A new chapter in Acadian rug hooking is being written one loop at a time in Inverness County. 

In the heart of Chéticamp, a community rug-hooking program carved out a vibrant space where tradition meets mentorship and wool-dyeing wisdom passes from elders to eager hands. 

With a yearlong lease and bold strategic plan, the concept rallies community around a shared project involving weaving old knowledge into new connections and preserving the soul of a cherished craft. 

Most rug-hookers in Chéticamp are older women, and many who’ve made pieces displayed have passed on. Lisette Aucoin-Bourgeois of La Société Saint-Pierre and longtime rug ****** Betty Ann Cormier wondered what would become of the skillset in the next generation if no one picked up the craft. 

La Société Saint-Pierre landed about $2,000 from the North Inverness Community Health Board for a community rug hooking project, a mentoring program encouraging experienced hands to pass down this ability to more people. The education sessions included workshops on stamping designs onto burlap, dyeing wool and making hooks and frames. 

“We also found an old stamped pattern on burlap, about six feet long, and decided it would be hooked by women from Chéticamp,” Aucoin-Bourgeois said. “The frame was set up in our space and they worked on it.” 

Community health board wellness funds support non-profit groups working to improve health in their communities. Among other things, grants go toward programs that promote food security, housing, transportation and social participation. The goal is to reduce risks of poor health outcomes in Nova Scotia communities. 

Along with La Société Saint-Pierre, the Arts Council of Chéticamp and Cape Breton Centre for Craft and Design helped lead the charge, and a publicly-funded study confirmed community desire for additional rug-hooking space. 

The community rug hooking project is enduring and is much more than a start-to-finish one-off project, Aucoin-Bourgeois said. Those participating continue to pick away at the effort and images are captured of the progress and, now and then, more people join in. As many as 20 people could be working on the rug. 

“The intergenerational knowledge-sharing is exactly what we hope continues through this project,” she added. 

Rug hooking is an integral part of Chéticamp’s history and community connection, Aucoin-Bourgeois pointed out. 

“There’s a real sense of pride and belief we can save this tradition and having the space really helps. It’s a community-wide effort,” she explained. “There are rug hooking traditions in other places but our technique of two-ply wool is deeply tied to Chéticamp and that’s exactly what we want to preserve.” 

Aucoin-Bourgeois credited the community health board for the funding support and the difference the money made. 

“We don’t have the kind of funding needed to maintain additional spaces beyond the one we already have, so any support we get matters,” she said. 

“In today's world, we should be telling more feel-good stories focusing on community successes instead of on everything that’s going wrong.” 

Photo of Marilyn Aucoin who is hooking a rug in recognition of Acadian Heritage Month.