The Birth of French People in North America

Christine: English and Spanish are dominant languages in North America but so is French. Hi, I'm Christine on watchmojo.com. We’re at France New France, birth of the French people in North America. This exhibition is going to highlight the contributions that the French made to the development of North America. Please tell us what this exhibition is about? Female: France, New France birth of our French people in North America is about the arriving and the establishment of the French population on the continent. It includes Acadia, Canada which was Saint Lawrence Valley in Great Lakes area and including also in the 18th century the area of Louisiana. Its mostly to tell the story of who came here, why and what situation. Christine: What do you hope to achieve with this wonderful exhibition? Female: We hope that's some people realize how fragile was the big and the union of the French population here and to whom we owe the tradition, the heritage, the culture and the language that we still have here. Christine: Part of the presentation touches on the fact that the Native American population did play an important role in helping the French spread their influence across North America not just limited to the Canadian Maritimes or to the Saint Lawrence area, can you talk a little bit more about that? Female: In 1701, there was a very important historical event, the signing of the Great Peace Treaty which was a major peace between the French and the Iroquois Five Nations. It was going to open the door of the interior of the two continents. There was a very important friendship between French people and native nations even if they were claiming the land; they did not possess really the land. They were on Indian Territory. Christine: Now, the display behind us shows us little beds and which leads to one of the important parts of this exhibit. Can you tell us a little bit about that? Female: The blue bed and the green bed represent the families that came. The blue bed, they came with more than one child. And the green bed they came with maybe one child or no child at all. The yellow beds represent a French man and a French woman that married here in the colony. In what you see, the red bed that comes more and more frequent, they represent one French man who got married to a woman who was born here. We can see very clearly at the end of the 17th century the difference of the French people who were the American immigrants and the Canadian people who were born in the colony. Even in terms of identity, they were very different. Christine: Thank you so much for your time today. Female: You’re welcome.