Choosing National Symbols

The Grand Dérangement experience, during which the Deportation took place, contributed to solidify the Acadian identity. The memory of 1755 and the Deportation will forever remain in the collective conscience of the Acadians, and has united them even though the new Acadie is fragmented. In the 1880s, Acadian elites adopted many national symbols that reflected their faith in the Catholic religion and their attachment to France. These ties remained strong for the Acadians, even after the Deportation. During the first Acadian National Convention held in Memramcook in 1881, Acadian delegates chose Our Lady of the Assumption as their patron saint and designated her August 15 feast day as their national holiday. During the 1884 Convention in Miscouche, they selected a national anthem, Ave Marie Stella, as well as a flag with France's colors, to which was added a gold star that symbolized among other things, their attachment to the Catholic religion. They also adopted a crest accompanied by a national motto "l'union fait la force" (in union is strength).