Quote:
Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue
Huh okay. I've thought that Francophones in Atlantic Canada are generally Acadians (the area closer to Quebec excepted).
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Well, those with long-standing roots in the region would basically all be Acadiens. With the exception of NW NB around Edmundston where they are a mix of Acadien and Québécois and refer to themselves as "Brayons". Though in my experience those people generally fit in quite well as either. Not all Brayons bristle at being lumped in with Acadiens, and many in fact have that as part of their identity too. Many public buildings in Edmundston fly the Acadien flag.
(Brayons probably make up about 15% of NB's francophone population, so that's a significant chunk. Surprising when you think of how "NB francophones = Acadiens" is what you hear 99% of the time.)
As someone123 alluded to, the question of whether or not someone francophone who moves to the Maritimes is automatically considered Acadien is a good one. There is a push for a kind of "Grande Acadie" whereby, say, a Congolese professor at the Université de Moncton (or at least his NB-raised kids) would be considered Acadien. I actually already know a few "exotic" people like this who identify as Acadien. I won't name their hometown or the parents' origins as the numbers are so small I would be "outing" them.
If you go to the Village Historique Acadien in Caraquet in the cafeteria the walls are covered in a mural featuring Acadien surnames. Among them are the classics (Thériault, Cormier) but there are also some of other origins that integrated with Acadiens long ago: McGraw, Foulem, etc. Names that are more typically Québécois like Gagnon are also there.
If they remain francophone, it is quite possible that someone123's Québécois-descended Nova Scotia family may come to identify as Acadiens over the generations.