Nova Scotia has been home to Acadians for a very, very long time. For early settlers, Acadians did not face much hardship until later on. In “Acadian Identity” by Naomi E. S. Griffiths, Acadian history is explored in depth. Although Acadia was constantly being claimed by both the French and the English it still had a very rich cultural heritage due to its diverse population. They were a people who were very politically independent who maintained strong kinship bonds among communities.
Acadian immigrants mainly came from France “but included people from England, Ireland, and Scotland as well as a number of Mimac”. This “society emerged as a result of the great transAtlantic migration of the peoples of Europe to Americas”. People immigrated to Nova Scotia to improve their economic and societal conditions for their children. This goal was met as their “lives [were] blessed with considerable good fortune”. There were many areas of Acadia were European traditions flourished but there were “also areas where no single set of traditions were present and the immediate environment [was] met on their own terms”.
The good fortune of Acadia ended in July of 1755 when the Council decided to deport all of the French settlers out of the country. People lost everything and some passed away, but according to Guy Frégault, “The deportation ought not to be thought an act of genocide nor an act of wanton malicious prosecution, [but] an act of eighteenth-century politics…”. This act broke up the first Acadian community but the Acadian identity still thrived. Many Acadians died on the journey back to Europe and the who survived died from illness. Acadians never stopped trying to get back to Nova Scotia and over time the majority of people immigrated back to Acadia where they resumed their very full lives.
Acadia is a very original name that you might assume was given to the region by an early settler. CBC informs us that in fact it came from Giovanni de Verazzano when he was exploring the Atlantic Coast in 1524. He gave it such a name because he “was so impressed by the beauty of the tress of the Chesapeake Bay” because it reminded him of ancient Greece. The name Acadia was often changed to Acadie of l’Acadie. The people of Acadia created their own motto: “strength through unity”. They also created a national anthem which is quite similar to that of Canada. An Acadian flag was also created which was red, blue and white just like that of the French.
The French presence in Acadia was established in 1604 and the core group of settlers arrived in between 1632 and 1653. Although the majority of Acadians arrived from France, “by 1730 the majority of Acadians had signed oath swearing allegiance to the British Crown…”. The Acadians continued to prove their political independence by claiming that they would not fight the French or the native Indians and reiterated this during the French and Indian war. The people of Acadia lived a well balanced life therefor it was incredibly hard when between 10,000 and 18,000 people were deported to Europe. Not only were they forced to leave their communities but over a thousand of Acadians were killed the during the process.
Except for the deportation of Acadian communities, they lived a very good life far from illness and negativity. The people of Acadia had a rich culture and economic opportunity that kept them going throughout the years and allowed their population to grow. France and Britain were constantly butting heads over control of these communities but in 1763 France signed the Treaty of Paris with gave Britain colonial possession in North America. Even with these kinds of treaty’s in place, the people of Acadian always obliged by their own rules and never engaged in any sort of war or conflict. There is no denying the flourishing lifestyle that was present in Acadia and that even through their hardships, the rich Acadian identity still exists today.