Defining a Cajun

Cajuns- Getting back to the Swamp People's roots.


(pronounced /ˈkeɪdʒən/; French: les Cadiens or les Acadiens, [le kadjɛ̃, le zakadjɛ̃]) are an ethnic group mainly living in Louisiana, consisting of the descendants of Acadian exiles (French-speaking settlers from Acadia in what are now the maritime provinces of Canada - New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, or Prince Edward Island). Today, the Cajuns make up a significant portion of south Louisiana's population, and have exerted an enormous impact on the state's culture.
Acadia consisted mainly of present-day Nova Scotia, and included parts of eastern Quebec, the other Maritime provinces, and modern-day Maine. The origin of the designation Acadia is credited to the explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano, who on his sixteenth century map applied the ancient Greek name "Arcadia" to the entire Atlantic coast north of Virginia. "Arcadia" derives from the Arcadia district in Greece which since Classical antiquity had the extended meanings of "refuge" or "idyllic place". The Dictionary of Canadian Biography says: "In the 17th century Champlain fixed its present orthography, with the 'r' omitted, and (the Canadian historian) W.F.Ganong has shown its gradual progress northwards, in a succession of maps, to its resting place in the Atlantic Provinces.^"


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:

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. 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. ” —- Judge Edwin Hunter 1980. History of Acadian ancestors The British Conquest of Acadia happened in 1710. Over the next forty-five years the Acadians refused to sign an unconditional oath of allegiance to Britian. During this time period Acadians participated in various militia operations against the British and maintained vital supply lines to the French Fortress of Louisbourg and Fort Beausejour. During the French and Indian War, the British sought to neutralize any military threat Acadians posed and to interrupt the vital supply lines Acadians provided to Louisbourg by deporting Acadians from Acadia. The British evicted the Acadians from Acadia (which has since been resettled and consists of parts of present-day Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, Canada) in the period 1755-1763. This has become known as the Great Upheaval or Le Grand Dérangement. At the time there was a war between France and Great Britain over the colony of New France. This war is known in the United States as the French and Indian War; it was one theater of the Seven Years' War that was fought chiefly in Europe. The Acadians' migration from Canada and the Thirteen Colonies was spurred by the Treaty of Paris (1763) which ended the war. The treaty terms provided 18 months for unrestrained emigration. Many Acadians moved to the region of the Atakapa, often travelling via the French Colony of Saint-Domingue (present day Haiti). Joseph Broussard led the first group of 200 Acadians to arrive in Louisiana on February 27, 1765 aboard the Santo Domingo. On April 8, 1765, he was appointed militia captain and commander of the "Acadians of the Atakapas" region in St. Martinville, La. Some of the settlers wrote poignant letters to their family scattered around the Atlantic to encourage them to join them at New Orleans. For example, Jean-Baptiste Semer, wrote to his father in France: “ My dear father (...) you can come here boldly with my dear mother and all the other Acadian families. They will always be better off than in France. There are neither duties nor taxes to pay and the more one works, the more one earns without doing harm to anyone ” —- Jean-Baptiste Semer 1766 Only after many of the Cajuns had moved to Louisiana, seeking to live under a French government, did they discover France had secretly ceded Louisiana to Spain in the Treaty of Fontainebleau (1762). 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 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 west of the Mississippi River in what was then French-colonized Louisiana, including territory as far north as Dakota territory. 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 interim French officials provided land and supplies to the new settlers. The Spanish governor, Bernardo de Gálvez, later proved to be hospitable, permitting the Acadians to continue to speak their language, practice their native religion, Roman Catholicism—which was also the official religion of Spain—and otherwise pursue their livelihoods with minimal interference. Some families and individuals did travel north through the Louisiana territory to set up homes as far north as Wisconsin. Cajuns fought in the American Revolution. Although they fought for Spanish General Galvez, their contribution to the winning of the war has been recognized. "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. The Galvez Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution was formed in memory of those soldiers. The Acadians' joining the fight against the British was partially a reaction to the British evicting them from Acadia. The Spanish colonial government settled the earliest group of Acadian exiles west of New Orleans, in what is now south-central Louisiana—an area known at the time as Attakapas, and later the center of the Acadiana region. As Brasseaux wrote, "The oldest of the pioneer communities . . . Fausse Point, was established near present-day Loreauville by late June, 1765. The Acadians shared the swamps, bayous and prairies with the Attakapa and Chitimacha Native American tribes. After the end of American Revolutionary War, about 1,500 more Acadians arrived in New Orleans. About 3,000 Acadians had been deported to France during the Great Upheaval. In 1785 about 1,500 of them obtained the authorisation to emigrate to Louisiana, often to be reunited with their families or because they could not settle in France. 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. Religious traditions Cajuns are predominantly Roman Catholic. However, Protestant and Evangelical Christian denominations have made inroads among Cajuns, but not without controversy — many Cajuns will shun family members if they convert to any form of Protestantism because of the extreme persecution the Cajuns were subjected to by Protestants during the Great Expulsion of 1755, and throughout their history for maintaining their Catholicism. The 1992 cookbook, Who's Your Mama, Are You Catholic and Can You Make a Roux by Cajun Chef Marcelle Bienvenue outlines long-standing beliefs that Cajun identity was rooted in community, cuisine, and very specifically, devout Roman Catholicism. Traditional Catholic religious observances such as Mardi Gras, Lent, and Holy Week are integral to many Cajun communities. Language Main article: Cajun French Cajun French is a variety or dialect of the French language spoken primarily in the Acadiana region of Louisiana. 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.

Swamp People has Taken Over History Channel

With the August 2010 premiere of Swamp People, the History Channel moved a little further away from its core programming and onto newer findings. Following the success of the channel's other original reality shows like Pawn Stars and American Pickers, Swamp People represents an even greater departure for the history-themed network.
The programming shift has been very successful. Pawn Stars has been wildly successful in the ratings, American Pickers has spawned a British copycat, and the series premier of Swamp People shot the History Channel to the number one spot in cable ratings for the time slot. This is mostly due because History Channel has decided to go out of the box and push the envelope in this series following hunters who kill, skin, and eat not only alligators, they also kill snakes and bull frogs to eat for dinner. Watching these cajuns is like stepping back in time. From watching them kill, skin, and eat their kill. Its a way of life for them and how they make their living while also keeping the overwhelming alligator population down.

History of Louisiana’s Cajuns in Atchafalaya Swamp

Louisiana’s Cajun people originated from French settlers in Acadia, Canada. After the onset of the French Indian war in 1755, Great Britain drove French settlers from Acadia during what is now called Le Grand Derangement, or The Great Upheaval. About 3,000 Acadians fled to Louisiana, one of the last French settlements in America at the time.
The rich natural resources of the million-acre Atchafalaya River Basin allowed the new settlers to maintain an existence similar to their former lives in Acadia. The settlers eked out a living raising livestock, hunting and fishing. Many of the 180,000 Acadian descendants, now called Cajuns, still follow this traditional lifestyle.
Format of History Channel's Swamp People Reality Show
The show follows a handful of these Cajuns as they embark on their annual alligator hunt during the month-long hunting season. For most Americans, the swamp seems to be a harsh, uninhabitable environment. The poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow called it “the forest primeval.” Bruce Mitchell, who runs the Kleibert Turtle and Alligator Farm, calls it “my piece of heaven down here.”
The show depicts the ingenuity and strength of the Cajun people. While the month-long alligator hunt can provide most of a family's annual income, swamp-dwellers must find multiple ways to make a living. None has done this more successfully than Albert "Butch" Knight, who, in addition to gator hunting, builds boats, welds, and owns his own trucking company. Others can been seen farming, fishing, shrimping, trying to attract tourists, or offering services to other hunters. For some, life is a constant scramble find steady sources of income.
The program shows the deep love the Cajuns have for their land and way of life. Patriarchs Troy Landry and Joe LaFont (Trapper Joe) have raised their children to follow in their footsteps. Joe’s stepson, Tommy Chauvin, has been his right-hand man in the swamp since Tommy was in the first grade. In some ways, Swamp People is about how traditions are maintained and passed on to the next generation.

Controversy Surrounding Swamp People ( This will apply to some of my readers as I have received numerous comments)
There is some controversy surrounding the show. Swamp People represents a programming change that could cost the History Channel its most loyal viewers. While it is clear that the Cajuns depicted have a rich cultural history and strong traditions, there’s little attempt to show the history of those connections. Primarily, the show depicts swamp-dwellers trying to kill or exploit alligators and other animals.
Viewers may also be concerned about the animal cruelty documented the show. While alligators are vicious hunters, and the population must be contained, the methods of hunting them are brutal. The alligators are often baited in unattended traps. When a gator snags the bait, it becomes hooked. The animal is then trapped, impaled live on a hook for hours, until the hunters come to shoot it. Often, it takes several shots to kill the animal.
Despite these issues, Swamp People is an intriguing show that should continue to do well on the History Channel. The program has a sense of integrity that is absent in other shows. Viewers get the sense that this reality show is real. It depicts a way of life that is uniquely American, but virtually unknown outside of the Louisiana swamps. Swamp People serves as a reminder of the great cultural diversity that defines America.
Swamp People viewers: comment on the show in the space at the end of this article.
History Channel fans may also want to read American Pickers and Chasing Mummies: The History Channel's 

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Swamp People Kill Big Head

What happens when the History Channel and Animal Planet end up sleeping together after a night of partying during Mardi Gras? 

I found the above quote on a website and if you live in these parts I'm sure you'll appreciate it. If your offened by it, well then you just lack a sense of humor.

"Swamp People."

 

The new reality series spotlighting the families (called "Cajuns") who live within America's largest swamp is an interesting mix of culture and nature. For 30 days, the network followed these swampers during the annual alligator hunt — calling it "a uniquely American story of a proud and skillful people fighting to maintain an ancient way of life in a rapidly modernizing world."

 

With many websites lighting up about the record 13-foot "monster gator" killed during a hunt in the cypress groves. Animal rights activists may not be impressed by the brutality of it all, but History Channel does its best to tone down the violence of the hunt. It's especially disconcerting to hear one of the hunters point out that a popular swimming hole is just a few yards away from the kill. If there's one thing the show hints at early, it's that living in these conditions comes with some dangerous company.

 

"Swamp People" airs each Sunday at 9 p.m. (ET) on the History Channel.

Where the Swamp People Can Be Found

SWAMP PEOPLE — Deep in the heart of Louisiana lies America’s largest swamp–a million miles of inhospitable bayous, marshes and wetlands where nature rules and humans struggle to tame it. Many of its inhabitants are the hardened descendants of French refugees who were forced out of Canada in the 18th century and settled in this harsh yet majestic environment. Today, these people are known as the Cajuns, a group renowned throughout the world for their flavorful cuisine, distinctive music and vibrant culture. Resilient, self-reliant and fiercely independent, the Cajuns of the Atchafalaya Swamp still carry on many of their ancestors’ trades and traditions.
HISTORY follows these swampers through a time of year that is crucial to their survival: the 30-day alligator hunting season. At its core, this is a uniquely American story of a proud and skillful people fighting to maintain an ancient way of life in a rapidly modernizing world, despite the many perils and trials that stand in their way. (10 p.m., History)