. . ." . The basic social and economic unit in traditional times was the patrilineally extended family, whose members often lived near one another. Cajun, descendant of Roman Catholic French Canadians whom the British, in the 18th century, drove from the captured French colony of Acadia (now Nova Scotia and adjacent areas) and who settled in the fertile bayou lands of southern Louisiana. ." Cajun music involves a band, singing, and sometimes foot-stomping. Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. The creole culture developed its own variations of French, Spanish, Native American, and English languages. ." Cajun food is robust, rustic food, found along the bayous of Louisiana, a combination of French and Southern cuisines. (December 21, 2020). . Cajun culture began with the arrival of French Acadians (the French-speaking people of the territory that is now mainly Nova Scotia in Canada) who migrated to and settled in what is now Louisiana mainly between 1765 and 1785. Many speakers statewide speak English as their primary language but use French at home. Certainly plenty of people of Cajun descent live in New Orleans now, but it is not the hub of Cajun culture by any stretch, and Cajun restaurants and musicians are, generally speaking, an import to the city, not a traditional part of the city's fabric. Language use by Cajuns is a complex topic, with the relationship between the speakers and the social context often determining what language is spoken. All came as part of the Acadian Diaspora, which resulted from their forced exile by the British from Acadia in 1755. Dictionary of American History. ThoughtCo uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. 21 Dec. 2020 . Today, Cajun music comes in a variety of styles, the two most prominent being the country-western style and zydeco, which reflects the influence of Black rhythm and blues. Dances, parties, and other opportunities to have a good time are an integral element of the Cajun life-style. LOCATION: central and western part of the Balkan Peninsula (Southeastern Europe) , Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia, Kosovo…, Belgians Most Cajuns are of French descent. There, they cleared land for pasture grazing and began growing crops such as cotton and rice. 21 Dec. 2020 . Retrieved December 21, 2020 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/cajuns. France was forced to give up their rights to their colonies in North America as a term of that treaty. As with their music, Cajun food reflects the combining of elements from a number of cultural traditions on a rural French base. The Cajuns sold the fertile land along the Mississippi River and pushed westward, to modern south-central Louisiana, where they could settle the land for no cost. Industrial Arts, Aspects of the traditional subsistence technology of the 1800s that draw attention today are mainly adaptations to life in the swamp and marshlands. Katy Rudolphy is a cartographic technician for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Retrieved December 21, 2020 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/cajun. That policy was abandoned in the 1970s when there was a reversal in sentiment to retain local cultures… They navigated the Mississippi River. Originally hailing from a French-Canadian community, modern Cajuns often have a mixed background, including French, English, German, Native American and Creole ancestry. Some migrated directly from Acadia, whereas others came after stays in France and the West Indies. Cajun culture began with the arrival of French Acadians (the French-speaking people of the territory that is now mainly Nova Scotia in Canada) who migrated to and settled in what is now Louisiana mainly between 1765 and 1785. The Cajuns who settled on the Louisiana prairies developed two economic adaptations. Within the regional class structure, Cajuns were considered better than Blacks but the lowest group of Whites. Lafayette: University of Southwestern Louisiana. TOM McARTHUR "CAJUN World Encyclopedia. ETHNONYMS: Flamencos (Spanish), Flandres (French), Flemings, French-Flemish, Northern Belgians, Southern Dutch, Vlaamingen (Dutch), Vlamisch…, Serbs Perhaps more important, the church teachings formed the belief system underlying Cajun social organization. All came as part of the Acadian Diaspora, which resulted from their forced exile by the British from Acadia in 1755. Male dominance in the home, stable marriages, large families, and so on were all in accord with the requirements of the church. Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. The new settlers began cultivating the land for agriculture and fished the Gulf of Mexico and surrounding bayous. The Cajuns: Essays on Their History and Culture. From this combination of Influences, we find, for example, the heavy use of cayenne pepper for a piquant taste, an oil and flour roux, gumbo, dirty rice, jambalaya, boudin (stuffed hog intestine casings), and crawfish as distinctive elements of Cajun food. Over time the fiddle grew in popularity, to accompany dancers. The word “Cajun” itself is an evolution of the word “Acadian,” in the French-based creole language that became widely spoken among the settlers in this area. Cajuns love to cook with seafood, a nod to their historic ties to Atlantic Canada and the waterways of southern Louisiana. Demography. Inspired by rural French cooking, Cajun cuisine was developed by a population that lived off the land, adapting over centuries of cultural influences and geographical changes. People were involved with this kinship network throughout their lives. Finns constitute the majority of the cit…, https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/cajuns, https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/cajun, https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/cajun, https://www.encyclopedia.com/environment/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/cajun, https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/cajuns. Creoles in New Orleans have played an important part in the culture of the city. In addition, Roman Catholicism as practiced in Acadiana created an atmosphere that allowed the celebration of life, or "la joie de vivre," so characteristic of Cajun culture. https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/cajun, ELIZABETH KNOWLES "Cajun Louisiana had a markedly different environment, with four environmental regions, none exactly the same as Acadia. Trade. Louisiana Cajun culture thrives in New Orleans and South Louisiana Cajuns were never long-term settlers in the city of New Orleans. Rushton, William Faulkner (1979). In 1754, France went to war with Great Britain in North America over lucrative fishing … Divorce was rare and difficult to justify. © 2019 Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. Cajun cooking is influenced by the cuisine of the French, Acadian, Spanish, German, Anglo-American, Afro-Caribbean, and Native American cultures. Dictionary of American History. Cajun History. There were also numerous festivals and feast days of religious significance. Cajun French differs from standard French in the use of some archaic forms of pronunciation, the inclusion of various loan words from English, American Indian, Spanish, and African languages, and a simplified grammar. Population relocations, the arrival of non-Cajuns, and changes in economic activities have all produced changes in settlement patterns. Contact also meant that the use of Cajun French decreased, and in 1921 it was banned from use in public schools. Relations between the Cajuns and other groups in Louisiana Including Anglos, Creoles, Black Creoles, and others were generally peaceful because the Cajuns were largely self-sufficient, lived in distinctly Cajun regions, were numerically dominant in those regions, and chose to avoid conflict. The three Acadian cultural centers of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve share the stories and customs of the Acadians who came to Louisiana and became the Cajuns, people proud of their French roots who adapted to a new land and … Retrieved December 21, 2020 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/environment/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/cajun. Land Tenure. Both are unique cultural forms, with a French base combined with elements drawn from American Indian, Spanish, African, British, and German cultures. Cajuns in Louisiana today are a distinct cultural group, separate from the Acadians of Nova Scotia. "Cajuns Encyclopedia.com. Preferential community endogamy meant that others in the community often included the wife's kin. As noted above, the extended family and the somewhat larger kinship network were the basic social groupings in Cajun society. Social Control and Conflict. ." The last quarter of the 20th century brought a renewed interest in Cajun culture and traditions, which helped make Cajun style cooking popular worldwide. 21 Dec. 2020 . The name "Cajuns" is evidently an English mispronunciation of "Acadians." Public dances (bals ), festivals, and feasts were regularly held in Cajun Communities. Nearby residence was encouraged by Patrilocal postmarital residence which involved fathers giving newly married sons a piece of the family land. Travelers in the south have commented on the friendliness with which the Cajun people welcomed guests and strangers into their homes, and also their willingness to share whatever they had, even if it was just a little. Children lived at home until they married. 21 Dec. 2020 . Once settled in Lousiana, in environments very different from Acadia and in contact with other cultures including Black Creoles, American Indians, Germans, Spaniards, and Italians, the Acadian culture began to change, eventually becoming what has come to be called Cajun culture. Location. Popular recipes include Maque Choux, a vegetable-based dish with tomatoes, onions, corn, and peppers and Crawfish Etoufee, a thick, often spicy seafood stew. https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/cajun, TOM McARTHUR "CAJUN We couldn’t let our Friends, Co-Workers, and Neighbors, go on any longer without trying the family recipes we know and love! Because of conflicts over which French to teach—standard French or Cajun French—the program has not been a total success, though many Cajun children do participate in French-language programs. In Canada, the Acadians lived by farming (wheat, oats, rye, vegetables), raising cattle, and fishing, and by selling surplus crops and cattle and buying manufactured products. The first known inhabitants known to have populated the Lafayette, LA area were the Attakapas Indians in the 1700s. She holds a B.A. Social cohesiveness in Cajun Communities as well as a general sense of being Cajun was maintained through various informal mechanisms that brought Cajuns together both physically and symbolically. In 1968 Lousiana created the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana (CODOFIL) as a mechanism to encourage the teaching of French in public schools. Rather, Cajuns generally participated in Louisiana and national politics as voters. Cajun French is the language commonly associated with the Cajun culture, though many Cajuns no longer speak it fluently and its use has declined markedly in the younger generation. . In some homes and communities, Creole French is spoken as well. 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