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Our culture had its humble beginnings in the French countryside whence came our ancestors. Due to the fact that they were so isolated, our ancestors were careful to hold on to their culture, and to this day it is very much alive. Come listen to our unique French pronunciations, savour our succulent dishes, experience the Mi-Carême, sing and dance with us! Simply said, "Come on down and have fun!" This web page will explain only those aspects of our culture which have had , and continue to have, the greatest impact on our life as Acadians: Religion, Music, Language, Cuisine, Festivals and Tapestry (Hooking) |
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Our ancestors were devout catholics who showed great respect for priests. 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. Saint-Pierre Church is a monument to the memory of the faith and devotion of our ancestors.
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 Saint-Pierre Church can be seen from almost anywhere in the village. |
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Music
Music has always been a very important component 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 folklore as one of the richest in the world. Père Anselme Chiasson and Père Daniel Boudreau have been instrumental in saving 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.
Religion being as strong as it was, it is no wonder that priests and nuns, namely, Les Filles de Jésus, are responsible for preserving and promoting much of our earlier music. Many people learned to sing Gregorian chants at mass along with French hymns learned to the accompaniment of the organ. The Filles de Jésus were responsible for teaching many young girls to play the piano, and to sing French songs. Acadians still like to participate in the singing of hymns during mass or other religious ceremonies. 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 cd’s 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 Language Even though the French language spoken in our Acadian communities 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 come 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 explains 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:
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. Cuisine However 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.
Come enjoy these delicious dishes! Festivals Besides observing regular holidays, Acadians love to celebrate other days in the way their ancestors did. 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 night of that week and the whole thing comes to a close with another social evening on Saturday night. For more information about the Mi-Carême, go to the Mi-Carême web site. 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 making of wool or rag rugs 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. 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. On a more recent note, 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. Home || Location || History || Tourist Information || Community || Activities || Links Web Site by Moran Dán |
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