On August 15th, the world celebrates Acadian Day. But what does it mean to be “Acadian?” What warrants a celebration of this group of people? Well, that story starts long ago.
Establishing Acadia
The colonial period of North America was wrought with tensions and imperial conflict. France, Great Britain, Denmark, and Spain were all establishing claims and seeking to grow their influence in the region. Exact timelines of colonization are often disputed, especially regarding the first settlements. The region we now consider Acadia (mostly concentrated in Nova Scotia with some regions of Prince Edward Island and northern regions of Maine), was likely established around 1604. In its beginnings, Acadia was a concentration of Francophone, Catholic Europeans that migrated to the New World.
In 1605, the French inaugurated a trading post in Port-Royal. For a few decades, the exact boundaries and ownership of the post fluctuated between imperial powers. As a result, Acadians were very fluid in their allegiances and trading partners. Notably, the Acadians had pleasant and peaceful relationships with the local indigenous populations, including the expansive Mi’kmaq tribes in modern-day Nova Scotia. The French officially confirmed their possessions in Acadia via the Treaty of St. Germain-en-Laye in 1679 (ending the Scanian War). Subsequently, there was increased migration to the region, accompanied with spikes in birth rate and low infant mortality. Quickly, the population exploded. By 1750, the population was near fifteen thousand.
Acadian Society
As the population exploded, the Acadians developed a complex society to meet their agricultural needs. Acadia is surrounded by marshes, which the Acadians made quick use of. They used dikes to create ponds and water sources that kept their agricultural output high, allowed easy connections to the Atlantic for trade, and isolated from the battles that were erupting across other regions of North America. Acadia was heralded as “the breadbasket” of the era. The marshes allowed dense wheat production. This allowed them to quickly establish strong ties to the Massachusetts Bay Colony, where they would trade excess wheat for manufactured goods.
Quickly, the Acadians expanded to the Bay of Fundy and Île Saint-Jean (modern day Prince Edward Island). They continued to expand their farming, integrating livestock into their mix as they expanded. However, this expansion was about to come crumbling down.
British Overtake
The British of the Northern Colonies were mostly Protestant in faith, which led to some animosity with the Acadians, who were a strong Catholic group. The Treaty of Utrechy in 1713 transferred ownership of Acadian directly to the British. For a few decades, peace was maintained in the region. However, as the 7 Years War sparked and the conquering of the French fort Beau-St.-Jour, that peace came to an end. In 1755, the British (accompanied by Massachusetts loyalists) launched their expulsion campaign. In the following years, more than ten thousand Acadians were captured and dispersed across North America. The rest escaped into other regions of modern-day Canada or back to Europe.
The Diaspora Begins
The spread of Acadian populations began with Anglophone cities across the Atlantic Coast, from Boston to Savannah. As time went on, the diaspora spread to Saint-Domingue (modern-day Haïti), Spanish Louisiana (establishing the modern-day Cajun culture), the Falkland Islands, and French Guiana. The maps below detail this migration in phases.
Returning Home
In the later stages of migration, some Acadians were allowed to return to their homelands. However, during the 1780s and 90s, they found that much of their previous settlement had been taken over by Americans and British Loyalists. This left them to expand into new regions of modern-day Canada, especially western Nova Scotia. At this point, the Acadian population as spread across multiple countries and continents. It had been permanently damaged by the forced expulsion.
Today, we celebrate Acadian culture as a mix of its history; we celebrate the uniqueness of Cajun French in Louisiana and parts of the Caribbean, of the Haïtian community, and of the French-Canadian heritage of Acadia. On August 15th, we celebrate the perseverance of Acadian peoples and culture through this tragedy. But more importantly, we highlight that Acadian culture (in a variety of places and forms) is vibrant and alive. And those cultures contribute greatly to the fabric of Francophone identity, especially in North America. Take a moment to recognize the great diversity of that identity and Happy World Acadian Day!
Written by Kaleb Houle-Lawrence
University Intern
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