by Alysa Dudley

Created on: June 30, 2009   Last Updated: July 16, 2009

Did you know that the word Cajun evolved from the word Acadian? Acadia is a region in Canada. How did the Acadians end up forming a community in Louisiana?

Acadia was originally an area in eastern North America. What we now call Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and the coastal areas of eastern Maine were all part of Acadia. The word Acadia may have come from the Algonquian language, or it may be a version of the word Arcadia," a term referring to a classic image of rural contentment.

The original Acadian people were the French settlers of this area, who arrived in North America in the early 1600s. These settlers and their descendants lived peaceful lives for over a century. They got along well with the first People of the land - the Micmac and Malecite peoples, and didn't get involved in political differences.

Acadians cultivated the fertile lands in the area, and they built dikes that prevented flooding from the high tides of the Bay of Fundy. As they developed their own culture, Acadians did not consider themselves to be French.

Queen Anne's War pitted France against England. In 1713. It eneded with The Treaty of Utrecht which gave Acadia to the British. Although the Acadians didn't know it at the time, this marked a turning point in there existence in Canada.

For the next 40 years the Acadians continued to live and develop their own culture. These French descendants, however, were mistrusted by the British who governed the colony.

In 1730 Acadians signed a oath of loyalty to Britain, on the condition that they would not be required to take up arms against the natives or the French. The Acadians strove to remain neutral, they did not identify themselves as either British or French.

In 1749, the Acadians were ordered by Governor Cornwallis to take an unconditional oath of allegiance. They refused. In 1755 Governor Charles Lawrence demanded the signing of a loyalty oath without any conditions. Again, they refused.

Governor Lawrence ordered the deportation of all Acadians. It was a cruel edict. Their villages were burned, and the people were only allowed to bring what they could carry. When they left Canada there was no single location which would accept the entire population. Extended families were separated as the Acadians went into exile on different boats. As many as one third of the deported Acadians died.

The Acadians were left in seaports along the Atlantic seaboard, some were even shipped to Europe. Many stayed in the first place they landed, others proceeded to form communities in the Caribbean, Louisiana, and the St. Lawrence valley.

In 1764 the British decided to allow the Acadians to return to Canada. Only some of them returned, but Nova Scotia had changed. They eventually moved west into New Brunswick, and established a new home.

Learn more about this author, Alysa Dudley.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.