Mosaiculture
Mosaïculture is an art where they use plants to accomplish drawings. The origin of mosaicultures goes back to the embroidery bed of the 16th and 17th centuries. At the end of the 1860s, the term "mosaiculture'' is used for the first time by a gardener named J. Chrétien in the park of Tête-d'Or in Lyon. At the beginning, they created simple geometric forms but throughout the years, it has become more complex and they now realise butterflies, vases and more. Today, several cities practice this art which is a tool of flowers development and horticultural expression.Source: 2003. Mosaïcultures internationales Montréal 2003 - Album souvenir. Mosaïcultures Internationales Montréal Publisher. QC: Montréal. www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Log Drive
The Madawaska forest is a potential resource of the region, the colonization of Madawaska begins around 1785. These French settlers first turn to agriculture to support their basic needs. However, the call of the forest is soon heard and a first contact is established. A few years later, the two types of work are in the fields and in the woods. Spring is ideal for the timber drive, the wood drive down rivers. This technique assured the transport of the wood up to destination and several workers were making sure the wood was moving forward. With years, the forest industries in Madawaska took a lot of expansion, numerous sawmills appeared along waterways and then began the construction of several mills.
Source: Government of Canada, Canadian Heritage. Knock on Wood - The forest at the heart of the madawaskayan social and cultural heritage in Acadie.
www.toucherdubois.ca
Will O' the Wisps
On backcountry roads, on moonless nights, countless unfortunate travelers have been pursued by strange dancing creatures that played nasty tricks on them. It can be quite an unnerving experience! Some people take care to avoid the edges of marshes and streams so as to keep far away from these mischievous pranksters, called will o' the wisps. For they delight in leading unsuspecting drivers into the ditch or startling their horses into rearing and throwing their riders into the mud! What are these strange phosphorescent beings that haunt the countryside? Are they suffering souls sent back to Earth as penance for their sins, as some people say? Or are they minions of Lucifer himself, as others claim, sent to terrify lost passers-by? Fortunately, there is a very simple way to deal with these sprites. Just stick a needle into a tree trunk and they'll start playing their favorite game, passing back and forth through the eye of the needle! It will give you time to make your escape.
Source: 2003. Mosaïcultures internationales Montréal 2003 - Album souvenir. Mosaïcultures Internationales Montréal Publisher. QC: Montréal.
The Hand of Mother Earth
In the beginning, the Earth did not exist. The world was an island floating above the sky in the ocean of the first times. One day a young woman of the Huron-Wendat nation named Aataensic went out looking for medicinal plants. She tripped over a tree root, and she and the tree both fell through a hole in the sky. The animals rushed to save her from drowning. Entranced by hey beauty, the Great Geese took flight and broke her fall in mid-air, setting her down on the shell of the turtle, since they had find somewhere comfortable for her to live. The animals held a council and decided to create a great land for her. With much difficulty, they managed to collect a bit of the mud from the roots of the tree that had fallen with her from the sky. The Great Turtle offered to carry this earth on its back, so the other animals began spreading the mud over its shell. It grew into a huge island, then a continent, and finally the Earth we know. The Hand of Mother Earth is a symbol of welcome for the visitors so they can discover our part of earth, the Botanical Garden.
Source: 2003. Mosaïcultures internationales Montréal 2003 - Album souvenir. Mosaïcultures Internationales Montréal Publisher. QC: Montréal.
Cultivating the Buckwheat Flour
In the past, the Madawaska region counted many cattle raisers and farmers. Most lived in St-Basile, St-Jacques, St-Joseph, and Moulin Morneault, where there was a mill. This first mill carded wool and ground wheat. That's where they were making the buckwheat flour, the principal ingredient of the ''ploye'', a specialty in our region. His name is rather strange but some says that it's because of the fact that ''ploye'' plug quickly your stomach (plug, cap). In the past, it served as a substitute of bread. A real ''ploye'' is not turn over during the cooking. Meal for poor people before becoming the one for the tourist, ''the pile of ployes'' had the honor place on the table in the past big families. Accompanied with ''meat spread'', "molasses'', maple syrup or only butter, it is still a big part of the Brayon's meal.
Source : Office du Tourisme Edmundston-Madawaska. The Legendary Republic of Madawaska.
http://TourismEdmundston.com
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)
The Canada Goose is easy to recognize by its characteristic black head, white cheek patches, and long black neck. This bird flies in large V-shaped flocks when migrating. Flying in "V'' formations helps the geese save energy and allow them to fly long distances, as much as a 1000 km in one day. There is usually a steady chorus of honking that can be heard even from the ground. Canada Geese feed mostly on land by eating a wide variety of leaves, flowers, stems, roots, seeds, etc. While many species are threatened by human activities, Canada Geese are a welcome exception. In fact, in 1950 there were perhaps 1 million Canada Geese in North America; today there are probably more than 8 million. They owe their success partly to management programs, including the creation of refuges and careful regulation for hunting. In addition, with the modern agricultural techniques they can enjoy larger fields and a bigger variety of seed.
Source : Government of Canada (2003). Hinterland Who's Who - Canada Goose. Canadian Wildlife Service & Canadian Wildlife Federation.
www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca
The Enchanted Tree
When you see a face on a tree it means that a spirit came to possess it. The spirit can be good or bad. If you want to know you need to check which way the leaves are flying when it's windy. If they're flying on the left side, bad spirits are going to play tricks on you in the forest by lifting their roots to make you fall or by breaking their branches so they will hit your head. But if you are lucky, the leaves will fly on the right side and you'll be in presence of a good spirit. The good spirit will show you your road if you're lost and he will warm you up if you're cold.
Source: 2008. Nouveau-Brunswick Botanical Garden. Imaginary Legend.
The Peafowl
The peafowl is a bird that belongs to the gallifomes order. The male is generally called a peacock and the female, a peahen. We found the peafowl mostly in India and the Sri Lanka. It eats seeds, fruits and smalls animals. This sedentary animal love to pass night in the trees. Its magnificent feathers are use to seduce the females or also, to protect itself when there's dangers.
Even with all its beauty, some witch myths say that this animal can be really dangerous. If you hurt it, it will deploy its multicoloured feathers and captures your spirit. Also, some say that anyone who crossed a peacock without royal bow could sink into madness. Beware of the peacock, he was sent on earth by a vengeful goddess.
Source: Universalis Encyclopedia (2008). Paon bleu. Encyclopaedia Universalis France.
http://www.universalis.fr