Cajuns
What's the difference? Cajuns are the French colonists who settled the Canadian
maritime provinces (Nova Scotia and New Brunswick) in the 1600's. The settlers
named their region "Acadia" and were known as Acadians. In 1713 the
British took over Canada and expected all settlers, including the Acadians, to
defend the kingdom. The British demanded that the Acadians adopt the king's
Protestant religion.
Over the next forty years, the Acadians refusal to abdicate became a
political and religious threat. The British Government seized farms, burned villages, and expelled the families. Families were separated as British
soldiers loaded them onto ships with different destinations. Family members
were shipped all over from New York to the West Indies. Some were sent down
south to the Louisiana territories. Many Acadians found some acceptance in
Louisiana with it's strong French background and Catholic heritage. Many
family members were reunited there as they sought to locate one another.
It is here the Acadians eventually became known as "Cajuns."
Cajuns developed their own distinct lifestyle in the swamps and surrounding
areas of South Louisiana. Cajun contributions to New Orleans and Louisiana are
immense and improved the quality of life we now enjoy.
Many people think we have a Brooklynese accent when we speak. It is my opinion
the Acadians who settled along the U.S. eastern seaboard are
responsible for that "New York/Brooklyn" speech!
Creoles
Cajuns aren't Creole and a Creole isn't a Cajun. Creoles as an ethnic group
are harder to define than Cajuns. Creole can mean anything from individuals
born in New Orleans with French and Spanish ancestry to those who descended
from African/Carribean/French/Spanish combination(s).
The Creoles in New Orleans have played an important part in the heritage of
New Orleans. Creoles, like Cajuns, have contributed so much to New Orleans
culture and social life that without it New Orleans wouldn't be the unique
city it is today.
