Tignish
Encyclopedia
Tignish is a fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
community
Community
The term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...
located in western Prince County, Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It is located approximately 50 miles (80.5 km) NW of the city of Summerside
Summerside, Prince Edward Island
Summerside is a Canadian city in Prince County, Prince Edward Island. It is the second largest city in the province and the principal municipality for the western part of the island.- History :...
, and 90 miles (144.8 km) NW of Charlottetown
Charlottetown
Charlottetown is a Canadian city. It is both the largest city on and the provincial capital of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, the wife of George III, Charlottetown was first incorporated as a town in 1855 and designated as a city in 1885...
. With a town population of approximately 1,000, plus around 700 in surrounding localities, Tignish is considered by the government to be a "village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
", which is one level higher than a locality, one level lower than a town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
, and two levels lower than a city
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
.
Tignish was founded in the late 1790s by nine founding francophone
Francophone
The adjective francophone means French-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....
Acadian
Acadian
The Acadians are the descendants of the 17th-century French colonists who settled in Acadia . Acadia was a colony of New France...
families, with further immigrants (mostly Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
) arriving in the 19th century and settling mostly in the nearby smaller locality of Anglo–Tignish (meaning "English Tignish"). Many of Tignish residents today are either of Acadian or Irish heritage.
One of the community's most popular and defining structures is the local Catholic church, St. Simon & St. Jude Catholic Church, which was among the first major structures built in Tignish, constructed between 1857 and 1860.
Community
FishingFishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
is one of the most important aspects of daily life and employment in Tignish, with many local families depending on this venue for income. There are currently three functioning harbor
Harbor
A harbor or harbour , or haven, is a place where ships, boats, and barges can seek shelter from stormy weather, or else are stored for future use. Harbors can be natural or artificial...
s located in the Tignish area: the Tignish harbor, the Skinner's Pond harbor, and the Seacow Pond harbor.
Among the businesses in Tignish include the Tignish Heritage Inn, which was a convent
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
from 1867 through 1991, Eugene's General store, Judy's Take-out, Shirley's restaurant, Tignish Co-op grocery store, hardware store, and gas station, Tignish Cultural Center, Cousin's Diner, Pizza Shack, Perry's Construction, and much more.
Citizens of Tignish celebrated the bicentennial
Anniversary
An anniversary is a day that commemorates or celebrates a past event that occurred on the same day of the year as the initial event. For example, the first event is the initial occurrence or, if planned, the inaugural of the event. One year later would be the first anniversary of that event...
of Tignish in 1999. Among local festivities were Acadian
Acadian
The Acadians are the descendants of the 17th-century French colonists who settled in Acadia . Acadia was a colony of New France...
music, local parties, carnivals, and the creation of a local music CD rich with the voices of Tignish residents. In addition, each summer there is a bluegrass
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
festival that is held in Tignish.
Accent and dialect
Tignish has one of the most distinctive accents and original dialectDialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
s in eastern Canada
Eastern Canada
Eastern Canada is generally considered to be the region of Canada east of Manitoba, consisting of the following provinces:* New Brunswick* Newfoundland and Labrador* Nova Scotia* Ontario* Prince Edward Island* Quebec...
. Its sound is often etymologically described as a blend of English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, and Scots
Scots language
Scots is the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language variety spoken in most of the western Highlands and in the Hebrides.Since there are no universally accepted...
/Scottish English
Scottish English
Scottish English refers to the varieties of English spoken in Scotland. It may or may not be considered distinct from the Scots language. It is always considered distinct from Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic language....
, and there are many common English words that possess a unique alternate definition in Tignish, such as "slack", which locally, may mean "good" or "awesome". While English speakers in nearby towns such as Alberton
Alberton, Prince Edward Island
Alberton is a Canadian town located in the western part of Prince County, Prince Edward Island. It is situated in the township of Lot 5....
and O'Leary
O'Leary, Prince Edward Island
-References:*...
have an accent and dialect similar to many other communities in the Maritime provinces, Tignish dialect is often described independent from this dialect, and is sometimes not even comprehensible by non-locals.
Education
KKindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
–12 students in the Tignish area mostly attend Tignish Elementary School from grades K–6, followed by Merritt E. Callaghan Intermediate and Westisle Composite High
Westisle Composite High School
Westisle Composite High School is a Canadian secondary school in Prince County, Prince Edward Island.Established in 1979, Westisle provides education for 10th to 12th grade students in the western part of the county. The school is administratively part of the Western School Board, and has an...
schools for grades 7–12.
Politics
Tignish is within district #27 of PEI's electoral boundaries, which is labeled the Tignish–Palmer RoadTignish-Palmer Road
Tignish-Palmer Road is provincial electoral district #27, for the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island, Canada. It was formerly Tignish-DeBlois from 1996 to 2007.-Members:The riding has elected the following Members of the Legislative Assembly:...
division. There is a polling station at the Tignish fire hall, and others located elsewhere in Tignish as well as in St. Felix
St. Felix, Prince Edward Island
St. Felix is a Canadian rural community in Prince County, Prince Edward Island.It is located approximately 2.50 miles S of the small community of Tignish and is home to the largest amount of citizens within a 5 mile radius of Tignish, excluding the village of Tignish itself.The Tignish River ...
and Palmer Road
Palmer Road
-Roads:* Palmer Road, designated as Highway 156, in Canada* Palmer Road, designated as County Road 9 in Yonkers, New York-Canada:* Palmer Road, Prince Edward Island. Located mainly on Highway 155, or Highway 156, among other roads...
. The name of the district was formerly "Tignish–DeBlois", but was changed to "Tignish–Palmer Road" during the 2007 provincial election
Prince Edward Island general election, 2007
The 63rd Prince Edward Island general election was held on May 28, 2007. It elected members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Prince Edward Island, Canada...
with slight boundary changes. As of the 2007 election, Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
Neil LeClair is the MLA for the region.
Surrounding communities
Nearby smaller localities, considered to be "part of" Tignish due to their proximity, include:- AscensionAscension, Prince Edward IslandAscension is a small community located mainly on Route 160 from 3 miles NE of Tignish. Ascension is within the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, in Eastern Canada....
(2 mi NW of Tignish) - St. FelixSt. Felix, Prince Edward IslandSt. Felix is a Canadian rural community in Prince County, Prince Edward Island.It is located approximately 2.50 miles S of the small community of Tignish and is home to the largest amount of citizens within a 5 mile radius of Tignish, excluding the village of Tignish itself.The Tignish River ...
(2 mi S) - HarperHarper, Prince Edward IslandHarper is a Canadian rural community located in western Prince County, Prince Edward Island....
(2 mi SW) - LeovilleHarper, Prince Edward IslandHarper is a Canadian rural community located in western Prince County, Prince Edward Island....
(3.5 mi SW) - PetervillePeterville, Prince Edward IslandPeterville is a small community located on Route 159 from 2.01 – 3.78 miles SW of Tignish. Ascension is within the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, in Eastern Canada. The community is home to Harper's Brook, a tributary to the Tignish River, which runs from Tignish to DeBlois. It...
(2.5 mi SW) - Nail PondNail Pond, Prince Edward IslandNail Pond is a Canadian rural community in Prince County, Prince Edward Island.It is located north of Tignish, near the communities of Skinner's Pond, Ascension, and Peterville.-History:...
(3 mi N) - GreenmountGreenmount, Prince Edward IslandGreenmount is a settlement in Prince Edward Island....
(3.5 mi S) - Skinner's Pond (5 mi NW)
- St. Peter and St. Paul (3 mi S)
- Kildare North (4 mi SE)
- Tignish Shore (2 mi E)
- Anglo Tignish (2 mi NE)
- Seacow Pond (5 mi NE)
- Norway (6 mi NE)
Mars crater namesake
The name "Tignish" has been adopted by the International Astronomical UnionInternational Astronomical Union
The International Astronomical Union IAU is a collection of professional astronomers, at the Ph.D. level and beyond, active in professional research and education in astronomy...
for a crater on the surface of Mars
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
. The crater is located at -30.71 degrees south by 86.9 degrees east on the Martian surface. It was officially adopted by the IAU/WGPSN in 1991, and has a diameter of 13.7 miles (22 km).
Climate
See also
- List of communities in Prince Edward Island
- St. Simon & St. Jude Church (Tignish)
External links
- Tignish - Official Website
- Government of PEI. Tignish Profile
- Epodunk. Tignish Profile