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This article is about an ethnic culture. For other uses,, see Cajun (disambiguation).
Cajuns
Total population

2-5 million
Regions with significant populations
Flag of the United States United States
Flag of Louisiana Louisiana 432,549
Flag of Texas Texas 56,000
Flag of Florida Florida N/A
Other U.S. states N/A
Languages
Cajun French, Cajun English, American English, Standard French
Religions
Predominantly Roman Catholic
Related ethnic groups
French, French-Canadian, Métis, Acadians

Cajuns (French: les Cadiens) are an ethnic group mainly living in Louisiana, consisting of the descendants of Acadian exiles and peoples of other ethnicities with whom the Acadians eventually intermarried on the semitropical frontier. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The State of Louisiana ( or, État de Louisiane, pronounced) is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the A US state is any one of the fifty subnational entities of the United States of America that share Sovereignty with the federal government See also [[Cajun]] Cajun French (sometimes called Louisiana Regional French) is one of three varieties or Dialects of the French language Cajun English is the dialect of English spoken by Cajuns living in southern Louisiana and to some extent in eastern Texas. Phonology North American English regional phonology In many ways compared to English English, North American English is conservative in its Phonology. Standard French (in French le français standard, le français neutre French or even by the Misnomer le français international French French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people Legal residents and citizens To be French according to the first article of the Constitution is to be a citizen of France regardless of one's origin race or religion ( The Métis are descendants of marriages of Cree, Ojibway Algonquin, Saulteaux, and Menominee aboriginals to Europeans, This article is about the Acadian people and culture The Acadians (Acadiens are the descendants of the seventeenth-century French The State of Louisiana ( or, État de Louisiane, pronounced) is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America This article is about the Acadian people and culture The Acadians (Acadiens are the descendants of the seventeenth-century French Today, the Cajuns make up a significant portion of south Louisiana's population, and have exerted an enormous impact on the state's culture. [1]

Contents

People

Etymology

The word "Cajun" is a variant of Acadian, combining aphesis (dropping of the leading letter) with slurring the final syllable (as with the American pejorative "Injun" for "Indian"). [2] There is some dispute over the origin of the term Acadia; some suggest that it came from the name of the ancient Greek region of Arcadia; others suggest that it is a derivation of the Mikmaq Indian word cadique, meaning "a good place to set up camp. Arcadia or Arkadía ( Greek Αρκαδία is a region of Greece in the Peloponnesus. The Míkmaq or Mi'kmaq (miːgmax sometimes spelled Micmac in English and formerly Mìgmaq ( Mi'gmaq) in Míkmaw) are a "

Ethnic group of national origin

The Cajuns retain a unique dialect of the French language and numerous other cultural traits that distinguish them as an ethnic group. Cajuns were officially recognized by the U. S. government as a national ethnic group in 1980 per a discrimination lawsuit filed in federal district court. Presided over by Judge Edwin Hunter, the case, known as Roach v. Dresser Industries Valve and Instrument Division (494 F. Supp. 215, D. C. La. , 1980), hinged on the issue of the Cajuns' ethnicity. Significantly, Judge Hunter held in his ruling that:

"We conclude that plaintiff is protected by Title VII's ban on national origin discrimination. Origins The bill was introduced by President John F Kennedy in his civil rights speech of June 11 1963, in which he asked for legislation "giving The Louisiana Acadian (Cajun) is alive and well. He is “up front” and “main stream. ” He is not asking for any special treatment. By affording coverage under the “national origin” clause of Title VII he is afforded no special privilege. He is given only the same protection as those with English, Spanish, French, Iranian, Portuguese, Mexican, Italian, Irish, et al. , ancestors. "

History of Acadian ancestors

The Acadians were evicted from Acadia (which has since been resettled and consists of parts of what is now known as New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island, Canada) in the period 1755 - 1763; this has become known as the Great Upheaval or Le Grand Dérangement. New Brunswick ( French: Nouveau-Brunswick /nuvobʁɔnzwik/ is one of Canada 's three Maritime provinces and is the only constitutionally Nova Scotia (ˌnəʊvəˈskəʊʃə ( Latin for New Scotland; Alba Nuadh Nouvelle-Écosse is a Canadian province located on Canada 's Prince Edward Island (ˌprɪns ˌɛdwɚd ˈaɪlɨnd ( PEI or P The Great Upheaval, also known as the Great Expulsion, The Deportation, the Acadian Expulsion, or to the deportees Le Grand Dérangement, was At the time there was a war in what is now Canada between France and Great Britain over the colony of New France. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands The Viceroyalty of New France (Nouvelle-France was the area colonized by France in North America during a period extending from the exploration of the This war is known in the United States as the French and Indian War, though it was only one theater of the Seven Years' War. The French and Indian War (1754&ndash1763 was the North American chapter of the Seven Years' War. The Seven Years' War (1756&ndash1763 involved all of the major European powers of the period causing 900000 to 1400000 deaths

The migration from Canada was spurred by the Treaty of Paris (1763) which ended the war. The Treaty of Paris, often called the Peace of Paris, or the Treaty of 1763, was signed on February 10, 1763, by the kingdoms of Great Britain The treaty terms provided 18 months for unrestrained emigration from Canada. Only after many of the Cajuns had moved to Louisiana did they discover France had secretly ceded Louisiana to Spain in the Treaty of Fontainebleau (1762). The Treaty of Fontainebleau was a secret agreement signed on November 13, 1762, in which France ceded Louisiana (New France to Spain The formal announcement of the transfer was made in December 1764. The Cajuns took part in the Rebellion of 1768 in an attempt to prevent the transfer. The Rebellion of 1768 was an attempt by Creole and German settlers around New Orleans Louisiana to stop the handover of the New France The Spanish formally asserted control in 1769.

The Acadians were scattered throughout the eastern seaboard. Families were split and put on ships with different destinations. Many ended up in what was then French-colonized Louisiana, reaching as far north as Dakota territory. French colonization of the Americas began in the 14th century and continued in the following centuries as France established a colonial empire in the Western The Dakotas is a collective term used around the world that refers to the U France had ceded the colony to Spain in 1762, prior to their defeat by Britain, and two years before the first Acadians began settling in Louisiana. The Spanish colonization of the Americas was Spain 's conquest settlement and rule over much of the Western hemisphere. The interim French officials provided land and supplies. The Spanish governor, Bernardo de Gálvez, later proved to be hospitable, permitting the Acadians to continue to speak their language, practice Roman Catholicism—which was also the official religion of Spain—and otherwise pursue their livelihoods with minimal interference. Bernardo de Gálvez y Madrid Viscount of Galveston and Count of Gálvez (Bernardo de Gálvez y Madrid vizconde de Gálveztown y conde de Gálvez ( July 23, 1746 Some families and individuals did travel north through the Louisiana territory to set up homes as far north as Wisconsin. Wisconsin ( or wɪˈskɑnsɨn (French Ouisconsin) is one of the fifty United States of America, located in the north central part of the United States Cajuns fought in the American Revolution. In this article the inhabitants of the thirteen colonies that supported the American Revolution are primarily referred to as "Americans" with occasional references to "Patriots" Although they fought for Spanish General Galvez, their contribution to the winning of the war has been recognized. [3]

"Galvez leaves New Orleans with an army of Spanish regulars and the Louisiana militia made up of 600 Cajun volunteers and captures the British strongholds of Fort Bute at Bayou Manchac, across from the Acadian settlement at St. Gabriel. And on September 21, they attack and capture Baton Rouge"

A review of the list of members shows many common Cajun names among soldiers who participated in the Battle of Baton Rouge and the Battle for West Florida. Events 1217 - The Estonian tribal leader Lembitu of Lehola was killed in a battle against Teutonic Knights. The Galvez Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution was formed in memory of those soldiers. [1] Their fight against the British was partially in response to their treatment by the British in evicting them from Acadia.

The Cajuns who settled in southern Louisiana originally did so in the area just west of what is now New Orleans, mainly along the Mississippi River. Later, they were moved by the Spanish colonial government to areas west and southwest of New Orleans, in a region later named Acadiana, where they shared the swamps and prairies with the Attakapa and Chitimacha Native American tribes. Acadiana (also called Cajun Country) (L'Acadiane is the official name given to the French Louisiana region that is home to a large Cajun population Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States

Mostly secluded until the early 1900s, Cajuns today are largely assimilated into the mainstream society and culture. Some Cajuns live in communities outside of Louisiana. Also, some people identify themselves as Cajun culturally despite lacking Acadian ancestry.

For more details on this topic, see History of the Acadians. The Acadians (Acadiens are the descendants of the original French settlers and often Métis, of parts of Acadia (French Acadie

Ethnic mixing and alternate origins

Some believe Cajuns do not descend solely from Acadian exiles who settled in south Louisiana in the eighteenth century. They believe that Cajuns also descend from other ethnic groups with whom those exiles intermarried over many generations, including British, Spanish, German, Italian, Native American, Métis and French Creole settlers. Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States A Métis is a person born to parents who belong to different groups defined by visible physical differences regarded as racial or the descendant of such persons Historian Carl A. Brasseaux has asserted that it was this process of intermarriage that created the Cajuns in the first place. [1] However, most Cajuns refuse to marry outside of the Cajun community, believing that any intermarriage would weaken that community.

Non-Acadian French Creoles in rural areas were absorbed into Cajun communities. This article is about an ethnic culture in Louisiana USA For uses of the term "Creole" in other countries and cultures see Creole (disambiguation. Some Cajun parishes, such as Evangeline and Avoyelles, possess relatively few inhabitants of Acadian origin. Evangeline Parish ( French: Paroisse d'Évangéline) is a parish located in the U Avoyelles (Paroisse des Avoyelles is a Parish located in the U Their populations descend in many cases from settlers who migrated to the region from Quebec, Mobile, or directly from France. Quebec (kwɨˈbɛk This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Theirs is regarded as the purest dialect of French spoken within Acadiana. Regardless, it is generally acknowledged that Acadian influences have prevailed in most sections of south Louisiana.

Many Cajuns also have ancestors who were not French. Many of the original settlers in French Acadia were actually English, for example the Melansons (originally Mallinson). German and Italian colonists began to settle in Louisiana before and after the Louisiana Purchase, particularly on the German Coast along the Mississippi River north of New Orleans. The German people (Deutsche are an Ethnic group, in the sense of sharing a common German culture, descent and speaking the German language as The' Italian people' are a Southern European Ethnic group located primarily in Italy, Switzerland, France and by virtue of a wide-ranging For the film see Louisiana Purchase (film. The Louisiana Purchase (French Vente de la Louisiane "Louisiana Sale" The German Coast (French Côte des Allemands) was a region of the early Louisiana settlement located above New Orleans on the Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second longest River in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to New Orleans (nʲuːˈɔrliənz nʲuːˈɔrlənz French: La Nouvelle-Orléans) is a major United States port city and the largest city in Louisiana People of Spanish or Hispanic origin, including many Canary Islanders and a number of early Filipino settlers (notably in Saint Malo) from the cross-Pacific Galleon Trade with Mexico, and some Cuban Americans, have settled along the Gulf Coast and in some cases intermarried into Cajun families. Isleño (plural isleños) (Îlois is the Spanish word meaning " Islander. Saint Malo was a small fishing village that existed in St Bernard Parish Louisiana on the shore of Lake Borgne from the mid 18th century into the early 20th century A Cuban American ( Cubanoamericano) is a United States citizen who traces his or her "national origin" to Cuba. The Gulf of Mexico ( Spanish: Golfo de México) is the ninth largest Body of water in the world Anglo-American settlers in the region often were assimilated into Cajun communities, especially those who arrived before the English language became predominant in southern Louisiana. The term Anglo is used as a prefix to indicate a relation to the Angles, England or the English people, as in the phrases ' Anglo-Saxon ' '

One obvious result of this cultural mixture is the variety of surnames that are common among the Cajun population. Surnames of the original Acadian settlers (which are documented) have been augmented by French and even non-French family names that have merged into Cajun populations. The spelling of many family names was changed for a variety of reasons (see, for example, Eaux).

Modern preservation and renewed connections

During the early part of the 20th century, attempts were made to suppress Cajun culture by measures such as forbidding the use of the Cajun French language in schools. After the Compulsory Education Act forced Cajun children to attend formal schools, American teachers threatened, punished, and often beat their Cajun students in an attempt to force them to use English (a language many of them had not been exposed to before). During World War II, Cajuns often served as French interpreters for American forces in France; this helped to overcome prejudice. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including [4]

In 1968 the organization of Council for the Development of French in Louisiana (CODOFIL) was founded to preserve the French language in Louisiana. The Council for the Development of French in Louisiana or CODOFIL — known in French as le Conseil pour le développement du français en Louisiane and Besides advocating for their legal rights, Cajuns also recovered for themselves a sense of ethnic pride and appreciation for their ancestry. Since the mid-1950s, relations between the Cajuns of the U. S. Gulf Coast and Acadians in the Maritimes and New England have been renewed, forming an Acadian identity common to Louisiana, New England, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. The Gulf Coast region of the United States comprises the coasts of states which border the Gulf of Mexico. The Maritime provinces, called the Maritimes in local English (or the Canadian Maritimes by non-Canadians is a region of Eastern Canada History See also History of New England New England's earliest inhabitants were Algonquian -speaking Native Americans including the

State Senator Dudley LeBlanc ("Coozan Dud", a Cajun slang nickname for "Cousin Dudley") took a group of Cajuns to Nova Scotia in 1955 for the commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the expulsion. The Congrès Mondial Acadien, a large gathering of Acadians and Cajuns held every five years since 1994, is another example of continued unity. The Acadian World Congress, or Le Congrès Mondial Acadien, is a festival of Acadian and Cajun culture and history held every five years

Sociologists Jacques Henry and Carl L. Bankston III have maintained that the preservation of Cajun ethnic identity is a result of the social class of Cajuns. During the eighteenth and nineteenth century, "Cajuns" came to be identified as the French-speaking rural people of Southwestern Louisiana. Over the course of the twentieth century, the descendants of these rural people became the working class of their region. This change in the social and economic circumstances of families in Southwestern Louisiana created nostalgia for an idealized version of the past. Henry and Bankston point out that "Cajun", which was formerly considered an insulting term, became a term of pride among Louisianans by the beginning of the twenty-first century. [5]

Culture

The 22 parishes of Acadiana. The Cajun heartland of Louisiana is highlighted in darker red.
The 22 parishes of Acadiana. The Cajun heartland of Louisiana is highlighted in darker red.

Geography

Main article: Acadiana

Geography had a strong correlation to Cajun lifestyles. Acadiana (also called Cajun Country) (L'Acadiane is the official name given to the French Louisiana region that is home to a large Cajun population The Cajuns who settled along bayous and wetlands of the Atchafalaya Basin adapted a water-based lifestyle that included fishing, hunting, and trapping. The Atchafalaya Basin, or Atchafalaya Swamp, is the largest Swamp in the United States. The Cajuns who settled in the prairies of southwest Louisiana found the land more suited to raising cattle, farming rice and sugar cane, and other agricultural pursuits.

Most Cajuns originated in Acadiana, where their descendants are still predominant. Acadiana (also called Cajun Country) (L'Acadiane is the official name given to the French Louisiana region that is home to a large Cajun population Cajun populations today are found also in the area southwest of New Orleans and scattered in areas adjacent to the French Louisiana region, such as to the north in Alexandria, Louisiana. New Orleans (nʲuːˈɔrliənz nʲuːˈɔrlənz French: La Nouvelle-Orléans) is a major United States port city and the largest city in Louisiana Alexandria is a City in and the Parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. Over the years, many Cajuns and Creoles also migrated to the Beaumont and Port Arthur area of Southeast Texas, in especially large numbers as they followed oil-related jobs in the 1970s and 1980s, when oil companies moved jobs from Louisiana to Texas. The Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area is defined by the United States Census Bureau as a three-county region in Southeast Texas, east of the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown Southeast Texas is a subregion of East Texas located in the southeast corner of the U However, the city of Lafayette is referred to as "The Heart of Acadiana" because of its location, and it is a major center of Cajun-Creole culture.

Music

Main article: Cajun music

Cajun music is evolved from its roots in the music of the French-speaking Catholics of Canada. See also [[Cajun]] Cajun music, an emblematic Music of Louisiana, is rooted in the Ballads of the French-speaking Acadians of In earlier years the fiddle was the predominant instrument, but gradually the accordion has come to share the limelight. Classical music Since the Baroque era the violin ( Baroque violin) has been one of the most important of all instruments in classical music, for several The accordion is a portable box-shaped Musical instrument of the hand-held Bellows -driven free-reed aerophone family sometimes referred to as a Squeezebox

For more details on this topic, see Music of Louisiana. The Music of Louisiana can be divided into three general regions

Food

Main article: Cajun cuisine

According to an expression of the region, Cajuns live to eat, not eat to live. See also [[Cajun]] Cajun cuisine (in French Cuisine cadienne) originates from the French-speaking Acadian or "Cajun" immigrants deported Outside Louisiana the distinctions between Cajun and Louisiana Creole cuisine have been blurred. See also [[Cajun]] Cajun cuisine (in French Cuisine cadienne) originates from the French-speaking Acadian or "Cajun" immigrants deported Louisiana Creole cuisine is a style of Cooking originating in Louisiana (centered on the Greater New Orleans area that blends French, However, Creole dishes tend to be more sophisticated continental cuisine using local produce and seafood. Cajun food is rural, more seasoned, sometimes spicy, and tends to be more hearty. Many well-known Cajun dishes originally were centered on wild game, rice and other local ingredients.

Since most Cajuns were farmers and not especially wealthy, they were known for not wasting any part of a butchered animal. Cracklins are a popular snack made by frying pork skins and boudin is created from the ground-up leftover parts of a hog after the best meat is taken. This article is about the Sausages For the Geological feature see Boudinage. It is usually formed into a sausage but can also be mixed with rice, rolled in a ball, and deep fried.

Language

Main article: Cajun French

Cajun French is a variety or dialect of the French language spoken primarily in the Acadiana region of Louisiana. See also [[Cajun]] Cajun French (sometimes called Louisiana Regional French) is one of three varieties or Dialects of the French language A dialect (from the Greek word διάλεκτος dialektos) is a variety of a Language that is characteristic of a particular group of French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people Acadiana (also called Cajun Country) (L'Acadiane is the official name given to the French Louisiana region that is home to a large Cajun population At one time there were as many as seven dialects spread across the Cajun Heartland.

Recent documentation has been made of Cajun English, a French-influenced dialect of English spoken by Cajuns, either as a second language, in the case of the older members of the community, or as a first language by younger Cajuns. Cajun English is the dialect of English spoken by Cajuns living in southern Louisiana and to some extent in eastern Texas.

Religious traditions

Cajuns are predominantly Roman Catholic. However, Protestant and Evangelical Christian denominations have made inroads among Cajuns, but not without great controversy — the title of Cajun Chef Marcelle Bienvenue's 1992 cookbook, Who's Your Mama, Are You Catholic and Can You Make a Roux is derived from long-standing beliefs that Cajun identity was rooted in community, cuisine, and Catholicism. Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. Evangelicalism is a theological movement tradition and system of beliefs most closely associated with Protestant Christianity, which identifies with the Gospel A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth Traditional Catholic religious observances such as Mardi Gras, Lent, and Holy Week are integral to many Cajun communities. " Mardi Gras " ( French for Fat Tuesday) is the day before Ash Wednesday. Lent, in some Christian denominations, is the forty-day-long liturgical season of fasting and prayer before Easter. Holy Week ( Latin: Hebdomada Sancta or Maior Hebdomada, "Greater Week" in Christianity is the last week before Easter.

Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras, or "Fat Tuesday" (also known as Shrove Tuesday), is the day before Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent, a 40 day period of fasting and reflection in preparation for Easter Sunday. " Mardi Gras " ( French for Fat Tuesday) is the day before Ash Wednesday. Shrove Tuesday is the term used in Ireland the United Kingdom Australia and Canada to refer to the day after Shrove Monday (or the more old fashioned Collop Monday In the Western Christian Calendar, Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent and occurs forty days before Easter (excluding Sundays Lent, in some Christian denominations, is the forty-day-long liturgical season of fasting and prayer before Easter. Easter ( Greek: Πάσχα Pascha or Pasxa) is the most important religious feast in the Christian Liturgical year. Mardi Gras was historically a time to use up the foods that were not to be used during Lent, including fat, eggs, and meat.

Mardi Gras celebrations in rural Acadiana are distinct from the more widely known celebrations in New Orleans and other metropolitan areas. " Mardi Gras " ( French for Fat Tuesday) is the day before Ash Wednesday. New Orleans (nʲuːˈɔrliənz nʲuːˈɔrlənz French: La Nouvelle-Orléans) is a major United States port city and the largest city in Louisiana One tradition is the wearing of a capuchon, which is a cone-shaped ceremonial hat. A capuchon is a cone-shaped ceremonial hat worn during the Mardi Gras celebration in the Cajun areas of southwestern Louisiana. Another distinct feature of Cajun celebration centers on the courir (translated: to 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 chicken ( Gallus gallus, sometimes G gallus domesticus) is a domesticated Fowl which is traditionally believed to have descended from 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 skits are acted out. When and if the chicken is caught, it is added to the pot at the end of the day. The "Courir de Mardi Gras" held in the small town of Mamou has become well known. " Mardi Gras " ( French for Fat Tuesday) is the day before Ash Wednesday. This tradition has much in common with the observance of La Chandeleur, or Candlemas (February 2), by Acadians in Nova Scotia. The Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple celebrates an early episode in the life of Jesus, and falls on or around 2 February. Events 962 - Translatio imperii: Pope John XII crowns Otto I Holy Roman Emperor, the first Holy Roman Emperor

Easter
On Pâques (French for Easter), a traditional Cajun game was played called pâquer, or pâque-pâque. Easter ( Greek: Πάσχα Pascha or Pasxa) is the most important religious feast in the Christian Liturgical year. Contestants selected hard-boiled eggs, paired off, and tapped the eggs together — the player whose egg did not crack was declared the winner. Today Easter is still celebrated by Cajuns with the traditional game of 'paque', but is now also celebrated in the same fashion as Christians throughout the United States with candy-filled baskets "Easter bunny" stories, dyed eggs, and egg hunts. The Easter Bunny is the Ghost of a Rabbit who carries eggs and Candy to Children in a Basket on the Easter

Folk beliefs

One folk custom is belief in a traiteur, or Cajun healer, whose primary method of treatment involves the laying on of hands and of prayers. In French Acadiana, the term Traiteur (sometimes spelled Treateur describes a man or woman who has learned the what is sometimes called Faith healing. An important part of Cajun folk religion, the traiteur is a faith healer who combines Catholic prayer and medicinal remedies to treat a variety of ailments, including earaches, toothaches, warts, tumors, angina, and bleeding. Another is in the Rougarou, a version of a Loup Garou (French for werewolf), that will hunt down and kill Catholics that do not follow the rules of Lent. The Rougarou (alternately spelled as Roux-Ga-Roux, Rugaroo, or Rugaru) is a legendary creature in Laurentian French communities linked to European notions Loup Garou is a 1995 album by Willy DeVille. Loup Garou means Werewolf in French. See also Lycanthropy (disambiguation Werewolves, also known as lycanthropes, are mythological or folkloric humans with the ability to Lent, in some Christian denominations, is the forty-day-long liturgical season of fasting and prayer before Easter. In some Cajun communities the Loup Garou of legend have taken on an almost protective role. Children are warned that Loup Garou can read souls, and that they only hunt and kill evil men and unbehaved horses.

Celebrations and gatherings

Cajuns, along with other Cajun Country residents, have a reputation for a joie de vivre (French for "hearty enjoyment of life"), in which hard work is appreciated as much as "passing a good time. Acadiana (also called Cajun Country) (L'Acadiane is the official name given to the French Louisiana region that is home to a large Cajun population "

Community gatherings
In the culture, a coup de main (French for "to give a hand") is an occasion when the community gathers in order to assist one of their members with time-consuming or arduous tasks. In biological terms a community is a group of interacting Organisms sharing an environment. Examples might include a barn raising, harvests, or assistance for the elderly or sick. A Barn raising is an event during which a community comes together to assemble a barn for one or more of its households particularly in 18th- and 19th-century rural In Agriculture, the harvest is the process of Gathering mature crops from the fields Reaping is the cutting of Grain

Festivals
Laissez les bon temps rouler is a cliché phrase of the local culture, which means "let the good times roll. " Nearly every village, town and city of any size has a yearly festival, celebrating an important part of the local economy. The majority of Cajun festivals include a fais do-do ("go to sleep" in French) or street dance, usually to a live local band. Crowds at these festivals can range from a few hundred to more than 100,000.

For more details on this topic, see List of festivals in Louisiana. This is a partial list of Festivals and celebrations in Louisiana.

Other festivals outside of Louisiana

Tributes

A statue of Évangéline — fictional heroine of the poem Evangeline by Longfellow — at St. Martinville, Louisiana. The statue was donated by actress Dolores Del Rio (who also posed for it), who portrayed Évangéline in a 1929 silent film by director Edwin Carewe.
A statue of Évangéline — fictional heroine of the poem Evangeline by Longfellow — at St. Martinville, Louisiana. Evangeline A Tale of Acadie is a Poem published in 1847 by the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. St Martinville is a city in and the Parish seat of St Martin Parish, Louisiana, United States. The statue was donated by actress Dolores Del Rio (who also posed for it), who portrayed Évangéline in a 1929 silent film by director Edwin Carewe. Dolores del Río ( August 3, 1905 &ndash April 11, 1983) was a Mexican Film actress. Edwin Carewe (Jay Fox ( March 5, 1883 - January 22, 1940) was an American motion picture director actor producer and screenwriter

Documentary films

Film

Literature

Songs

In pop culture

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ a b Carl A. Brasseaux, Acadian to Cajun: Transformation of a People. Jackson, Miss. : University Press of Mississippi, 1992.
  2. ^ Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 2nd edition
  3. ^ Acadians who fought in the American Revolution
  4. ^ Tidwell, Michael. Bayou Farewell:The Rich Life and Tragic Death of Louisana's Cajun Coast. Vintage Departures: New York, 2004.
  5. ^ Blue Collar Bayou

External links


Dictionary

Cajun

-noun

  1. A member of an ethnic group of Acadian French origin, primarily living in Southern Louisiana.

-adjective

  1. Relating to the Cajun people or their culture.
  2. Of spicy food prepared in the style of the Cajun people.
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