For the last four decades, Louisiana has promoted its 500 year old French Colonial Creole culture as "Cajun" implying that this culture had its origin in Acadian Canada. Nothing could be farthest from the truth!
During the racially turbulent 1960's Jim Crow era when black Americans were literally struggling for their civil and human rights, the historic nomenclature for Louisiana's historic multi-ethnic CREOLE culture would... Show more
For the last four decades, Louisiana has promoted its 500 year old French Colonial Creole culture as "Cajun" implying that this culture had its origin in Acadian Canada. Nothing could be farthest from the truth!
During the racially turbulent 1960's Jim Crow era when black Americans were literally struggling for their civil and human rights, the historic nomenclature for Louisiana's historic multi-ethnic CREOLE culture would change to a weird stereotyping of only WHITE French-speakers as "Cajun" and only BLACK French-speakers as "Creole" -regardless of the facts of history, genealogy, geography and genalogical reality.
Today, the meaning of "Cajun" has once again changed into something which seeks to encompass a so-called "regional identity" which again, ignores its own past and historical meaning. What's really going on?
In "Louisiana's French Creole Culinary & Linguistic Traditions: Facts vs Fiction Before and Since Cajunization" authors John LaFleur II and Brian Costello, both life-long Louisiana French Colonial Creole speakers and cultural experts, along with Dr. Ina Fandrich of New Orleans, have decided to provide meaningful answers to questions long plaguing and confusing both the international and their local public. Their research, personal knowledge and answers are provided in this historic first which traces the pre-Acadian roots of Louisiana's historic multi-ethnic or Creole people, their foodways and their several languages still spoken in Louisiana today. The answers are often humorous, but poignantly factual and well-documented. This beautiful hardcover book is furnished in vintage black and white and contemporary full-color photography which grounds facts, places and peoople to a forgotten reality and culture which has been re-labeled and mass-marketed as "Cajun" for reasons both shameful and comical to educated and right-minded people alike.
