Cajuns are the descendants of Acadians who came from Nova Scotia to Louisiana as a result of their refusal to swear allegiance to the British Crown. Cajun is an evolution of the French pronunciation of the word Acadian, the name of the original region in Nova Scotia, and the name applied to them when they settled in Louisiana. At the time of their eviction around 1755 there was a war going on in what is now Canada between France and Great Britain over the colony of New France, which is today Quebec. The Acadians refused to support the French but they also refused to swear allegiance to Britain, wanting nothing to do with the war and wishing to remain neutral. Fears remained among the British that the Acadians might join the French in the war and so the Crown chose to evict those Acadians who refused to swear allegiance, an act the Crown apologized for much later (in December 2003).

Table of contents
1 Region
2 Language
3 Music, including Zydeco
4 Food
5 Celebrations
6 See also

Region

Acadiana is the region most Cajuns called home. The traditional definition of the region includes the parishes of Vermilion, Acadia, Lafayette, St. Martin, St. Mary, St. Landry, Iberia, and Jefferson Davis. Cities within the region include Lafayette, Abbeville, New Iberia, Eunice, Mamou, Opelousas, Franklin, Crowley, Rayne, St. Martinville, and Breaux Bridge.

Over the years, many Cajuns have come to live in other parts of Louisiana, and in the "golden triangle" area of Texas (Houston, Beaumont, and Port Arthur) where they followed oil field jobs during the "oil bust" of the 1970s and 1980s.

Language

Cajun French (derived from Acadian French) although a dialect of the French language, differs in some areas of pronunciation as well as in some areas of vocabulary with Parisian French. Most of the older generations in Acadiana are bilingual, having grown up with French in the home and learning English in school.

In recent years the number of speakers of Cajun French has diminshed considerably, however efforts are being made to reintroduce the language among the youngest generations. CODIFIL (or the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana) was established during the late 1960s, and continues to teach a version of French somewhere between the older Cajun dialect and "Parisian French". Today Cajun areas of Louisiana often form partnerships with Acadians in Canada who send French teachers to reteach the language in schools.

Some differences

Over the years, Cajun French speakers have sometimes incorporated English vocabulary (such as truck) directly into the language instead of adopting the neologisms of the Académie française. This can be disconcerting to non-natives.

Music, including Zydeco

It's not easy to define Cajun music without looking at its roots among the French-speaking Catholics of Canada. But today not all modern Cajun music is sung in French. In earlier years the fiddle was the predominant instrument, but gradually the accordion has come to share the limelight. (The introduction of the accordion can be traced back to the German settlers of east and central Texas. Though they were concentrated in Texas, many settled as far east as New Orleans, that path taking them directly though Acadiana.

Some folks aver that Cajun music is dance music -- with or without words. With Cajun music's heavy syncopation, it would be easy to make that claim. However, so much of the culture is expressed in the lyrics that one cannot separate them from the music. Whatever one might say about it, Cajun music was created for a party: either a small get-together on the front porch or a foot-stomping crowd intent on having a good time. Cajun and Zydeco have influenced popular music for many years, especially country. Cajun sounds embellish recordings by Alan Jackson, Hank Williams Sr and Jr., Sammy Kershaw (himself a native of Kaplan, in Vermilion Parish), and countless others.

The Cajun dance is usually a two-step or a waltz, while Zydeco, mentioned below, is a syncopated two-step or jitterbug. A Cajun will cover the dance floor while the Zydeco will do all his dancing in one spot. Cajun music artists include DL Menard, Dewey Balfa, Belton Richard, and Harry Choates. The younger generation includes Balfa Toujours, Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys, and the all-teen groupe La Bande Feufollet.

In the early 1950s Zydeco gradually developed from the music of the Creoles in south west and south central Louisiana. At an earlier period Creole and Cajun music were quite similar but after World War II, Creole music took off into another direction, incorporating elements of the blues and rock and roll. The accordion replaced the fiddle and electric instruments, drums, and corrugated metal washboard (called a frottoir) were added. Zydeco artists include Buckwheat Zydeco, Beau Jocques, Clifton Chenier, and Rockin' Sidney.

Swamp Pop, another music genre from Acadiana, came about in the mid 1950's. With the Cajun dance and musical conventions in mind, nationally popular rock, pop, country, and R&B songs were re-recorded, sometimes in French. Several Swamp Pop songs have started as a local Lousiana record which performed well on the national record charts. One producer of early Swamp Pop, Huey Meaux, is a legendary figure in the history of rock and roll. Artists include Dale & Grace, Tommy McLain, Warren Storm, and Rod Bernard.

Food

To paraphrase an old saying, Cajuns live to eat. Outside Louisiana the distinctions between Cajun and Creole cuisine have been blurred. However, Creole dishes tend to be more continental, although using local produce. Cajun victuals are more spicy hot and tend to be more hearty. But outside Louisiana the distinctions are academic.

The cornerstone of Cajun cuisine is "the trinity" (onion, celery, and bell pepper, finely diced). This is similar to the use of the mire poix in traditional French cooking, which is finely diced onion, celery, and carrot). With this base, flavors are layered and concentrated. Inexpensive and readily available ingredients, seasoned and served over plain white rice, provided the fuel that early Cajun settlers needed for survival. Many such dishes are still served in homes and restaurants today.

High on the list of favorites of Cajun cooking are the stews called gumbos, a word brought to Louisiana from Africa. It means okra, one of the principal ingredients of a gumbo, used as a thickening agent. The word came into Caribbean Spanish as guingambó, which is now the word for okra in Puerto Rico. A filé gumbo is thickened with sassafras leaves, a practice borrowed from the Choctaw Indians. The backbone of a gumbo is the roux, made with fat, not butter as with the French. The classic gumbo is made with chicken and the Cajun sausage called andouille. But the ingredients all depend on what's available at the moment.

Another Cajun classic is the variey of jambalayas that is available at any time. The only certain thing that can be said about them is that they contain rice and almost anything else. Usually, however, you'll find green peppers, onions, celery and hot peppers. Anything else is optional.

Rice proved to be a valuable commodity in early Acadiana. With an abundance of water, rice could be grown practially anywhere in the region, and grew wild in some areas. Rice became the predominant starch in the diet. Easy to grow, prepare, and digest, the survival of the Acadians depended on it.

The food of the Cajuns had to meet certain requirements. Many households were Catholic and consisted of 8-12 people, so farming was a requirement, regardless of the head of household's other vocations. Whoever did the cooking had to prepare food for a lot of hard working people everyday. Rice became the easiest, cheapest, and tastiest way to do that. Cajun cuisine grew up around the ability to stretch what little meat, game, or other protein they had.

And, of course, to sop up the juices what would a meal be without cornbread? The corn pone one hears about in the South is derived from an Algonquian dish made with corn (maize) flour, salt and water. Wheat and flour was hard to find in many areas, and did not last long in the south Lousiana humidity. This made the cornbread a necessity.

In most cases, whatever is found on a Cajun table is what a Cajun found in the field or water a short time before and a short distance away, like crawfish or gator or rabbit or chicken. The cuisine is simple, lively, hearty and plentiful.

Celebrations

Many people in cajun country are prone to have a party "at the drop of a hat". Any get-together at home with a few friends, night on the town with a larger group, or a full blown festival involving thousands of people are all greeted with enthusiasm. Nearly every village, town, and city of any size has a yearly festival, celebrating an important part of the local economy. Examples are the Duck Festival in Gueydan, The Rice Festival in Crowley, the Sugarcane festival in New Iberia, and the Zydeco Festival in Opelousas. The Crawfish Festival in Breaux Bridge and Festival Internationale in Lafayette are two of the most popular festivals, and attract visitors from around the world. Smaller local festivals are very popular, and are produced with great fanfare. The majority of festivals include a fais-do-do or street dance, usually to a live local band. Crowds at these festivals can range from a few hundred to over 100,000.

Mardi Gras underscores the Cajun belief system. The Catholic church figures heavily in planning almost everything and many of the traditions of Acadiana are based on the church calendar. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent in the Catholic church, a 40 day period of fasting and reflection which ends Easter Sunday. So Mardi Gras is the last chance to have a huge party.

The traditional "fat Tuesday" celebration in the rural areas of Acadiana is nothing like the debauchery and craziness that typifies New Orleans and other metropolitan celebrations. It centers around the courir (translated: run). A group of people, usually on horseback, will approach a farmhouse and ask for something for the community gumbo pot. Often, the farmer or his wife will allow the riders to have a chicken, if they can catch it. The group then puts on a show, comically attempting to catch the chicken set out in a large open area. Songs are sung, jokes are told, and little skits are acted out. When and if the chicken is caught, it is duly added to the pot at the end of the day.

See also

Languages in the United States