A walk through Cajun and Creole origins and histories
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — It may often be heard when talking among the inhabitants of New Orleans that someone is “Cajun” or “Creole,” but while those titles possess a rich cultural history, they also possess enough mystery that it may be worth asking two big questions; where did they come from, and what do they really mean?
According to Dr. Charles Elliott, a professor of history at Southeastern Louisiana University, the meanings have evolved and devolved over the years, however, there’s still plenty of information available to guide the prospective inquirer.
Elliott says of the terms in the modern world, “Cajun now is anything vaguely Louisiana with a hot spicy pepper taste. Creole has, of late, come to mean [or] imply predominately Creoles of color.”
In the early days of Louisiana, however, things were a bit clearer. What may come as a surprise to some is that Creole people had been in Louisiana for a while before the Cajuns arrived.
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“Traditionally, a Creole is a descendant of the original (mostly) French (and Spanish) inhabitants and initial settlers. It means Europeans born-and-formed by life in the New World,” said Elliott. “Despite recent reinterpretations, Creoles, as people, were white (and mixed Native parentage too for those became ‘Frenchified,’) but there were distinctive ‘Creoles of color’ communities, chiefly in New Orleans and up the Cane River up at Natchitoches.”
He went on to explain that, though its original meaning referred to a more identifiable group of people, “anything originally French that’s developed in Louisiana ends up Creole. New Orleans is a Creole city.”
The story behind Cajuns, on the other hand, is simply that of a people immigrating to Louisiana after being expelled from what is now Nova Scotia.
“‘Cajun’ is easier. That’s the handle for the people and their culture brought down from Canada’s Acadia, when the British expelled the Acadian in an ethnic cleansing, and Spanish Louisiana welcomed a much-needed immigration,” said Elliott.
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The professor elaborated that Acadians were ideal for Louisiana because they fit in so well with the other residents. They came speaking French, practicing Catholicism, holding opposition to the English, farming, fishing and wanting desperately for a place to call home. Meanwhile, southwest Louisiana was largely vacant, which allowed for their immigration into the countryside.
By the end of the 18th century, both peoples were here in Louisiana. So, with such a long history in the state, what can be said of the difference today?
Elliott suggests a few generalizations which might have some truth to them, such as Cajuns being “country folks” and Creole people as “city” folks. He ultimately concludes, however, that “The change in interpretation of terminology seems part of the general cultural wars here,” implying that disagreement will likely persist as the culture continues to evolve and change.
Regardless of disagreement though, a look at the roots of these peoples and their countless additions to Louisiana’s unique culture can leave an appreciation for both their histories and what they’ve become in the modern world.
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