Clare Dugas
Pleasantville, Lunenburg Co, N.S.

The Acadian Flag was established at the second Acadian Convention in 1884 at Miscouche, PEl. It was designed by Father Marcel-Francois Richard. Like the flag of France, it is red, white and blue.

The gold star makes it unique: the Acadian flag. The star represents the Stella Maris (Star of the Sea). It is there to seek the protection and guidance of the Virgin Mary, patron saint of all Acadians.

My flag rests on a piece of black cloth, black representing the despair, the sorrow, the discrimination and the hardships of the Acadians during and after the deportation of 1755.

Resting under this oppressing feeling of non-identity is a piece of delicate off-white cloth with subtle white flowers. This represents the constant faith, the quiet hope and the underlining belief that there would someday be a better world for these people of determination and strong will. The black is uneven, not just because of my inexperience in quilting. I wanted to show the overwhelming feeling of despair, sometimes coming close to overtaking their faith and hope. It never did.