Ironically, I chose to interview my father in our car returning from a holiday visit to his hometown in south Louisiana. The question and answer session led to my dad boasting with pride about his life as an authentic Louisiana “Cajun.” His responses, therefore, sparked my curiosity and I decided to research how French Acadian migration to southern Louisiana influenced the modern day “Cajun” culture that was such a huge part of his upbringing. As a result of cultural diffusion from approximately twenty years (1760s-1780s) of French Acadian migration to southern Louisiana, the sources and impacts of custom and tradition have developed and remain evident in the lifestyles of modern “Cajuns.”
The term “Cajun” is a derivative of the word “Acadian” …show more content…
Historically, Acadians dwelled in Nova Scotia, Canada, which is a territory along the eastern coast. The people of Acadia were pressured by a group of British settlers and military activists to surrender to the British rule. The Acadians refused, and as a result thousands of Acadians were exiled. They diffused to places across northern areas, as well as into the southern United States. Some even headed back to France. Fleets landed in southern Louisiana after 1765, around the time of the French-Indian War. The people settled along bayous, as the transportation and movement was somewhat tolerable. Their original diet of cod and herring easily adapted to shrimp and crawfish. The Cajuns were in Spanish territory now, but they were welcomed since they were a population boost that could help sustain the economy. The incoming Acadians were graciously allowed to retain their French heritage, through their unique variety of the French language, folk culture, and Catholic faith. The forced journey away from their Canadian origin was difficult and resulted in much environmental change. Adapting to the swampy areas, they built houses on stilts to avoid flooding. But …show more content…
Here, the newly transplanted Cajuns used the skills acquired the Nova Scotia’s watery environment, making their living by farming, fishing, and trapping” as their means to obtain food” (Lafleur Giambrone, “Cajuns”) Not only were bayous a key to their success, but the Cajuns “grew sugar on farms of the Atchafalaya River” (Reagan Wilson, “Cajun South Louisiana”). The mild climate and rich terrain, therefore, greatly influenced the occupations of fishing (bayous), and farming (arable land), which eventually led these Cajuns to successfully create their own spicy, flavorful cuisine with seafood and hunted game. As a result, the labor and food patterns of modern day Cajuns are those passed on from their predecessors. For example, my father’s grandparents were farmers, fishermen, and boat builders just as the Acadians were. Likewise, my family uses cookbooks and “handed-down” recipes with basic attributes of eighteenth century Acadian cooking, using the great bounty of the land and water. Just as the hunting and fishing skills remained part of the modern day lifestyles in Louisiana, the unique French language and dialect from Canada has also lingered. The language kept the Acadians unified as a society, which aided greatly in their expansion into the South. Furthermore, integration of the French