- The Governor General of Canada
The contents of this Register are intended for research purposes only. The heraldic emblems found in the Register may not be reproduced in any form or in any media without the written consent of the Canadian Heraldic Authority and/or the recipient.
Société nationale de l'Acadie
Dieppe, New Brunswick
Grant of Arms, with a Flag to be known as the national flag of Acadia
August 15, 1995
Vol. III, p. 74
[ previous page ]
Blazon
Arms
Azure a schooner Argent sails set Or on two bars wavy Or flying from the central mast to the sinister a banner Argent inscribed ACADIE in letters Sable all ensigned by the Star of Acadia radiant Or;
Motto
L'UNION FAIT LA FORCE;
Symbolism
Arms
At the 2nd national convention of Acadians held at Miscouche, P.E.I. in 1884, the delegates adopted a series of symbols that they displayed on a lapel badge. These symbols are revived in a heraldic composition as the armorial bearings of the Société Nationale de l’Acadie. The schooner had been proposed in 1882 as the main emblem of the Acadian people by Father Marcel-François Richard, who was instrumental in the adoption of Assumption Day as the distinctive national Acadian day, as well as the tricolour flag and other Acadian symbols. He judged the crossing of the ocean to be at the centre of Acadian history. The wavy stripes are a heraldic representation of water, referring to the original migration from France to Acadia, as well as the Deportation carried out in 1755 and the subsequent return to the Atlantic region after 1763. The shining star, or Stella Maris, is a Marian emblem, star of the Virgin Mary, and symbol of hope for sailors since the 7th century. It has been recognized as an Acadian symbol since c.1870, and it represents Acadian hope and renewal. The yellow or gold colour, borrowed from the white and yellow Papal flag, symbolizes the traditional attachment of Acadia to the Roman Catholic Church. The hymn Ave maris stella was adopted as the national anthem of Acadia.
Motto
L’UNION FAIT LA FORCE, meaning “Strength through unity”, was chosen as the national motto of Acadia at the 2nd national convention of Acadians in 1884.