The history of the Cajuns is one of surviving many attempts by others to crush them or their culture.
Those not familar with their history will be surprised that the Cajun's roots are Breton.
The Bretons came to France from Roman Britian during the 5th and 6th century of this era. They were fleeing the invading Anglo-Saxons.
The French gave the refugees the territory that would soon take the name La Bretagne (Brittany in English)or Breiz in the Breton tongue.
In the early 17th century some of the northern Bretons (along with smaller groups of other coastal French) went to the "New World" and settled in what is now Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Cape Breton Island. The settlers called the land Acadia, and themselves Acadians. They farmed and fished much like they had in the old country, they got along with their neighbors, the Micmac tribe. But not with the English settlers to the south.
The less savory elements of those English settlers began to raid the Acadians, this led to retalation by the Acadians.
Then the English gained control over Acadia in 1713. At first things weren't so bad, the raiding stopped. The Acadians even began to intermarry with the British immigrants. The Acadians agree to be neutral in conflicts between France and England.
In 1726 things began to turn seriously downward for the Acadians. They were forced to sign an oath of alliegence to the English crown.
Then in 1755 came the great tragedy known to the Acadians as the "Grand Derangement". 18,000 Acadians were driven at gunpoint to waiting British ships. Their property taken from them, many seprated from family members were scattered throughout the British colonies. Some were even forced into servitude or slavery, many were imprisioned for years upon their arrival in those colonies. The majority eventually made their way to French Louisiana between 1763-1785. because of the white Creole French have difficulty in pronoucing Acadian the name soon is altered to Cadians.
1803- Louisiana sold to the United States. The Americans find both Acadian and Cadian difficult to say and soon they are being called Cajuns.
1815- Battle of New Orleans. Andrew Jackson leads and wins with a mixed group of Kentuckians, Tennessians and Cajun volunteers.
1843- Alexander Mouton becomes the first Cajun governor of Louisiana.
Nineteenth century cajuns
1875- first public school for Cajuns established
1922- French speaking in Louisiana public schools banned
1938- Pope Pius XI declares Our Lady of Assumption the patroness of Acadians
1965- Acadian flag created. Is soon flown in Acadiana (the Cajun area of Louisiana) alongside the US and Louisiana state flag. The star on the white field is for Acadians participation in the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, and also is the symbol of the Virgin Mary, patroness of France and it's colonies. The three fleurs-de-lis on the blue field is for the French origins of the Acadians. The gold tower on the red field is for appreciation of Spain's offer of refuge to the Acadians after their forceable exile from Acadia. (At the time Louisiana had been given by the French to the Spanish). The red, white and blue fields together symbolize the Acadians as French-Americans.
1968- CODOFIL- le Conseil pour le Development de Francaise en Louisiane (Counsel Of Development Of French In Louisiana)is founded and French returns to all Louisiana schools.
1973- First Cajun music festival held in Layfayette, Louisiana
1974- Acadian flag declared the official flag of Acadiana
Acadiana
1977- First cajun French language instructional book published: CAJUN FRENCH I by James Donald Faulk. LSU begins to offer an elective course in Cajun French.
© 1997 subaruurd@bigfoot.com
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