Introduction
Atlantic Canada is the heartland of unique legends, mysteries, and folktales. The traditional culture of the land is defined by the beliefs in the supernatural powers that form startling information on the history and culture of the communities. Various scholarly works have been carried to understand the folklore in the region. The following is a summary of two articles that have examined the Atlantic Canadian folklore.
Naïve witchcraft beliefs in Acadian, Maritime and Newfoundland Folklore
Summary
The article explores various studies that have been carried to understand the legends and beliefs among Acadian, Maritime, and Newfoundland people. In the article, Labelle (2008) examines the issue of witchcraft in three different folklores, the Acadian, Newfoundland, and Anglophones. The article also includes views of the Christian groups that interacted with the natives. The belief that is explored in the article is that of witchcraft and sorcery. According to Labelle (2008), there are differences between witchcraft and sorcery.
Witchcraft is depicted as being made of innate power that is within the individual’s body while sorcery is based on the ability to manipulate spells and medicines. However, Labelle (2008) pointed out that the magical practices in the Atlantic Canadian make it difficult to differentiate the two. For example, among the Anglophones, witchcraft is associated with the power to cause harm to people and animals. The power they apply is not differentiated whether it is innate or acquired. On the other hand, in the Acadian traditions, various narratives point that the sorcerers obtained power through a transaction with the devil, i.e. selling their soul to the devil to attain the powers to cast spells.
The term ‘witch’ was used to refer to both males and females. However, the various narratives about witches show that the females were more numerous than the males. In Newfoundland, which was predominantly Protestants, the biblical reference to witches was used to denote the witch as an evil woman. Among the Acadians who are traditional Catholics, suspicion of witchcraft did not necessarily point to a woman.
Acadian legends that refer to people possessed evil powers; the persons sought help from the local priest. However, in the case of native witchcraft, they rarely consulted the priest.
In the Acadian society, witches were considered to be outsiders. Male sorcerers in the Acadian community were believed to have come from France or Quebec. In Newfoundland, Mi’kmaq men and women were likely to be considered as witches by the natives. On the other hand, the settlers considered natives as witches and dangerous.
The beliefs in witchcraft affected the interaction of the communities. Labelle (2008) noted that distances between the communities were not very close; it is only through acts of kindness that they could be bridged. There were also beliefs of countercharms in both the Newfoundland and the Maritimes such as acts of kindness to the local natives.
Discussion Questions
- The natives believed that witches were mainly the outsiders while the outsiders believed that the natives were witches and dangerous. What does that depict the interracial relations between the various groups?
- Acts of kindness were used as a countercharm to evil spells. What is the moral teaching of the belief in the countercharm of kindness?
- What role did Christianity teachings have on the belief in witchcraft?
The Fiddle Burning Priest of Mabou
Summary
In the Atlantic Canadian communities, priests were regarded as positive figures as depicted in various narratives. However, this applied to priests who conformed to the expectations of the community. Those who were not were relegated to the lore. The article explores the beliefs of one community based on a framework of a legend. The legend is a priest who burned the community’s fiddles. In the article, McDavid (2008) presents the way of life of the native people, their strong belief in culture, and musical traditions and the challenges brought about by Christianity. It is about Fr. Kenneth, a legend in Cape Breton Island and the opposition he faces as tries to end some traditional practices such as playing the fiddle and dancing.
The people believe in supernatural powers which make the priest connect the traditional fiddle to the devil. Thus, Fr. Kenneth equates the playing of the fiddle and the accompanying dancing to the tools of the devil. The priest practices were to quell the atmosphere of the demons which he believed were in the music by the locals. However, people gave out the old and poor fiddle and kept the good ones. Later the people got wiser and challenged the priest’s practices and noted that they will not like to go to heaven if there was no music. According to McDavid (2008), the opposition shown by the communities depicts the occupational folklore of the fiddlers in Cape Breton. It presents a tradition that has persevered despite the attempts by the priest who is presented in the narratives as flawed.
Discussion questions
- The legend Fr. Kenneth burned the fiddles used by the locals and attributed them to drunkenness and tools of the devil. What does this point in terms of the convergence of Christianity and the local traditions?
- Across the globe music and musical instruments are used to define culture, in the context of the article, what was more significant, the actions of the priest or the fiddle? Why?
- The priest, a revered figure among the Acadian community burned fiddles. Did such an act imply nullification of the traditional culture by Christianity and what was the impact of such practices on the culture?
References
Labelle, R. (2008). Native witchcraft beliefs in Acadian, Maritime and Newfoundland folklore. Ethnologies, 30(2), 137-152.
McDavid, D. (2008). The fiddle burning priest of Mabou. Ethnologies, 30(2), 115-136.