From time to time on this blog I will relate some of the stories from my childhood and the things that happened. All of these stories will be true. Some I will have experienced myself and others my family members told me. Because they are about the magick of our culture, they are very appropriate to our site.
For now, let me share this video. As I find other appropriate videos, I will share them. This one is about the vanishing life of the bayou and the Cajuns that live there.
Many Cajuns consider themselves more modern. However, our ancestors, when they first landed in Louisiana (not so many generations ago), lived on bayous and made pirogues (a little cajun boat with a flat bottom). They fished and crabbed, harvested crawfish, hunted, trapped, and lived in palmetto huts.
Later they moved to areas with farmland and began to build plantations. Some never got that rich and were happy to have a small farm. They mingled with the Natives they met and often married into tribes. Some actually moved to tribal lands and adopted the Native lifestyle. Others chose to move to cities. Still others began to buy shrimping boats and shrimping became a major trade among Cajuns.
Wherever they went, whatever they did, for a long time the unique language (mostly French with a lot of Native words added like gumbo and a heavy dialect similar to archaic French) and accent marked them. So did the unusual dishes that were cooked, like jambalaya, gumbo, and boudain.
For a long time, people didn't care much for Cajuns. I still remember some of the remarks I heard as a child. But times change. Now, people appreciate and enjoy the Cajun culture. The language, stifled by schools in the early 1900's when it was not allowed to be spoken on school property, is now making a comeback - being taught in schools and once again spoken in homes.
Please do enjoy this video. Thank you.
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