TRACK Knowledge-Sharing: Community. Chestico Museum’s Gaelic Immersion Classes

The Chestico Museum & Historical Society was formed in 1978. From our inception, community involvement has been a key part of our organization. Indeed, we came into being due to a community production of The Miracle Worker. The majority of furnishings and artifacts for the set came from an historic local home that was a treasure trove of holdings telling the story of our community. When it was learned that the owners were planning to hold an auction to sell the contents, it was the impetus for the calling of a public meeting from which came the decision to form the Chestico Museum and Historical Society (CMHS) and purchase the home & contents.

To raise the necessary funds, CMHS initiated the first Chestico Days. Chestico Days became an annual event and it is one of the highlights of the summer festival season. CMHS continues to be a co-sponsor of this event along with the Port Hood & District Recreation Commission.

Over the years, we partnered with numerous community groups on projects that highlight the history and heritage of the Port Hood area. We have left a mark on the community with many of our undertakings. Local history panels were added to the Port Hood Boardwalk in partnership with Port Hood Area Development Society, interpretive panels were placed along the Chestico Trail in partnership with the Celtic Shores Coastal Trail and every October we highlight our dance traditions at our Close to the Floor concert that is part of the Celtic Colours International Festival.

We are always in search of partnership opportunities but, more often than not, we find that community groups approach us. Our reputation us in a very positive way!

A recent partnership opportunity that was very successful for us was with Educational Initiatives for Social Development (EISD). Bernadette Campbell of EISD approached us in the winter of 2023. Her idea was a program she called Bidh sinn a’ seanachas – “We’ll be Telling Stories”. It was a weekly series of workshops that focused on exploring the wealth of Gaelic cultural resources available locally, and on allowing participants to connect with local tradition-bearers through songs, stories, folklore and remembering. Bidh sinn a’ seanachas encouraged a connection with the Gaelic language and culture that once thrived in the Port Hood area. As our mission is to preserve the history of the local area as well as to sponsor events that educate, inform and entertain the public, this was a perfect fit for us.

The program took place during the summer of 2023. On Mondays, the Chestico Museum hosted Gaelic immersion classes. The classes were a safe place to explore Gaelic learning and Gaelic remembering. The attendees were locals and visitors. Some had been learning Gaelic, while others were remembering their Gaelic – a language they heard as children. As a follow up to the Gaelic classes, we made deeper connections within the community by inviting locals and visitors to become more  knowledgeable about the local Gaelic cultural traditions. On Tuesdays, our ceilidhs saw up to 65 people fill the museum. Visitors had a chance to interact with local historians, elders, singers, dancers and language reclaimers.

We were thrilled with the success of the program and the positive buzz it generated in the community. The Gaelic classes were so well received that participants asked to keep attending past the end date of the program! It was wonderful as well to witness people reconnect with a language that they had not spoken since childhood.

The Tuesday evening sessions exceeded our expectations – we had no idea so many people would attend! In many cases, those who came to the museum had never been in the building before! A number returned for other museum events and some took out membership in CMHS.

Bidh sinn a’ seanachas was made possible by funding received through The Office of Gaelic Affairs – specifically the Gaelic Language and Culture in Community Program. Our experience was so positive it inspired us to become involved with an even larger Gaelic language project that we are working on now.

The Gaelic classes would not have been possible without Bernadette’s expertise. She drew up the lesson plans and led the classes. We simply provided the space.

The Tuesday sessions illustrated just how strong an interest there is in local history and the storytelling component. There was a real back and forth to these events with audience members asking questions and adding their own stories. We though perhaps the sessions would last for one hour but most went on easily for double that time.

Storytelling seems a simple event but it did require a lot of preparation – from finding the storytellers, to coming up with a rough program to follow and having someone lead the session to keep the conversation flowing. But the reward was well worth the effort. It was a great way to bring people into the museum, to build relationships and to learn more about our shared history.