The Region
In the Norwestern Corner of New Brunswick Canada and the Northern most tip of Maine there lies a region called Madawaska. The name, meaning "Land of the Porcupine" in Mi'kmaq (the second language of many early Acadians) was long a hunting ground and meeting place for the local Maliseet, and soon became home to a a group of refugees from a nation driven to non-existence. Quickly the area along the river, and soon the connected lakes, became filled with rolling hills of farmland. More people came, seeking land and independence, and soon the land and it's people took new life.
Storied Roots
For almost 2 centuries present day Nova Scotia and many inland colonies along the eastern seaboard served as a home to peasants from France and a few other nations searching for a better life and freedom from European aristocracy. These people lived alongside the Mi'kmaq of the region; shared towns, houses, marriages and children. With the knowledge, techniques and blood of both groups this area was extremely productive fishing, hunting farming, and the often mixed offspring were more immune to the diseases of both peoples, allowing this area to grow significantly. Eventually, after denying British rule, especially regarding wartime loyalty, Protestantism and sanctions on native relations, the Acadians fell to a British campaign during the French and Indian War. In the years following 1755 almost the entirety of the population had been killed, held as prisoners of war, or deported to Louisiana and other areas. However, a number were able to flee. Over the next few years a couple thousand more who were attempting to travel to new areas or live in hiding had been caught, but some made it and settled new areas. A group of these refugees made it to the St. John River. First settling downriver to eventually get pushed out by British Loyalists after the revolution. Eventually they made their way up river, planted a cross and began a new life. The following year many more Acadians who had been living in New France came down, and eventually more and more citizens of New France as well. Over time these people shaped a new identity. For a long time the area remained independent, existing in a disputed territory between the US and Canada, eventually declaring itself "the Republic of Madawaska" in defiance of the border conflict during the Aroostook War. The people did not shrug at the border that was placed between them and continued to maintain a united cultural identity to this day, Brayon. Through harsh winters, famine and other challenges these people continued to nurture a culture that is wholly theres, and this story seeps through every aspect of it. The food, the music, the households, the work and more all paint an image of a people that are uniquely their own and wont let anything divide them. Outside the town hall in Edmundston, where the mayor has the honorary title as president of the Madawaska Republic, the flag of the Republic and the Acadian flag fly proudly next to the others. The spirit is still alive and will live on.
Purpose
The purpose of this project is an important one. Due to political, economic and social forces over the last few decades the region and it's culture have been in a decline. I believe preserving it, and making it accessible through a digital medium, will help keep it alive. My mother left the area to seek a better life but still Brayon culture is a large part of who I am, and I would like people to be better informed on what that means. I have spent a great portion of my life in the region, and even more than that, experiencing the culture from a far. The region is of great importance to me and my family, my parents say it's "our people", and as I grow older those words begin to mean more and more. My family has been celebrated at the Acadian festival, I have attended the Foire Brayon, my Pepère was one of the first Francophone foremen in the mill following the Madawaska Rebellion, my mother grew up picking potatoes on the family farm, working in the mill and attending the public school that was once run by the Daughters of Wisdom. This is where I was baptized and my parents were married. This is the food I eat, this is where I've spent countless hours training for biathalon and nordic skiing with local friends. This is the style of household I grew up in, and the religion I was born with. I have heard of my Pépère, a Knight of Columbus, performing miracles with healing prayers and my mother spreading the areas story all the way to Europe through dance with the Dancers de la Vallée. The culture and history of this region is significant, not just to me, but in a larger context too, and yet no one knows much about it. That is why I think it is now as important as ever to keep it alive however I can.