Acadian dans le Nord-est

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Over the past two years I have been going to school in Boston, Massachusetts. I have been looking for connections to the area, and much like my hometown in Louisiana, I have gravitated to coast. I find myself drawn to the seemingly pristine marshes to the north and south of the city, but diving deeper into the construction of downtown, I learned that the city is built on what used to be marsh and open water.

I have continued to follow the seafood industry. New Bedford is the largest seafood port in the country, although ports in Louisiana aren't far behind. I keep the idea of living off the land in mind, but I also wondered about the history of Massachusetts; I wondered if I had any history here, not that I really had any reason to believe so.

I began to research the exile of the Acadians from Nova Scotia and read the history of their deportations across the country. As it turns out, not only had Boston harbor held Acadians (who could be my ancestors) prisoners, but the Royal Governor of Massachusetts had lived not very far from where I currently live. It was William Shirley who had helped orchestrate the Acadian Exile to gather more land and resources for the British.

As I continue to work with ideas of the environment and the relationship between society and the water, I continue to question where I stand in it all; what history was intentionally destroyed, and can I find it?