The country of the washerwoman

A visit to Pays de la Sagouine

STORIES AND PHOTOS BY DARCY RHYNO

Most authors consider time on a bestseller list the peak of success. Imagine an author with an entire theme park dedicated to just one of her characters. That’s exactly what I find at Pays de la Sagouine or The Country of the Washerwoman in Bouctouche on New Brunswick’s Acadian coast.

When I walk into the reception centre, I find a life size cutout of la Sagouine, the washerwoman with the gift of the gab. La Sagouine kneels beside her only possessions, a pail and a mop. An empty rocking chair beside her beckons visitors. I sit and have my picture taken with the fictional character who became the most important cultural icon for the Acadian people.

Almost from the birth of la Sagouine, when author Antonine Maillet published a book of monologues in 1971, Viola Léger took on the role. She played the washerwoman for nearly 50 years here at the park and around the world. She took the stage by storm, musing on subjects as varied as Christmas and lotteries, war and the census, space travel and death—always grounded in the experience of a simple Acadian woman, and always delivered with a cutting wit spoken in the local dialect. In fact, la Sagouine was the first character ever to speak in the distinctive Acadian tongue. Her voice awakened an entire nation and started a cultural revolution that reverberates half a century later. As Maillet writes of her character in the preface to her book, “She speaks the language of her father and grandfathers .... She’s not aware that she’s her own dictionary, her own race.”

Now retired, Viola Léger is the only actor who ever played the role. Park management hasn’t yet had the heart to replace her. Other actors who play dozens of other Maillet characters have stepped up to entertain and delight visitors.

Exiting through the back of the reception centre, I emerge onto the grounds to meet some of these characters. There’s an observation tower overlooking the Bouctouche River, buildings where performances take place and an open-air amphitheatre for big, outdoor shows.