Matane

MATANE

Province : Quebec

Official blazon
English	blazon wanted

Origin/meaning

These arms were adopted in 1957 but are not officially granted/registered.

The beaver symbolizes hard work, tenacity, courage, determination, success. It also symbolizes Matane's first industry: lumber and the first dams erected on the Matane River. Matane comes from a Mi'kmaq word Metan, which means 'beaver pond'. The beaver is the living symbol of our country's wildlife; it surmounted the shield of the kepi of the First Canadian Expeditionary Force abroad, a body in which Matane was advantageously represented.

The beaver also appears on the coat of arms of the Société d'histoire et de genealogy de Matane, a philanthropic society founded in Matane in 1949. The beaver also symbolizes the fur trade in the days of the Mi'kmaq tribe, at the origin of Matane.

The log, or tree trunk, perfectly symbolizes the first and main industry, wood.

The red label and the three black spearheads (signifying three nails of passion) are taken from the coat of arms of Sieur D'Amours des Chauffours, first lord of Matane.

The shield surrounded by a foliage of maple leaves. The maple leaf symbolizes the geographic, ethnic and historical character of the Canadian citizen; it also symbolizes the beauty and splendor of the forests.

The motto means 'Success in the effort'. This motto clearly demonstrates the determination of our people to expect nothing from nothing but, like the beaver, to work objectively with firmness and persistence to achieve the goal: success.