Pocket History of Atlantic Canada
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Posted by Cathy Smith Oct 31, 2008 |
The provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick are known as Atlantic Canada. Fishing has been the life blood of this region for centuries but decreasing stocks, modern high-tech methods of fishing and a moritorium on cod fishing has meant people have had to turn their minds to other ways of making a living and they are just starting to realise the enormous potential for tourism.
Nearly four hundred years ago when French settlers colonized the area it was called Acadia, after an Eden-like place in ancient Greece where the inhabitants lived in rustic simplicity and content. This paradise was shattered when Britain won control of the French colonies and forcibly deported the Acadians.
It’s a tragic story and one which fascinated the poet Longfellow. His epic poem ‘Evangeline’ tells the tale of two Acadian lovers, Evangeline and Gabriel, separated at the time of the deportation. Evangeline spends the rest of her life looking for her lover and eventually finds him on his deathbed. In the 1750’s ten thousand Acadians were forced onto British ships and deported because they refused to swear allegiance to the crown.
Their homes were burned and belongings scattered. Many found their way to Louisiana and the French population there, known today as Cajuns, are the direct descendents of the deported Acadians. In time, many Acadians found their way back to their homeland and today their culture is thriving. The Acadian flag (the red, white and blue of the French tricolour with the addition of the yellow star of Independence) is painted on mail boxes, telegraph poles, and even on lobster pots.
No, I haven’t forgotten about the Micmac Indians who were probably the first indigenous people of the ‘New World’ to be encountered by Europeans. But that’s another story.
New Brunswick (Acadian Canada)
Prince Edward Island - Trans Canada Trail
Prince Edward Island - Anne of Green Gables