Ronald Caplan is a writer, a publisher, a man of folk-history and most importantly, he is a member of the Order of Canada (Pryke, 172). He is a great man who is passionate about Cape Breton. The Order of Canada is a national order of Canada and is the second highest order of merit in the system of orders, medals and decorations. Membership to this national order is considered a personal gift of Canada’s monarch. The work of Ronald Caplan was highly recognized, and he was honored by getting a chance to join the Order of Canada. He was born in 1945 in Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh. He moved to Canada in the Maritimes in 1971. In 1972, he already had a young family and settled down in the Cape Breton’s Island in the highland regions (Pryke, 183).
In this region, the Scottish Gaelic was the primary dialect that was spoken. It was also called the Canadian Gaelic. He feared that this language was quickly being replaced by the English language and, therefore, he had to devise a way of preserving the dialect and the culture of the people as a whole. He felt that he was running out of time and therefore in 1972 he founded Cape Breton’s Magazine. The main aim of this magazine was to get a record of the culture and the living history of the people of this island before the people with the native knowledge of the language and the original individuals with the awareness of the culture died. Most of his collection comprised of photographs and audio recordings. He used his magazine as a form of an archive to store all the information he could collect about the culture of the people of Cape Breton (Tuck 113). He published it in a layout and design inspired by Foxfire magazine and styles of photography influenced by Robert Frank who was a documentary filmmaker and a photographer.
Ronald Caplan collected many things, among them, were manuscripts, photographs, biographical information and so on. He obtained a manuscript of Ernest Thompson Senton’s of 1909, which he condensed and paraphrased to focus only on the Canadian lynx (McNeil). It is a mammal whose range was widespread in eastern Canada, but its habitat has been limited only to Cape Breton and Newfoundland. This is because of human encroachment into its habitat, making it range smaller and smaller over the years.
The primary aim of this article was to portray the kind of animals in Cape Breton, of which the Canadian Lynx is a good example. This mammal has long legs and large feet. It has tufted ears, and the whole end of its tail is black in color. It has grayish fur especially during the summer. During the winter, it has wider feet and it develops broad snowshoes that enable it to move smoothly. It is a great foe to the Fox. All in all, it is an incredible animal for Cape Breton.
Some biographical information about Ellen Googoo was also part of his collection. Ellen Googoo is a woman, 65 years of age who lives in Whycocomagh and runs a basket shop (McNeil). She has a skill of making Micmac baskets. Ronald recorded this tradition so that the culture of making Micmac baskets would not be eroded by the changing times. She started making baskets when she was seven years, and she taught her daughter Barbara about the art of making baskets. The Crooked Knife is a vital tool in the making of the baskets (Tuck 110) Choosing the right wood depends on the kind of basket being made. Black and white ash, white maple and birch are the common types. First, the plank of hardwood would be dampened and then split. The plank is then spliced from end to end along the grain. The pieces are then bent away from each other, ensuring the bottom divisions are as smooth as ivory. The splits are then dyed and then woven in an over-under pattern; they are woven either tight or loose depending on the type of basket required.
He also had biographical information of Torquil Maclean and the Englishtown ferry, (McNeil).The biographical information was provided by Captain Harry C Morrison, the grandson of Torquil Maclean. Caplan collected this piece of information to portray what happened on the ferry side of Cape Breton. Torquil spent most of his life as a sailor on square riggers and foreign ships. He started with a small boat and a large rowboat. He loved his work and did not mind getting wet because of the water. Years later, the traffic increased, and he bought a larger boat; he charged twenty cents for carriage and horse, and he charged five cents for passengers. At that time, a ferryman was a low paying job and in most cases a thankless one.
Another culture that Caplan wanted to bestow through his collection was how to card and spin. He talked to Sophie Deveau of Cheticamp, who had been carding and spinning most of her life. The process mainly involved loosening fluff fibers of wool without pulling them apart. Carders are used to maintain the left and right movement when the wool is placed on the carders in a gentle brushing motion. This process will remove the tangles and produce a rolag, which is a fine and smooth wool. The rolag is spun between the thumb and the forefinger to adjust thickness. There was also the spinning wheel for the spinning process. Sophie Deveau feared she would die and hence she taught her granddaughter as a way of upholding this particular culture. The talk with Sophie Deveau is well archived among the Ronald’s collection and is apparently fulfilling its objective of maintaining this culture before the people who formerly know of it died off.
Oidi-Iche Na Calluini is another ritual recorded in the collection of Caplan; it was practiced in Cape Breton about forty years ago. Its disorderliness is described in John Gregorson Campbell‘s book called Witchcraft of Second Sight in the Highlands (McNeil). It was also characterized in a poem about the New Year of the yellow bag of hiding. It describes the ritual in an entirely different way from the one in Cape Breton. The old date of the New Year is what is left of the ritual and a few traditions where children go from door to door, recite a poem and get a treat. It is substantially associated with the spirit of giving at Christmas. Both the book and the poem are part of his collection that uphold the culture of Cape Breton people on this particular ritual. Even though it has evolved over time, it still is part of the people’s culture, and Caplan is doing an excellent job in preserving it.
Another culture is that of making snowshoes by Malcom Macleod. He learned the art from a book, an issue of Rod and Gun of 1921 or 1922 (McNeil). The process mainly involved tying a stick, a haywire and a bow; the center of the stick is marked to identify where to place the toe. The heel and toe beam are carved from a piece of hardwood. There is a weaving scheme for fitting the toe; the toe space is reinforced and lacing done. The shoes are left to dry for a couple of days, and the snowshoes are ready to be worn. This culture has been stored in the archives since the old fellows who would have taught it are already dead and preserving it from the work of Malcom Macleod would serve a lot of good to the community of Cape Breton.
Last but not least in issue two of the collection of Ronald Caplan’s collection is the work of Lillian Crewe Walsh. She was a writer and the poet and is greatly remembered for her poems; "Kelly's Mountain," "The Ghost of Bras d'Or," and "The Lady of the Loom." She inspired the people of Cape Breton (McNeil). She also wrote the story The Wreck of Ariadne. The story itself was originally identified in her things in manuscript form, and it became part of the collectors archive. It is commonly said that Ariadne wrecked at Green Cove but in the story, it is put specifically that it wrecked at MacKinnon Cove. The story is an interesting analogy that was well placed by the author. It strictly points out the religious aspects of the people of Cape Breton to a small extent.
In my opinion, the work of the collector is a great one and without a doubt, Caplan has made a great impact in the books of history. He has saved the culture of the people of Cape Breton from extinction by his vast collection and archive. Issues two of his work has encompassed a series of books, photographs, manuscripts, poems, stories and biographical information. It has provided a vivid understanding of this particular culture, and this is, therefore, a primary aspect of the history of the people.
Since he knew that should the old native fellows who had the original information of the culture die off due to old age, he set out to collect these forms of preservation, and he has indeed done an important job. He has made a significant contribution to culture, arts and the historical preservation of the people of Cape Breton. He felt like he had a debt to pay for preserving this culture and without fear or favor, I would say that he has indeed settled the debt, and his work would shape his world. He carries the responsibility of making sure that these stories are kept alive as time goes by.
In conclusion, the collection made by the collector Ronald Caplan has made a significant impact in the world today. In this paper, only the collection of issue two has been discussed in detail, but many others still play the same role in the historical preservation of Cape Breton. The work of the collector is indeed a challenge to many people because not many people today would take it upon themselves to work toward preserving the culture of their populations.
Works Cited
McNeil, J. "Issue 2 - Cape Breton's Magazine: Cape Breton's Magazine". Capebretonsmagazine.com. N.P., 2016. Web. 10 Mar. 2016.
Pryke, Kenneth G. "Cape Breton: Identity and Nostalgia." (1992): 169-184.
Tuck, Hugh. "Cape Breton: History and Tradition." (1982): 109-117.
