St. Martinville’s Cultural Museums still recovering from August flood

ST. MARTINVILLE, La. (KLFY) – It’s been five months since the historic flood of 2016,  and St. Martinville’s Acadian Memorial and Cultural Heritage Center is still dealing with the devastation.

Flood waters damaged the Cultural Heritage Center and the Acadian Memorial.

“These museums mean a lot to people. It was a huge hit to us emotionally,” said Elaine Clement.
Acadian Memorial Director Elaine Clement said she still can’t get the horrifying image out of her mind.

“It was almost too much to take in emotionally.”

The Acadian Memorial and Cultural Heritage Center sit on the banks of Bayou Teche.
“Within two hours it was through the museum and across the street, so at that point there was nothing we could do,” said Clement.

The Cultural Heritage Center has an African American exhibit on one side and an Acadian Heritage exhibit on the other, both sides were heavily damaged.

“We had about a foot of water in the Acadian Memorial, about 18 inches in the Cultural Heritage Center and almost up to 7 feet in the Evangeline Oak and gazebo are,” said Clement.

“In the Acadian Memorial the mural got wet but not significantly, and the acrylic paint that it was painted with protected it,” said Clement.

It’s been a long road to recovery but Clement said she hopes they can start reconstruction soon.
“We’re just in the last stages with FEMA so that we can finish and get folks back in here to put us back together.”

This year is the city’s 200th anniversary making it bitter sweet for the museums.
“In a sense this is just a building but it means something to people. This brings people together.
 

CHRISTMAS IN ST MARTINSVILLE

The annual lighting of the square will take place on Dec.11 at sundown.   Please join us downtown for a memorable stroll around the historic square as it lights up to celebrate the holidays.

 The annual Christmas parade and Christmas on theBoulevard have been canceled this year due to unforeseen circumstances, but we’llbe back next year.  We look forward toinviting you to our Christmas activities in 2017 celebrating the Bicentennialof St. Martinville!!

Travel to Paris with St. Martinville Main Street and enjoyits epicurean delights, as they celebrate “Midnight in Paris”, Supper on theSquare on Dec. 9.   Enjoy excellent and festivelocal food, drinks and music.   Ticketsare $XX and available by contacting 337-394-2230 or stmchc@bellsouth.net, andseatings are at 6pm and 7pm.

 Happy Holidays from the City of St. Martinville!!

 

From: Visit St. Martinville <visitstmartinville@gmail.com>

Tourism Office

City of St. Martinville

121 So. New Market St.

St. Martinville, LA  70582
337-394-2233

337-394-2260 (fax)

tourism@stmartinville.org

Mi'kmaq

 

Mi’kmaq (Mi’kmaw, Micmac or L’nu, “the people” in Mi’kmaq) are Aboriginal peoples who are among the original inhabitants of the Atlantic Provinces of Canada. Contemporary Mi’kmaq communities are located predominantly in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, but with a significant presence in Québec, Newfoundland, Maine and the Boston area. As of 2015, there were slightly fewer than 60,000 registered members of Mi’kmaq nations in Canada. In the 2011 National Household Survey, 8,935 people reported knowledge of the Mi’kmaq language.

 

As of 2015, the number of people registered with Mi'kmaq First Nations was 58,763. Of that total, 23,997 were members of the Qalipu First Nation of Newfoundland, a landless community officially recognized by the Government of Canada in 2011. Excluding the landless Qalipu, 56 per cent of Mi’kmaq people lived on reserves in 2015. Mi’gma’gi is home to 30 Mi’kmaq nations, 29 of which are located in Canada — the Aroostook Micmac Band of Presque Isle, Maine, has more than 1,200 members. All but two communities (the Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation and La Nation Micmac de Gespeg in Fontenelle, Québec) possess reserve lands. Many Mi’kmaq people live off-reserve, either in Mi’gma’gi or elsewhere. More still may not be included by registered population counts, as they are not recognized as Status Indians under the Indian Act.

 

 

http://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/micmac-mikmaq/

2016 L'ORDRE DU BON TEMPS LOUISIANA - FUNDRAISING GUMBO

The mission of the AcadianMemorial Foundation is to support the Acadian Memorial - thanks for your past generositywith that mission.

 This is just a reminderthat if you haven’t yet made a reservation for the upcoming L'Ordre du Bon Temps Louisiane-2016 fundraisingGumbo on November 10th please consider doing so soon.   A copy of the invitation is attached - and -we've just added a Silent Auction which will open at 6:00 p.m.

 Fundraisers become even more important when theunexpected happens like the horrific flood this past August.   The Bayou rose and deposited 1-1/2 feetof  mud in the Acadian Memorial and theMuseum of the Acadian Memorial next door. The Memorial suffered damage to the Mural that Robert Dafford has lookedat and will address soon, but the Museum fared worse as its sheet rock wallsand carpet will have to be replaced.  Both buildings are closed until January 2017.
Thanks for your consideration of the Gumbo event!

 Sincerely,
        Patty
PattyGuteKunst, President
AcadianMemorial Foundation, Inc.

Our Mission

The AcadianMemorial honors the 3,000 Acadian men, women and children who found refuge inLouisiana after British forces exiled them from their homeland on Canada'seastern coast in the mid-18th century. The mission of the Acadian Memorial Foundation, Inc., is to lend financial support and guidance to the AcadianMemorial.  The Foundation raises fundsfor the Memorial through the Boutique, Friends of the Foundation and L'Ordre duBon Temps Louisiane.


Acadian Memorial


121 S New Market St.
P.O. Box 379
St. Martinville, LA 70582
(337)394-2258
(337)394-2260 fax
www.acadianmemorial.org

MI'KMAQ FLAG RAISED AT DALHOUSIE UNIVERSITY

 

 

It was a good day for tradition as Dalhousie University proudly raised the Mi’kmaq Grand Council Flag on Thursday.

“We recognize that Dalhousie is located on traditional territory of the Mi’kmaq people,” Dr. Richard Florizone, Dalhousie president, said in a news release.

“We are proud to permanently install the Mi’kmaq Grand Council Flag on our campuses.”



http://thechronicleherald.ca/metro/1403577-dalhousie-permanently-raises-mi%E2%80%99kmaq-flag#.V_fkG7Xa4gE.facebook

LaBauve Genealogy: FESTIVALS ACADIENS CREOLES

LaBauve Genealogy: FESTIVALS ACADIENS CREOLES

FESTIVALS ACADIENS CREOLES

ALGIERS HISTORICAL SOCIETY REMINDER

         

When

Saturday, 17 September 2016

10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
(GMT-06:00) Central Time (US Canada)

Where

Algiers Regional Library, 3014 Holiday Dr, Algiers, LA

Notes

Dr. David "Buck" Landry, Ph.D., President of the University of Holy Cross, will give an informative talk and power point presentation about the university's history, its founding, and its positive impact on Southeast Louisiana.

From

WestBankGenealogySociety   Calendar

BREAUX DU MONDE

 

Email: breauxdumonde@cox.net Facebook Group: Breaux du Monde

 

Day of Remembrance

 

Thursday, July 28 –

 

In Halifax, Nova Scotia on July 28, 1755 British

Governor John Lawrence signed the deportation

order setting in motion Le Grand Derangement.

“From 1755 to 1763 it is estimated by historians

that 7,000 – half of the entire ethnic population of

the Acadians – perished during their diaspora from

disease, starvation, and neglect, as well as from

violence by the British.”

Though the efforts of attorney Warren

Perrin, “In 2003, Queen Elizabeth II signed the

Royal Proclamation decreeing that every July 28th

the world should pause to remember the suffering

of the Acadians during the Acadian exile.” By

symbolically declaring an end to the Acadian

exile, the Royal Proclamation stated: ‘...we

acknowledge these historical facts and the trials

and sufferings experienced by the Acadian people

during the Great Upheaval.’”

On Thursday, July 28 let us take a

moment to remember how fortunate we are to

have survived as a people!

Cajun Jam

 

When: 09-Jul-2016 - 1:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Where: Performance Center

Vermilionville's weekly Cajun Jam is led by some of the area’s finest musicians. The free jam is held in the Performance Center of Vermilionville and is open to all skill levels-beginner to professional. Free admission is for the jam only and does not include entry to the park. Special thanks to the Cajun French Music Association for sponsoring our weekly jams!

 

COMBINED FAMILY REUNION

‎Kathy Kraemer Hebert‎ to Cajun Family Association The Breaux, Guidry and Hebert Family Associations are having a combined family reunion this Saturday, June 25 at the Woodman of the World building in Maurice, LA. Registration begins at 9:00 AM. There is no charge to attend. Jambalaya, black eyed peas and drinks will be provided. There will be no formal program but we will have some Cajun music provided by young musicians after lunch. Bring your lineage if you know it, pictures and stories to share. Contact me for more information

LOUISIANA'S FRANCOPHONE COMMUNITIES

Historically, Louisiana's Francophone communities have consisted of three primary groups: the Acadians (better known today as the Cajuns), the Creoles, and the Colonial French. The Acadians were Frenchmen who moved to and settled in the eastern most provinces of Canada, mainly in the Nova Scotia area during the early 17th century. Although the Acadians thrived in this area, they were expelled from their land by the British Government beginning in 1755. Some Acadians returned to France while others settled along the United States’ east coast and in Louisiana. Creole communities in Louisiana historically came from the State's slave population. Louisiana's slaves mainly come from the Senegambian region of Africa, and Louisiana Creole arose from their communication with their French-speaking masters. Colonial French is a variety of French that arrived with French colonists throughout the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. Colonial French has been spoken by a wide variety of groups in Louisiana, from free people of color, to plantation owners, to Native American tribes.

ACADIAN MEMORIAL CELEBRATION!

CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF THE ACADIAN MEMORIAL Wednesday, June 15, 2016 121 South New Market St. St. Martinville, LA 4pm – Annual Membership Meeting 4:30pm – 6:30pm – Presentations and Reception RefreshmentsServed Acadian Memorial 121 S New Market St. P.O. Box 379 St. Martinville, LA 70582 (337)394-2258 (337)394-2260 fax www.acadianmemorial.org

KREATIVE GENEALOGY AWARD

LaBauve Genealogy Lynn Labauve of Gainesville, Florida shares fascinating tidbits of Acadian religious and secular traditions and foklore. Always a pleasure to read.

LOUISIANA ACADIAN (cAJUNS) HOMES

The Acadians (French: Acadiens, IPA: [akadjɛ̃]) are the descendants of the seventeenth-century French colonists who settled in Acadia (located in the Canadian Maritime provinces — Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and in the US state of Maine). The settlers whose descendants became Acadians did not all come from the same region in France.

In the Great Expulsion of 1755-1763, mostly during the Seven Years' War, British colonial officers and New England legislators and militia deported more than 14,000 Acadians from the maritime region in what could be called an ethnic cleansing . Approximately one third perished. Gradually, some managed to make their way to Louisiana, creating the Cajun population and culture after mixing with others

When the Acadians first arrrived in Louisiana, some put up quick, temporary shelters made of wood and palmetto leaves. The Native Americans had been building such dwellings for years. Built upon a pole frame, palmettos would be uses on the roof (as was straw in France and Acadia). Many also used palmetto for walls until wood could be cut. When they had the time to build a more substantial structure, they often built homes by putting wood vertically into the ground for walls. These 2nd generation Acadian homes (1766-1827) were either poteaux en terre (post in ground) or planche debout (upright planks). The easiest of the two, poteaux en terre, was to cut logs, strip off the bark, and place it in a hole in the ground. The gaps between the logs would be filled with a mud and straw/moss mixture (bousillage). If they had the time and manpower, they might cut planks from the logs and place the planks vertically in the ground (planche debout) to make the walls (again, filling the gaps with bousillage). Roofs were covered with shingles or wood. These homes were built directly on the ground . The Acadians soon learned that to build a wooden home on the ground was not the way to go. The occasional flooding and insect damage was terrible to these kinds of homes. Upon arriving in Louisiana, they noted that Creole homes were often built off the ground. This kept the home from water & insects and helped provide better ventilation. The 3rd generation Acadian home (1790-1850) was built on pillars of wood or brick. It was small, averaging about fifteen by twenty-five feet in size. Many had galleries in front. The chimney - made of bousillage at first, later of brick - was on one end of a one-room home. Two-room homes often had the chimney in-between the rooms. The 4th generation Acadian home (1790-1920) was often larger that previous versions. By the mid-1800s, it was the common type of Acadian house. It has a gallery (porche on the front (and sometimes the back). This served two purposes. It gave them a place to sit to cool off and to socialize. It also allowed for a taller roof to provide room for storage and sleeping quarters. There were stairs to the atttic, usually located on the inside of homes in east Acadiana and outside the homes in west Acadiana. The upstairs sleeping area for the boys was called the garçonniere. The roof was covered with wood shingles at the beginning of this time period, but these were often replaced by corrugated tin roofing later in the 1800s. As the family grew, a separate but connected building was often built to the rear for kitchenspace or a bedroom. The windows had no glass, but were covered by wooden shutters. Some had two rooms side-by-side, with a front door opening up to each. One room was the common family room and kitchen, while the other room was a bedroom for the parents and daughters. As some Acadian families grew in size and wealth, larger homes with multiple rooms would be built.

As the 20th century progressed, most Cajuns began occupying contemporary housing styles, though some still have similar features to the old Acadian homes. Though there are a few 18th century Acadian homes scattered around south Louisiana, they are disappearing. This video of still pics represents only a portion of the snapshots I have collected of old Cajun homes. If you have old pics your are willing to share, please email them to rdezo@aol.com Thanks, Richard DesHotels

THE ACADIAN FLAG

To symbolize the French origin of the Acadians, a portion of the arms of their mother country, their fleurs de lis, silver on a blue field, is used as part of the flag. To symbolize Spain, the nation which controlled Louisiana at the time of the Acadian migration to Louisiana and under whom they prospered after years of exile, the old arms of Castille, a gold tower on a red field, appears in one section of the flag. The gold star on the white field represents Our Lady of the Assumption, Maris Stella, Patroness of the Acadians. The star also symbolizes the active participation of the Acadians in the American Revolution as soldiers under Galvez. [Marie Louise is descended from Vincent Brault’s eighth child Jean Breau, and she also has lineage from Firmin Breaux who was descended from Vincent’s seventh child Franocis. Marie Louise Braud Gerac grew up in Gonzales. She and her husband Lyle live in The Woodlands, TX.]

ACADIANS OF ST GABRIEL

On August 17, 1767, about fifty Acadian families -- more than two hundred people -- landed at Fort St. Gabriel on Bayou Manchac and the Mississippi River. On August 18th, they began dividing the lands given them by Antonio de Ulloa, first Spanish Governor of Louisiana. Wandering for years after being exiled from their homes in Acadia, these families settled in, built homes, worked their land, and became our Acadian ancestors. Hear about the deportation of the Acadians, the Acadian landing in St. Gabriel, the Spanish land grants, and the building and establishment of the old St. Gabriel Church as local historian, John A. Hebert, speaks about the Acadians of St Gabriel on Tuesday, August 4th, at 6:30 p.m. in Gonzales. For more information or to register, call the library at 647-3955.

This year, we celebrate the 250th anniversary of a significant event in the history of America and of Louisiana. The year was 1765. To the great surprise of the French officers in charge of the colony of La Louisiane, a ship arrived at the port of New Orleans carrying nearly 200 French-speaking, Roman Catholic men, women and children. They were exiles from a place called Acadie, the present-day maritime provinces of Canada: Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. They called themselves Acadians, and they were looking for a home./ For the better part of a decade, most of the men on this ship had been resistance fighters. They had waged a guerilla campaign against the British Empire. The latter, with overwhelming military power, was engaged in the forced ethnic cleansing of the Acadians from the lands first settled by their ancestors in 1604. (Yes, the Acadians predate the Pilgrims.) Thousands of Acadians perished. In Acadian history, this struggle is known as Le Grand Derangement, The Great Upheaval.

“Coton jaune — Acadian Brown Cotton: A Love Story.”

Hand-woven blankets preserve Cajun culture

Cheré Coen| Special to The Advocate

April 20, 2015

Art projects are sometimes like puzzle pieces, waiting for someone to see the big picture and put the puzzle together.

Such was the case of Sharon Gordon Donnan, of Los Angeles, and Suzanne Chaillot Breaux, of Lafayette, when they discovered a hand-woven Acadian blanket made from brown cotton in a Washington antique store and ended up creating a documentary on Acadian weaving titled “Coton jaune — Acadian Brown Cotton: A Love Story.”

Cinema on the Bayou Film Society will present the film at 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 13, at Vermilionville, in recognition of the 250th anniversary of the arrival of the first Acadians in Louisiana.

LaBauve Genealogy: GRAVESTONES OF ORIGINAL ACADIAN DEPORTEES

LaBauve Genealogy: GRAVESTONES OF ORIGINAL ACADIAN DEPORTEES