"Ne Jamais Oubliez: Never to Forget"
- Cultural Traditions in Old France/New France
a photo-documentary exhibit by John and Sondra Bromka,
Bells & Motley Olden Music
Artist Statement
The focus for our first " Ne Jamais Oubliez "photo-documentary project was on the France that 17th century missionaries and adventurers left behind when they transported their lives to the French Mission we call "Sainte Marie Among the Iroquois," located on the banks of Onondaga Lake in Central New York. The title comes from a vow given by the first round of French settlers in the New World: " N'oubliez jamais ni Dieu ni la
France: " -- Never Forget neither God nor France.
Our first round of photographs, taken in the months of April and May of 1994-1998,
attempt to capture remnants of unusual regional landmarks, architectural survivals, and
continuing land-use patterns that can be seen today, that would have been recognizable to Sainte Marie's French sojourners of the 17th century.
We composed those photographs primarily in two regions of
northwestern France where two of the 17th c denizens of Ste Marie were
documented to have come from: The parish of Louargat in Brittany (home of one notable sojourner, Henri PERRIN) and the Perche region of Normandy (home of Jean VALLIQUET dit
LAVERDURE). Highlights of that trip included an enlightening meeting with historian Guy LE GROS in the village archive, looking over the personal history of Perrin's family, and discovering surprising factors that would have urged him look for opportunity in the New World. Le Gros understood and responded to the concept of our mission instantly, and took us on a tour of the surrounding countryside, to visit the places that would have had personal meaning to Henri Perrin, and that still stand today.
From there, we have worked on expanding the photo-archive in continued annual research trips to these two regions, and have applied these resources to multiple projects. With each project, it is our hope to coax regional folkways, customs, and beliefs to reveal themselves through these photographs, images reflecting a cherished legacy to guide and nourish in the strange daunting
lands of Nouvelle France- the New World.
A Selection of Images
Spiral Stairs
Manoir de la Vove, a private
residence in the Perche region of Normandy.
The great houses are not
built all at once, and many retain architectural elements spanning three
centuries. These stairs belong to a 15th c tower annexed to what is primarily a
17th c manoir. Stairs in this beautiful mathematically ordered form would be a
familiar sight to anyone who has climbed a bell tower in a church or a guard
tower in a chateau. While climbing the endless small steps towards one's goal,
windows and lighting are only sporadically encountered, and one proceeds
largely on faith.
Piper
14th c wood carving
decorating one of the supports of a half-timbered town house. Located in
Angers, a fortified city of Anjou, formerly marking the easternmost border of
the Duchy of Brittany in the Early Middle Ages. Bagpipes are traditional
throughout France, with at least a half-dozen completely distinct types.
Brittany has a particularly strong piping tradition with its two native
bagpipes, the biniou koz and veuze. Jean Valliquet was raised in Angers.
Fountaine de la Herse/Aphrodesium
Mineral spring in the Perche
region of Normandy. Natural springs throughout France are dressed and finished
in stone, providing sources of drinking and healing water renowned
through the centuries. In Brittany especially, the springs are often
consecrated and dedicated to various saints. The founders of the Ste Marie
Mission would have recognized the salt springs here on the shores of Onondaga
Lake as a welcome sign of homecoming. Each of the springs back home in France
had their own special properties and healing attributes, depending on the
mineral characteristics and stories and legends attached. Many of the legends
predate the Church, and have persisted despite repeated attempts by the Church
to discourage superstitious behaviors.
Standing Stone
Brittany is rich in
neolithic monuments, especially standing stones like this menhir, a salient reminder of Brittany's pre-Christian ancestry.
Many of the menhirs have been sanctified and re-dedicated as Christian shrines,
while others had been pulled down or turned into construction materials by less
appreciative sorts. Louargat had two menhirs in the 17th century, of which one
is still standing.
Calvaire
Stone crucifix in 17th c
rustic style, heading south from Louargat.
This is of a type found
throughout Brittany in churchyards and crossroads.
Calvaires often depict the
entire Calvary scenario of three crosses with additional scenes from the Old
and New Testaments.
The bosses on the
supporting column indicate a visitation by the plague.
Henri Perrin of Louargat
left France during a year when the plague took away a devastating number of his
fellow villagers.
The Stone of Saint Michael
Parish of Louargat, Village
of St-Michael, situated at the base of Menez-Bre, the highest point in
Brittany. Any resident of Louargat can tell you how this stone was thrown by
Saint Michel from the top of Menez-Bre onto the devil, entombed under the stone
to this very day.
"N'oubliez
jamais ni Dieu ni la France."
Commemorative stained glass window marking the embarcation in 1640 of 80
families from Tourouvre and the surrounding region in Perche, bound for Canada
with Julian Mercer. The parents are depicted saying to their children,
"Never forget nor God nor France." This exhortation gave rise to the
motto of Quebec: "Je me souviens- I remember."
Talus
Traditional embankments
separating Breton fields and lining the older roads and pathways. The talus
offers protection from wind and keeps grazing animals in place.
Made of stone, sod,
branches, debris, and centuries of overgrowth.
This site is located heading
south from Louargat.
Hedge Trees
The hedge rows throughout
the Breton countryside are dominated by strange and eerie sentinels like these.
The hedge trees traditionally have all of their side branches repeatedly cut
off, giving rise to vistas of grotesque contorted figures marching into the
night. This peculiar cultivation practice allows harvesting of fuel wood while
leaving the main trunks to grow into massive timbers for construction.
Practical reasons aside, these trees are perhaps even more significant as a
keen expression of the Breton imagination, fertile ground for stories of the Korrigans (the Breton race of faeries) and Ar Ankou, the familiar
figure of Death ferrying souls away in his creaky old horse cart.
Stumps
Perche region of Normandy.
Is it time already for the
entire ancient tree to be harvested? Who will plant the next row?
The Expanded Program: Traditional Historic French Instruments, Music and Songs; Dances; Lecture/Discussion
This exhibit and accompanying workshop and lecture program series was made possible with assistance of an SOS Grant (Special Opportunity Stipend) awarded the Bromkas by the NY Foundation for the Arts. Thanks to Sainte-Marie-Among-the-Iroquois for the
opportunity to collaborate and
present these works.
School Programs with Bells &
Motley Olden Music and Storytelling:
Specializing in French,
Medieval, Renaissance, and Erie Canal multi-disciplinary immersion programs. We
link music, history, language arts, and visual arts through a broad spectrum of
interactive performance and workshop programs. Teachers, PTA, and PARP, please
ask for our catalog.
For more information about
Bells & Motley arts-in-education programs, books and recordings, for a
calendar of public concerts and events, and to read the Logs from our recent travels in Brittany and France, please visit
our web site:
And of course we welcome you
to write or call: John & Sondra Bromka, 36 South St, Marcellus, NY 13108.
315-673-2995