The Oceanographic Environmental Research Society (OERS) and the Association des Acadiens-Métis Souriquois (AAMS) are pleased to announce a new partnership between the two groups to help study the effects of climate change and human activities on the marine environment during the Summer (2025). This partnership, will create new information and foster the sharing of scientific research and traditional knowledge to help protect marine habitats. As well, this will create employment opportunities for the benefit of communities in the region of Clare; at the same time helping to protect a valuable resource. It is hoped that this effort will lead to future, long lasting funding opportunities. Stay tuned for future updates!

For more information about the AAMS - OERS partnership, 

• Visit https://acadiens-metis-souriquois.ca/aams-partners-with-oers.html
• Find OERS on Facebook or visit OERS on the Web

Click here to download the AAMS Newsletter Winter 2025 Volume 1 - Issue 1 -- February 25, 2025 or click on the image below:

A New Brunswick news release by the Canadian Press, dated February 17, 2025, carried the sad news: "Antonine Maillet, author and proud raconteur of the Acadian people, dead at 95."

Reading further, I came across the following statement about the author, and one of her most famous works: "Her play “La Sagouine,” first performed in 1971 with Viola Leger in the title role, was a massive success, helping to instil pride in Acadians and contribute to a cultural revival."

A quote from the author, dating back to 2010, revealed much about her tenacity as a writer and her commitment to authenticity: "... Maillet spoke about overcoming a “triple handicap” in literature: being a woman, Acadian, and of short stature. “Being short, that amuses me! But if I have one claim to fame, it’s that I took the Acadian language from oral tradition to the written word.”

A comment: The chapter, "On the Census," from La Sagouine is a must-read for anyone with Acadian lines or an interest in how Acadians came to be in North America.  I read "On the Census" when I was coming to terms with my own family roots as a family researcher and found the author's humorous, if not sardonic, treatment of the often delicate topic of Acadian "nationality," as portrayed by census takers of the time, a healing balm of a sort.

Maillet truly "hit the mark" when she observed:

Sources and references:

• Originally posted: https://dna-genealogy-history.com/travel-by-ancestry/antonine-maillet-famed-author-of-la-sagouine-has-passed-away-at-age-95-february-17-2025
  
• See news release: https://www.ctvnews.ca/atlantic/new-brunswick/article/antonine-maillet-author-and-proud-raconteur-of-the-acadian-people-dead-at-95/

From the article: "The Acadian exhibit shows a cross section of a dike built to convert the salt marshes into rich farmland in the Bay of Fundy. The principle behind dike-making technology was quite simple: sections of marshland were walled off by the dikes in order to prevent tidal flooding. The dikes were usually built from sod, reinforced with logs or branches. Irrigation canals allowed rainwater to flow through sluices called aboiteaux, located at the base of the dikes, in order to drain the marsh. The sluices were made from hollowed logs or planks. A valve located at the ocean end of the sluice closed when the tide was high, preventing the sea water from entering the reclaimed marshland. Rain gradually leached the salt from the land, creating a fertile plain where farmers could cultivate crops such as wheat and flax." 

Click here to read the rest:  

Source: Canada Hall: "Early Acadia." Canadian Museum of History (Archived Content). https://www.warmuseum.ca/cmc/exhibitions/hist/canp1/ca05eng.html?sfnsn=mo