1. L’Acadie: Sur l’empremier
et aujourd’hui / Acadia: Past and Present
Par /
by Regis Brun
Translation:
Sally Ross
Published
by the Centre d’etudes acadiennes,
Universite
de Moncton, Moncton, N.B.
ISBN
Cost:
$15.00
An
Excellent Preliminary Volume, No 'canned' Treatment Here!
A
Review by: Ronnie Scullion
 This
bilingual text was intended, in part, to accompany an exhibition,
'Hale-toi une buche: une expression de l’Acadie' / 'An
Expression of Acadia'. The cover, curiously featuring a can of
Claude's Poutines Rapees does little to prepare the reader for
the book's contents that delivers anything but a 'canned'
treatment of this rich and fascinating part of our shared
history.
The
goal of the exhibition and the book was not simply to chronicle
the history of the French in this part of North America. Topics
covered and artifacts chosen for display were intended to convey
different aspects of the Acadian experience in the Maritimes
from a socio-cultural perspective. The resulting volume is an
expose exploring the religious, cultural, and traditional life
of the Acadians, and one that extends its appeal beyond the
readership of the exhibition attendee.
The
topics are concisely, yet expertly, dealt with by historian, Regis
Brun, and interspersed with illustrations of many of the unique
artifacts and archival photographs that comprised the exhibit.
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The
first chapter gives an overview of the history of the Acadians.
The 'Acadians', as the name is used in the exhibition and the
book refers to the French communities in the three Maritime
provinces, in the Magdalen Islands and the west coast of
Newfoundland. Devoted to the colonial period, it explains how
the early French settlers came to stay in the communities they
inhabit today. It details Acadia before the Deportation and
tells of their role and participation in the American
Revolution, the War of 1812, and the First World War.
Early
Church artifacts are plentiful, underlining the importance of
religion in the Acadian communities from the outset. The
relationships to the native people are also emphasized. The
first French settlers owed much to the natives from whom they
learned traditional hunting and fishing practices, such as
drying cod, and other aspects of survival in the new and
sometimes harsh Canadian environment. This initial exchange
extended to cultural and linguistic borrowings as well.
The
chapters that immediately follow trace and contrast the
socio-economic development of the communities -- the
growth and proliferation of the New Brunswick communities
compared to the ongoing struggles of communities in Nova Scotia
and Prince Edward Island to endure in an often overtly
anti-Catholic or anti-Acadian environment. New Brunswick alone
sustained a large enough population base to effectively
influence political life and attain political status in the
province.
The
balance of the book gives an overview of evolving religious,
material, and cultural life and how it was shaped and influenced by the physical and cultural landscape of the
Maritimes. Cultural life is explored in detail, examining the
particular and unique development of Acadian literature, music,
art and film.
The
importance of the family occupies its own chapter near the end
of the book. Tied in with the strong sense of identity that it
supports; family, like religion remained a mainstay of the
Acadian communities.
A final
section contains a comprehensive list of works dealing with a
range of topics relevant to Acadian life. The list is intended
for further reading.
As
an introduction to the rich cultural traditions and communities
of the Acadians, 'Acadia: Past and Present' is an excellent
preliminary volume, which will undoubtedly stir many of its
readers to further explore this topic.
To
order this book - CLICK
HERE!
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Acadia
of the Maritimes comprises a collection of scholarly articles on Acadia
and the Acadian people. Produced by the Chaire d'etudes acadiennes from
the Universite de Moncton, it is an academic work addressing current
issues and research of Acadian life in a number of different subject areas
-- including history, sociology, economics and linguistics. The included
articles challenge and inspire the current trends and thought of Acadian
study.