Abstract

The main goal of the Archaeology of the Petit Nord project is to record the maritime cultural landscape of the French seasonal fishery in the Petit Nord region of Newfoundland, between 1504 and 1904. For my MA project I looked at a specific kind of feature –crosses and calvaires, which appeared in the Petit Nord landscape as early as 1680. Three monumental crosses are still standing in Carouge Bay, although these particular crosses were rebuilt by the French navy in the 1930s. During the summer of 2007, I conducted community archaeology at Dos-de-Cheval site (EfAx-09) to document those features. The French Shore Historical Society based in Conche was incredibly helpful throughout the project, and put me in touch with community members to interview regarding these features. This presentation will focus on the difficulties I faced as a young francophone woman trying to get information from older English residents of the Conche Peninsula about something they know but do not consider as part of their own culture.