Acadian Culture in the Cheticamp Area
| Welcome to the section on Acadian culture.Wewill try togive you a glimpse of the way of life in
the Chéticamp area. large number of whom are Acadians and speak French natively, as well as English. Together with its smaller neighbour, Saint-Joseph-du -Moine, Chéticamp makes up the largest Francophone enclave on Cape Breton Island. |
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| The culture had its humble beginnings in the French countrysidewhence cametheir ancestors. Due to the fact that they were soisolated, those ancestors were careful to hold on to their culture,
and to this day it is very much alive. Come listen to the unique French pronunciations, savour the succulent dishes, experience t he Mi-Carême, sing and dance! Simply said, “Come on down and have fun!”This web page will explain only those aspects of the Acadian culture which have had, and continue to have, the greatest impact on their life as Acadians: Religion, Music, Language, Cuisine, Festivals and Tapestry (Hooking)
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| ReligionThe original Acadian settlers of Cheticampwere
devout catholics. Their life revolved around the parish and the parish priest. The church was their principal meeting place and even when there were no priests, they would still meet for prayers and songs. The priests deserve credit for having been at the origin of school and hospital construction and of recruiting French-speaking teachers and nurses. Learning was not limited to academic subjects but also included music and singing. Paroisse Saint-Pierre (left), a large sandstone church built in 1893 with a central tower, open belfry and rounded apse at the rear, is a prominent structure which can be seen at some distance. |
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Music Music has always been a very importantcomponent of Acadian life in Chéticamp.
It reflects our attachment to religion, language, culture, entertainment and history. The first songs to come to Chéticamp were most likely brought to the region by settlers coming from France or Québec and were sung from memory. Sometimes, the sound of the violin would accompany the singers, but, more often than not, the songs were sung a capella,(without accompaniment). Even though most people could not afford luxuries such as record players, they made their own music and somehow managed to pass on their songs from generation to generation. Luc Lacourcière, the Acadian folklorist, describes Acadian as one of the richest in the world. Père Anselme Chiasson and Père Daniel Boudreau have been instrumental in s aving our Acadian music. They compiled an enormous collection of French songs in books known as Chansons d’Acadie. These songs have been and are still sung today as part of Acadian festivals, concerts, or parties. Many have been recorded by local groups or individuals as well as by other Acadian or Canadian singers. Co-existence with the Scottish and Gaelic cultures surrounding Cheticamp would quickly bring a new form of music into our homes: the fiddle tune. Our neighbors had also mostly memorized tunes they had heard elsewhere, and the lively nature of the jigs and reels won over many a Cheticamp musician into their ranks. Country music was introduced when radio became popular…way back when. Country songs, both English and French, became very popular and were soon being sung everywhere. Certain musicians in the region are well-known for keeping tradition alive today. Sylvia LeLièvre and Ronnie Bourgeois have both made their mark on the music scene with their own compositions. They are indeed the pride of the Acadian community of Chéticamp along with Wendell Roache and Glen Roache, who have also released cds of excellent quality. Gérard Romard, Chéticamp’s ‘musical ambassador’ to the Magdalen Islands, continues to entertain locals and visitors with his repertoire of old traditional songs. Although music has always been an important part of this community’s social life, it is only of late that local musicians have begun recording their own songs and albums. The wave of recordings ‘Made in Cheticamp’ can be directly attributed to the presence of a strong cultural influence: our community radio station. The Coopérative Radio Cheticamp (CKJM) has been in existence since the early 1990’s and the mix of traditional and contemporary Acadian, as well as Scottish fiddle tunes, has served to strengthen the cultural presence in our region. CKJM enjoys the reputation of promoting our local artists at every opportunity. It has also encouraged a new generation to pick up musical instruments and play. Many of these have become well-known and quite popular in the region: Jeannine Chiasson, Marc Boudreau, Nathan LeLièvre, Andrea LeBlanc, the Tremblay family and the group Anonym, have just begun to delight audiences in Chéticamp and elsewhere. It is quite evident that an abundance of musical talent is ready to entertain you when you visit our Acadian region of Chéticamp. |
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| Les Trois PignonsA ‘must see’ for
Acadian culture, the history of Chéticamp and visitor information services. Visit the museum, genealogy resource cent re and library. Prominent in the exhibits are examples of tools and demonstrations of techniques used by the world-renown Chéticamp rug hookers. Élizabeth LeFort’s most beautiful pieces are on permanent exhibition here. |
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LanguageEven though the French language spoken in our Acadiancommunities is not exactly the same as that spoken by our ancestors of the 17th & 18th centuries, you will still hear phrases and shades of meaning which co me from Aunis, Saint-Onge, Poitou and other French countrysides. Father Charles AuCoin, in an article which appeared in Volume 5, #2 of the Genealogical and Historical Bulletin, speaks of certain characteristics of our language, for example, our tendency to pronounce the “c” like the English “ch”, which sounds like “tch”. This is, however, not always the case. Father AuCoin e xplains that rules of grammar are very rigid and one must learn when to pronounce what. When we speak about a cat we pronounce “chat”, but when we refer (in Acadian language) to a mess or to a wad of chewing tobacco, we pronounce “tchat”.Here are a few examples of the way we pronounce certain words: “Coeur or choeur” is pronounced “tchoeur” Our conjugations also have their distinctive features. In the Indicative present, we conjugate as follows: J’chante, Tu chantes, I’chante, J’chantons, Vous chantez, I’chantont. The same rule applies to the auxiliary verbs: ex: J’aurions …j’étions In front of certain doubled consonants, the o becomes ou such as in “J’mangions des bounes poumes” Due to the fact that Chéticamp is primarily a fishing village, certain terms relating to the sea have been adopted and are being used quite freely. We will say “On embarque” in a car as well as on a boat, and we “amarre” our shoes instead of “lacing” them ( French = lacer). Certain words such as “boucane” (smoke) and “mashkoui” (birch bark) were probably borrowed from the Mi’kmaqs. During your visit, you will no doubt hear many English words or English derivatives, but you will also realize that we have managed to inherit and conserve a vocabulary and a way of expressing ourselves that come from the old country of France. |
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| CuisineHowever simple might have been our Acadian cuisine , it has
become known for its succulence. We must remember that our ancestors were poor folks whose main fare consisted of fresh meat and fish during the summer and salted meat and fish during the winter. The garden contained many vegetables that were relatively easy to keep for at least part of the winter. Meat preparation was quite simple. Since there was usually only one large pot in the house, meat or fish, and vegetables cooked together slowly. Berries, which grew wild in the fields, were consumed by everyone.The following are examples of some of the Acadian dishes still being served in local restaurants. Fricot – a kind of soup made with pieces of red meat or chicken which have been fried before adding them to diced potatoes, onions, etc. Chiard – a kind of stew made up of potatoes, vegetables and sometimes pieces of meat which cook together slowly. Tchaude – fish or seafood chowder. Pâté à la viande – meat pie: made up of chicken & pork or beef & pork, cooked slowly together and then placed between two crusts. Morue en cabane – potatoes and cod cooked together slowly. Crêpes au râpage – pancakes made from grated potatoes, and cooked by frying. Croquettes au poisson – fish cakes made with mashed potatoes and fish, and then fried. Sauce au boudin: blood pudding – made from meat, onions & spices which are cooked together before adding pork blood and then left to cook slowly for some time. Poutine aux raisins: raisin pudding – contains raisins & spices – placed in a bag and steam-cooked. Come enjoy these delicious dishes! |
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Festivals
Besides observing
regular holidays,
Acadians love to
celebrate other
days in the way
their ancestors
did.
La Chandeleur –
Candlemas: Years
ago, the feast of
Candlemas, on
February 2, began
in church with
the blessing of
the candles and
was followed by a supper and an evening of music and dance. A
few days prior to February 2, a group of people from the
community would go from house to house in search of food
for Candlemas. This group was led by an individual dressed
up for the occasion and holding a long cane decorated with
ribbons of various colours. Where food was given out, the
group would dance the Escaouette as a way of thanking the
householders. We called this activity “courir la Chandeleur”
(running the Candlemas). On the day in question, people
would get together at a pre-designated location, where
they would have supper and spend the evening singing
and dancing. Today, all that is left is the supper and
dance in a community hall.
Mardi Gras – In the past, we called “Shrovetide” the
three days preceding Ash Wednesday, during which
time all work came to a halt. It was time to party.
Friends and family visited each other; evenings
were spent playing cards, or dancing if there was
music. Today, we observe Shrove Tuesday only
and we do it with a pancake supper followed by a
dance at a community hall. The yearly Mardi
Gras festivities in Southern Louisiana originated
with the Acadians who brought the custom with
them to the U.S. when they settled there following
their expulsion from Nova Scotia.
Mi-Carême – For our ancestors, Lent was a time of
sacrifice during which time no amusement of any
kind was permitted. In order to have a break from
the monotony of this 40 day period, on the Thursday
marking the exact half time of Lent, people began
to disguise themselves and go from house to house while trying to keep their identity a secret. The householders would try to guess who was behind the mask and costume. With time, the Mi-Carême was extended to cover the whole third week of Lent. The festivities now begin on Sunday with an evening called “Laissons entrer les mi-carêmes” (Let the mi-carêmes in), which takes place in the community centre.. The evening consists of musical entertainment, dancing, goodies, and of course, mi-carêmes!. The Mi-Carême is officially started!. We “run” the Mi-Carême every day and every nigh t of that week and the whole thing comes to a close with another social evening on Saturday night. Feast of the Assumption – It was in 1881, at an Acadian congress in Memramcook, N.B., that our ancestors designated August 15, feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, as the national feast of the Acadians. Today, we start the day with mass where we sing “Ave Maris Stella”, the national anthem of the Acadians, and we end the day with an evening of celebration “à l’Acadienne” Tapestry (Rug Hooking)We call “hooking” the makingof wool or ragrugs on burlap. The burlap is stretched tightly on a wooden frame, and the hook is a simple nail with a curved tip attached to a wooden handle. With a hook held in the right hand, the wool or rag (held underneath the burlap with the left hand) is pulled to the surface of the burlap. Although rag rugs are still being produced, our attention here will focus on our wool rugs. Nearby Beach Originally, these hooked rugs served as throw rugs to cover the cold floors in winter or to exchange with traveling salesmen for mechandise not available locally. The turning point of the rug industry came when in 1927, Lillian Burke, an artist from New York as well as a friend of the Bell family of Baddeck, visited this area. She became interested in these works of art which she introduced on the U.S. market. Profit was still minimal for the rug “hookers” and because of that, a few women began operating their own boutiques. Today you will find many of these boutiques, where friendly staff await to serve you. The name “Élizabeth LeFort” immediately comes to mind when one speaks about rug hooking. Like most others, Mrs. LeFort started her career by hooking sceneries, but the turning point came when her talent for hooking portraits was discovered. Referred to as “Canada’s artist in Wool”, Mrs. LeFort was awarded an Honorary Doctorate Degree from the Université de Moncton, as well as the Order of Canada. Her works may be admired at various places throughout the world, i.e. at the Vatican, Buckingham Palace, the White House and at the Museum of Civilization in Ottawa. You can feast your eyes on many of her tapestries while visiting the gallery which bears her name, at the Trois Pignons, in Chéticamp.
Cheticamp Harbour In January 1998, a group of rug hookers from Chéticamp, under the skilled direction of Marie-Claire Doucet, undertook the task of hooking a large rug (15ft x10ft) destined for the Canadian Room at Rideau Hall, residence of the Governor General of Canada in Ottawa. The finished product of this venture is, like many before, a real masterpiece. |
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