St. John River: Vive la République !
The unique cultural mélange of Madawaska
So proud and independent is the northwestern corner of New Brunswick that its
residents like to call it the "Republic of Madawaska." Natives called it, Madoueskak, or "land
of the porcupine" - still a fitting name for a region that continues to depend on trees for
its economic well-being.
Squeezed into a nook between Quebec and the state of Maine, the Madawaska region is a unique
cultural blend of English-speakers from New Brunswick and Maine, and French-speaking Quebeckers
In 1764 the Acadians, who had been expelled from Nova Scotia in 1755, were allowed to return
to the British colonies. But all their farms had been given to English-speaking settlers
and the Acadians could not go back to their former homes. Many came to New Brunswick but
were not given full legal rights. As Roman Catholics, they were not allowed to vote in New
Brunswick until 1810, or sit in the Legislature until 1830.
At the time of the Loyalist influx at the end of the 18th century, a group of Acadians relocated
from Fredericton to a remote site in Madawaska. They named it "Petit Sault," meaning Little
The character of the town changed with an influx of English-speaking settlers and it was
renamed Edmundston. Since then, a steady flow of French-speaking settlers from neighbouring
Quebec has strengthened the French-speaking character of la République de Madawaska.
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