Acadiana, or The Heart of Acadiana, (Cajun French: L'Acadiane) is the official name given to the French Louisiana region that is home to a large Francophone population. Of the 64 parishes that comprise Louisiana, 22 named parishes and other parishes of similar cultural environment, make up the intrastate region. Cajuns are the descendants of Acadian exiles from what are now Canada's Maritime Provinces, particularly Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. They prevail among the region's visible cultures, but not everybody who lives in Acadiana is culturally Acadian or speaks Cajun French, nor is everybody who is culturally Acadian or "Cajun" descended from the Acadian refugees.
In addition to the Cajuns, Acadiana is home to several Native American tribes and enclaves of mixed-race Louisiana Creole people.
German settlers also found their way to Acadiana as early as 1721, preceding even the Cajuns.[8] More recently, political refugees from southeast Asia (Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia, among others) have brought their families, cultures, and languages to the area, and have contributed significantly to its fishing industryCajuns are the descendants of Acadian exiles from what are now Canada's Maritime Provinces, particularly Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. They prevail among the region's visible cultures, but not everybody who lives in Acadiana is culturally Acadian or speaks Cajun French, nor is everybody who is culturally Acadian or "Cajun" descended from the Acadian refugees.
In addition to the Cajuns, Acadiana is home to several Native American tribes and enclaves of mixed-race Louisiana Creole people.
German settlers also found their way to Acadiana as early as 1721, preceding even the Cajuns.[8] More recently, political refugees from southeast Asia (Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia, among others) have brought their families, cultures, and languages to the area, and have contributed significantly to its fishing industry.