Correction: it’s the devil people of Newfoundland
The video of the devil people tap-dancing:
During the opening ceremony Friday night, the sequence above was immediately preceded by a Quebec legend involving a fiddler in a canoe who was dressed like a punk devil — just like these folks, in fact. So I thought this whole thing was about Quebec. It’s only now, listening to the commentary on the video, that I realize that these folks are supposed to be Newfies (apparently the [drunken] fact-finding mission that inspired this part of the opening ceremony took place in St. John’s). I guess I missed the transition from devil people of Quebec to devil people of Newfoundland.
I used to live in Newfoundland, by the way. I was very small and this was a long time ago, and as far as I can remember, the locals didn’t have tattoos and Mohawks. They did speak French, though.
At any rate, obviously the message of the Olympics is that Francophones throughout eastern Canada have some serious sartorial issues.
12 Responses to “Correction: it’s the devil people of Newfoundland”
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monchichipox says:
Since you were little I guess you were to young to be “screeched” When living in Quebec whenever I met newfies and they decided you were a friend they wanted to get you screeched. Drunk on a really, really potent liquor. Rum if I recall.
February 14th, 2010 at 7:40 pm EST -
Violet Socks says:
Oh yes, much too young for screech. One of my chief memories of Newfoundland is being scared out of my wits by our neighbor dressed as Santa Claus. That’s how young I was.
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propertius says:
Actually, Francophones are a small minority in Newfoundland. Most Newfoundlanders are of English or Irish descent (hence the step dancing).
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Violet Socks says:
Yeah, but our neighbors were Francophones.
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propertius says:
I must admit that I found this video profoundly disturbing – I wonder if I should expect my best beloved (a Newfie herself) to return home one evening, festooned with tats and a mohawk and dragging some hapless baby seal behind her.
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Keri says:
And party to Celtic Canadian music. ;) I guess it’s the “we were both oppressed by and hated the English” thing.
That was a crucial factor behind the majority of the Celtic settlers of the south to move away from much of the coastal areas of the south (excluding enclaves like Cape Fear, NC). My home state of Kentucky has the largest percentage of people descended from pre Revolutionary War Scottish and Scotch-Irish immigrants of all the 50 states. (If I’m recalling correctly- Tennessee, West Virgina and Arkansas are also high on that list) I’m part of that diaspora- on both sides of my family (along with some Native American on both sides- also fairly common amongst those with early Scottish/Scotch-Irish immigrant ancestors.)
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Violet Socks says:
I was prompted by propertius’s comment to look up the Newfoundland situation. Things have changed quite a bit in the past 45 years, it seems. When we lived in Stephenville it was a French Canadian village. There appears to have been massive assimilation since then to the English speaking culture.
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Violet Socks says:
I should add that according to my mother, the ostensibly English-speaking Newfies were almost as incomprehensible to her as the French-speaking Newfies. She couldn’t understand a word they said.
We all have very fond memories of Newfoundland, by the way, and of our neighbors, who were sweet people. So I don’t mean any disrespect. I loved Newfoundland.
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propertius says:
“I should add that according to my mother, the ostensibly English-speaking Newfies were almost as incomprehensible to her as the French-speaking Newfies. She couldn’t understand a word they said.”
I have found this to be quite useful:
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Karen says:
I haven’t seen a post from you on TNA in quite a while. What happened?
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Lori says:
That’s awesome. I don’t even know what to say. I think the Canadians wanted to stick their fingers in America’s eye knowing the rest of the world would understand. They could have had Celine Dion but NOOOOOOOO!
I’ve seen better shows but I must say that it is obviously as organic as it gets. That’s who those people are and boy, are they having some fun.
I’ve just never seen anything like it.
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Violet Socks says:
I haven’t seen a post from you on TNA in quite a while. What happened?
Quite a while, as in almost a year. In April 2009, I and a bunch of other founders resigned en masse.
