World Acadian Congress plays host to family reunion steeped in history

The World Acadian Congress was the setting for a family reunion of historic proportions, as descendants of Acadian leader Joseph "Beausoleil" Broussard gathered in Moncton to meet and explore their lineage.

Broussard organized a resistance against the forced expulsion of Acadians, known as the Great Deportation, that began in 1755.

He eventually led the first group of Acadians to southern Louisiana, where they and their descendants became known as Cajuns.

Wednesday's family reunion in Solomon Gardens drew participants from across North America, including Donald Arceneaux, who made the trek in a customized van all the way from Idaho.

"It's part of my identity, you know, part of my ancestors' experience that that enriches me and hopefully enriches everybody who's involved in it," he said.

Arceneaux was born and raised in Lafayette, La.,  and still divides his time between there and Idaho.

He first learned about his Acadian roots as a young man, towards the end of high school.

"I knew I was a Cajun and I knew that our culture was different from the cultures around me," he said. "But I had no idea that my ancestors came originally from Atlantic Canada."

Arceneaux discovered his grandmother was a Broussard, prompting him to make the trip to Moncton this year.

The location for Wednesday's reunion was chosen for its connection to Joseph Broussard and his brother, who lived in the area near the Petitcodiac River.

Reunion organizer Alan Broussard, the president of the Beausoleil Family Association, is also from Lafayette and said he first learned about his Acadian roots as a child.

"My grandfather was a guy that cared about where he came from, and he actually came up here to Nova Scotia when I was seven years old, and brought my older brother who was 12 at the time," he said. "So when my brother got back he had lots of stories about our cousins in the north."

Broussard didn't make it to Canada until he was in his thirties, but he said it was worth the wait.

"When I first came here I ended up marrying a Canadian, so I thought pretty highly of it," he said with a smile.

He said the Broussard name is much more common in Louisiana than in Canada, but he was happy to be hosting the reunion in Moncton.

Broussard says he's proud of his rich heritage.

"I had an international career and it's amazing how many places around the world I travel, and I wear some symbol of my heritage," he said. "I get approached by people who know the story and and want to talk about it. … So it's something to be very proud of, you know, that that they have survived."

This year's World Acadian Congress is the sixth. It has taken place every five years since 1994.

Arceneaux is not only attending the family reunion, but his fifth congress and fourth in Canada. 

"I want to be involved, because I feel that the only way a family is going to stay together is to be together," he said. "And that's why the congress is something that I choose to be involved with, because if we don't pass this on to the future generations, it could go away."