Cajun Country
The region of Louisiana known as Cajun Country consists of two areas generally known as the Cajun Coast and the Cajun Prairie. The Cajun Coast is the Creole- and Cajun-influenced area that lies along the southwest coast along the Gulf of Mexico. The geography is mainly marshes, bayous and swamps. Industries, cuisines and architecture also reflect this unique and fertile region. Cajun Prairie is the flat, drier area north of the coast.
This area was settled by a variety of Francophone immigrants through the 18th and19th centuries. Most notable, however, were the French-speaking Acadians who were displaced from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia by the British and established small settlements in the area then called Acadiana. Other groups of the French Diaspora also settled there, including refugees from Saint Domingue (what is now the island of Hispaniola, home to Haiti and the Dominican Republic).
Settlers established small industries, such as the farming of rice and sugarcane in the northern plains of Acadiana, as well as fishing in the bayous and marshes. The food, religion and music are still visibly influenced by the confluence of French, African and Caribbean cultures. Several French dialects are still spoken in some areas.
Parishes that make up Cajun Country include Acadia, Evangeline, Iberia, Lafayette, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, and Vermillion.The principal urban areas of Cajun Country stretching from east to west are Houma, Morgan City, New Iberia, Lafayette and Lake Charles. The rural parts of Cajun Country are fairly densely developed with small towns and villages, usually clustered around river outlets.
Small one-story cottages characterize most of the vernacular rural architecture in Cajun Country. This type of cottage, with a covered porch and hipped or gabled roof, was introduced by the Acadian settlers and saw modifications over time, such as decorative detailing and Creole architectural influences. For the most part, they were hand-constructed, modest one- or two-room wooden structures. Larger plantation mansions in the area exemplify the similar vein of influences, but on a larger and more sophisticated scale.
Original Acadian cottages using the traditional building techniques of poteaux-en-terre (posts in earth) and bousillage (a kind of insulating daub made of mud and spanish moss) haven’t been constructed since the beginning of the 20th century. Many of the homes have been lost due to land erosion in the marshes along the coast.
The eastern part of Cajun Country was severely affected by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, while the western part of the region was hit more severely by Hurricane Rita a month later. Rita on its own displaced many residents, as well as devastated farms and cattle ranches, particularly in Vermillion Parish.
|
| Posted on: 4/4/2007 2:26:24 PM |
|
Please click a number to rate this article:
|
Have a question or comment about the information on this page?
Click here to contact us. |
|
|
|