http://www.ameriquefrancaise.org/en/ Articles récents Mon, 19 Apr 2010 04:00:00 GMT en-ca The Fleming Mill is located in Stinson Park overlooking Lac Saint-Louis in the Montreal borough of LaSalle. The mill was built out of stone in 1827 and is the only Anglo-Saxon-inspired mill still standing in the Province of Quebec. Since 1982, it has been the emblem of the LaSalle borough. In 1983, the mill was officially recognised as an archaeological heritage site by the Ministère des Affaires Culturelles du Québec. After being restored in 1990, it became a historical interpretation centre. The mill itself is a part of LaSalle's industrial heritage and its history tells the story of Scottish immigration into the area. The mill is thus an integral part of Montreal and an important part of its history. ]]> Wed, 21 Apr 2010 04:00:00 GMT The Morrin Centre is an English-language cultural centre in Quebec City. Its history illustrates changes in relations between the city's French and English speakers over the past two centuries. The neo-Palladian building is a national historic site of Canada, having once housed a city prison, a Presbyterian-run college, and the oldest learned society in the country. Over the past few decades, the building has taken on symbolic importance for many in the region's English-speaking minority, who have spearheaded projects to preserve and develop it. ]]> Tue, 20 Apr 2010 04:00:00 GMT North America's Métis nation was born out of the meeting of the First Nations and European settlers between the 17th and the 18th centuries. Gabriel Dumont, along with his friend Louis Riel, are emblematic figures for this unique people group. He took up arms to fight for their rights at the battle of Batoche in 1885. He also spoke for them in New England and in Quebec, where, in 1888, he sought to present the French Canadian Métis as the civilisers of the Prairies.  Even today, his leadership skills, his loyalty, his ability to make decisions and his exceptional determination are an inspiration to the many Métis community organisations in Canada and the United-States. Gabriel Dumont's actions have helped give the Métis people their rightful place at the heart of French cultural heritage of North America. ]]> Tue, 20 Apr 2010 04:00:00 GMT The cultural identity of Ontario's French speaking population has always been closely tied to its religious heritage. Since the construction of the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes of Sudbury in 1907, the grotto has been an important religious site for prayer and religious gatherings for Northern Ontario's French language community. It is also considered to be one of Sudbury's historical milestones. Over the last hundred years, the grotto has undergone of many changes. There have been periods of considerable popularity, but also times when it has been neglected. Nevertheless, due to the efforts and care of many community members, the site has now regained its former importance as a site for community events and as an ecumenical place of worship. ]]> Tue, 20 Apr 2010 04:00:00 GMT As its first French-speaking communities began to be established, Saskatchewan's first French-Speaking theatre company emerged at the beginning of the 20th century. But it has only been since 1985 that the province has had its very own professional French-speaking theatre company. La Troupe du Jour has taken upon itself to become a centre of artistic creativity in Western Canada. As a result, the group played a major role in the creation of a community of Fransaskois artists. Over the course of its existence, the company has staged a number of original works, as well as classics taken from the vast repertoire of French language literature. In 2003, La Troupe du Jour was inducted into the Margaret Woodward Theatre Hall of Fame. ]]> Tue, 20 Apr 2010 04:00:00 GMT On the 17th of February 1997, a plaque was unveiled at the Alberta Legislature in Edmonton. Simultaneously, the same event was being commemorated at the Fort Garry Hotel in Winnipeg. Members of the Métis Nation of Alberta and Manitoba as well as representatives of the Ministry of Canadian Heritage and local historic associations came together on that day of celebration. No monument was inaugurated and no tribute was paid to any person in particular. Instead, these representatives were gathered to underline the national historical importance of the Carlton Trail, a transportation route that marked the development of the Northwest during the 19th century.   ]]> Tue, 20 Apr 2010 04:00:00 GMT In the late 18th century, Métis women from the Great Lakes and Red River area of Manitoba sewed moccasins, tobacco pouches, saddles, gloves and clothes decorated with bright colourful beads and silks that caught the eye of travelers. These imaginative women would develop a distinctive floral design that would become the most widely used style among the Métis throughout the 19th century. Natives referred to them as the "Flower Beadwork People" because of this style.  In developing this trademark style, the Métis women have given Canadians a piece of unique cultural heritage. Although this art has long been forgotten and most still know very little about it today, there remain a few collections in museums that display some of these hand worked items, namely the James Carnegie Collection (9th Earl of Southesk), which is on display at the Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton. As they once did in the past, the Métis women of today still create and sell clothing and objects. It allows them to gain more economic independence within the community and enables them to better support their families. ]]> Mon, 19 Apr 2010 04:00:00 GMT The Assomption (or arrow) sash is a symbolic piece of clothing central to the culture of the French-speaking population of North America. The item was widely worn for almost a century, from the end of the 18th to the end of the 19th century, before it fell into disuse, a result of the decline of the fur trade industry. Subsequently, this "masterpiece of Canadian domestic textile industry", as E.-Z. Massicotte once put it, came to be associated with the traditional cultures of the French-Canadian and the Métis. Today, enthusiasts have committed themselves to safeguarding of this cultural custom. Thanks to artisans who continue to weave sashes according to traditional methods, this unique technique has been kept alive. ]]> Mon, 19 Apr 2010 04:00:00 GMT Christmas has not always been the centre of interest with French-Canadians through the months of December and January. Up until the late 19th century, New Years Eve was the community's most important wintertime celebration. It is quite surprising that, under the joint influence of Catholic priests and shopkeepers, French Canadians gradually began to celebrate and cherish Christmas more than New Year's Eve. But, where the clergy had wanted to impose the image of baby Jesus, it would finally be Santa Clause who would quickly become the ideal holiday symbol. ]]> Mon, 19 Apr 2010 04:00:00 GMT To date (2009), the Cirque du Soleil is without a doubt Quebec's most internationally renowned cultural enterprise. This undeniable commercial success is the fruit of projects that took place in Baie-Saint-Paul (in the Charlevoix region) in the 1980s. At the time society was ripe for such an experimental endeavour, particularly because during the 1970s in Quebec, a substantial part of the rising generation left urban population centres in search of a different world with different values. As a result, many "rediscovered" Charlevoix and Baie-Saint-Paul and since, the region has become a mecca for many hippies and migrant peoples. It was truly of a case of somewhere between "the Gaspé and all the way to California," to cite Pierre Flynn. 25 years after its humble beginnings in Charlevoix, this monumental cultural enterprise today known as the Cirque du Soleil has finally taken its rightful place in the history of the community of Baie-Saint-Paul and now it constitutes an important piece of cultural heritage for Quebec. ]]> Mon, 19 Apr 2010 04:00:00 GMT