Cajun Music and Culture Worldwide
Long ago, in a land far away, a group of primarily French settlers were stripped of their land and exiled. These people were called the Acadians. The Acadian people fled from Nova Scotia and other provinces of Canada with little more than a wish and a prayer. Louisiana turned out to be the answer to that prayer for a group of them. Against terrible odds these amazing individuals found a new land and prospered.
Settlers of German descent had already found their way to this new land in the 1720’s. So our heroes and heroines were not the first ones here, but along with the variety of Native American tribes and communities of Creoles, they lived and worked side by side with their new neighbors. This blending of cultures and societies has given birth to the rich heritage that is still evident in the lives of their descendants, the Cajun people and their new home, Acadiana.
Acadiana, according to the Louisiana legislature, is a triangular area that stretches from just west, but not including, New Orleans to the Texas border along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, and up about 100 miles inland to Marksville. Twenty-two parishes are included in this area. They are Acadia, Ascension, Assumption, Avoyelles, Calcasieu, Cameron, Evangeline, Iberia, Iberville, Jeff Davis, Lafayette, Lafourche, Point Coupee, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, Terrebonne, Vermilion and West Baton Rouge. Eight parishes of the twenty-two make up what is called the Cajun Heartland, which is the central area initially settled by the majority of relocated Acadians. These parishes are Acadia, Evangeline, Iberia, Lafayette, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary and Vermilion.
Lafayette is the considered the capital of Acadiana. It was originally named Vermilionville, after the Vermilion Bayou that runs nearby. Lafayette acts as the hub of all that is Cajun because of its central location. Renamed when the railroad came to town in the 1880’s, Lafayette boasts the largest metropolitan area in Acadiana followed by Houma-Thibodeaux and Lake Charles. While the area continues to grow and evolve its’ Cajun roots run deep.
There is much to see and experience of Cajun life scattered throughout the parishes that make up what is aptly called Cajun Country. The legacy of Acadiana is alive and well in the beautiful country, excellent food, amazing music and especially in its’ warm vibrant people.
You can’t beat that for happy endings...
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