"Acadian Expulsion Ceremony: A beautiful part of Nova Scotia plays host to a ceremony to remember an ugly chapter in Canadian history" (YouTube)  ...by CBC (July 29, 2011).

"Exile of the French Settlers in Acadia by William H. Withrow (1887)" from the "History Moments" blog, published February 17, 2018. "The expulsion and exile of the French Neutrals from their homes in Acadia — the region now included in the Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick — are one of the saddest episodes in history."  Click here to read the rest of the story.

Journal entries made in 1731 by Englishman Robert Hale, Esq., during his trip to Nova Scotia offer a biased view of Acadians, the fur trade, money, religion, clothing and other aspects of daily life, from an Englishman's perspective. In the following journal entry, for example, Hale paints a picture of a priest, a bell-ringer and an "Indian Trader named "Pierre Asneau" who lately came from St. Johns in Canada River with Furs and Seal Skins":

Then, in a discussion about the fur trade and commerce, Hale opines, "Money is the worst commodity a man can have here."

After elaborating about food and religious practices, Hale observes how "The women here differ as much in the Clothing (besides wearing of wooden Shoes) from those in New England as they do in Features and Complexion, which is dark enough by living in the Smoak in the Summer to defend themselves against the Muskettoes and in the winter against the Cold."

So, according to Hale, it was "living in the Smoak" that accounted for the dark complexion and features of the Acadian women! Those "muskettoes" must have been pretty annoying!

Last, Hale laments the tight quarters he encountered while visiting Acadian homes, complains about a general lack of crockery,  and then after observing how Acadian women were a step ahead of Acadian men (which he attributes to their "gait,"), adds insult to injury: "The Women's Cloaths are good enough but they look as if they were pitched on with pitchforks & very often the Stockings are down about their heels." Hey!

Source:  [Robert Hale], “Journal of a voyage to Nova Scotia made in 1731 by Robert Hale of Beverly,” Essex Institute (Salem, Mass.), Hist . Coll ., XLII (1906), 217–44. No copyright date found. Retrieved from https://archive.org/details/essexinstitutehiv42esse/page/n291/mode/2up [February 26, 2022].

From "The Golden Age of Old Time Acadians" published in the Yarmouth Vanguard, October 3, 1989.

“The Acadians are the most innocent and virtuous people whom I have ever known or heard tell of in any history. They live in a state of perfect equality, without distinction of rank in society. The title of ‘Messieurs’ is not known among them. Ignorant of the luxuries and even of the conveniences of life, they are content with a simple mode of life, which they easily derive from the cultivation of their lands. Very little ambition or avarice was seen among them; they helped each other’s wants with benevolent liberality; they required no interest for loans of money or other property. They were humane and hospitable to strangers, and very liberal to those who embraced their religion. They were very remarkable for the inviolable purity of their morals. I do not recollect a single case of illegitimate births among them, even now. Their knowledge of agriculture was very limited, although they cultivated their dyked lands pretty well."  For the rest of the story, visit https://museeacadien.ca/en/the-golden-age-of-the-old-time-acadians/

"Work again halted on overbudget, much-delayed N.S. Power hydro dam project" ... by Paul Withers, CBC News (February 10, 2022). In the article are details about "one of the biggest assemblages of [Mi'kmaw] pre-contact artifacts recovered in Nova Scotian history" at Gaspereau dam.