Draft:Founding Myths of Acadia
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The founding myths of Acadia comprise legends or events narrated in a literary style and associated with pivotal moments in Acadian history. Some were created, while others were circulated by historians, such as Henri-Raymond Casgrain, and writers, including Henry Longfellow. They were particularly emphasized during the Acadian National Conventions.
Acadia as the promised land
[edit]Acadia was founded in 1604 by Pierre Dugua de Mons. Jean de Poutrincourt was later appointed lieutenant governor of Acadia, with the responsibility of bringing settlers. In 1606, he arrived with artisans, notables, and the lawyer Marc Lescarbot. During his stay at Port-Royal, Lescarbot produced works considered the beginnings of Acadian literature.[1] His writings analyzed the failures of earlier expeditions, addressed prevailing myths about America, and contributed to the development of the idea of Acadia as a “Promised Land.”[2]
For Nicolas Denys, the Acadian myth was associated with abundance, as he compared the region to the land of Cocagne.[1] In 1672, at the age of 74 and in financial ruin, he published Geographical and Historical Description of the Coasts of North America, with the Natural History of this Country, in which he criticized those who had prevented him from realizing his projects while encouraging others to continue them.[1] Dière de Dièreville visited Port-Royal in 1699 and described his disappointment with its condition and the poverty of the population, contrasting it with the “false representation” he had previously received of Acadia.[3] His Relation du Voyage du Port Royal de l'Acadie (1708), originally written in verse, offers detailed observations of the fauna, flora, and daily life of the colony.[3] The text conveys the relative cheerfulness of the population, while also questioning the perceived indifference of the French crown despite the colony’s continued loyalty.[3] In Mémoires (1716), Robert Charles, who advocated for the disadvantaged and expressed forward-looking ideas, also criticized this situation. He proposed a policy aimed at transforming New France “into a kind of kingdom as flourishing as old European France.”[4] His concise and incisive style combined elements of Lescarbot’s enthusiasm with Denys’s confidence.[4]
In 1616, the Jesuit Pierre Biard published Relation de la Nouvelle-France. Likely in response to the writings of Marc Lescarbot, he sought to counter what he considered to be illusions created by earlier accounts. At the same time, he presented an image of a promising colony that France should continue to develop and evangelize.[4]
Deportation from Île Saint-Jean
[edit]The poem Evangeline (1847), by the American writer Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, played a significant role in shaping a mythologized vision of the Acadian deportation,[5] despite containing numerous inaccuracies.[5] Priests such as Henri-Raymond Casgrain and John C. MacMillan also contributed to the creation or perpetuation of these myths. Some of these interpretations continue to circulate, and later works, including Robert Rumilly’s Histoire des Acadiens (1955), have repeated them without critical examination.[5]
Deportation to Louisiana
[edit]One of the most persistent misconceptions is the belief that Acadians were deported directly to Louisiana.[5]
Mistreatment of the Acadians
[edit]Another myth, specific to the deportation from Île Saint-Jean, suggests that Acadians were loaded indiscriminately onto old ships, leading to shipwrecks and disease.[5] Contemporary records indicate otherwise: according to a 1758 report, all the vessels used were in good condition, with some remaining in service for several years afterward.[5] The notion of overcrowding may be linked to Governor Charles Lawrence’s 1755 decision to place twice as many prisoners on ships as their usual capacity.[5] However, the deportation plan for Île Saint-Jean called for 3,890 passengers to be distributed among ships with a combined capacity of 4,354 tons, or a ratio of 0.89 passengers per ton, compared with Lawrence’s ratio of 2 passengers per ton.[5] Because the number of deportees was lower than anticipated, and even after accounting for transfers from the Parnassus to other ships, historian Earle Lockerby has calculated an actual average of fewer than 0.8 passengers per ton.[5] This figure was relatively favorable compared with passenger transport standards of the period.[5]
Slaughter of the livestock
[edit]Another myth concerning the deportation from Île Saint-Jean claims that Rollo’s troops killed the livestock.[5] There is no evidence of systematic slaughter, although it is known that some animals were killed to provide food for the soldiers and possibly for the ships.[5] Abandoned livestock was treated as crown property.[5] Samuel Holland recorded the presence of 100 farm animals in 1764, although these may have been introduced after the deportation.[5] In 1820, John MacGregor reported the testimony of an elderly Acadian who stated that several horses had been left to roam freely following the deportation.[5]
Hiding in the woods
[edit]The belief that Acadians who escaped deportation remained hidden in the forest until the end of the Seven Years’ War in 1763 is considered unfounded. Records indicate that many Acadians from Île Saint-Jean sought food aid at Fort Amherst in 1760, or possibly earlier.[5]
Burning of the villages
[edit]Another frequently cited idea is that the British burned Acadian villages on Île Saint-Jean.[5] While this practice was widespread on the mainland, documentary evidence for its occurrence on the island is lacking.[5] Henri-Raymond Casgrain appears to have been the first to describe such actions in Une Seconde Acadie (1894),[5] where he claimed that five parishes, including Malpèque, were destroyed, though he later contradicted himself by stating that Andrew Rollo had not advanced as far as Malpèque.[5] This account was repeated by John C. MacMillan and other authors, sometimes verbatim.[5] Orders given to Andrew Rollo by Jeffery Amherst did not include the destruction of property, in contrast with instructions issued to Robert Monckton.[5] In a letter of November 6, 1758, Charles Whitmore informed William Pitt the Elder that no property had been destroyed by Rollo, citing the quality of the land and the appearance of the villages.[5] Between 1764 and 1765, Samuel Holland recorded 398 houses, two churches, and nine mills.[5] Based on the 1752 census, Earle Lockerby estimated that this number of houses could have accommodated only about 2,400 inhabitants.[5] He further suggested that Holland may have omitted some sites or structures, that rapid population growth between 1752 and 1758 may have forced multiple families to share dwellings,[5] and that Holland did not record many buildings in poor condition. Contemporary evidence also indicates the presence of four churches rather than the two noted by Holland.[5] The apparent discrepancy may also stem from the definition of the term “house,” as well as from the demolition of abandoned structures for materials, either for use at Fort Amherst or by Nova Scotian fishermen.[5] While it is possible that the barracks at Port-la-Joye were dismantled, there is no evidence for the burning of villages on Île Saint-Jean.[5] Nevertheless, the idea that Rollo ordered their destruction has persisted in historical memory.[5]
This interpretation aligns with the broader perception of harsh treatment of the Acadians by the British.[5] The belief is often attributed to Henri-Raymond Casgrain and was later reinforced by authors such as MacMillan and J.H. Blanchard.[5] Accounts of mistreatment, however, were also common in mainland Acadia.[5]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c Boudreau, Raoul; Maillet, Marguerite (1993). Littérature acadienne, L'Acadie des Maritimes [Acadian literature, Maritime Acadia] (in French). Moncton: Centre d'études acadiennes. ISBN 978-2-921166-06-5.
- ^ Boudreau & Maillet 1993, p. 708
- ^ a b c Boudreau & Maillet 1993, p. 709
- ^ a b c Boudreau & Maillet 1993, p. 710
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag Lockerby, Earle (1998). "The Deportation of the Acadians from Ile St.-Jean, 1758". Acadiensis. XXVII (2). Retrieved September 15, 2025.
Bibliography
[edit]- Richard, Chantal (2006). "Le récit de la Déportation comme mythe de création dans l'idéologie des Conventions nationales acadiennes (1881-1937)" [The narrative of the Deportation as a creation myth in the ideology of the Acadian National Conventions (1881–1937)]. Acadiensis (in French). XXXVI (1). Retrieved September 15, 2025.
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