This article concentrates on the label Cajun and how it has evolved:
Journal of American Ethnic History, Summer 1998 v17 n4 p29(34)
From 'Acadien' to 'Cajun' to 'Cadien': ethnic labelization and construction of identity. Jacques Henry.
Henry explains how Cajun, derived from Acadian, applied to lower class
descendants of Acadia after the label Creole was denied and a wealthy upper class of Acadians emerged. Labels were created and used to show the difference between people. Hell, people still do that today. Cajun, however, only became negative after some Acadians became rich; before some Acadians won the "Powerball lottery" it was not considered a bad word.
Yep, some Acadians became rich and some even became Creole and looked down on their poor cousins, calling them Cajuns. (But I think they said Cadien and the Anglo outsiders said Cajun).
The Creoles in New Orleans did a similar thing when they declared themselves Gods and said that multiracial and Black Creoles were no longer Creole - Only us rich white French/Spanish people are Creole now.
They also said that Fontenot and Lafleur were too damn poor to be Creoles. They live in the country and off the land - that is not acceptable for the new definition of Creole. Can't be no cowboy or farmer and be expected to be called a Creole son. Live like the Cadien so you Cadien too - and the Anglos said Cajun.
So Cajun became a "fighting word" and during my Paw Paw and Pere Pere Heberts day it was not wise for an outsider to call them Cajuns. They knew where they were from in the first place and they knew that the word was a putdown word anyway. So I guess it was a double insult to them. The Cadien or Acadien did not like to be called Cajun because that was an English word used to insult them.
But the label changed and became a good word in the 1960s. No more negative vibes from saying Cajun. It became cool and even Kajun in some places.
But many people from the past were called Cajun through generations even though they weren't of Acadian origins, and kept the label too. Creole has evolved to mean multiracial or Black Louisiana French people. Or still New Orleans people.
One thing too about the article. I didn't know that it was proposed that the Saints be the Cajuns. Imagine that -The New Orleans Cajun football team. Learn all kind of stuff from these articles.