Immigrants from Northwestern France, the Acadians actually established one of the first permanent colonies on the North American continent in 1604. In the Canadian provinces of what is now New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, they had, by the time the British won the colony from France in 1713, established a thriving, self-sufficient community. Refusing to take an oath of allegiance to the British crown which required that they abandon their traditional Catholic religion, the Acadians were exiled by the British in 1755. This cruel and tragic event, known as Le Grand Dérangement, separated households and families forcing the people to flee with only the possessions they could carry. Homes and crops were burned down by the British. This event remains a focal point of Acadian history to this day. Scattered along the U.S. eastern seaboard and throughout the world, some of the Acadians gradually regrouped in the southern part of Louisiana and revitalized their culture.
It is important to note that not all of the exiles from Nova Scotia settled in Louisiana - some settled along the eastern coast of the U.S., and some went back to France, as well as to other countries. The majority of Acadians regrouped in what is now Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, or Prince Edwards Island, in Canada. Also, not all of the Cajun people came from Acadia - many came from France, French Caribbean islands, Germany, and other places.
The complete details of the documented travels of the Acadians and French to Louisiana have been recorded in the book Scattered to the Wind: Dispersal and Wanderings of the Acadians. The book is by Dr. Carl Brasseaux, and is published by The Center for Louisiana Studies, PO Box 40831, University of Southwestern Louisiana, Lafayette, Louisiana 70504-0831. Tel (318) 231-6027.