The Acadian Exhibit
The first Europeans to settle permanently in Nova Scotia came from France in the 17th century.
They eventually came to be known as the Acadians (Acadiens) after the name of the region,
L'Acadie.
The colonization of "Les Mines" and Grand-Pré began in the 1680s, when a few families relocated from Port Royal. As was common in various locations along the Bay of Fundy, the Acadians constructed dykes to seal off portions of salt marshes to convert them into fertile agricultural land. The key to the dyking was the sluice box that ran under the raised earthen bank. A clapper (clapet) allowed water to flow off the enclosed land, yet prevented the incoming tide from entering. Once the salt had leeched from the soil, the Acadians had extremely fertile land. They raised cattle, pigs and sheep, and grew fruit and vegetables to meet their nutritional needs.
The most populous Acadian communities between 1713 and 1755 were Minas/Grand-Pré, Piziquid, Beaubassin, Cobequid, and the area close to Annapolis Royal. Most communities were isolated - on purpose - from the centre of governmental authority, which was at Annapolis Royal from 1713 to 1749 and in Halifax from mid 1749 onward. Generally speaking, their relationship with the Mi'kmaq was harmonious; based as it was on a common religion (Roman Catholicism), a long-established trading relationship, and some marriage ties. By the 1750s, however, there were stresses in Acadian - Mi'kmaq relations.
Though Acadians had linguistic, cultural and religious links with the French at Louisbourg and Quebec, most tried to remain apart from the rival territorial and military claims put forth by both British and French officials. Nonetheless, British officials always wondered and worried about where Acadian loyality lay. Their expectation was that if the Acadians remained in British territory, they would have to swear an oath of allegiance to the British monarch. The Acadians remembered how many times Acadia / Nova Scotia had changed hands between the two imperial powers, so they did not want to commit to one side or the other. They agreed to swear a limited oath as long as they were exempt from bearing arms against the French and Mi'kmaq. In 1729-30 Gov. Phillips of Nova Scotia accepted that compromise oath, but he did not inform the officials in Britain.
In 1755, with another full-scale war between France and Britain expected though not yet declared, the British made two pre-emptive strikes. The first was to capture Fort Beauséjour. That was accomplished in mid-June. When a couple hundred Acadians were found among the defenders of the French fort, it sealed the fate of all Acadians in the Chignecto region. Acting Governor Charles Lawrence and the Nova Scotia Council decided the Chignecto Acadians would be deported. Lawrence and the Council then ordered the communities in mainland Nova Scotia to send their deputies to Halifax to take an unconditional oath of allegiance. Those sessions took place in July 1755; on two separate occasions, the deputies refused. They wanted the neutrality clause that had been agreed to in 1729-30.
In August 1755, New England troops under the command of Lt. Col. John Winslow arrived in the Grand Pré region. On Sept. 5, Winslow ordered all men and boys aged 10 and above to come to the church at Grand-Pré for an announcement. There, they learned that every Acadian was to be deported and all their lands and animals confiscated. The same announcement was made the same day at Piziquid; later the Acadians of the Annapolis Royal area would learn the same news.
The deportations began in 1755 and continued for eight years. Approximately 10,000 people, or nearly 75% of the entire Acadian population were sent to various British colonies and to England (this was a group that Virginia refused to accept). Those who managed to escape, such as the entire community at Cobequid, either made their way to nearby French colonies or hid in the woods. When the war with France was over and Acadians were allowed to come back to Nova Scotia, they found that most of their former areas had been repopulated by New England colonists, the New England Planters.
Though the Deportation was a tragedy of an enormous scale, it did not destroy the Acadians or their culture. They re-emerged as a strong people, complete with their own flag, patron saint, and feast day (August 15). The most cherished of the many Acadian historic sites is Grand-Pré. John Frederic Herbin, of Acadian descent, deeded the land that now makes up Grand Pré National Historic Site to the Dominion Atlantic Railway in 1917. In the late 1950s, the land was purchased by the Federal Government. It opened as a national historic site in 1961. The uniqueness of the Acadian culture can be shared and explored by visiting this moving site, or by taking part in Acadian cultural events.
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