Acadian Sayings:<\/p>\n
Madawaskans were called \u2018breyons\u2019 by the Quebecois because they felt that they were \u2018breyer\u2019 (breaking) the French language.<\/p>\n
In fact, the Madawaska Acadians dwelled in relative isolation to the extent that much of their language are old French
\nexpressions, not a broken patois. For example, the Acadians use the word \u2018icit\u2019 for \u2018here\u2019 rather than the current and common
\n\u2018ici\u2019. The word \u2018icit\u2019 is found in such ancient French works of literature as the \u201cStrasbourg Oath\u201d and \u201cle Cantilene de Sainte
\nEuladie\u201d. The Valley French is kind of the equivalent of older English, with its \u2018Thee\u201d and \u201cThou\u201d.<\/p>\n
When a girl dropped her current boyfriend: \u201cElle lui faisant manger de l\u2019avoine.\u201d Literally: \u201cShe made him eat his oats\u201d.<\/p>\n
The Acadians called the American War for Independence \u201cla guerre folle\u201d, because they said \u201cles Anglais se battent contre les Anglais\u201d! They made little distinction between an Englishman and someone from New England.<\/p>\n
If someone was not known for keeping their word they were called \u201cde deux paroles\u201d, meaning, they speak two words.<\/p>\n
If someone was intelligent or had a great ability: \u201cIl avait de la jarnigoine.\u201d Literally: \u201che has the heavens\u201d. Interestingly,
\n\u201cjarnigoine\u201d is a take on the French expression of surprise or awe- \u201cjarni\u201d-meaning \u201cby heavens!\u201d; which itself is a dialectic
\ncorruption of the saying \u201cje renie Dieu\u201d- \u201cI deny God\u201d.<\/p>\n
The expression for someone who acted sleepily, or for people who were lovers: \u201cavoir les yeux a la gadel.\u201d Literally: \u201chas
\ngooseberry eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Someone who was slow was called \u201cun bretteux.\u201d Literally: \u201cA stone\u201d.<\/p>\n
The Acadians would call animals that had more than one color \u2018matache\u2019, the Maliseet word for tattoo.<\/p>\n
To speak of the cold the Acadian will say \u2018frette\u2019 instead of \u2018froid\u2019.<\/p>\n
If you \u2018ran around\u2019 it was said you \u201ccourir la galipote.\u201d Literally: \u201crun around pitching resin.\u201d<\/p>\n
A floor is often called \u2018la place\u2019- \u2018laver la place\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cChavirer\u201d means to lose one\u2019s mind.<\/p>\n
\u201cLe Large\u201d used to mean to the Acadian the sea or the ocean, now it is used to refer to sections of farmland that bordered the woods. Interestingly, the seas surrounding Acadia were also the far point of the old Acadian farmer\u2019s dyked salt marsh fields.<\/p>\n
The French say \u201ctirer\u201d for \u2018pull\u2019, the Acadian says \u201chaler\u201d.<\/p>\n
The town of Madawaska hired as their first police officer Fedime Morin, who also served the longest number of years as Chief
\nof Police. It was not uncommon for parents to tell children who were misbehaving-\u201cJ\u2019va appelle Fedime!\u201d<\/p>\n
If Acadians were doing housework they would say \u201cfaire le beurda\u201d. If one\u2019s house was not kept well or was in disorder one
\nwould say of it \u201cberdi-berda\u201d.<\/p>\n
To go bury someone: \u201cAller porter en terre\u201d.<\/p>\n
When twilight came people would say \u201cEntre chien et loup\u201d (\u201cHere come the dogs and wolves\u201d).<\/p>\n
The Acadians would often disguise swear words, so as not to swear in their anger: \u201csatan-diable\u201d and \u201cjesu-crive\u201d. Even when
\nthe English introduced them to \u201cgoddamn\u201d the Acadians changed it to \u201cGadelle\u201d.<\/p>\n
If someone was easily angered- \u201cprime comme de l\u2019etoupe\u201d. When they were actually angry- \u201cIl mord dans le fer\u201d.<\/p>\n
Boyfriends were called \u201cun cavalier\u201d. Girlfriends were \u201cune blonde\u201d (no relation to hair color, most Acadian girls are brunettes).<\/p>\n
Acadian Customs, Beliefs, and Peculiarities:<\/p>\n
The weeping willow is the Acadian national tree. Besides being chosen for its weeping branches and leaves, symbol of the many
\ntears shed by the Acadian people, it was adopted because \u2018the more you cut it back the more it flourishes.\u2019<\/p>\n
Ever present on the Acadian dinner table was the \u2018Ploye\u2019- a buckwheat pancake made only of buckwheat flour and water, and
\ncooked on one side.<\/p>\n
Madawaskans took care of any elderly who had no family and were destitute by having the Priest \u201cauction\u201d them off to the
\nlowest bidder, whereupon the Parish paid the family the stipend to take care of the individual.<\/p>\n
Acadians carried on a strange prudery involving kissing- or the lack of it. No Acadian would kiss in public or in the presence of
\nothers. Mothers also would no longer kiss their children once they reached puberty.<\/p>\n
At Baptism every child received the name of a patron saint.<\/p>\n
There were relatively few names in use in the Acadian family, and neighbors would often have many children with the exact
\nsame names. As a result, children were often identified through their fathers, such as : \u2018Joseph a Baptiste\u2019 or \u2018Pierre a Simon\u2019.<\/p>\n
Acadians loved (and still do) the idea of giving each another nicknames. Many people had the same birth names, and
\nnicknames were used to distinguish people from one another. Nicknames often indicated if you were a junior (le Jeune) or
\nwhere you lived. Or they were labels that poked fun at some part of your behavior, a family characteristic, favorite foods, or even health problems. Once given the name, it usually stuck, no matter the opinion of the person being named.<\/p>\n
The English were known to the Frenchman as \u2018Tete Caurree\u2019 or \u2018Square Heads\u201d.<\/p>\n
In retaliation for the actions of the English to their forebearers, Acadian and Franco farmers would give their animals English
\nnames, such as Jim, Jesse, or Eli. So when angered at them they could then hurl invectives at the animals and bring down the
\nwrath of heaven on les Anglais.<\/p>\n
Early Madawaskans had no use for money. They worked in a barter system, each type of good having a value vis a vie another
\ntraded good. Early trading posts had mocassins and molasses in return for firewood, Buckwheat, and cedar shingles. Shingles
\nespecially were traded like dollar bills.<\/p>\n
Every spring and fall, the ladies of a house would scrub from top to bottom, in a ritual known as \u201cLe grande menage\u201d- \u201cthe big
\nhousekeeping\u201d.<\/p>\n
A recollection of some of the first Acadians was of the Maliseet building earthen domes in early spring that they would heat to as high a temperature as they could endure. They would then enter and stay until covered with sweat after which they would run out and roll in the snow or jump in the river. This was done to \u2018purify\u2019 their systems after a long winter.<\/p>\n
Among Madawaskans are a few unfortunate persons known as the \u2018jumping frenchmen\u201d, so called because of a nervous
\ndisposition marked by quick and overblown reactions. What are the symptoms of this strange affliction? Its victims often
\nthrow themselves off a tractor at the unexpected sound of an automobile horn. They will strike, kick or repeat in a yell what you say if you grab them under the arms or give an unexpected push. They have been known to jump into rivers or fires because of the thoughtlessness of some joker.<\/p>\n
In Acadian families authority of the mother and father was absolute. Neither did younger brothers and sisters argue with their older siblings.<\/p>\n
It was believed that a child born under a full moon would be stronger than one not.<\/p>\n
The seventh son of a seventh son would be sure to have special powers, especially of curing illness. While it sounds pagan, the
\nbelief was endorsed by the local churches. Priests would give the special child a benediction to enlighten him in the use of his
\ncurative abilities. One of the healing powers was the ability to stop bleeding. As such, the individual was not allowed around
\nthe barn or abbatoir at slaughtering time.<\/p>\n
Bad luck was on the way if you dropped your knife and it stuck in the floor.<\/p>\n
People in the Valley often made their own coffins and stored them in their attic until they were needed, \u201cquand mon hour va
\nsonner\u201d.<\/p>\n
No white horses were allowed in funeral processions.<\/p>\n
A coffin was carried in or out of the house or church feet first. Funeral processions were also not supposed to stop on its way
\nbecause someone from the home it stopped in front of would die within the year.<\/p>\n
The Acadian chased away les lutins- mischievous fairies- by tracing on his barn a big white cross of lime.<\/p>\n
\u201cLe trois fait le mois\u201d; the third day of the month indicated the type of weather for the whole month.<\/p>\n
A toothache could be cured by rubbing it with \u2018du bois de tonnerre\u2019- wood of a tree felled by lightning.<\/p>\n
A little boy went to his mother for comfort and reassurance, while a little girl would go to her father.<\/p>\n
It was taught by the Maliseets that anyone who drank the waters of the Allagash river would die with their shoes off.<\/p>\n
The country store, as in most rural landscapes, was the center of the community. People gathered there not only to purchase
\nwhat they needed, but for the social atmosphere as well.<\/p>\n
Most all Acadians found pleasure in \u2018visit\u201d among family members especially, and no one thought of looking for recreation
\namong strangers.<\/p>\n
The most important holiday was not Christmas, but New Year\u2019s day. The folk would prepare on New Year\u2019s Eve, attend a
\nmidnight mass , after which there were reveillons in people\u2019s homes. Guests were fed wine, candy, crouton and bread or
\nployes, and the ever famous beignes. In each home on New Year\u2019s Day the father would trace a cross on the forehead of each member of his family and invoke a blessing on them. There was then the opening of presents and cards, and then feasting with friends and relatives.<\/p>\n
Acadians liked to play a game called Main Chaud- \u201chot hands\u201d, where each would have a turn to slap the others outstretched
\nhands as hard as possible. Turns were switched when one missed. The matches often lasted until one participant could no
\nlonger take the pain.<\/p>\n
If a young couple were about to marry yet had no household, the groom\u2019s father would call for members of the community to
\nraise a house. When the structure\u2019s frame was complete, one of the young men would climb to the top and fasten a spruce
\ntree top onto the gable, after which it was shot down amidst loud rejoicing. The women cooked all day, and a feast and dance
\nnaturally followed the raising. All who participated also received invitations to the wedding.<\/p>\n
Family members tried to marry in order of birth. Those who were unmarried when a younger sibling wed were made to dance
\nin a hog trough at the wedding, much to the delight of everyone.<\/p>\n
A wife in mourning was required to wear complete black, with a veil (\u201cune pleureuse\u201d), from the front of her hat to the hem of
\nher dress for two years; then remain in \u201chalf mourning\u201d for at least another year.<\/p>\n
For a year after a close relative\u2019s death, family members would not attend public meetings, weddings, parties, card games, or
\nany other festivities.<\/p>\n
The first settlers wore pants \u201ca panneau\u201d, that buttoned down the sides. Their shoes they made out of the leg skins of moose
\nof beef, with the knee of the animal forming the heel.<\/p>\n
Madawaska Acadians substituted what they could not purchase- tea was made from the branches of Larch or tamarack,
\nsteeped in hot water. Coffee was made from barley, roasted until brown. Beer was concocted from fir tops, soaked in a barrel with yeast and molasses for a few days until it fermented and a clear liquor formed on top.<\/p>\n
Before the arrival of American municipal government, the Madawaska Acadians often allowed the local priest, aided by one or
\ntwo of the area\u2019s notables, to be the arbiter in any disputes. Each side would plead their case, and the Priest would announce
\nhis decisions on the church steps after the following Sunday\u2019s mass. The decision was final and without appeal, and the
\nparties shook hands in front of the congregation. If the award was rejected, the issue was settled privately.<\/p>\n
Planting during the waxing of the moon supposedly caused prolific growth; therefore flax and grain, which should be long, and
\npotatoes and peas, which should be prolific, were planted then. During the waning of the moon there would be short growth,
\ntherefore tobacco and garden plants that should not go to stalk would be planted at this time.<\/p>\n
On Candlemas day (February 2) the farmer would go out and check his stores. If he had used more than half of his woodpile
\nand half of his hay, he would run out before spring.<\/p>\n
A poor run of maple sap meant poor crops for the year.<\/p>\n
When one could hear the trickling of water under the snow in March and the tops of the trees had begun to turn pink, it was
\ntime to begin maple sugaring.<\/p>\n
To cure whooping cough, the Acadians took garlic and honey internally. They also mixed poplar buds, sanddragon, pine gum
\nand camphor and rubbed the chest with the preparation.<\/p>\n
On food related issues the lumber camp cook always prevailed; even the \u201cgros boule\u201d- the big boss- deferred to him because
\nto lose the cook was to lose the camp.<\/p>\n
A bad cook was called \u201cune maudit (pronounced \u2018moedzit\u2019) Boiliuer\u201d, a damn boiler- someone who boiled all the food.<\/p>\n
The Maliseet taught the Acadians to remove rotting flesh from an open wound by applying green moss.<\/p>\n
Firewood in order of excellence was: Maple, Yellow Birch, Beech, and White Birch.<\/p>\n
When the Northern Lights appeared it meant a change in weather within three days.<\/p>\n
Acadians were always lovers of “un petit coup”. It was perfectly acceptable to carry around your spirits- “l’eau de vie” or “lait
\ndes viellards” in a bag of loup marin.<\/p>\n
“ON Y VA! (Here we go!).<\/p>\n