The History Tree of Acadians - 400 years of history
Address
399 Main St
City
Shediac
Postal Code
E4P 2B7
Phone
506-532-7022
Email
Information
400 Years of History: A Nation’s Identity is the title of a work of art created by Monette Léger, an artist hailing from Grand-Barachois. Monette has often promoted her Acadian culture and honoured her ancestors through her various projects. In western Canada’s Aboriginal culture, totem poles were commonly used as a way of telling the stories of those families and clans they represent. In addition to telling the story of Acadie, Monette Léger’s totem pays tribute to the First Nations, who were allies of the Acadian people through several trials and hardships. The Mi’kmaq deserve recognition for facilitating life for Acadian settlers; they were generous and tolerant towards the white people who came over from France.
Unveiled in front of the Pascal Poirier Historic House on August 11, 2004, the sculpture stands five metres tall and took nine months and 2,300 hours to complete. A host of friends also contributed to the project. The tree was sculpted using hand tools such as an adze, a double-handled knife, Squamish knives, and other precision tools.
Viewing the ribbon sculpted around the totem pole requires circling the tree seven times. The tree summarizes 400 years of Acadian history through a series of symbols. The images start at the bottom of the pole and gradually make their way up to the star, which is displayed at the very top. The images and symbols alternate and intertwine to blend in with the star: the Acadian motto “Strength through Unity,” Samuel de Champlain, the astrolabe, St. Croix Island, fur trade, farming, housing, traditional costumes, dykes and aboiteaux, the Great Upheaval, the Cross of the Deportation, the Grand-Pré commemorative church, Évangéline, traditional music and seafood.
Unveiled in front of the Pascal Poirier Historic House on August 11, 2004, the sculpture stands five metres tall and took nine months and 2,300 hours to complete. A host of friends also contributed to the project. The tree was sculpted using hand tools such as an adze, a double-handled knife, Squamish knives, and other precision tools.
Viewing the ribbon sculpted around the totem pole requires circling the tree seven times. The tree summarizes 400 years of Acadian history through a series of symbols. The images start at the bottom of the pole and gradually make their way up to the star, which is displayed at the very top. The images and symbols alternate and intertwine to blend in with the star: the Acadian motto “Strength through Unity,” Samuel de Champlain, the astrolabe, St. Croix Island, fur trade, farming, housing, traditional costumes, dykes and aboiteaux, the Great Upheaval, the Cross of the Deportation, the Grand-Pré commemorative church, Évangéline, traditional music and seafood.
