Photos courtesy of Bernie's daughter, Yvelle Dupere.

From a blog we posted on February 16, 2022: "This month, we celebrate the 97th birthday of long-time AAMS member # 59, Bernie Robicheau of Meteghan. His daughter Yvelle has sent a photo of him opening his many birthday cards. We can see the one sent to him by the AAMS as well. Happy birthday to our good friend Bernie and may there be many more!"

Link to: Association des Acadiens-Metis Souriquois blog post: https://www.acadiens-metis-souriquois.ca/aams-blog/news-and-reflections-wishing-the-happiest-of-birthday-greetings-to-aams-member-bernie-robicheau-age-97-february-16-2022

Link to: Laskow, S. (2017, November 30; Updated 2022, July 19). "All the Other Names for the Moon: The “Supermoon” makes headlines, but it’s a relatively recent entry in a long history of descriptions of the moon." Atlas Obscura. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/supermoon-moon-name-origins

"Beausoleil Broussard the Acadian fought against New England with his allies, the Micmac Indians. Unfortunately, he had to surrender for his family's well-being."

Link to: Louisiana French. (January 2022). "The Acadians who Fought against New England." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUT1W8QFHFk&t=1s

Thank you, Gilbert Chandler, Director, AAMS, for so graciously contributing these photos, stories, and comments!

Located twenty-two miles north of Yarmouth and six miles inland from Cape Saint Mary, the hamlet of Hectanooga was established, roughly, in 1881, when a sawmill and school house were established to meet the needs of the community there. Many, including the people born and raised there, wonder about the origins of its name. The Nova Scotia archives has that [Hectanooga] "is an Indian name given by "the daughter of an ex-Governor."

From the article, "Mi'kmaq atlas reveals secrets behind Nova Scotia place names" published by the CBC News in 2015, we learn, "The community named Hectanooga in Digby County also has a bizarre origin word. Francis said Hectanooga is very similar to a Mi'kmaq word meaning "Your dog's on fire." 

AAMS Director Gilbert Chandler, who was born and raised and still lives today in Hectanooga, has a completely different, but logical recollection of the origin of the place name, "Hectanooga." Gilbert comments, "I had always heard (hearsay) that the word Hectanooga was a word from the words "Haktanigank" or "Gtanigang" meaning, the beginning of a portage or where a portage begins. You could travel by canoe, East, North East from Bay Saint Mary to Haktanigank via the Salmon River and Black Water Brook to the headwaters of Hectanooga lake and Farish lake. Also Tedford lake. This was the end. From here you had to portage about two kilometers South to catch the Lake Annis River. This would take you to the Tusket River system, and from here you could travel hundreds of miles inland and also to the sea. Haktanigank sits on a divide. One side the waters run West to St Marys Bay and the other side South to the Atlantic ocean, via the Tusket River."

He then tells a story about the trolley shed, pictured above: "My Father worked out of this shed for most of his life. It stored their trolley for transportation and also all their tools to keep the railroad safe. Smoking hot in summer and bitter cold in winter. I know I was with him a few times. I saw the rails buckle up and fall over from the heat."

The Hectanooga Cedar Swamp Nature Reserve, located in Digby County, Nova Scotia,  has been designated to protect the rare and vulnerable eastern white cedar forest lands.  Established in 2010, the area encompassing the "Hectanooga Cedar Swamp" was first recommended for protection by the International Biological Programme in 1974.

Gilbert Chandler adds to the story of the Hectanooga Cedar Swamp Nature Reserve:"The Hectanooga Cedar Swamp as it is called belongs to my family. Before my Father died he had an agreement with the Nature Reserve that he would not harvest any of the rare white cedar. The White Cedar Swamp now belongs to my Brother and he also agrees not to cut down any cedars. Hectanooga is about 30 Kms from Yarmouth and about 15 Kms inland from Salmon River."

Indigenous Activist, and celebrated M'kmaq educator, Elsie Basque, née Charles (May 12, 1916 - April 11, 2016 as inscribed on her marker), was born in Hectanooga, Nova Scotia.  Elsie Basque rose to prominence after having become the first indigenous person to teach at a non-indigenous school in Nova Scotia, and spent her lifetime as an advocate for indigenous peoples in the United States and Canada.  Elsie Basque was awarded the "Order of Canada" in 2009.

(Updated 2/1/2023 with additional photos, stories, edits, and comments).

It is with great pleasure that the AAMS announces this year's l'Association des Acadiens-Métis Souriquois (AAMS) 2023 Bursary in the Amount of $500.00 In Honor of Marie Rundquist, Director, AAMS Eleven years in the running, AAMS Bursary awards continue to contribute to post secondary school tuition costs for winning candidates. For applications and directions about how to apply, visit: https://acadiens-metis-souriquois.ca/aams-bursary.html