Ontario. Christmas, birtlidays, and
other holidays were exciting times, as I knew there were Acadian books coming.
The story of my people became alive, how a few families left France for a new life in a faraway country. How generation after generation moved from one place t0 anotlier. How the ravages of nature, weather and mice, only made them more intent t0 survive. How the tyranny of man only slowed them down, but they survived. I-Iow success came and went, and they survived. I remember researching one particular family, and within a few months, five of their Children passed away, tlien the mother died. A little while later, the father remarried, and a whole new famin started t0 arrive. How from tragedy he found some happiness in life.
l was reading recently about the journeyings of Father MacEachern. How he would travel from Mal— pèque t0 St. Andrews, then back t0 Malpùque. Taking days and weeks, travelling by canoe, or snowshoe, liorseback, and foot. Now we think notliing of jumping in the car and driving t0 Charlottetown for supper.
One summer day we drove to Montague, th'en to Souris, up t0 Easl Point, over t0 Th ree Rivera, St. Peter’s, and Rustico, back to
Charlottetown and then home t0 Summerraide by way of Borden. Tlie nexl day we drove up to Tignisli and back lhrougli Buie-Egmont and lwlonl»-Cnrinel. And finrilly to Mis— CUUCllL‘ before returninp, home. l lllouglil liow it took my anceslors several genereitions to go from l‘orb Injoye lo Sumnwrside. l cnn do il now in a ft'w hours.
Evory duy, l scnn tlirouigli "l"lic It’er'HnI—l’imm'r for Acadian artir'lus. l check ou! llw Oblllldl'll‘H and lu»
numlrs. l Compare any new inli n" i'nnlion will! tlw rL‘t'Ul'kl‘à in iny dululnm' and add or correct tlwm
as requircd. l regularly Cllt‘t‘h ont
iüæ'y‘wçngr ‘
w , a i—
the books available at the Centre ].—Henri—Blanchard, the Acadian Museum, the used—book stores in the area. In the past little while, we have been fortunate t0 see several excellent new books published. With great local historians and authors such as Georges Arsenault, Cecile Gallant, David Le Gallant, Jacinthe LaForest, and the late I. Henri Gaudet, we are regularly blessed with new and exciting publications. I thank them for their work and encourage them t0 continue to publish their research.
Sad t0 say, I have relatives and friends who mock the Acadian flag and shun their Acadian heritage as an embarrassment. I take pride in the fact that as a people we have a national flag, a national anthem, a national day. I take my young son with me t0 places such as the Acadian Museum, and the Centre I.-Henri- Blanchard. He looks up t0 me with his big brown eyes «This is the Acadian place, dad?», he asks. He watches for flags and can identify our Canadian flag, the Summerside Flag, the Prince Edward Island flag, and our Acadian Flag. One day I bought one of those tricolor ties at the Acadian Museum. Wlien I got it home, he claimed it as his own; it is his Acadian tie. I hope and pray he and our children througliout all the land will be proud of their Acadian heritage as l am.
AS l continued my researcli, l was not and still am not satisfied with only knowing naines and dates of my ancostors. l neod to know more. I necd to know how tliey lived, wlmt they atc, wlmt kind of clotlws llu‘y wore, Wlml lliL‘)‘ did for a living, etc. Were they formons or l'isln'rmcn? Did tlw)‘ have a (rade? VVL'I'U tln'y mt‘rt‘lmnlrs, or did [liey L‘nl‘n tlieir wnin‘s woi‘lxing l'or soinoono ClSL‘? ‘(Vdñ tlioir lionsr‘ a loi; liomu or n frnnwd building? llid tlw)‘ lmx'e glass windows? l‘lid tlit‘y love lobsler as n food or une it only as
4 / “a v magma;
how a Ëew familles
0E people
became alive.
for a new life
in a far‘away
How generation after generation
m oved fl'O m O ne
place t0 another‘.
PAGE 4l
The story
left France
COUDÈÜ'.