Acadian culture and Cajun Music by Travis Cooke

1. ACADIAN CULTURE AND
CAJUN MUSIC
BY
TRAVIS COOKE

2. The Father of Acadians
Samuel de Champlain was
born in 1567 in Brouage,
France. He is considered to
be the “Father of Acadians”
because he established
what is known as the first
Acadian settlement on the
North American continent,
under the French flag.

3. La Cadie
"La Cadie" or Acadia
was one of the first
European colonies
established in North
America. Acadia is
the area, which is
now known as Nova
Scotia, New
Brunswick, Prince
Edward Island, and
part of Maine.

4. Location
 The Acadians first
settled on St. Croix
Island.
 The first city
settlement was
Port Royale.

5. Acadians
The early French settlers
were indentured servants
from coastal France who
had endured famine,
plague, and religious wars
between Catholics and
Protestants. They called
themselves “Acadians” or
“Cadiens”.

6. The People
The Acadians were highly skilled craftsmen, farmers,
fishermen, and trappers who worked to build a strong
community. They were proud, hard working people.
Unlike the British they created alliances with Native
Americans and did not invade Indian hunting grounds.

7. Fighting Assimilation
The Acadian people had to adapt to
political changes repeatedly as their
region changed hands between the
French and British during the
Hundred Year War. The British tried
to impose its language and culture.
Along with settling Scottish and other
Protestant colonists in Acadia to
change the French-Catholic culture to
a British-Protestant one. However,
the Acadians resisted assimilation by
holding onto their own culture,
through new settlers speaking French
and increasing their numbers with
their already large families.

8. Le Grand Dèrangement
The Expulsion of 1755, or what is known as Le Grand Dèrangement, came about because
the British wanted to dominate the area culturally, militarily, and agriculturally without
interference from the Acadians. And also because the Acadians refused to pledge
allegiance to the King of England and join in the fight against the Native Americans who
had grown to be their allies and relatives. The Expulsion killed about half the population
of Acadians which was at about 15,000 prior to.

9. Acadiana
Of the survivors
and those who
escaped
expulsion the
majority made
their way down
the Mississippi
river to
Louisiana. This
began the
making of
“Acadiana” in
southern
Louisiana.

10. Cadien to Cajun
Cajuns (the Anglicized word
for Cadiens) in Louisiana
were hardly required to
assimilate. The Cajun society
closely knits family members
and neighbors who tend to
depend on each other.
Through this cooperation,
economic self-sufficiency,
language, and the
development of many
customs they have been able
to maintain their sense of
group identity.
Flag of Acadiana

11. Music Before Acadia
Cajun music goes back to
Acadia/ Nova Scotia, and to
France. Most Acadians came
from the region Poitou in
France. The music from this
area consisted of solo
unaccompanied ballads, lyric
songs with complex texts,
unaccompanied air playing
on fiddles and wind
instruments, unison group
performances of ceremonial
songs, and dance orchestras
with string and wind duos.

12. Acadian Music Before Exile
The earliest Acadian songs were long ballads that told
of hard life and suffering. Their music often reflected
influences from their neighbors, the Native Americans
and Scots-Irish. For example the wailing singing style
contributed by the Native Americans. As well as, the
jigs and reels adapted from the Scots-Irish.

13. Acadian Exile Music
Acadian exiles had no
instruments when they
came to Louisiana. So they
danced to reels á bouche,
which is Acadian for mouth
music. This is wordless
dance music made by
singing, humming, and
rhythmic clapping and
stamping.
Reels á Bouche
http://www.youtube.co
m/watch?v=K9Fy_gVV
660

14. Life in Louisiana
Cajun music has always been
very social music. It provided
a relief from their hard days
at work. Cajuns of all ages
and abilities participated in
music-making and dancing
since almost everyone was a
dancer or a player.
The music was an essential
part for get-togethers within
families and the community.
It was not uncommon for
people to travel 50 miles,
before cars were available, for
a Bal de Maison or Fais Dodo.
Joseph Falcon and his wife Cleoma were
one of the first to record Acadian/ Cajun
music in the 1920s.
http://acadian.info/Cleoma_Falcon_Je
_Suis_Parti_Sur_le_Grand_Chemin_T
res_Disatisfe.mp3

15. Bal de Maison
Bal de Maison were small
get-togethers creating a all
night dance house. They
would take place on the
front porch of a Cajun‟s
home. Or inside where
furniture would be pushed
aside to make way for a
dance floor.

16. Fais Dodo
In the late 1920s public
dances began appearing in
dance halls known as Fais
dodos. Fais dodo is Cajun
baby talk for “go to sleep”
as in put all the little kids
in a back bedroom or
crying room to sleep
during the party. Soon the
Fais dodo was the primary
place for hearing Cajun
music.

17. Instruments
Once in their new home,
Louisiana, they
continued to absorb
more from their new
neighbors the Spanish,
Germans and
Caribbeans. This
influence has created an
intercultural gumbo of
musical instruments.
Early instrumental music
was primarily violins and
French fiddles.

18. Instruments
The triangle or „tit fer
(meaning little iron) is a
simple rhythm
instrument that was
created out of bent metal
bars from hay or rice
rakes.

19. Instruments
Chemnitzer Concertina –
Accordion German immigrants
brought to America.
Cajun Accordion which was refined
from the German accordion.

20. Instruments
Around
1928, Cajun
bands began
using the
guitar as an
accompanim
ent to
French
fiddlers, the
triangle and
accordions.
Famous Cajun Guitarist
D.L. Menard

21. Instruments
The Cajun rub
board, also known
as a Frottoir, is a
musical
instrument that
came from a
chance encounter
between a Creole
musician and a
Cajun metal
craftsman. It is a
type of musical
washboard.

22. Instruments
In the 1930s,
Cajun musicians
began introducing
drums and electric
amplification in
their music.
The first Cajun
group to use
electric
amplification in
their music was the
Hackberry
Ramblers.
Hackberry Ramblers performing Jolie Blonde, also
known as Jole Blon, which is often called the
Cajun national anthem.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0Xyt1IStzo

23. The Music Continues to Evolve
The discovery of oil in Texas
and Louisiana in the 1930s
and World War II were
pivotal in exposing Cajuns to
the American culture at large.
This introduced the musical
movement known as Western
swing which had an
enormous influence on Cajun
music. They began
performing swing tunes and
incorporating the harmonica
and pedal steel guitar.

24. Swamp Pop
Swamp Pop came about in
the 1950s when Louisiana
teenagers had begun hearing
rock-n-roll idols like Chuck
Berry and Fats Domino on
the radio. They traded in
their fiddles and accordions
for electric guitars and
saxophones. Swamp pop is
the blending of the rock-nroll sound by their idols with
the Cajun music they heard
growing up.
http://www.youtube.com/wat
ch?v=qVOgw9FtJ1Q

25. Conclusion
 The Acadian people endured much discrimination and
hardship. The Acadian people tried to create their own
community on what is now known as Nova Scotia. The
Acadians eventually were exiled and forced to move. Many
Acadians settled into Louisiana and didn‟t give up on their
way of life. The Acadians continued with Their music and
even evolved it. This music became known as Cajun. The
Cajun music was important to the people. This music can be
compared to Native American Music, African American music
and many others. This just continues to show that music can
be the heart and soul of people. In my opinion Arcadian
people endured some of the toughest times any race had ever
endured. As a whole the Acadian people learned to adapt and
not give up hope. The Acadian people survived and even
thrived through history.

26. Works Cited
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“Acadian Cajun Culture”. Acadian Genealogy. Web. November 2013.
http://www.acadian.org/acadian-cajun_hist_culture.html
“History of the Cajuns: Encyclopedia of Cajun Life; Music”. Acadian- Cajun Genealogy &
History. Web. November 2013. http://www.acadian-cajun.com/cmusic.htm
“Cajun Music Alive and Well in Louisiana”. Louisiana‟s Living Traditions. Web.
November 2013.
http://www.louisianafolklife.org/LT/Articles_Essays/creole_art_cajunmusic_aliv.html
“Introduction to Cajun, Louisiana Creole, & Zydeco Music”. Cajun, Louisiana Creole, &
Zydeco Music. Web. November 2013.
http://www.loyno.edu/~hobbs/ccz/introduction.html
“Cajun Music and Zydeco News”. Acadian.info. Web. November 2013.
http://acadian.info/CajunMusic.htm
“Frottoir History”. Zydeco Rubboards. Web. November 2013.
http://www.zydecorubboards.com/Frottoir_Story.html
“Swamp Pop History”. Swamp Pop Music Festival. Web. November 2013.
http://www.swamppopmusicfest.com/SwampPopHistory.php
“Cajun Song Structure and Arrangement”. Learning Cajun Guitar. Web. November 2013.
http://cajunzydeco.net/CajunGuitar/