- 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.
L'Association des Morais d'Acadie Inc.
Dieppe, New Brunswick
Grant of Arms
July 15, 2009
Vol. V, p. 460
Click on each image to enlarge. The blazon and symbolism for each element will accompany the enlarged image.
Blazon
Arms
Argent on a fess wavy Azure between in chief an escallop flanked by two lingonberry clusters and in base an oak tree eradicated Gules, a mullet Or;
Motto
MORE MAJORUM;
Symbolism
Arms
The blue, white and red, as well as the star, pay tribute to Acadia. The wavy line represents the ocean that was crossed to establish a new family in the New World, at Rivière-Ouelle around 1705. The lingonberries, known as “morets” in Normandy, refer to the family name, Morais, while the shell, the emblem of St. James (Jacques in French), alludes to both the scallop dish known as coquilles Saint-Jacques and the forename of the first ancestor, Jacques Morais, who settled in Caraquet, New Brunswick, and owned a parcel of land at the time of the Caraquet great land grant on May 29, 1784. The oak symbolizes the solidity of one’s roots and refers to the 2,000 oak trees given to the members of the Morais family who gathered in 2000 in Tracadie-Sheila. Those trees have since been planted around the world.
Motto
MORE MAJORUM, means “In the ancestral way”. In this motto, the word MORE refers to the family name.
Background
Canada Gazette Information
The announcement of the Letters Patent was made on December 12, 2009, in Volume 143, page 3682 of the Canada Gazette.
Artist Information
Creator(s)
Original concept of Robert Pichette, Dauphin Herald Extraordinary, assisted by the heralds of the Canadian Heraldic Authority.
Painter
Linda Nicholson
Calligrapher
Shirley Mangione
Recipient Information
Civil Institution
Family Association