadian Tricolour Flag Painted on a Maritime Home4 |
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
Only a few thousand residents
of Prince Edward Island
identify themselves as Acadians, but nonetheless the province offers a few interesting
sites
for travellers looking to add some Acadian education to their visit. Tiny Abram-Village
throws the Evangeline
Agricultural Exhibition & Acadian Festival each year. The event,
which shares its name with the fictional namesake heroine in Henry Wandsworth
Longfellow's poem based on the events surrounding The Deportation in 1755, celebrates
PEI's Acadian history and includes Acadian music and dancing shows.
Mont
Carmel is home to the Acadia
Pioneer Village. Open to the public from the beginning of June until
mid-September, the attraction re-creates a traditional Acadian village from
1820, and gives visitors the chance to experience a slice of Acadian life in
the early 19th century. The town of Miscouche
in western PEI is worth the short side trip from Summerside
as its Acadia
Museum uses displays and audio-visual presentations to highlight local
Acadian heritage from 1720 onwards.
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| Costumed
Kids Get a Wagon Ride at The Village Historique Acadien5 |
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NEW BRUNSWICK
Of the slightly more than
70,000 Canadians who identify themselves as having Acadian heritage, over 26,000
of these live in New
Brunswick, meaning the province, boasts the most residents of Acadian
ancestry in Canada. The town of Caraquet
on the Baie des Chaleurs was established in 1757 by Acadians who had been expelled
from their homes, and to this day the community calls itself the unofficial
capital of Acadie (Acadia). A number of lodgings
in the town, especially B&Bs,
offer 'Acadian hospitality' while guests can dine on traditional Acadian cuisine
in a number of local restaurants.
The Village
Historique Acadien is a re-created settlement complete with interpretive
demonstrations that offers a glimpse of what the community would have been like
in the 18th century. The Acadian
Wax Museum, which is located at the entrance to the Village Historique,
features 86 wax figures that recreate historic Acadian scenes from 1604 to 1761.
The entire town of Caraquet celebrates during Le
Festival Acadien, an event
that began in 1963 and occurs annually in August. The festival,
which takes place at various locations around the community, commemorates the
tremendous influence Acadian culture has had on the town and surrounding regions,
and includes a variety of activities such as live music, dance performances,
theatre and more.
Founded in 1797 on the Baie
des Chaleurs, over 90 per cent of the population of Petit-Rocher
is Francophone and every year the residents gather for the Rendez-vous
Acadien Festival. Activities for the two-day event take place around
town and festivities include fireworks, live entertainment, games, exhibition
booths, Acadian food and more. L'Acadie
des Terres et Forêts en Fête takes place every year in the village of
St. Jacques, which is located just outside Edmundston,
the city with the highest percentage of French-speaking residents in the province.
The event,
which celebrates 400 years of Acadian history, takes place throughout the summer
and consists of a musical and theatrical extravaganza featuring over 30 young
performers.
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A
Footbridge Leads to La Pays de la Sagouine6 |
Named after the man who
oversaw the Great Expulsion, Robert Monckton, the area that the city of Moncton
now occupies was originally
settled by Acadian farmers in 1733. Most of this population was eventually deported
but descendents of those who had been expelled eventually returned to inhabit
the surrounding countryside and in the early 20th century many francophone Acadians
returned to the city to seek employment. Moncton is a bilingual city and approximately
30 per cent of the city's population are French-speaking
Acadians.
The city's Musée
acadien is located at the Université
de Moncton and its goal is to give insights into the rich Acadian culture
and history. Visitors can explore the many temporary and permanent exhibits,
which include an Evangeline exhibit. While on campus, it is also possible to
view unique Acadian art
at the Galerie
d'art de l'université de Moncton. Each year the city hosts the Festival
international du cinema francophone en Acadie. The event aims to provide
a forum where the public can access, appreciate and celebrate French-language
and Acadian film.
After exploring the best
that Moncton has to offer, travel 40 km (25 mi) north of the city to Bouctouche,
another town with a vibrant Acadian past. Le
Pays de la Sagouine, a theme park on a private island, is located here.
The purpose of the park is to preserve local Acadian history, traditions and
customs, and it includes an authentic Acadian village, a theatre where comedies
are performed, restaurants,
a gift shop and more.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF:
- Peter Christopher; c/o New Brunswick Government; Village
Historique Acadien; Caraquet, NB, Canada
- c/o New Brunswick Government; Celebrate With Locals at
One of Canada's Many Acadian Festivals; Bouctouche, NB, Canada
- Acadian Homestead in Nova Scotia; NS, Canada
- Barrett and MacKay; c/o New Brunswick Government; The
Acadian Tricoloured Flag Painted on a Martime Home; Grande-Anse, NB, Canada
- André Gallant; c/o New Brunswick Government; Costumed
Kids Get a Wagon Ride at The Village Historique Acadien; Caraquet, NB, Canada
- André Gallant; c/o New Brunswick Government; A
Footbridge Leads to La Pays de la Sagouine; Bouctouche, NB, Canada
