From Frenchmen to Acadians: The Development of an Acadian Identity
Animated Book 2
Setting
From the middle of the 17th century, many French families settled in Acadie. Through the years and with common experiences, their descendants became Acadians and built the historical Acadie. Today, the Acadian identity has been enriched by the contributions of other Francophone groups (for example from Québec, Europe, Africa or Asia) and of non-Francophones whose descendants became Acadians. That is why in today's Acadie there are many Acadians who have names like Beattie, Cool, Ferguson, Finn, Kenny, McGraw, Nowlan, McLaughlin, Williams or Young.
Start-up question
Explain, by using the information that can be found in the History section, how the descendants of the French families who arrived in Acadie in the middle of the 17th century have come to consider themselves Acadians.
Task
With the other students from your class, use Didapages to create an animated book presenting your hypothesis.
Guidelines
- Consult the History section to find elements to answer the start-up question. Note that none of the texts specifically deal with this question; elements of the answer can be found throughout the different parts of the History section.
- Take part in a class discussion to find a hypothesis that will help answer the start-up question.
- Once the hypothesis is found, the class will be divided into groups, each of which will be responsible for creating a part of the book.
- The completed version of the book will be made accessible on-line.
Keywords
Here are a few keywords which you will learn during this activity:
- Change
- Conflicts
- Culture
- Deportation
- Collective identity
- Values
Essential and optional resources
Essential resources
- Didapages: http://www.fruitsdusavoir.org/didapages/ (French only)
- Web site: 1755: The History and the Stories
History section; Search section (images)
Optional resources
- Web site: 400 ans de présence française au Canada, 1604-2004
http://www.umoncton.ca/2004 - Web site: Francophonies canadiennes: Identités culturelles
Acadie section
http://www.francoidentitaire.ca/acadie/accu/accucadr.htm