SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Yellowknife Acadians are encouraged to come out and celebrate their culture in a parade on Aug. 15.

Le Grand Tintamarre, which is the name of the parade, means make a big noise.

There will be prizes for the best Acadian costumes. Paraders can show their pride wearing blue, white, red and yellow.

Danielle Babin of L'Association franco-culturelle de Yellowknife says she wants everyone to come out to the Acadian Day Parade on Aug. 15. It will be the first year for the parade in Yellowknife. - Jason Emiry/NNSL photo

"The English deported us, but we are still here," said Danielle Babin of the Association franco-culturelle de Yellowknife. "We are celebrating our culture in Canada. We're celebrating the fact that we are still here. I'm surprised to see how many Acadians are here in Yellowknife".

Aug. 15 marks the day the Acadians were deported from Nova Scotia in 1755. Acadia Day became an officially recognized day in 1881. Acadia today includes New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Louisiana and Prince Edward Island. Acadians are mainly from French backgrounds, but some have English backgrounds as well.

After the parade there will be a free barbecue at the Yellowknife Ski Club starting at 6:30 p.m.

There will be music provided by Radio Taiga and there will be games like volleyball and basketball played at the barbecue along with games for kids to play. New Brunswicker Dorice Pinet, the assistant general director at Federation Franco-Tenoise will be participating in the parade.

"What I'm proud of is that throughout everything that happened to us, we kept our culture and our language," said Pinet. "Our culture and language was transmitted down from our ancestors. We're proud of who we are, not where we are."

Marc Comeau, a planning advisor with NWT Education, Culture and Employment, will probably be going to the parade.

"Acadian people have a long history," said Comeau. "The Acadians were the first colonizers in North America. They were French, but the whole concept of being French from France disappeared about three hundred years ago. They created a whole identity of their own in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. It's very different from all of the other cultures around. They value friendship, tolerance and are very open. It is different than North American culture."

Emma Godin, an administrative assistant with the Association franco-culturelle de Yellowknife is coming too. Godin is from New Brunswick.

"Community is important," said Godin. "I'm married with a military person. We move around a lot. It has really become important for me to keep my cultural roots. We are a recognized nation, but we don't have any land."

The parade will start from city hall at 6 p.m. and end at the Association franco-culturelle de Yellowknife office.