Acadiana
Acadiana
L'Acadiane ( Cajun French) | |
---|---|
Region | |
![]() Downtown Lafayette, Louisiana | |
![]() Map of Louisiana with Acadiana highlighted, and the heart of Acadiana in dark red | |
![]() Location of Louisiana within the United States | |
Country | United States |
State | Louisiana |
Legislative recognition | 1971 |
Largest city | Lafayette |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 1,486,345 |
Demonyms |
|
Website | www |
Acadiana (
Many inhabitants of the Cajun Country have Acadian ancestry and identify as Cajuns or Creoles.[2] Of the 64 parishes that make up the U.S. state of Louisiana, 22 named parishes and other parishes of similar cultural environment make up this intrastate region.[3][4]
Etymology
The word "Acadiana" reputedly has two origins. Its first recorded appearance dates to the October 15, 1946, when a Crowley, Louisiana, newspaper, the Crowley Daily Signal, coined the term in reference to the area of Louisiana in which French descendants of the Acadians settled.[5] However, KATC television in Lafayette independently coined "Acadiana" in the early 1960s, giving it a new, broader meaning, and popularized it throughout southern Louisiana. Founded in 1962, KATC was owned by the Acadian Television Corporation. In early 1963, the ABC affiliate received an invoice erroneously addressed to the "Acadiana" Television Corp. Someone had typed an extra "a" at the end of the word "Acadian". The station started using it to describe the region covered by its broadcast signal.[6]
Today, numerous business, governmental, and nonprofit organizations incorporate Acadiana in their names, e.g.,
History
Historically part of
In 1971, the Louisiana State Legislature officially recognized 22 Louisiana parishes and "other parishes of similar cultural environment" for their "strong French Acadian cultural aspects" (House Concurrent Resolution No. 496, June 6, 1971, authored by Carl W. Bauer of St. Mary Parish). It made "Heart of Acadiana" the official name of the region. The public, however, prefers using Acadiana to refer to the region.[12] The official term appears on regional maps and highway markers.
Effects of hurricanes
Like much of Louisiana, this area is subject to damaging hurricanes. On October 3, 2002,[13] the central Acadiana region suffered a direct hit from category one Hurricane Lili.[14] The hurricane caused most of Acadiana to lose power, and some areas lost phone service. In addition, some high-rise buildings in downtown Lafayette had windows broken, and the roofs were damaged of many homes throughout the region. The high winds of Lili toppled the tower of KLFY TV-10 onto the station's studio facilities. Only one injury inside the station was reported from the tower's collapse.
The eastern Acadiana region was somewhat affected by
Lafayette and several other municipalities set up both public and church-run shelters to handle the influx. The largest of these shelters, run by the
The western Acadiana region and east Texas were most affected by Hurricane Rita which hit on September 24, 2005. The Greater Lake Charles metropolitan area suffered the majority of the damage.[16]
On Labor Day 2008,
The total death toll from Hurricane Gustav in Acadiana was limited. This was attributed to the evacuation and mitigation plans that had been drilled by state and local official, and to a strong presence of representatives from both the
In 2020,
Six weeks later, Hurricane Delta made landfall near Creole, Louisiana, with winds of 100 mph. Virtually the same parishes were affected by Hurricanes Laura and Delta. Over 740,000 residents had no power following both storms.[24]
Geography
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0d/Breaux_Bridge%2C_Louisiana_%284%29.jpg/220px-Breaux_Bridge%2C_Louisiana_%284%29.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3a/New_Iberia%2C_Louisiana_Feb_2019_BPOE.jpg/220px-New_Iberia%2C_Louisiana_Feb_2019_BPOE.jpg)
Acadiana consists mainly of low gentle hills in the north section and dry land
Acadiana, as defined by the
Three of the parishes (St. Charles, St. James, and St. John the Baptist) are considered the River Parishes and made up the area formerly known as the German Coast or les côtes des Allemands, because of settlement by German immigrants in the 18th century. Ascension Parish is sometimes included within the River Parishes; the River Parishes border the first and third largest regions in Louisiana by population (the Greater New Orleans area and Florida Parishes). St. James and Ascension parishes were originally known as the Comté d'Acadie (Acadia County) because of the initial settlement of 18th-century exiled Acadians. St. James Parish was known as the First Acadian Coast and Ascension Parish was known as the Second Acadian Coast. Collectively they were known as les côtes des Acadiens, the Acadian Coasts.
Major cities
The largest metropolitan areas in Acadiana are
Demographics
At the
Cajun-Creole ethnicity
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e1/FashionableMarquisC.jpg/220px-FashionableMarquisC.jpg)
The region also boasts a large population of Creoles, descendants of the region's original settlers who arrived in Louisiana before and after the arrival of the Acadians. In the broadest sense, the term "Creole" has been used to denote anyone who is "native to Louisiana", regardless of race or ethnic origin. In this sense, Creoles can identify as black, white, and persons of mixed-race origin. The term has also come to denote cultural origins in addition to racial classification. While many in Acadiana associate Creoles specifically with those people descended from the gens de couleur libres (free people of color), others cling to the word's original definition, so Creoles of every ethnic background are still present in the region. Many Creoles also identify as Cajuns (and vice versa), whereas others reject association with one identity while still claiming the other. The two identities have never been mutually exclusive of one another, and documents written in Acadiana throughout the 19th century often make references to Acadiana's "Creole populations" that are understood to include people of Acadian descent.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/53/CrowleyCrowdListening1938Colorized.jpg/220px-CrowleyCrowdListening1938Colorized.jpg)
Prior to the U.S. Civil War, Louisiana Creoles of color were a class of free people who either gained their freedom or were born into free families. The gens de couleur libres played an important role in the history of New Orleans and French Louisiana, both under French and Spanish occupation, and after the Louisiana Purchase by the United States. Some Creoles of color were wealthy businessmen, entrepreneurs, clothiers, real estate developers, doctors, and other respected professions; they owned estates and properties in French Louisiana.[26] Being a French, and later Spanish colony, Louisiana maintained a three-tiered society that was very similar to other Latin American and Caribbean countries.
In the colonial period of French and Spanish rule, men tended to marry later after becoming financially established. Men frequently took Native American women as their wives (see Marriage à la façon du pays), and as slaves were imported into the colony, settlers also took African wives. Intermarriage between the different groups of Louisiana created a large multiracial Creole population.
As more families settled Louisiana, young Frenchmen or French Creoles coming from wealthy backgrounds courted mixed-race women as their mistresses, known as placées, before they officially married. The gens de couleur libres developed formal arrangements for placées, which the young women's mothers negotiated. Under the system of plaçage, the suitor had to be wealthy and prove that he could support the daughter, and take care of their children. Often the mothers arranged a kind of dowry or property transfer to their daughters; if the daughter was a slave, she and their children would gain freedom. The fathers often paid for the education of their mixed-race children from plaçage relationships, especially if they were sons, generally sending them to France to be educated.[26]
Many descendants of the gens de couleur libres, or free people of color, of the Louisiana area celebrate their culture and heritage through a New Orleans-based Louisiana Creole Research Association (LA Créole).[27] The term Créole is not synonymous with "free people of color" or gens de couleur libres, but many members of LA Créole have traced their genealogies through those lines. Today, the multiracial descendants of the French and Spanish colonists, Africans, and other ethnicities are widely known as Louisiana Creoles. Louisiana's Governor Bobby Jindal signed Act 276 on 14 June 2013, creating the license plate "I'm Creole", honoring Louisiana Creoles' contributions and heritage.[28][full citation needed]
Similarly, the Acadiana region is home to many African Americans, who have contributed greatly to the region over the centuries. Many primarily descend from those persons brought to the State of Louisiana in various waves during the colonial period to work the area's sugarcane and rice plantations in the southern part of the state and the cotton plantations in the northern part of the state. Between 1723 and 1769, most slaves imported to Louisiana were from modern day
During the
Religion
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c6/Lafayette_Louisiana_Stjohnchurch.jpg/220px-Lafayette_Louisiana_Stjohnchurch.jpg)
Religiously, Acadiana differs from much of the
Transportation
The traditional industries of the area,
After oil was found in the area in the early 20th century, oil industry development was geared to improving access by roads and waterways. Damage has been done to the region by dredging and straightening of waterways, which has damaged the wetlands that used to absorb water and storms, leaving the area more vulnerable. Coastline continues to erode.[37]
Land
High-capacity, modern highways are the lifelines of the region.
Rail transport through the area is limited by the difficult terrain and the sheer number of bridges required to build over numerous streams and bayous. A robust railroad system was being built at the time of the
Water
Waterways are vital to the commercial and recreational activities of the region.
Air
Airports in Lafayette and Lake Charles provide scheduled airline service. Helicopter pilots serve the oilfields in the Gulf of Mexico. Small planes are used for short trips and agricultural needs. Small general aviation airports serve communities throughout the area.
See also
- Acadia
- French Louisiana (disambiguation page)
- List of Louisiana parishes by French-speaking population
- Acadian Coast
- Acadian Village
- Acadiana Profile magazine, established 1968 by Robert Angers
- The Independent (Acadiana) newspaper established 2003
- Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve
- Southwest Louisiana
- Center for Louisiana Studies
References
- ^ "Francophone Louisiana". 64 Parishes. December 9, 2014. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
- ^ a b "What Is Cajun - Explore Lafayette Louisiana". Lafayette Travel. Archived from the original on May 2, 2016. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
- ^ "Acadiana". Acadiana Development. Archived from the original on July 4, 2019. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
- ^ "Acadian Country Scenes". Crowley Daily Signal (October 15th, 1946). Crowley, Louisiana: 11. Archived from the original on February 13, 2024. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
- ^ "Lafayette History". Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission. Archived from the original on December 8, 2006. Retrieved December 6, 2006.
- ^ "GMA". KATC. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
- OCLC 213465938.
- ^ "From Acadian to Cajun - Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Archived from the original on April 15, 2015. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
- ^ "Timeline of the Acadians". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on August 29, 2004. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
- ^ "Cajuns". 64 Parishes. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
- ^ Shane K. Bernard, The Cajuns: Americanization of a People (Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2003), p. 80.
- ^ "A look at what could be in store for the rest of hurricane season in Acadiana". KLFY. September 22, 2017. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
- ^ "Hurricane Lili – October 2–6, 2002". Weather Prediction Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
- ^ "Remembering the Cajundome Mega-Shelter during 13th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina". KLFY. August 28, 2018. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
- ^ "Hurricane Rita: Louisiana". CBS News. September 24, 2005. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
- ^ US Department of Commerce, NOAA. "Hurricane Gustav – September 1, 2008". National Weather Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
- ^ "Back to back: A look at 2008 hurricanes Gustav and Ike". KATC. May 24, 2018. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
- ^ "City leaders reflect on Gustav 1 year later". KPLC TV. September 2009. Archived from the original on June 5, 2021. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
- ^ "2008 – Hurricane Gustav". Hurricanes: Science and Society. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
- ^ Herzmann, Daryl. "IEM :: LSR from NWS LCH". Iowa State University. Archived from the original on September 5, 2020. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
- ^ Herzmann, Daryl. "IEM :: LSR from NWS LCH". Iowa State University. Archived from the original on September 5, 2020. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
- ^ Herzmann, Daryl. "IEM :: LSR from NWS LCH". Iowa State University. Archived from the original on September 5, 2020. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
- ^ "Tracking the Tropics: Delta adds insult to injury in hurricane-ravaged Louisiana". WGNO. October 10, 2020. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
- ^ "Acadiana Delegation". house.louisiana.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
- ^ a b Gehman, Mary (2017). The Free People of Color of New Orleans (7th ed.). New Orleans: D'Ville Press LLC. pp. 59, 69, 70.
- ^ "LA Creole". Louisiana Creole Research Association. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
- ^ Louisiana State Government website
- ^ a b "Louisiana: most African diversity within the United States?". Tracing African Roots. September 25, 2015. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
- ^ Rodriguez, Junius P. Encyclopedia of Slave Resistance and Rebellion, Volume 2.
- ^ a b Hall, Gwendolyn Midlo (1995). Africans in Colonial Louisiana: The Development of Afro-Creole Culture in the Eighteenth Century. Louisiana State University Press. p. 58.
- ISBN 978-0-8071-2601-1.
- ^ "The Louisiana Slave Database". Whitney Plantation. Archived from the original on March 3, 2015. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
- ^ "Parishes". Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette, Louisiana. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
- ^ "Diocesan Parishes". Diocese of Lake Charles. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
- ^ "Parish Finder". Roman Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
- ISBN 978-0-8071-3965-3.
External links
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