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Unique Culture

A unique francophone culture:

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The keys to the originality of Madelinot culture lie in its Acadian and Quebec influences and in the fact that the Islands remained isolated for a very long time. Once, shipwrecks and maritime commerce were their only contacts with the outside world. This culture expresses itself in the local accent and language, in literature, in arts and crafts and in architecture. Music is very important to the Islanders, and many of them are musicians, folk singers and composers. All these elements combine to give the Îles de la Madeleine a look and feel that is all their own.

Much has been written about the Islands and the Madelinots. Local authors and visiting writers have created marvellous prose and poetry inspired by the history of the archipelago or by its everyday life. Many of these works can be purchased in bookshops, at the Musée de la Mer or at the tourist office, and many are available in public libraries throughout the islands.

This feeling of community is still alive and well today, and its originality gives the Islands a little something extra? a difference which, when coupled with the landscape, is a "breath of fresh air". Visitors will be surprised and charmed right from the start by the melodic intonations of the Acadian accent, the marine terminology, and archaic words from ancestral France. In the Islands, the pace of life is different, it is said that time flows to another rhythm; in the Islands... it's not the same...

The Islanders have a natural sense of hospitality, a trait that adds charm and warmth and provides a sense of relaxation and comfort in a new environment. Madelinots are also very proud of their culture and of their special environment, and are glad to share this with others. These qualities are reflected in the services offered. For example, restaurants offer visitors well-known local products such as lobster and other seafood. Look for the logo, Le bon goût frais des Îles, which identifies locally caught fish and other Island products.

Madelinot Accent

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Pay attention, now: there is no Madelinot accent. Got that? There are two reasons for this. In the first place, when you are visiting the Îles de la Madeleine, you are the one with the accent…! But let's be serious… there is not one, but several Madelinot accents. And none of these accents is any more Madelinot than the rest. If truth were told, there are almost as many accents as there are islands! In some places, like Havre-Aubert, they rrrrrrollll their "r"s, and elsewhere, as in Havre-aux-Maisons, they just flatten them out of existence. In between, there is a whole range of variations that people try to imitate, even when they come from here.

The question of accent is tricky. People don't always agree on the exact pronunciation and the Madelinots love to tease each other. When Islanders discuss accents, things can get really loud and most of the time, talk ends in hilarious laughter.

So, there is the accent, but also the language itself. Even though the Îles-de-la-Madeleine are part of Québec and the population is mostly francophone, one cannot say that they speak Québécois. The French spoken in the Islands is rooted in Acadian French, a language that came from the "Old French" that was spoken in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.

They say that the accent is disappearing now. But it has not gone far… all you have to do is listen quietly and not frighten it off…

The English communities

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The English communities have been part of life on the archipelago since the very first colonists set foot here. Although most of the original Madelinots chose to live on Havre Aubert Island or on Cap aux Meules, the first Anglophone families, Goodwins, Rankins and Clarks from Nova Scotia, settled on Grosse-Île at the beginning of the 19th century. Officially founded in 1828, Grosse-Île was incorporated as a municipality in 1892.

The first inhabitants of Entry Island were Dicksons and Mcleans who arrived in 1822 from Liverpool, Nova Scotia. New settlers joined them later, mostly from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a few from the Highlands of Scotland. In 1831, there were five families on Entry Island. Over the years the English population of the archipelago has increased, in part with the addition of shipwrecked sailors, but Anglophones have never represented more than 12% of the total population.

On Grosse-Île and Entry Island, as elsewhere in the Islands, the fishing industry has always been the driving force behind the economy. In these sectors, the fishing industry depends on a single resource: lobster. Though the fishery powered the economy, the Anglophones from Scotland and Ireland who settled on Entry Island, Île Brion and Grosse-Île were the first Madelinots to make a living from agriculture.

Today, 5% of the population of the Îles de la Madeleine speaks English. Grosse-Île has 550 inhabitants and Entry Island has about 150. The English population is decreasing in both places, gradually in Grosse-Île, but much more rapidly on Entry Island. More and more Anglophones are now living on the central islands.

Anglophone Magdalen Islanders are very attached to their customs and traditions. They are more like the people of the Maritimes than like those from Ontario or Québec. When they leave their islands, it is to visit family in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia or Prince Edward Island. Also, like French-speaking Madelinots, when they travel to the rest of the country, people tend to comment on their accent and their maritime vocabulary, believing that they come from Newfoundland!

Acadie

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The Origins Between 1762 and 1765, twenty-two Acadian families arrived and settled on the Îles de la Madeleine to hunt walrus and collect oil. These were the very first settlers on the Islands.		The Cultural Life The Îles de la Madeleine are in cultural ferment, teeming with excellent artists in all domains and at all levels: musicians, singers, storytellers, fiddlers, step dancers who learned jigging from their parents as well as those who have perfected their art.
The Traditions and Festivals Throughout the entire year, Acadian-inspired activities are part of the program on the Îles de la Madeleine.		The Acadia of today On the Îles de la Madeleine, a handful of Acadians rooted in their customs and their culture have reached through time in spite of the outside influences.

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