Acadians

I’m one-sixteenth Acadien.

Acadians are descendents of French colonists

who settled in Atlantic Canada and Maine

in the 17^th century.

These hardy pioneers fished and farmed

and mostly got along well

with the First Nations tribes

who already lived in the region –

the Mi’kmaq and Wolastoqiyik

(formerly Micmac and Maliseet).

There was considerable intermarriage.

The French colony of Acadie (Acadia)

comprised the Canadian provinces

of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia

and Prince Edward Island.

Most of this region was given to Britain

by the Treaty of Utrecht (1713).

The tragic events known collectively

as the Expulsion of the Acadians

occurred from 1755-1763.

The British authorities forced 14,000 Acadians

to leave the region, and many perished.

Longfellow’s poem Evangeline is based on this event.

Some of the survivors traveled to Louisiana

and became known as Cajuns.

Other exiles eventually returned,

most to New Brunswick,

where about 325,000 Acadians now live.

Almost all Acadians now speak both French and English.

Acadian culture is rich in history, music and folklore.

Every five years (beginning in 1994),

the Congrès Mondial Acadien

(Acadian World Congress)

meets to celebrate Acadian culture

and address issues relating to Acadian identity.

(In 1999 the congress was held in south Louisiana,

but all other years it has been held

in various locations in eastern Canada.)

Read much more at Wikipedia under the headings:

Acadia

Acadians

Expulsion of the Acadians

Duke William