In our region of the New World we tend to pay tribute to our ancestors a bit differently. We commemorate those who settled here with cairns, monuments and other lasting memorials. Festivals and community events are planned around paying tribute to those who settled here; we gather periodically, either individually or in groups, to offer thanks.

I recently attended a ceremony at the Culloden Memorial Cairn in Knoydart, NS, to celebrate three men who had fought in Scotland's Battle of Culloden, in 1746, and then came to New Scotland to enjoy the culture that had been devastated at home. Many Macs-in full tartan dress-participated in the ceremony: Macdonalds, MacPhersons, Stewarts, MacLellans, MacNeils and more. Wreaths fashioned in the colours of the clan were laid at the cairn with both dignity and humour. The ceilidh at the Lismore Community Hall after the ceremony was a glorious event. Toes and knees were well tapped in time to the fiddles and pipes, and the tummy was filled with a great lunch. No solemn ceremony here to honour the dead-instead it was one of joy and gladness that our people had settled in these parts.

The same holds true where some of my ancestors arrived on the shores of Malpeque Bay, PEI. From there, one Stewart made his way to Northern New Brunswick. Seven generations later, still connected to the Stewarts, I was born. And now two more generations are connected to New Brunswick's North Shore-they enjoy many spirits to guide and protect them!

We have a fertile area for the study of historical connections. Our memorials are big and small, and are in special places that hold meaning for a few or for many. War memorials are visited regularly. In each of the four Atlantic Provinces there are shrines to those who have been lost at sea. The Escuminac Disaster Monument, in New Brunswick, is inscribed with the names of the 35 victims of a hurricane that took them away from their families in 1959. L'Anse Amour in the Labrador Straits is the site of a 7,500-year-old monument, the earliest known human funeral monument in North America. In Frosty Hollow, NB, a monument acknowledges an Ancient Indian Portage, an important communication link between Acadia and Quebec.

I have my own small memorial to a special person who shared part of my life. His spirit passes judgment on those who visit our place, he sees the river and more importantly, he sees the woodpile as it grows in summer and gets used during the colder seasons. His spirit welcomes me when I come home to an empty house.

When you're travelling around the region, get off the main highways and keep your eyes peeled for monuments-you'll come across them when you least expect it. Stop and let your mind drift back to what it was like "back when…".

Smile and the spirits smile with you.

~ Katharine

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