29 July 2019, Monday
Today was supposed to have been our opportunity to see the Hopewell Rocks, but since we’ve already done that, and because the weather is quite hot (31 C) we decide to investigate two of Moncton’s museums. But first we breakfast at Pur and Simple, a breakfast and lunch franchise that got its start in Quebec. O and I are hoping they expand their range further as breakfast is delicious.
We drive the short distance to the Musee Acadien at the University of Moncton and learn a great deal about the history of the people who inspired Longfellow to write his epic poem, Evangeline. The first French families arrived in the area around what is now Moncton in the 1630’s. A census in 1641 reported about 400 people. By the time of the deportations in 1755 there were about 15,000 Acadians living in the New Brunswick-Nova Scotia-PEI area. The fate of the Acadians was entangled in the outcome of the long wars between Britain and France. In 1713, the Treaty of Utrecht ceded Acadie to the British at which time Acadie was renamed Nova Scotia. (The name Acadie had been bestowed by Giovanni de Verrazano in 1524 because he thought the land was so beautiful he named it after Arcadia of ancient Greece. ‘Cadie’ or ‘quoddy’ was also a Mi’kmaq term meaning “in the land of.”) Under the British, the Acadiens tried to remain neutral in the continuing battles between French and English. Many Acadian villages were burnt to the ground by the French who wanted them to relocate to French territory. Finally, in 1755, the Acadians were expelled from their homes by order of the Crown. Most scattered throughout the English colonies while some fled inland to hide among the native peoples. After 1763 Acadians were allowed to return to the Maritimes if they pledged unconditional allegiance to the British crown and only lived together in small groups.
The rest of the museum is dedicated to the Acadian Renaissance and the struggle of this resilient people to maintain their language and their culture. Part of this struggle involved securing the right to have French language schools. In 1969 New Brunswick became the only province in Canada to become officially bilingual. In 1974 it became the only province to recognize linguistic duality in education.
Near the end of the exhibit is a quote by Antonine Maillet:
“We didn’t run aground. The sky, the Church, the land, humanity had called us into the twentieth century. We were here to meet them. We are still here. For how much longer will we be here? A futile and ridiculous question. The value of a note isn’t measured by how long it lasts, but by its place in the symphonie.”
After our education in Acadian history we drive a short distance to Resurgo, a museum highlighting the history of Moncton as a transportation hub. There are lots of hands on exhibits, great for kids and fun-loving adults, and histories of Moncton’s role in shipbuilding, rail and air transport and trucking. Also included is a recap of Molly Kool’s story, and a Mi’kmaq story about the battle of lobster and eel. Here is my rough retelling:
Long ago, there were many fish living in the Petitcodiac River. At that time the water was clear and the fish were happy, One day a giant eel discovered the river and its abundant fish. Each day it would swim up the river, eating fish and thrashing its body against the river banks muddying the waters. The little fish were frightened and sent loon, their messenger, to the Creator to ask for help. The Creator said he would not fight the eel himself, but he would help any fish that would volunteer to confront the eel. The little fish were all too frightened to step forward, but finally a small lobster timidly volunteered. As promised, the Creator helped the lobster grow strong and more confident until he finally sought out eel. The battle was terrible. The creator did not want to see his creatures fighting so he caused an eclipse. Finally, lobster, covered in the blood of eel, prevailed. To this day, the spirit of eel roams the Petitcodiac River which causes the tidal bore, and lobsters turn red when cooked due to the blood of eel.
We finally complete our visit to Resurgo, which means “I rise again,” Moncton’s motto. It’s time to proceed to Tide and Boar where we enjoy an excellent meal and two Hellavators, a Helles Bock brewed in Nova Scotia.
