The New
Acadia Project (NAP) is a publicly funded, grass-roots effort combining
archaeology, history, and applied anthropology in a multidisciplinary,
collaborative investigation of eighteenth-century Acadian settlement of
Louisiana. A cooperative agreement has been established between the University
of Louisiana at Lafayette (UL Lafayette) and the NAP Steering Committee, which
has led a widely successful fundraising effort to support this research.
In 1765 Joseph Beausoleil Broussard led
a group of more than 200 Acadians to the Attakapas District in present-day
Iberia and St. Martin parishes. These settlers were part of the forced
expulsion of Acadians from Nova Scotia during the second half of the eighteenth
century. More than 34 died in the months after their arrival, including
Beausoleil and his brother, Alexandre.
The founders of New Acadia were buried
at the places they settled, thought to be located somewhere along the Bayou
Teche near present-day Loreauville. The burials were recorded by Father
Jean-François de Civray as being located at premier
camp d'en bas, dernier camp d'en bas, and camp
Beausoleil. The gravesites and homesteads remain unmarked and unknown two
and a half centuries later, in the heartland of Acadiana.
Goals and Objectives
There have been no previous
archaeological investigations of New Acadia and very few studies of Acadian
archaeology in Louisiana, despite the importance of Acadian heritage and
culture. This is the first systematic effort to identify and study the initial
home sites of New Acadia. The goals of the NAP are:
- Advance existing
knowledge of the history of Acadian settlement by locating and studying the
original homesteads and associated unmarked burials.
- Delineate and
understand the settlement patterns and households of New Acadia.
- Examine the changing
relationships between history, identity, and landscape.
- Promote development
of the cultural economy of Louisiana and the region through cultural resource
management (CRM) planning and heritage conservation related to Acadian history
and culture.
The first three goals are related to the
objectives of producing historical and cultural information on New Acadia
through archaeology, oral history, and archival research (see illustration
below). What did the first Acadians eat? What things did they bring with them? What
kind of shelters did they build? Such new and unique information will be of
great interest to archaeologists, historians, and scholars.
For many Louisiana residents
there are other, more profound reasons for discovering and studying the New
Acadia settlement: the rediscovery of heritage and cultural identity. New
prospects for commemoration will produce previously-unrealized opportunities
for development of the cultural economy. Besides cultural tourism,
economic development can be promoted through businesses and heritage industries
that capitalize on culture.
Methods
The
project goals and objectives will be accomplished through archaeological survey
and site testing, historical and archival research, oral histories and
genealogies, public outreach, and community engagement. Each line of
investigation will be a collaborative effort in public archaeology, public
history, applied anthropology, and CRM planning.
- Archaeological Survey, Geophysical Remote
Sensing, and Site Testing.
- Historical and Archival Research.
- Oral Histories and Genealogies.
- Public Outreach and Community Engagement.
The identification of old cemeteries
through interviews and oral histories has been useful in selecting areas of
high priority for archaeological survey. Geophysical remote sensing has been done
at two locations, including one abandoned family cemetery. These sites are
located on the Teche Ridge in the vicinity of Loreauville. The cemetery is thought
to include the burials of descendants of Joseph Beausoleil Broussard, who was
buried at one of the first home sites of New Acadia. While the immediate objectives
do not involve excavation or disturbance of any human remains, the New Acadia
settlement is known to be associated with unmarked graves. Family cemeteries
dating from the nineteenth or twentieth centuries may also contain
the unmarked graves of earlier ancestors, which may in turn lead investigators to the original
1765 homesteads of New Acadia.
Requirements for
Success
The NAP will only be advanced
through the cooperation and collaboration of property owners. All of the places
of interest and sites being visited are located on privately-owned property for
which trespassing is illegal. It is also a violation of State law to excavate
or disturb human burials, whether in marked cemeteries or unmarked graves. This
research is made possible only with the permission and generosity of the land
owners.
As a project being carried out in
the public interest and reliant on public support, all those involved in this study
are interested in community engagement and participation. As research
progresses this might include visiting sites and viewing collections,
partnerships with schools and cultural organizations, and opportunities for
volunteers. Among the more immediate requirements for the project to succeed
are:
- Permission from property owners in the
Loreauville region to investigate land, especially along the Teche Ridge.
- Invitations to look at artifacts previously
collected by local residents from gardens, backyards, and plowed fields.
- Input and involvement in understanding local
history, land use, and genealogy.
- Resources and financial assistance.
What would it mean for the 1765 homesteads
and graves of New Acadia to be found? What interests and concerns do people
have in searching for these places? What plans might be made for investigation
and future commemoration? Merely asking these questions raises issues of
CRM planning and heritage conservation. If the stated goals are accomplished,
what are the possibilities for economic development?
