The Acadians are the descendants of the early French settlers who resided in Acadia, a France’s new city state. Presently, most people in the Acadian community can easily communicate in French. Besides, Acadia and some of the French city states of Canada were geographically and administratively a part.
For this reason, the Acadians and the French speaking Canadians had very different cultural lifestyle. The Acadians were able to spend most of their time in Acadia before colonization.
But after its colonization by the British, they were subjected to stay under their (British) rule for almost fifty years. British officials and England militia then started expanding their territory at the time when French and the Indians were at war. This led to the deportation of several Acadians living in the maritime region.
During the time of deportation, many died along the way due to disease infections and drowning. Besides, some went and stayed in Louisiana (Cajuns) while others went to France. Most of them came back to Maritime Provinces and settled in towns like New Brunswick in Canada.
The rest of this population settled in New Brunswick since the British did not allow them back into their lands. They later joined Nova Scotia. This is a critical observation in the context of resettlement and cultural orientation.
Previously, Acadia had sixty French speaking communities. They were able to come together and live peacefully with the aborigines of Nova Scotia (Mi’kmaq). The group practiced hunting and gathering as their major economic activity. Besides, they also practiced fishing along the coastal regions.
These economic activities were acquired from their neighboring communities. The Acadians majorly stayed along the Bay of Fundy coastal areas, which became their recovered farming land.
These people of Nova Scotia also helped the Acadians in fighting the British colony at the time of their eviction. For the fifty years they stayed with the British, they refused to sign the unaccepted vow of practicing full loyalty to the British colonialists. This is a crucial provision in this context.
Consequently, the Acadians decided to fight these British colonialists by forming some militia groups. Their armed forces ensured that important service lines linking the neighboring Fort Beausejour were constantly operational. Conversely, the threat created by this militia group was later thwarted by the British army.
They also wanted to expel the Acadians to terminate the important service lines. They were also expelled from the eastern coastal regions mostly occupied by the British.
During the deportation, this community divided itself with others being taken to France. Some were also transported from France to Louisiana to actively participate in farming and supply the farm products to the New Orleans. This provided a good opportunity for them to reunite with some member of their family who had earlier settled there.
This later resulted into the formation of the Cajun population with a distinct lifestyle. On the contrary, they were not able to settle in their previous lands (Western Louisiana) where they had previously lived with their families. Instead, they settled along the riverbanks of Mississippi.
Even though most of them were now not living together, their forefathers maintained their culture. Those who finally settled in cape Breton in Nova Scotia, Canada, became staunch catholic Christians. They could spend most of their time in the parish with their priests. This was their main gathering place for prayers. Concurrently, they could do their prayers even in the absence of the priest (Hodson 76).
Apart from praying, they also composed songs which were sung during church sessions. Acadia priests are acknowledged for having built churches, schools, and hospitals. Moreover, they are also appreciated for giving employment to most nurses and teachers who could easily communicate in French. School did not only cover academic subjects but also music.
Besides, music has been one of their day to day activities thus playing a bigger role in their way of life. Arguably, this revealed how strong they were emotionally involved in their churches, cultures, and entertainment. The first songs in this area were introduced by the early French colonists.
These songs were not written but sung from memory. At given times, the sounds would go together with the singers’ voices but in most cases, they were sung without any accompaniment. Despite the fact that most of the singers were poor and could not afford to record their music, they were able to produce their own songs. The songs were heard from generation to generation.
During the Acadian festivals, most of the French music rhythms are sung. In addition, the tunes are featured in a number of concerts and parties. Canadian vocalists and local groups have also recorded and reproduced the songs. By leaving together with the Scottish, they acquired new cultures, which brought in a new type and style of music.
Fiddle tunes and country music are some of the new songs which were introduced to this community. The songs were available in both English and French thus became one of the most fashionable musical trends and could be heard all over the world. Musicians like Ronnie Bourgeois have been given some credit for maintaining their traditions through songs.
The Acadian people speak French; nonetheless, it is slightly different from that of their forefathers. Besides, some literary phrases, which originated from Poitou and other neighboring French speaking nations, could still be felt.
Since most of this community lived in fishing villages, they acquired some given ‘sea terms’, which have become part of their common language. They also borrowed words like “boucane” (meaning smoke), from the Mi’kmaqs. Moreover, some English vocabulary and derivatives can still be heard.
The Acadian people prepared delicious meals. During hot seasons, they were able to feed on fresh meat and fish. This could change to salted meat and fish during cold seasons. They were also able to obtain foods like vegetables and keep livestock from their agricultural farms (Hodson 93).
These agricultural products could be kept throughout the winter period and this ensured a steady supply of foodstuffs both in summer and winter. On the farms, uncultivated berries could be found and consumed by everyone. Additionally, some of the meals like fish chowder and potatoes mixed cod can still be provided in their local restaurants.
Apart from the ordinary public holidays, the Acadians celebrate numerous festivals just the way their forefathers did. La Chandeleur festivals are usually organized on 2nd February of every year.
They also made hooked rugs, which could be used as carpet floors during the cold winter. Besides, with the existence of the traveling salesmen, this community was able to exchange the hooked rugs with the commodities not available locally.
Work Cited
Hodson, Christopher. The Acadian Diaspora: An Eighteenth-Century History. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012. Print.