Northern Forest Tourism Network
Collaborating to Create a World Class Destination – Join Us!Voici the Valley
By Sheila Jans, CultureWorth, Madawaska, Maine
The Voici the Valley Cultureway, an international cultural route in northern Maine, was recently featured in “Humanities,” the national magazine of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The Cultureway follows roads on both sides of the St. John River where northern Maine meets New Brunswick. There are two self-guided tours – a Down River Tour in the east, and an Up River Tour in the west, each crossing the international border.
To help you experience the Cultureway, the Voici the Valley Audio Story and Guide celebrates a hundred miles of natural beauty, cultural and historic sites, and the Valley way of life. The audio story is a cultural documentary on CD with 80 minutes of music and stories that feature history, culture and traditions of the area. The 28-page guide has maps, photographs, and descriptions of cultural sites and communities. You can learn more about the Voici the Valley Cultureway at www.voicithevalley.org and hear excerpts of the CD at
http://mainehumanities.org/podcast/archives/category/history/franco-american
Launched in 2007, the Cultureway is a project of CultureWorth, an alliance of professionals who focus on cultural development in rural communities. Sheila Jans of CultureWorth explains, “Our central aim in this project was to raise the visibility and value of culture, and reinforce the importance of identity and place. We also wanted to address some of the challenges we face in this region, like the slow erosion of traditions and the French language.” The Cultureway is designed for both residents and visitors, “so when a visitor comes here they’ll be embraced by a living culture, a place filled with genuine and authentic experiences. For people who live here, this is a great opportunity to rediscover their home and connect with other communities.”
The audio story isn’t geographically oriented, so people can listen to it at any point on the Cultureway or wherever they may be. There are four themes: 1. Native peoples and early settlement of the Acadians, Québecois and Scots-Irish; 2. wars and conflicts in the 17 and 1800’s that affected the area; 3. the impact of the international border being created, anti-French legislation, and 4. the character and culture of the Valley, the distinct nature of the French language, traditions and folklore. The audio story also has a special segment in French about the French spoken in the Valley.
The St. John Valley is an international region with about 55,000 people, mostly of French heritage (15,000 people on the US side). In Maine, the St. John Valley is situated at the northeastern most point of the state, and in New Brunswick, in the northwestern part of the province. Voici is pronounced “vwah-see.” Voici the Valley means “Here is the Valley” – a name that reflects the French and English spoken here.
To order a copy of the Voici the Valley Audio Story and Guide for $15 US, go to www.voicithevalley.org contact the Maine Acadian Heritage Council, PO Box 88, Madawaska, Maine, USA 04756 Tel: 207-728-6826, info@voicithevalley.org. For more information contact Sheila Jans, CultureWorth, 207-728-4820, sjans@cultureworth.org.
