COLUMN
York Neighbors: Acadian heroine epitomizes selfless giving
By JULIANA L'HEUREUX
November 22, 2007Thanksgiving is a cultural match for Franco-Americans who embrace traditions of reaching out to help others while sharing nature's bounty with family and friends.
One heroic example of Franco-American and Acadian generosity is the biography of Marguerite-Blanche Thibodeau Cyr (1738-1810), better known as beloved "Ma Tante Blanche: Mother of Madawaska." People honor Tante Blanche because she was a prayerful French-speaking woman, pioneer healer and midwife for colonists in the frontier Madawaska area. Many even consider her a saint.
"Tante Blanche" was born in Beaubassin (Amherst), Nova Scotia, but her Madawaska story began when she was 59 years old, during the winter of 1797, when the people of Madawaska ran out of food.
Her bravery in the face of extraordinary adversity was essential to the survival of the Madawaska community during the black famine of 1796-97. The Madawaska colonists experienced early winters and their fall crops died. To ease the hunger, desperate men went on a hunting expedition for moose, caribou, bear, deer, rabbits or anything edible. Tante Blanche's husband, Joseph Cyr, joined the hunters.
After their departure, a blizzard hovered over Madawaska for eight days and nights. The women left behind were too weak from hunger to care for themselves or their children. Tante Blanche was already well-known because of her healing talents with herbs and as a midwife. Moreover, she was healthy and strong enough to help the starving people. Going out into the blizzard with snowshoes, she distributed any food she could accumulate from scarce stores found in her own home and donations.
Tante Blanche's extraordinary courage is described in the anthology, "More Than Petticoats: Remarkable Maine Women," by Kate Kennedy, who wrote, "The wind blew so hard, it was difficult to find her way. She could barely even see the sled or the bear-paw prints her snowshoes made before they too were swallowed up."
After eight days, the snow finally stopped, allowing the exhausted hunters to return with meat. Nevertheless, one of them died and another was near death as a result of their ordeal. But, the colonists had food.
Tante Blanche carried three well-known Acadian names in her genealogy. Her mother's name was LeBlanc. She was the daughter of Rene LeBlanc, the public notary in Grand-Pre, Nova Scotia, and a character immortalized in "Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie," by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Her Thibodeau name connects her to everyone who shares this surname. Her Cyr married name is connected to one of the first founding families of the Madawaska area.
Francoise Paradis of Saco grew up in the St. John Valley. "Tante Blanche brings to light the nature of Acadian women of yesteryear and those of today. In the St. John Valley, having grown up amidst their stories, our feminine role model is a combination of Tante Blanche and Evangeline -- two Acadian heroines who gave selflessly of themselves to the less-fortunate. Acadian women are still known for taking charge of hopeless situations with their clear vision, faith, intelligence and tenacity to help their family and community in any situation," said Paradis.
A Thanksgiving message from Tante Blanche is that our purpose in life is to be grateful for the opportunity to help others, said Paradis.
Tante Blanche's valiant story sets a high standard for everyone, especially at Thanksgiving and during "les ftes" (the holidays).
Juliana e-mail: Juliana@MaineWriter.com
Juliana Website: www.MaineWriter.com
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