What is a Cajun?

"Cajun" is the English pronounciation of the French word "Cadien." Cajun is usually defined as residents of south Louisiana who are descendents of French-Canadian settlers who moved here from Acadia, a part of Canada that is around what is known today as Nova Scotia. Many people of American Indian, Spanish, German, African, English, and European French cultures have been assimilated into the Cajun culture. In America, the Cajuns were heavily influenced by the American Indian, Spanish and Creole cultures.

The German Coast (Cote Des Allemands) was an area along the Mississippi River between St. Charles and St. John parishes, including the town of Des Allemands ("the Germans"). The area was settled mostly by immigrants from Germany who assimilated themselves into the Cajun culture. Most learned to speak French, but they also brought sausage-making skills to the French Cajuns. Many had the spelling of their names changed, either by choice or by the French recordkeepers.

We generally talk about two types of Cajuns: Prairie and Bayou. Prairie Cajuns lived farther West, and made their living mostly by farming and ranching. Bayou Cajuns lived near the water, and fished and trapped for a living. Each type has their own dialect of Cajun French.

To learn more about why the Cajuns came to Louisiana as a place of refuge, go to the next page.