Acadia

Acadia is a land deeply imbued with history. Its present status is that of a minority, a "country" with vague outlines but a vigorous spirit. Its territorial origin follows the French colonial efforts in the early 17th century. The first permanent agricultural settlements in what is now Canada occurred there.

Origin of Name

The name "Acadia" most likely originated with Giovanni da VERRAZZANO, an Italian explorer serving the King of France. In 1524 Verrazzano made his first trip to the New World and gave the name "Archadia" to a region stretching along the Atlantic coast near Delaware, explaining the choice in his diary with a reference to "the beauty of its trees." In ancient Greece "Arcadia" referred to a Peloponnesian plain that was thought of as a sort of earthly paradise. Sixteenth- and early 17th-century cartographers and explorers moved variations of the name further up the coast. By the 1620s, the name Acadia was commonly used for the region of what is now the MARITIME PROVINCES of Canada.

A Country

Acadia is a territory which has been historically inhabited (see ACADIA, HISTORY OF) and which, in turn, has shaped the culture of its inhabitants. Its cultural traditions go back to its colonial period and refer to the French language, Catholicism and rural life (agriculture and fishery). The dramatic experience of the deportation of the Acadian populations, which occurred in the fateful year 1755, connects the history, mythology and collective imagination of present-day Acadia.

Boundaries

Geography has a difficult task in drawing a map of Acadia, since it lacks geopolitical borders (see ACADIA, CONTEMPORARY). Mapping along the criteria of French language, and a sense of common belonging, shows an archipelago of Acadian communities in the Maritime Provinces. These communities largely extend from northern and eastern New Brunswick to the two far ends of Nova Scotia, and the Evangeline region of Prince Edward Island. This definition does not include populations of Acadian origin (the so-called "diaspora") to be found in Québec (GASPÉ PENINSULA, ÎLES-DE-LA-MADELEINE, etc), France and Louisiana, although these populations share the historical memory of deportation.

Acadian Distinctiveness

Acadian society and culture are rich in common experience. Political institutions have bound Acadians together since the end of the19th century. Today, countless institutions, projects, associations and events assert Acadian distinctness and the vitality of this minority group. Collective action towards the federal and provincial (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island) governments have ensured that linguistic rights were acquired and maintained, especially at the level of education. The most astounding successes in this struggle have been the constitutional recognition of individual bilingual rights for New Brunswickers in 1982 (see also CONSTITUTION ACT, 1982) and of the collective equal rights of both francophone and anglophone communities of New Brunswick in 1993.

Art and literature show a cultural vitality that includes both a vision of the past and a contemporary desire to break with it (see ACADIA, CULTURE OF). Artists are fully present on the public stage, and they are often the forerunners in the creation of new traits that make up the Acadian identity.

Moving Forward

If Acadians have long been perceived as an ethnic group that strongly identifies with its traditional roots, it must now be acknowledged that their place in the modern world is being actively nurtured. No longer characterized by a rural and relatively poor livelihood, they live a plurality of social experiences and prove to be part of most social statuses. Acadia's participation in Canada's nation-building process has not been as influential as that of Central Canada, but Acadians have kept the francophone minority agenda alive. They remind Canadians that they were the first French community in Canada and that they constitute the second largest today after Québec.

While some Acadians focus on a political, economic and cultural territory, others attempt to establish a legitimacy on a national scale, as well as in the broader context of the French-speaking world. In this way, they all contribute to the symbolic recognition of Acadia.

Author MARC JOHNSON

Links to Other Sites
United Nations World Heritage Sites
Information about locations in Canada that have been designated United Nations World Heritage Sites. From the United Nations website.

Living in Canada in the Time of Champlain
This website documents Samuel de Champlain’s role in the exploration and development of New France. Includes maps, artifacts, and related notes about Pierre Du Gua de Monts. Part of the Virtual Museum of New France.

Acadians
This illustrated Nova Scotia Museum website documents the distinctive history, customs, and way of life of the Acadian community in Nova Scotia.

The Acadian Odyssey
This Centre Acadien website provides access to an extensive collection of documents and images about Acadian history and culture.

New Brunswick: Our Stories, Our People
Explore the history of New Brunswick in this extensive online multimedia exhibit. Features an interactive timeline, glossary, illustrations, maps, and more. From the Virtual Museum of Canada and the Government of New Brunswick.

Fort Anne National Historic Site of Canada
The website for the Fort Anne National Historic Site of Canada, the focal point for French and British settlement and as the seat of government of Acadia and then Nova Scotia. From Parks Canada.

Boishébert National Historic Site of Canada
The website for the Boishébert National Historic Site of Canada and Beaubears Island Shipbuilding National Historic Site of Canada, J. Leonard O'Brien Memorial. From Parks Canada.

Acadia, Lifestyle in the days of our ancestors
Explore Acadian culture and history. Click on "Tools" for a glossary of Acadian terms. From the Virtual Museum of Canada.

Saint Croix Island International Historic Site
Learn about Saint Croix Island and the remarkable story of the early French settlements in North America. Includes maps and other historic documents. From Parks Canada.

The Acadian and francophone community of Nova Scotia
A brief history and profile of the Acadian and francophone community of Nova Scotia. A Government of Nova Scotia website.

The Acadians
A CBC online feature about Acadian history and culture.

Champlain in Acadia
Explore 200 years of tumultuous Acadian history, from the time of Samuel de Champlain to the deportation of the Acadians in the 18th century. Features colourful illustrations, maps and videos. From the Historica-Dominion Institute.

Évangéline
An extensive multimedia online collection of archival material devoted to the Évangéline myth. Includes English and French versions of the 1853 poem “Evangeline: a Tale of Acadie” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, books, letters, images, and more. From the Nova Scotia Legislative Library.

Antonine Maillet
This site is devoted to novelist Antonine Maillet, the "Acadian Avenger." From CBC Archives.

The "conquest" of Acadia, 1710
This site offers online excerpts from "The 'conquest' of Acadia, 1710," a book about the conquest of Port-Royal by British forces in 1710. Relates to Acadian history, native studies, native rights histories, and the socio-political history of the eighteenth century.

The History of King's County
An online digitized copy of "The History of King's County." From the "Our Roots" website.

Antonine Maillet, Acadian Avenger
Watch a CBC video clip featuring an Adrienne Clarkson interview of acclaimed Acadian writer Antonine Maillet.

Pélagie: An Acadian Musical Odyssey
An extensive student study guide for the musical "Pélagie: An Acadian Musical Odyssey," by Vincent de Tourdonnet and Allen Cole. From the National Arts Centre.

Grand-Pré National Historic Site of Canada
Explore the Grand-Pré National Historic Site of Canada, which commemorates Grand-Pré area as a centre of Acadian settlement from 1682 to 1755 and the Deportation of the Acadians, which began in 1755 and continued until 1762. From Parks Canada.

Remembering Acadie
A multimedia site that explores Acadian history and culture. An online resources for the book "Remembering and Forgetting in Acadie: A Historian's Journey through Public Memory."