Presently, I am in a place called Carbonear.
WHERE IS IT LOCATED?(the alignment should be vertical ..not what it is..sorry).
It is located on Carbonear Harbour, Conception Bay. When one observes the history of this land, one looks to the easterly coasts & harbours , the initial entries for European interests. The wars between England and France carried over to this island in the Atlantic; Nfld had resources that were of interest to these foreign countries( ships anchored in St. John’s Harbour would be listing with the weight of COD). Later on, at the turn of the 20th Century, newspaper Barons utilized the forests and rivers, like the Exploit’s River, to usher out pulp and paper from Nfld unto freighters forging on to England, even seal oil was used by the BRITs to light their street lamps.
That mill, Abitibi, in GF-W was initially called A.N.D. which meant ANGLO -NEWFOUNDLAND-DEVELOPMENT.
Was there always someone or something always exploiting NFLD, was NFLD a mere pawn, significant only because of natural resources?
The signing of the Treaty of Utrecht(Holland), in 1713 was significant to the end of strife for the residents of Carbonear. The LAND given over to England was in the form of Acadia(Nova Scotia), the land of fur trading, in the Hudson Bay area and Newfoundland.
The LAND given over to France was Quebec, Cape Breton
The history books of Carbonear cite that before this time, one of the fiercest battles was waged; for example, in 1697, D’lberville invaded the harbour of Carbonear(the English Settlers exiled themselves to a fortress-like Island off-shore, called in later years,Carbonear Island, hiding any of their wealth in the woods surrounding the original settlement.
The documentation of these events was done by a priest who accompanied D’Iberville, by the name of Boudoin. The priest is the one who referred to this location as Carbonniere ( also a place in Normandy). If you observe the map, you will witness Spaniards Cove and Portugal Cove and the name Carbonera comes from the spanish word carbon maker(an art medium). The foreign influence was prevalent.
Even today, in The Telegram wend newspaper(March 10th, 2012), in the Fishery Section insert, there was a whole column devoted to this area of CONCEPTION BAY: Carbonear & Harbour Grace, also St. John’s holding the highest bounty in the province for vessels bringing home shrimp and other catch.
So, yes, this is one SLICE, which like anything in life, gives the observer pause to ponder the WHOLE PIE. This is just a little bothersome part of history. These political conflicts created the unsettling and resettling, uprooting and rerouting of pioneers(already having travelled across the Atlantic), NOT EVEN to touch on what those conflicts did to the ABORINGINAL people( in part the extinction of the Beothuk)!
There is something that TRANSCENDS what could be seen as oppression, by other sources of power. That SOMETHING is the Newfoundland human SPIRIT, a spirit that has been passed down from generation to generation. This LEGACY is richly woven into the will of every soul.
The Newfoundlander has already attained what so many mainlanders seek.
The humility that comes from facing the elements, real issues, survival issues and after that, everything is ..How do you say ? nickel/dime stuff.
WHAT REMAINS, always here in Newfoundland is ART/MUSIC/ STORY TELLING , &POETRY.
So, on leaving the history books behind, with their wars and occupations, & who own’s what, an observer will see that WHAT REMAINS IS WHAT SUSTAINS its people(certainly not welfare cheques from Ottawa, or POWER plays (be them Hibernia or Muskrat Falls) in the chessboard of time). Newfoundland people transcend the mundane. They have already experienced so much more.
LOOK TO DAVID BLACKWOOD’S VISUAL EPIC STORIES..a spirit .. THAT IS WHAT REMAINS.
March 12th, 2012
THE ART ASPECT TO BE CONTINUED:
Susan
2012thislandisyourlandseatosea 