History for the most part is static. Jacques Cartier landed on the Island in 1534 and that is a historical fact. It does not matter whether Cartier is viewed as a hero or a villain or if anyone actually remembers the date. The event has happened and is noted in the annals of history.
Heritage is a whole other story. Every place has a heritage. It does not rely on a famous person’s discovery or have been the scene of a famous battle. Heritage is simply the lifestyle which has evolved over the years. Some communities have evolved in similar ways while some have evolved in a unique way. The key to a unique heritage is isolation. The English of 19th century Newfoundland was the closest to the English spoken by people of Shakespearean times than anywhere else in the world. This was because of isolation. As Newfoundland became less and less isolated its speech became more modernized.
The communities of PEI are no longer isolated. A trip from Tignish to Charlottetown is not the event it was forty plus years ago. We have become a homogenized province with all the communities losing their unique way. While the customs and idioms of the various communities across the island are melding together, so are the customs unique to the Island also melding with the rest of Canada.
And while one cannot hold back change, it is should be the duty of each generation to chronicle their customs for further generations. It may be viewed as ironic that the internet – which is turning us into a true global village – offers us the best and easiest tools to chronicle our past.