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Cajun Culture - 1600s |
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The first settlement was at Port Royal. The Acadians no longer considered themselves pure French and began to develop their own culture. Originally a French colony, Acadian lands were passed back and forth between the French and English several times before the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 turned over the land to England. Some of the English leaders wanted to move their own people in and move the Acadians out. Under the treaty, the Acadians were granted the option of remaining on their land with religious freedom, or leaving Acadia and forfeiting their land. When the Acadians promised neutrality, they were allowed to stay. And the period from 1730 to 1748 was called the Golden Age of the Acadians.
They began developing their farming skills. Also, their coastal farming activities did not interfere with the fishing and hunting culture of the local Micmac Indians, and the Acadians enjoyed good relations with the native people. Several of the early Acadian families have MicMac ancestry (including the LeJeune branch of mine).
However, during the next war with France, the English settlers discovered a way to get rid of the Acadians. They asked the Acadians to sign an oath of allegiance to England, but the Acadians said that they wanted to remain neutral and refused to sign. So the English started gathering the settlers and began to deport them to other lands.
In 1755, under the order of Lawrence, Lieutenant Governor of Acadia, over 5,000 Acadians were deported to the American colonies. On September 5, 1755, at the Acadian Settlement of Grand Pre (gron-pray), 411 of the Acadian men and boys over 18 years of age were assembled at the church. There they were told that their lands and livestock were forfeited to the Crown and that they were to be driven out of Acadia. Twenty of their number were released the next day to visit the families of the 411 and tell them the sad news. Some of them never saw their wives and families after this assembly. After several days, they were paraded to the harbor, where they were loaded on five ships and expelled.
Most of these Acadians were shipped to England. Some of them escaped but the British Crown put prices on their heads, and the British Army spent seven years searching out those who had escaped deportation. Many moved westward to areas still held be the French and when those areas fell to the French, they were again deported to northern France.
But for the great bulk of the Acadians, their homeless wandering had begun and was not to end until many years later, when they established a new Acadia in Southwest Louisiana. Some of the Acadians escaped and headed for the American colonies, but many refused to take the Acadians. In Pennsylvania the Acadians were kept on board ships for two months. In Georgia they were permitted to land but were banished; most of them made their way into the hostile interior. Our ancestors were severely mistreated in Massachusetts and the Carolinas. Everywhere in the New World the Acadians went they were mistreated, except in Maryland.
The Governor of Louisiana opened up the vast prairie land of the Attakapas and Opelousas Indian country to colonization in 1757. The first Acadian colony in Louisiana was established on site of present-day Donaldsonville. Acadians began to arrive at Fort Attakapas in 1765. Fort Attakapas later became St, Martinville.
With the conclusion of hostilities in 1763, the Acadians were free to return home. But those who did found they could not settle together in large groups and their land was now occupied by people brought over by the English. Those Acadians in England, who were 'held' in four port towns, were shipped to France in 1763.
In 1762, France ceded Louisiana to Spain. A large number of the refugees found themselves in France. But even though they were "French", they didn't really feel at home in France. When the Acadians in France found out about their relatives in Louisiana and a possible New Acadia, they asked to join them. After years of preparation, Spain paid for about 1600 Acadians to travel from France to Louisiana. Spain wanted settlers in the land to protect against English invasion. In 1785, seven ships brought the Acadians to Louisiana. Once there, there were given free choice of where to go. Most of them decided to go to the Lafourche area or along the River towards Baton Rouge.
The Acadians were not alone in Louisiana. It is estimated that this area, upriver from New Orleans and referred to as the German Coast, received its first settlers in 1721. As time passed, the German Coast expanded upriver from its original area. The original German Coast was located in present-day St. Charles Parish, and the expansion moved into present-day St. John the Baptist Parish. They adapted to their new land. By the 19th century, many had intermarried with the French and Acadians. The Germans now spoke French better than German. Their culture and identitly was merging with other local people to form the Cajun culture.
Although Spain did not engage in any large settlement of its own people, it did send a group of settlers from the Canary Islands in 1778. There were some Indians in Louisiana even before the European settlers. Many of them stayed, and some intermarried with other nationalities. The main tribes in the Acadiana area are the Chitimachi and the Houma.
In 1803 Napoleon bought Louisiana, sold it to the United States 20 days later. Thus the Acadians, as well as others living in Louisiana, passed from the Spanish government to the French government to the American government.
The Acadians, now Cajuns, absorbed the other cultures into it's own so that the entire area became predominantly cajun and it stayed that way until the 1900's. As part of Louisiana's French legacy counties are called "parishes" and the Napoleonic Code (rather than Common Law) still holds sway in the state's courtrooms. Just after the turn of the century, Louisiana became the property of the United States.
This brought in a new wave of settlers ... English, Irish, Italian, etc. Since the Cajun culture was so different (most of them still only spoke French), the Anglo-Saxon influx into Acadiana was slow and gradual. Most of them were planters who came to take advantage of the area's agricultural benefits. Many Cajuns sold their original land grants and moved to smaller lands. Cajuns, especially in rural areas, didn't change very much over the course of the century.
Several things occurred in the 20th century that changed the Cajun way of life. At the turn of the century, many Cajuns lived in the same area as their parents, married other Cajuns, still spoke only French, and had very little to do with the outside world. But the Louisiana constitution was changed so that the Cajun children were required to go to schools ... schools that demanded only English be spoken.
In 1910 with the discovery of oil near Jennings, the Cajuns were being bombarded with the "European" Americans and the loss of culture and language started. Cajuns no longer primarily married other Cajuns. Cajuns became more worldly, more mobile, more integrated with the 'America' culture. According to the 1990 census, 597,729 people in the United States claimed their first ancestry was Acadian-Cajun, while 70,542 claimed it as their second. In Louisiana alone, there were over 400,000 who claimed Acadian-Cajun ancestry.
1604 The first settlers arrive in the Acadian area. They settle at St. Croix Island.
1605 Port Royal, which will become the major town of Acadian, is settled.
1632 England and France are at peace (Re: Treaty of St. Germain-en-Laye).
1636 The St. Jehan arrives with settlers, including men AND women.
1655 Port Royal is captured by British forces.
1670 England and France are at peace, again (Re: Treaty of Breda).
1671 The earliest surviving Acadian census is taken. The total count comes to 340 people.
1672 Beaubassin, a town in northern Acadia, is founded.
1682 Grand Pre, another major Acadian community, is founded.
1687 A church is built (at Grand Pre).
1690 Port Royal is captured by British forces, again.
1697 England and France are at peace, again (Re: Treaty of Ryswick).
1701 The Acadian town of Petitcodiac is founded.
1704 Another census finds a population of 1450 Acadians.
1708 With the onset of Queen Anne's War, hostilities with the English restart.
1710 Port Royal is taken by the British (for good) and renamed Annapolis Royal.
1713 Acadia is 'permanently' given to the British after the Treaty of Utrecht.
1749 2,576 settlers are brought to Acadia by the British.
1755 The deportation (exile) of Acadians begins. Over 6,000 are deported in the first year.
1758 The Acadians who fled to Ile St. Jean and Ile Royale are rounded up and sent to France. Two of the ships are unseaworthy and sink ... hundreds of Acadians perish. The ones who make it to France initially settle in northwestern France, around St. Malo and Morlaix.
1763 The war between the French and the British is over. Acadians who have survived the interrment in England are sent to France. Some Acadians try to return to Acadia (now Nova Scotia) and find their land settled by others.
1765 The first Acadians begin to arrive in Louisiana.
1773 A census is taken in France that finds 2370 Acadians living there.
1785 Spain provides 7 ships to carry over 1600 Acadians from France to Louisiana.
Acadian/Cajun Chat
SUNDAYS, 10PM Eastern -- Acadian/Cajun SIG, Ancestral Digs Room; Hosts: GFS Chuck, GFH Acadian. Directions: Genealogy Main Menu>Genealogy Chat> Ancestral Digs Room.
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Congres Mondial Acadien - Louisiane, 1999
In 1994, the first gathering of Acadians known as Congres Mondial Acadien, was held in Canada. Thousands of Acadians from around the world attemded. Another gathering, known as Congres Mondial Acadien-Louisiane 1999, is scheduled for August 1999 in the state of Louisiana.
The Congres Mondial Acadien will be held from Aug. 1 -15, 1999. It will not be a single festival in one location. It will consist of numerous activities and events spread out over the two week period. The activities and events include:
A big feature of the CMA will be the family reunions. There are currently over 40 families working on reunion plans. Some families have joined together. Also, the sites/dates are subject to change.
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The New Orleans & Cajun Country Newsletter La Gazette de la Nouvelle-Orléans et de l'Acadiana
The New Orleans and Cajun Country Newsletter is a creation of Nick Cognevich Jr and he is wholly responsible for its content. Nick, currently resides in Mandeville, LA. The New Orleans Connection is very happy to have Nick as a contributor to our Web site. We hope you enjoy it. Address is: 2890 East Causeway Approach #115, Mandeville, LA 70448. USA. Tel: (504)898-0853, Fax: (504) 892-2532. Email: cajun@communique.net.