History

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Prairie Cajuns is a triangular-shaped area that is almost 1 million contiguous ha in the southwestern corner of Louisiana, which existed at least 12,000 years in pristine condition-a coastal tall grass prairie. It is similar to tall grass of Midwestern U.S. system regarding oils which is tight and calcareous clay which is laid in sedimentary layers; this makes Louisiana coastal tall grass a featureless plain with elevations ranging from ca. 1.5m near the Gulf Coast and ca. 16m at its northern. The region has two physiographic features that characterize the area: shallow water-filled depressions “Marais” and series of low circular mounds of 2-20m diameter and 1.5m height. These physiographic characteristics enabled early prairie travelers to navigate easily.

The only habitat in the tall coastal grass prairie was the Attakapas Indians; this was during the Mid-18th century, but later half of the same century French immigrant “Cajuns.” The Cajuns were chased from Nova Scotia during the mid-eighteenth century, by the British colonial government migrated to the prairie, a large group settled in southern Louisiana by 1765. The Francophone settlers lived on fishing, hunting, trapping and crop and animals husbandly. Prairie agriculturally was divided into two areas: corn and cotton areas (east) and rice and cattle area (west) which was the largest (Comeaux, 1983). This isolated them for 100 years (ca.1775-1875) thus helping them developing unique and robust sub-culture involving entertainment, cuisine, and folkways.

New Orleans by 1850 was 130years, and its population was increasing rapidly overwhelmed their agricultural products supply particularly beef was profoundly affected since there was a shortage of cattle ranching lands. After completion of the railway during the 19th century, this lead into the massive migration of farmers and ranchers from the mid-western U.S. and neighboring Texas, who improved the Cajun’s agricultural methods that were accepted since they enabled them to produces high yields. But unfortunately, the results led to overgrazing an over-plowing and thus by 1920 “Cajun Prairie” had vanished.

German settlers on settling in the prairie commercialized rice crop (Fontenot and Freeland 1976). Cajuns loved Germans and their technologies since they lived with Cajuns closely and did not distance themselves as the others-Spanish did. Cajuns loved Germans so heartily that within a span of one or two generations, they were indistinguishable from the Cajuns. Ironically, less than 40 ha exist today along the remaining railroad rights-of-ways. “Prairie Cajun culture” as known today is a shared folkways mix from the southern Louisiana prairie dwellers of Spanish, Africa, German and Native American. With the formation of the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana (CODOFIL), the period of cultural demise died almost as suddenly as began.

Ethnically, Prairie Cajun and Cajun prairie can in contrast to heritage appreciation. As the Cajuns appreciated other ethical group’s knowledge, we should appreciate other people thinking and reason; this can be shown where the German’s knowledge to commercialize rice is highly accepted. Moreover, nondiscrimination of people’s culture should be discouraged. According to history, the Spanish who were there for a longer duration that the Germans had no impact on the Cajuns economic since they seemed to distance themselves from them. But for the Germans, since they weren’t into distancing themselves from the Cajuns, within one or two generations, they couldn’t be indistinguishable from their Cajun brethren. Due to their reservation and isolation to the other world, Cajun culture is said to have developed a strong, resilient and fascinating culture. Hence, culture reservation is mandatory to retain its original taste.

In political perspective, prairie Cajun and Cajun prairie reveal the secrets of civilization. In case the Cajuns were not exiled from Nova Scotia. Louisiana who have remained primarily dominated by the Attakapas Indians. Thus no railroad could have been constructed, and new agricultural technologies could have been in Louisiana.

REFERENCES

Comeaux, M. 1983.Louisiana’s Acadians: The environmental impact. Pages 109-126. In The Cojuns: Essays on Their History and Culture. G. R. Conrad (d). Center for Louisiana Studies, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette.

Fontenot, M. A., & Freeland, P. B. (1976). Acadia Parish, Louisiana. Center for Louisiana Studies, University of Southwestern Louisiana.