1
The Acadian Odyssey

• The Legacy of Cajuns

2
Welcome to Cajun Country is a phrase you have
probably heard often. But who are Cajuns and
Acadians? How did this group end up in Louisiana?
Where did their story begin? We will answer a
few of those questions as we learn more about
The Acadian Odyssey and the roots of that
legacy.
Photo by Theresa Hardy
3
The people who would later become known as
Cajuns began their journey in rural areas of
the Vendee region in western France. Around
1604, some French Acadians began settling in
Acadie, (now Nova Scotia, Canada).
Vendee (France Map) Wikipedia
Nova Scotia Map (Wikipedia
4
Route traveled from France to Canada.
Vendee Region of France
Acadie (Nova Scotia)
5
About sixty French families were established in
this area during the seventeenth century. The
group learned about hunting and fishing
techniques from the Aboriginal Mi'kmaq. (First
Nations or Native American people who lived
around Canada's Atlantic Provinces,) For the
most part, the Acadians lived mainly in the
coastal regions. Farming and fishing were
important to the Acadians. Acadians often found
themselves on the front lines in conflict between
French and British powers.
6
After the French Acadians settled in Acadie,
ownership for the colony changed hands between
the English and French several times. Each
wanted control of the area. After a century in
1713, Great Britain acquired permanent control of
Acadie, however some French Acadians were not
cooperative with British subjects.
Wikipedia Photo
7
The British felt compelled that to establish
their sovereignty in the Canadian region. They
felt a need to colonize the area with British
subjects. So expulsion of French Acadian people
was what the British believed needed to be done.
Wikipedia (Evangeline Statue)
8
After being in Acadie for 150 years, the
Acadians were faced with a major
upheaval.Around1755, Charles Lawrence, the
British governor of Acadie ordered what many call
the The Great Upheaval Other terms used are
Great Expulsion, The Deportation, the Acadian
Expulsion, or to the deportees, Le Grand
Dérangement.
9
The British began the removal of the Acadians
from their homeland in 1755. As tension rose,
settlements and farms were burned. Acadians
were taken into custody by British officers and
then herded onto British ships and were exiled.
Le Grand Dérangement dispersed the Acadians to
France, the Caribbean, Britain, and to British
colonies along North Americas eastern coast.
10

• Acadian families were separated and shipped to
  various destinations including seven British
  American colonies
• Connecticut
• New York
• Pennsylvania
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• South Carolina
• Georgia
• Some were sent to French Caribbean (Antilles,
  Martinique, St. Domingue), while others to
  France.

Map from Wikipedia
11
The following lists the destinations to
which Acadians were deported, together with
estimates of how many arrived at each port.Area
Population

• Connecticut 667
• New York 249
• Maryland 810
• Pennsylvania 383
• North Carolina 280
• Georgia 185
• Massachusetts 1,043
• St. John River (Maine New Brunswick) 86
• Île Saint-Jean (Prince Edward Island) 300
• Baie des Chaleurs (Québec New Brunswick) 700
• Nova Scotia 1,249
• Québec 2,000
• Louisiana 300
• England 866
• France 3,500 TOTAL 12,617

Wikipedia Photo Orders can be found in
Wikipedia under "The Great Upheaval.
Table source R.A. LEBLANC. Les migrations
acadiennes, in Cahiers de géographie du Québec,
vol. 23, no 58, April 1979, p. 99-124.
12
Many families were split as men and boys were
separated from women and children. Many Acadians
under twenty-one years old were made servants to
farmers in Massachusetts, New York and
Pennsylvania. Others were shipped to South
Carolina, Georgia, the French West Indies, and a
few were shipped to France. Of those sent to
South Carolina, reportedly only one in ten
survived. Exiled Acadians numbered more than
12,000. Some historians estimate that close of
50 of these people died as a direct consequence
of the expulsion.
13
Records indicate that the first four Acadian
families arrived in Louisiana from New York in
1754. (Before the deportation)Immediately
after the expulsion, more began straggling in,
mostly from the French West Indies and Maryland.
The first significant influx was during the
1760's.
14
Some exiled groups were unhappy in their new
areas and decide to move. Of those, some found
their way to south Louisiana and began settling
in the rural areas west of New Orleans. By the
early 1800s, nearly 4,000 Acadians had arrived
and settled in Louisiana.
15
Acadian settlement locations included

• St. John Parish
• St. James Parish
• Attakapas region (St. Martin Parish)
• St. Gabriel, Louisiana
• Vidalia (old location)
• Natchitoches (settlers
• relocated to Opelousas)
• Bayou Lafourche area

16
Early Acadian Settlement in Louisiana
Vidalia (Concordia Parish)
NatchitochesRelocated to Opelousas
OpelousasSt. Landry Parish
St. John Parish
St. Gabriel
St. Martin Parish (Attakapas Region)
St. James Parish
Bayou Lafourche
17
Once settled, Acadians picked up their former
life styles. They farmed, fished, built
self-sufficient homes, and they retained their
language. Many lived in the bayou country where
they hunted, fished, trapped, and lived off the
Mississippi River. Some moved beyond the
Atchafalaya Basin onto southwest Louisianas
prairies to raise cattle and rice. Through the
years, the French changed as did their
architecture, music, and food. Louisiana Cajuns
today are renowned for their music, food, and
traditions.
18
Over time the Acadians in Louisiana became known
as Cajuns as they adapted to their new home and
its people.The immersion of different cultures
meshed different cultures however the Cajun
culture remained dominant. Cajuns are credited
with a role in starting the cattle industry in
the south. In 1761, the first Cajun cattle brand
was registered in Louisiana's official brand
book.
Photo by Jude Dubois
19
During 1785 through 1790, the next major wave of
4,000 Acadians arrived in Louisiana from France.
By 1785, three Catholic parishes had been
established for Cajuns.
20
In 1843, Alexander Mouton was elected the first
Cajun governor of Louisiana. He was Louisianas
12th Governor.
Alexander Mouton Wikipedia Photo
21
Cajun subsistence rice cultivation grew into one
of Louisiana's main industries. In 1867, Cajuns
established the first shrimp canning operation.
Shrimp continue to be the Cajun's major fishing
industry.
Photo by Theresa Hardy
22
This map represents the area of Louisiana with
the largest concentration of Acadian settlements
and their living descendents. The area is often
referred to as the Acadian Triangle.
Acadian Triangle
Alexandria
Cameron
Bayou Lafourche
23
So who are Cajuns? Cajuns are an ethnic group
of the descendants of Acadian exiles. Today,
the Cajuns make up a significant portion of south
Louisiana's population. Their Cajun and Acadian
legacy has undoubtedly had an impact the state's
culture.
Acadiana
24
Many changes have occurred through the journey
of this group, but the one constant of the
Acadian heritage has been a true pride in their
roots. A legacy that will forever lie in their
ancestors struggles and survival.
Photo by Theresa Hardy
25
Acadiana Region in Louisiana (Wikipedia Map)
The End