The Gaume in a few words

The name

The first mentions of Gaume go back to the XVIIème century. But the history is not banal.
In fact, all would have started from Habay. At that time, the forging mills were prosperous there and of heavy carriages transported, always by the same ways, the products of the regional iron and steel industry. The principal contractors of this transport named “Gaumè” or “Gaumain”. The carters went until Barvaux where the materials were embarked on the Ourthe to Liege and they were known by their behavior, their manners and especially their language which clashed. The Inhabitants of the Ardennes, being unaware of the names of the drivers applied to them the name of the firm “Gaumè” or “Gaumain” or “Gaumet” and then, by extension to all people coming from the “Country of Virton” (one speaks in 1617 of a Jehennette Gaumette carried out like witch with Neufchâteau).
It is seen, the origin has a relationship with the language and nowadays still, the border of Gaume with the Country of Arlon is linguistic (Romance patois for Gaume, Germanic for the Country of Arlon). These 2 “countries” gathered form Belgian Lorraine.

Microclimate

Gaume enjoys of a favorable microclimate. That doesn’t has obviously anything to see with a subtropical climate, as the rumour claims it sometimes, but that is concretized all the same by a few degrees more and some precipitations of less compared to the close Ardenne.
Several causes contribute to this phenomenon: – the altitude: Gaume is protected from the winds of North by the solid mass of the Ardenne which is of higher altitude – the orientation favorable towards the South due to the cuestas (see further) – the composition of the basement, more calcareous thus keeping more heat, – the situation with the Southern point of Belgium.

Cuestas

The relief of Gaume is characterized by 3 cuestas (coasts) which is presented as directed hills of east in west, whose slope are abrupt, the face and the other pouring soft inclined, the reverse. What is explains by the alternation of north in the hard and tender stone south:
The cuesta sinémurienne, in edge of the Ardenne, is due to the sandy limestone of Florenville which forms a hard bench. It passes a little to north of Arlon and extends to the western until around Muno.
It is followed by the course of Semois, as well as Rulles and as Attert.
The cuesta charmoutienne, known as cuesta of the macignos, results from the outcrop of the macignos of Aubange posed on clays and schists of Ethe. It is skirted by the Tone. Many brooks cut out with it is in a series of hills.
The cuesta bajocian or cuesta of the oolite (calcareous of Longwy) is most abrupt. It was released by Transfers which follows the French border roughly.

The Gaumais patois

Patois gaumais is language of soil rich, tasty, generous, which comprises many words which seem synonymous, but bring each one a nuance.
The patois gaumais is a primarily spoken language, thus not comprising any orthographical rule. This is why one raises of different orthographies almost as much that of authors.
The pronunciation is difficult to retain because it can vary of a village with an other without this variation preventing comprehension.
Let us quote like example of patois the currency of a brotherhood of jolly fellows: Zigomars with Virton:
“I vaut mieus ète pauf
Èt viki coume in ritch
Què d’ète ritch
Èt viki coume in pauf” which results in
“It is better to be poor and live like a rich person that to be rich and live like poor

One finds in this sentence much good smell and softness to live of Gaumais.

[Edité le 05 Octobre 2007]