Is Louisiana's Culture REALLY an "Acadian-based"
Culture?
by John La Fleur II, 2014
In
response/reaction to my recently published FACEBOOK post: Louisiana's French
Creole & Metis Culture: 500 Years of Culture by John laFleur II, 2014
I was asked the
following question, to which I happily share with all of you, lest you should
miss the point and purpose of my work and that of many other brilliant scholars
of whose work, I am simply a humble teacher & student.
"John, I find your assertion that the Acadian
descendants assimilated to the older Creole culture to be interesting. Are you
saying that the Acadian culture made no contribution at all to the complex mix
in Southwest Louisiana?"
My honest
response to this honest scholar's question, is as follows below:
"David, I am also a descendant of the very first
Acadian arrivals in the 'Territory of Orleans' -namely, of Francois Pitre, the
'bel ami' of Joseph Broussard dit "Beausoleil". That there were some
notable Acadian contributors to Louisiana's already established pre-Acadian
culture, such as that of the Moutons and my ancestor, Francois Pitre is not at
issue.
Francois Pitre's
family, for example, introduced horse racing into southwest Louisiana; the
Moutons (who intermarried into prominent 'Creole' families), would also
identify as 'Creole' and in the person of their patriarch, Alexandre Mouton,
rise to become a governor.
In any case,
these families, including Joseph Broussard's son Amand, all very quickly
assimilated the prevalent Louisiana Creole planter's lifestyle, and the
evidence for this is seen in both their surviving architectural and linguistic
traditions.
Moreover, the
earliest Acadians-according to no lesser Louisiana Acadian scholar, as Dr. Carl
Brasseaux -the Acadians remained a largely closed community, and refused
participation in larger American & Creole society. That being said,
however, they certainly adopted and ultimately, assimilated both the Louisiana
Creole French & Choctaw patois, the food culture and the Louisiana multi-ethnic
creole social traditions, which he admits occurred chiefly in the areas
designated "Acadiana" since 1971; the former 'Creole Parishes"
according to history and Dr. Joseph Tregle, late Professor Emeritus of History
of UNO.
And, yet Dr.
Brasseaux remains among the Cajunists writers who insist upon an
'Acadian-based' culture.
Tulane professor, Thomas Klinger has continued to search for
"the Acadian in the Cajun" and has yet, to find the Acadian cultural
influences which would justify this myth of "an Acadian-based
culture" across the French speaking triangle, which at the time of the
arrival of grand total 3000 Acadians, was a historical 'Creole bastion"
-in the words of Brasseaux, himself.
But, in terms of
producing what has been an over-generalized 'Acadian-based' culture, the
evidence for this assertion is more ideological, than it is historical and
factual.
The truth is,
that apart from the few progressive Acadian descendants who embraced their new
Louisiana identity, the Acadians as a class did not significantly impact
Louisiana's long established and prevalent metis-creole culture; they adopted
it.
What is
perceived and marketed as 'Cajun' culture in and around "Acadiana"
(mythic Acadian settlement area created by legislation sponsored by discredited
'historian' Sen. Dudley "Hadacol' LeBlanc and his protege' (then, young
Louisiana Gov., Edwin Edwards who, incidentally, has Avoyelles Parish 'French
Creole' roots), is in fact, nothing more than old Louisiana Country Creole &
metis food ways with Old World French traditions of pralines and pain-perdu.
Both, Lefcadio
Hearn's La Creole Cuisine of 1885 and the earliest New Orleans' Picayune Creole
Cookbook series attest to this pre-existent and pre-Acadian French Creole menu
of Louisiana fame.
Both Dr.
Brasseaux and his co-author and cousin, Chef Marcelle Bienvenu's culinary
history, Stir The Pot: A History of Cajun Cuisine admit these facts; sometimes,
a bit begrudgingly. Lefacadio Hearn's book though unacknowledged in their book's
manuscript, does appear-ironically-in the book's bibliography.
It was Chef
K-Paul Prudhomme, a St. Landry Parish Creole, who was to unfortunately, stamp
the newly manufactured 'Cajun' label to our historic country Creole & metis
culinary tradition in 1972; while another famous St. Landry Parish, Louisiana
(white) Creole, Tony Chachere (of world-famous CREOLE SEASONINGS of Opelousas),
remains an embarrassing exception to this movement of the 1970s. He refused to
go along with the new cultural revolution-Cajunization, by name.
His family
proudly maintains their historical and ethnic 'Creole' cultural identity on
every canister of Tony Chachere's Famous CREOLE Seasonings.
The fact of an
intercultural association and intermarriage which produced a simplified
culinary tradition distinctive from that of New Orleans' later glamorized
Creole culture (as created and propagated by 19th century French ex-pat chefs
in their New Orleans temples of 'CREOLE' cuisine which "does taste
'different' from ours"), has been a source of confusion for many people
who don't realize that before 1968, there was only one significant identity and
culture for white French Creoles and Creoles of color, alike; whether they were
of metis, Canadian, Continental French, Austrian-Swiss (Germanic), African,
Spanish and even later descendants of the Acadians.
All Louisiana
French-speaking people identified as 'creole' -meaning 'native-born' and/or
sharing the unique Louisiana French cultural heritage of gumbo and fais-do-do,
before 'Cajunization' relabeled and split our common culture into white and
black 'boxes'.
And, as parish
courthouse records consistently reveal, diverse ethnic backgrounds were equally
labeled as "Creole" (locally born) because "Creole" was
never a racial qualifier to begin with. That 'idea' did come
about-wrongly-first, from white elitist, Charles Gayarre' and still later, by
confusion of the generations of 'free people of color'.
But, the worst of this misunderstanding of
"Creole" as representing only 'black' francophone creoles is largely
due to news and commercial mass-marketed misinformation and stereotyping out of
Lafayette for the past forty-three years; "Cajunization" by name.
Lafayette's
university, tourism bureau and many of its CODOFIL leaders continue to trumpet
Dudley LeBlanc's "Cajun" cultural myth-history, to their eternal
shame. These facts are openly acknowledged by Dr. Carl Brasseaux, retired UL
professor in his many books about our shared culture, yet never stated in
public gatherings or on Lafayette television.
Racial
qualifiers such as 'mulattre (-sse)' quaterone, octoroon, griffe etc. were some
of the terms used under the later period of Spanish rule for 'race' but, never
'Creole'.
But, 'Creole' was the word the Spanish used to label the
metis and/or creole children of the 'French' and diverse Europeans, regardless
of their diverse ethnicities after arriving in New Orleans.
These 'Criollos'
were not quite 'French' or European, and they were a diverse mixed-race bunch
of any possible combinations, but who nonetheless, identified strongly and
proudly as "French." And, indeed they were before, America.
They were a new breed and along with their food ways and
linguistic tradition, unique among France's several already-established metis
& creole world cultures.
The nearest
cultural parallel to this group was seen at Saint-Domingue and across the
French Antilles; previously, long-established centers of French Creole commerce
and culture upon which colonies Bienville depended upon to support
Louisiana-even before the founding of New Orleans.
Yet, later
Saint-Domingue Creole immigrants themselves noted this kindred, but distinct
Louisiana Creole culture, as seen in Gabriel Debien Thomas Fiehrer, and Rene'
LeGardeur's writings in the splendid anthology, The Road To Louisiana: The
Saint Domingue Refugees 1792-1809 edited and annotated by
Dr. Carl Brasseaux
and translated by the beloved Dr. David Cheramie of Lafayette's Vermilionville.
The later
PERCEPTION of 'Creole' as limited to people of color, was largely due to the
Lafayette Tourist Bureau and a certain international marketing agency's
creation of a racial stereotype which divided Louisiana's historic culture
along racial lines; quite consistent with the Anglo-American racial caste
system of 'black or white' -a sort of 'Cajun-Creole' Siamese twin!
The Lafayette
regional media, following the post-1968 mythic Cajunization script, would
portray only, and all white francophones as 'Cajun' and began referring to the
centuries old Louisiana French musical traditions of fiddle and accordion as if
these were unique gifts of the Acadians, when in fact, the German Creoles had
long previously introduced the accordion, even as the French and metis (French
& Indian born children) cultures long had and enjoy the fiddle to this day,
as still seen in Canada.
I recall quite
well noticing this new trend in my own life as a young teenage boy. Ironically,
it seemed to be after that very year that people in Ville Platte, Louisiana and
across Evangeline Parish stopped speaking our Louisiana French in public and
began talking about 'Cajun,' some, such as Jules Ashlock and Revon Reed loudly
rejected this new label. Others, nurtured on Lafayette regional TV, and
indoctrinated at the university, gradually accepted this label. Strangely, but
in the same breath, some acknowledged that they were not really true
"Cadjins' but, really "French people" or Creole -indoors!
Perhaps, the
most powerful catalyst for adoption of all things 'Cajun' across the upper
northwest 'French-speaking triangle' was seen in the rise of world-famous and
now closed Floyd's Record Shop in Ville Platte, which from 1971 until 2013 made
a fortune in promoting the new commercialized cultural label of "Cajun
music."
And, of course,
'Creole' became the new label for black musical representation, even if it was
essentially, the same type of old French music "on steroids!"
"Zydeco" is, and does reflect the unique musical genre of the
Louisiana black and Country Creole sharecropper's experience; particularly, of
Reconstruction and Civil Rights-era Creoles of color. But, it also reflects the
feelings and experiences of poor white Creoles and real Acadian-Cajuns of that
period, also.
Adding to their
sins of misinformation, the same Lafayette media were to repeatedly broadcast
and portray only black francophones as 'Creole' completing the local, national
and ultimately, an international perception of a two-headed black and white
Cajun & Creole cultural 'Siamese twin.'
And, predictably, the largely illiterate public of white francophones
felt compelled to identify as 'Cajun' embracing the newly rehabilitated, but
previously degrading term 'Cadjin' as an ethnic sheepskin of guaranteed
whiteness; albeit, in its' misspelled form, "Cajun."
Likewise,
misinformed black francophones also succumbed to their newly manufactured label
of 'creole' -many continuing to believe ardently, that it is a uniquely black
ethnic qualifier.
With the
introduction of television into many homes after the 1950s, a new window for
cultural conditioning was opened to strengthen Anglo-American racial views,
both political and sociological. And, it would also certainly provide an
unprecedented economic platform of promoting commerce from which many have
'jumped upon the band wagon.'
Poverty and need saw their opportunity. Ignorance justified
their actions and the label has stuck. Now, education has turned the tide to a
re-awakening and celebration of our shared Louisiana culture and all of the
diverse people who created it.
Race-based
stereotypes were also a prominent feature of both local and Hollywood-generated
attitudes seen on television. "Creoles" were all black as seen among
the starving masses of Haiti, for example! And, of course, 'Cadjins' and white
Creoles were long portrayed in the worst way imaginable as seen in the recent
controversial comments of the now- unemployed Mississippi sports writer.
And, of course,
with the rise of CODOFIL in 1968, the perception that white francophone
Louisiana's long-established culture and francophonic tradition as expressed in
Dudley "Hadacol" LeBlanc's now discredited fairytale of the Acadians
(The Acadian Miracle), became 'gospel truth' -even if it was, uh, not quite
true.
It's from this
myth that the fable of "Evangeline" the Acadian heroine comes from
and which inspired Paulin Fontenot to choose this as our parish namesake in
1910.
This book
provided both CODOFIL and Lafayette's media and tourist bureau with a
ready-made script crediting and focusing upon Acadian Canada as Louisiana's
cultural mother source. And, it
continues, in spite of Lafayette's forced, but condescending accommodation of
the 'Creole' component, with no regard for the confusing fact that Acadie
cannot and never has been able to provide any cultural parallels to Louisiana's
age-old culture, apart from an old French language tradition; a tradition
common to all of France's former colonies.
And, of course
with Edwin Edwards-sponsored legislation creating "Acadiana" in 1971,
the myth seemed to take on new life and helped foster the adoption of this new
" 'Cajun' regional identity."
Chef Marcelle
Bienvenu's family, in fact, published a small culinary booklet promoting their
hot sauce product prior to 1968's Cajunization Louisiana cultural relabeling.
Significantly, it was called, Evangeline's CREOLE Recipes (until after
Prudhomme's 'cajunization' label spread like wild fire), and features nothing
of Acadian culinary origin, such as fricot, soupe a la toussaint, poutines
rapees and tourtieres. Gumbo and fricassee never were Acadian food traditions,
even to this day!
Here below, I
attach a facsimile of this embarrassing artifact which attests to the truth of
my statement and which inadvertently, acknowledges the creolization of the
earliest generations of the Louisiana-born Acadians. Some of you may remember
this recipe booklet and the tiny bottle of 'Evangeline's Hot Sauce' out of St.
Martinville. (photo not shown )
And, according to the model set by K-Paul Prudhomme, all
area cookbooks (along with any manner of products and businesses), have
embraced the mantra of 'Cajun" cuisine, culture, seasonings, meats and
paraphernalia of all kinds imaginable, and beyond.
In striving to
remarry historical reality to our shared Louisiana contemporary cultural
reality, I do not mean to be offensive, nor do I mean to deprecate the true
Acadian people of whom I too, am a true descendant on the Francois Pitre line.
The fact remains
that Louisiana's historic francophone & creolophone culture has never
really changed, however, people choose to identity in terms of ethnic heritage.
In other words,
whether you identify as 'Cajun' or 'Creole' the culture is the same
LOUISIANA-born Creole culture which ties us culturally to the very old French
Creole world. And, yet we are unique; not because of the Acadian influence
which remains unknown across Louisiana but, because of our unique colonial
French and Choctaw language tradition.
Our language of
Louisiana Creole French and its sister tongue of Louisiana Kreyole both reflect
the Mobilian-Choctaw patois which was unknown to the Acadians, and remains
unknown among the many former French Creole colonies of the world.
"Ouragan,
boucanee, ouaouaron, chaoui, plakemine, patasa, pacane and pirogue and many
more are not, and never were 'FRENCH' words. They are from the Mobilian-Choctaw
Indian trade language learned by our French and Canadian 'coureurs des bois'
ancestors (French/Canadian woodsmen and hunters who traveled across the
Louisiana Purchase territory, then known as 'la Nouvelle France" learning
Indian languages and customs to survive).
The United States of America, back then, was made up of only
the 'thirteen states' New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire,
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Vermont, Rhode Island, North & South Carolina,
Virginia, Maryland and Georgia.
"Louisiana" was a foreign country; first, French
then Spanish and lastly, American.
These words are
part of our French 'coureurs de bois' ancestors 'bridge language' or 'pidgin'
which became part of the everyday speech of their "Lower" or south
Louisiana descendants; their children (white and 'colored'), of French-Indian
marriages; marriages which were very common across the Louisiana Purchase
Territory, from the Great Lakes regions to Illinois to Alabama and finally, to
the American State of Louisiana after 1803.
Thus, it is
intellectually dishonest and certainly, historically impossible to give credit
for the origin of Louisiana's multi-ethnic, pre-Acadian culture and people to
the small group of 3000 Acadians (compared to the 10,000 diverse Creole &
metis population present at the time), who were rather late arrivals, and who
did not contribute significantly (as a class), to the origin and development of
our long-established and historic culture, food and language of "Lower
Louisiana!"
The idea of
"an Acadian-based" culture for our 'neck of the woods' is nothing more
than a politically and sociologically constructed myth, as is the very
descriptor 'Cajun.'
This paradox has
also been noted by outside scholars who see the 'bigger picture' of pre-Acadian
Louisiana history.
Dr. Cecyle Trepagnier's work regarding this "Cajun
regional identity" is now well-known among scholars-outside of
"Acadiana" to be sure, and more recently (and much to his lasting
honor), Dr. David Cheramie of Vermilionville, and long-time past president of
CODOFIL has dared to expose this forty year fiction in Acadiana Profile
magazine of last year and more recently, in Bonnes Nouvelles magazine.
More progressive
young scholars, who are more concerned with historical reality, than commercial
myth-histories, offer new studies and research which expose the 'on the ground'
motivations behind this aggrandizement of the minority Acadian descendants
which wrongly gives them sole for the creation of Louisiana's historic culture
and the survival of our Louisiana Creole French language tradition.
Along with a
tremendous body of early European and American scholarship little or unknown in
Lafayette's 'air space,' I can highly recommend, Dr. Gwendolyn Midlo-Hall's
renown work, Africans in Colonial Louisiana..., Dr. Germain Bienvenu's splendid
essay, The Beginnings of Louisiana Literature
The French Domination of
1682-1763 found in Dr. John Lowe's Louisiana Culture From The Colonial Era To
Katrina, Independent scholar, Brian Costello's numerous works, and soon to be,
Dr. Christophe Landry's work and research, as I can also recommend the work of
Dr. Rain Gomez and that of soon to be, Dr. Ian Moone, in addition to Dr.
Brasseaux' works.
Dr. James H.
Dormon's, The People Called Cajuns: Introduction to an Ethno-history; Dr.
Corinne Saucier's, A History of Avoyelles Parish Louisiana concerning
use/knowledge of "Cajun."
Additionally, my works-written for everyday people-and that
of Louisiana independent scholar, Brian Costello-well and solidly illustrate
these facts.
Dr. Shannon Lee
Dawdy's work, Building the Devil's Empire; French Colonial Louisiana and the
works of Dr. Carl Ekberg also help scholars and interested cultural
afficionados to see the 'bigger picture' of the pre-Acadian world of 'La
Nouvelle France' and her creole & metis culture-which remains the true
historical-cultural base of Louisiana's historic colonial and contemporary
Creole and "Cajun culture."
Only the old
people and scholars knew the truth, but the media wasn't listening. The money
began flowing in, and its influence effected the production of a new regional
identity and fictional heritage which runs against history, logic and
scholarship. But, this myth has assured an economic success never before
imagined or known within 'Acadiana.' And, that's really the dollars and 'cents'
of the matter, cher.
But, now that you
have a sense of the 'bigger picture' of our long history, and who we really
are, it's time be proud of being French Creole-again!
I invite you to
come and join us at the Ville Platte Civic Center Grand Pavilion at 704 N.
Soileau St. on JULY 12, Saturday morning at 10:00 am to attend a solemn Mass to
be conducted by Fr. Jason Vidrine on behalf of all of our French Creole
families, black, white, red and in-between as we celebrate together Creole
Families Bastille Day & Heritage Festival-FREE ADMISSION!
There will be
special guest scholars and speakers, historical information and a Louisiana
writers table, artists and musicians along with food and fun such as the
'Coureurs des Bois' Grandpas & Grandsons Foot Race/Piggy Back/Wagon Race, a
"Mauvais Enfants" Tug-au-Water Contest, Notre Dame du Chapeau Contest
(Our Lady of the Hat Contest) and FREE BOOTH SPACES for ALL & ANY VENDORS!
Come bring the
entire family as we learn, pray and rejoice together as a civilized, educated
people who are the descendants of the founders and creators of Louisiana's
ancient French Creole & Metis culture. It's time to be proud of being a
Louisiana French Creole again, cher!
Soyez fier encore
d'etre Creoles, cher!"