Acadiann
We can recognize that one of the most powerful tools we have, in this age of storytelling, is the narrative. Let's continue to build on a history of resilience. — Patrick Lacroix, Director of the Acadian Archives/Archives Acadiennes
Acadians lived in a place that existed geographically from roughly 1604 to 1755. In that year, an ethnic cleansing called the Grand Dérangement created a diaspora of thousands of residents from the Canadian Maritimes (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island) and what is now northern Maine.
Acadians of now retain some of that ancestral space in those hotspots and in Louisiana (Cajuns), Belle-Ile-en-Mer (off the coast of Brittany, France), and towns along the northern tier of Massachusetts. And probably other places that I’ll add as time progresses.
That ancestral space also grows in descendants whose Acadian stories were lost or silenced by the trauma of expulsion and harmful prejudice, and who discover that resilience is also part of the heritage. I am among this group.
This is a place, as the photo says, for friends to gather, share stories, meet cousins.
Why subscribe?
Acadiann launched in March 2024. I’m still working out the frequency of posts. At first I thought it would be monthly. Then a tidal wave of stories flooded in. Sometime between one week, and one month, you’ll see Acadiann in your mailbox.
I want anyone who is interested in this heritage to have access to the thoughts and resources that are posted here. Look for the free button when you subscribe.
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