APeriod of Transition 157

The Acadian flag, chosen at the 1884 Acadian National Convention held in Miscouche.

Georges Arsenault.

By participating in the conventions and meeting Acadian leaders from the other provinces, Island Acadians became more aware of the overwhelming dangers of assimilation. Motivated by the atmosphere of solidarity between the provinces that prevailed during the conven- tion, the more militant patriots began fighting for their rights and looking for solutions to their social and economic problems. They profited from the active support of influential and prestigious Acadians like Pascal Poirier and Valentin Landry who came over to the Island from New Brunswick to give advice on how to recover the ground that had been lost in the schools in the area of French instruction’.

Henceforth, the Acadians in the Maritimes helped each other promote and defend the Acadian culture and identity. The Société nationale lAssomption, now called the Société nationale des Acadiens, was founded during the first national conventions. Comprised of representatives from the three provinces, it organized several other conventions and dealt with numerous major issues.