Acadian Heroine: Tante Blanche / Tante Blanche : Héroïne acadienne

English: , Two years of flooding, early frosts, and harsh winters forced many settlers to flee in the winter of 1797. While the remaining men were away hunting, an eight day storm descended. Tante Blanche strapped on snowshoes and loaded a sled with spare provisions gathered from neighbors, including her brothers Firmin and Olivier. She traveled door-to-door, caring for the sick and sharing the collected food and warm clothes. She helped to save the settlement facing la misère noire (black famine). Her story has come to embody the Acadian community: close-knit and generous in time of need. The Madawaska Historical Society named this museum in her honor. , Voices of the Valley , ”Tante Blanche is our very own Evangeline. She was related to almost everyone because she married a Cyr (and they never let you forget it). Snowshoes are not just a good sport but remind us how she saved the Valley.” , , Father Jacques LaPointe, Did You Know that Tante Blanche was a real person? , Marguerite-Blanche Thibodeau [1735-1810] , was the granddaughter of the only real person in Longfellow's poem Evangeline. Married to Joseph Cyr, one of the first settlers. She was related to so many of her neighbors that she was called Tante (Aunt) Blanche. So renowned was Tante Blanche that she was buried inside her parish church across the river in Saint-Basile, an honor reserved for clergy. , In 1981 a family reunion attracted about 4,000 of her Cyr relations from around the world., These carvings were created by Claude "Blackie" Cyr, a founding member of Tante Blanche Museum and the Madawaska Historical Society., Treasures of the Valley , Wood carving with crooked knifes started in the lumber camps. Look for examples of how this tradition continues as you travel the Valley., Learn more about Acadian settlers at the Martin House, the Acadian Archives acadiennes and local historical societies. ,