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Commissioned by France-Amérique de la Louisiane Acadienne, Dr. Thomas Arceneaux, of USL, designed a similar flag in 1965 to in honor of the 200th anniversary of the arrival of Acadians in Louisiana. It divides the 3 colors a bit differently (see image to the left). On the flag are 3 symbols. The gold castle on the red field represents the Spanish kingdom, who allowed and even assisted the Acadians in settling their

new homeland. The silver fleur-de-lis on the blue field represents their French heritage. The gold star on the white background respresents the Virgin Mary, patron saint of the Acadians. So this flag is identified with Acadians who migrated to Louisiana. Louisiana made this flag the offical flag of the Acadiana area in 1974.

According to the 1990 census, approximately 250,000 Louisianians responded that French was the principal language spoken in their homes. The 2000 census showed 198,784 Louisiana francophones over the age of 5, including 4,470 who speak Creole French. The Council for the Development of French in Louisiana was created in 1968 by the Louisiana state legislature. According to Legislative Act No. 409, the Governor of Louisiana is authorized to appoint the president and fifty members of the Council. CODOFIL is empowered to “do any and all things necessary to accomplish the development, utilization, and preservation of the French language as found in Louisiana for the cultural, economic and touristic benefit of the state.”

One of the creators of RealCajunRecipes.com, Chrissy, recently purhcased a book and audiobook on CD called "Cajun Self-Taught" from FloydsRecords.com. The 500-page book was written by a 90 year old Reverend named Rev. Daigle. You can read more about the book and her adventures on the RealCajunRecipes.com blog. Also, you can hear a sample of the wonderful audio book companion to the CD below (Windows only).

Cajun French in Streaming Format (WMA)

The word "CAJUN" is [derived from] the word "ACADIAN," starting off, in the French of course, "Acadien…Cadien…Cadjin…and in English, "Cajun". The word "Acadian" describes the 17th and 18th Century inhabitant of an area in eastern Canada called Acadia or, in French, Acadie. The popular meaning for the word "Acadie" is "earthly paradise," taken from the language of the Micmac Indians, who inhabited the area at the time. Acadia was comprised of what is today New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Cape Breton and parts of the state of Maine.

The word "Cajun" did not come into being until sometime in the late 18th Century and is strictly a South Louisiana word. Up to World War II the word "Cajun" was somewhat of a source of embarrassment and ridicule. This came about because it suggested "a poor and uneducated person who spoke mostly French and some, if any, broken English." It was not until the late 1940's and early 1950's that the Cajun population realized that this negative attitude was causing the eradication of their culture and the lost (sic) of their identity as an ethnic group. Through the efforts of many concerned people and organizations, a movement was designed to turn the negativism (sic) around into positive thinking and encourage proud feelings about the history and culture of their ancestors and the preservation of their French language. The heart of the Cajun culture is its language. This is on-going.

The 22 parishes designated by the Louisiana congress as "Cajun Country" is also known as Acadiana. There's a great story behind how the term Acadiana was coined. Click here to read it and to see a list of the nearly 700 towns and communities that make up this area.

Some examples of Cajun Art: