Cajun "tribe"

[Isleño]

Thanks!! I only get 3% SSA on my dna tests though. My mother is closer to 5-10%

What does SSA have to do with anything?

[Celestia]

What does SSA have to do with anything?

French Creole's typically have higher SSA admixture.

[Isleño]

French Creole's typically have higher SSA admixture.

No ma’am. You are thinking of Creoles of color, whom are mulattoes. If I recall, I pointed out to you several comments ago that French Creoles are Louisiana whites that have French ancestors that were born in the Louisiana colony before US statehood. It’s just today, the mulattoes are getting their 15 min of fame with songs from Creoles of color like Beyoncé who is half creole of color and communities of Creoles of color living outside of Louisiana, particularly Los Angeles and Chicago, so Americans are familiar with them more. But white Creoles are still in Louisiana, not all of them were assimilated into the Cajun identity many live all over south Louisiana.

Just to recap once more, Louisiana Creole means to be a descendant of the colonial Louisiana population, regardless of race. They used the word creole to mean native-born to the new world (Louisiana in this case), but of old world origins. So here are the creole groups of Louisiana:

Whites:

French Creoles
Spanish Creoles
German Creoles

Mixed race:

Creoles of color (mulattoes, which is a black-white mix, but in their case some have a little Amerindian)
Métis Creoles (mestizos, Which is an American Indian-white mix)

Blacks:

Afro-Creoles (descendants of black slaves that lived in colonial Louisiana. Other blacks descended from slaves from the English-speaking US states that migrated to Louisiana are not included).

If your mother has 5-10% SSA, that came from somewhere else than any white Creoles or Cajuns, I’m sure. Possibly a mulatto creole of color or black person entered your family down the line at some point for her to have that amount. Just my 2 cents.

[Celestia]

No ma’am. You are thinking of Creoles of color, whom are mulattoes. If I recall, I pointed out to you several comments ago that French Creoles are Louisiana whites that have French ancestors that were born in the Louisiana colony before US statehood. It’s just today, the mulattoes are getting their 15 min of fame with songs from Creoles of color like Beyoncé who is half creole of color and communities of Creoles of color living outside of Louisiana, particularly Los Angeles and Chicago, so Americans are familiar with them more. But white Creoles are still in Louisiana, not all of them were assimilated into the Cajun identity many live all over south Louisiana.

Just to recap once more, Louisiana Creole means to be a descendant of the colonial Louisiana population, regardless of race. They used the word creole to mean native-born to the new world (Louisiana in this case), but of old world origins. So here are the creole groups of Louisiana:

Whites:

French Creoles
Spanish Creoles
German Creoles

Mixed race:

Creoles of color (mulattoes, which is a black-white mix, but in their case some have a little Amerindian)
Métis Creoles (mestizos, Which is an American Indian-white mix)

Blacks:

Afro-Creoles (descendants of black slaves that lived in colonial Louisiana. Other blacks descended from slaves from the English-speaking US states that migrated to Louisiana are not included).

If your mother has 5-10% SSA, that came from somewhere else than any white Creoles or Cajuns, I’m sure. Possibly a mulatto creole of color or black person entered your family down the line at some point for her to have that amount. Just my 2 cents.

ah I see. In Texas we refer the Mulattos as "Creoles" and the Europeans as "Cajuns"
You are probably more politically correct with differentiating the two, I was just grown up using different terms to identify.

And I found my ancestor, she was a slave mistress to my French ancestor from the Guillory family. She had been sold from the Senegambian trade.
But thank you for responding with your wisdom!
I agree that most of my ancestors were French despite what these tests give me.

[Isleño]

ah I see. In Texas we refer the Mulattos as "Creoles" and the Europeans as "Cajuns"
You are probably more politically correct with differentiating the two, I was just grown up using different terms to identify.

And I found my ancestor, she was a slave mistress to my French ancestor from the Guillory family. She had been sold from the Senegambian trade.
But thank you for responding with your wisdom!
I agree that most of my ancestors were French despite what these tests give me.

Baby girl, I’m born and raised in south Louisiana and I’m a Spanish Creole, believe what I say because I’m not bullshitting you at all. There are all the historical documents to back up what I’m telling you.

Your idea that “Creoles” are mulatto and “Cajuns” are white, is sadly a misbelief that took root in Acadiana (Southwest Louisiana) after the Cajunization of Acadiana in the 1960’s which absorbed much of the white Creole population in that area by blood, the ring (marriage) or the back door, however white creoles that identify as creole still exist in Acadiana, primarily in the 4 northern Acadian parishes of Avoyelles, St. Landry, Evangeline and Pointe Coupée and there is a Creole Bastille Day held there every year where white Creoles attend. Much of the folks still claiming to be white Creoles live in the Greater New Orleans metro area that retained its creole identity much better, which is where I’m from.

The Cajun/Creole misbelief was also transported to East Texas as many mulatto type Creoles and Cajuns moved there, importing their misbelief stereotype from Acadiana to East Texas. This stereo type went even further as mulatto type Creoles moved en masse to Los Angeles and Chicago. So now the misbelief is more widespread than the truth. However, those of us in Greater New Orleans that still claim a white creole identity continue to spread the truth to try and help fix the misbelief spread so far by those from Acadiana. Everything I say has historical documentation such as church records, marriage records, census records and many more historical documents from old Louisiana to prove the truth. These documents are the one roadblock from allowing the big lie to become absolute unchallenged truth. Help spread the truth, please.

Let me give you an idea how this big misbelief is such a farce even in old Acadiana where the misbelief began, around the time of the mass Cajunization of the area. If I remember the situation correctly (I may have to dig up the article) but an old newspaper from Acadiana (in Lafayette) reported on one evening that a band of musicians that were to play and they were mulattoes and they said they were Creoles, but the folks in the area were upset that they used the term creole for themselves (during this time, Creole was more synonymous with white Louisiana) and demanded that the group leave town. So they up and left town. This is documented.

Just goes to show you how a misbelief can spread quickly and be it not for historical documents, it would be absolute by now. But we will fix it, slowly but shortly. It may take a while.

[Isleño]

ah I see. In Texas we refer the Mulattos as "Creoles" and the Europeans as "Cajuns"
You are probably more politically correct with differentiating the two, I was just grown up using different terms to identify.

And I found my ancestor, she was a slave mistress to my French ancestor from the Guillory family. She had been sold from the Senegambian trade.
But thank you for responding with your wisdom!
I agree that most of my ancestors were French despite what these tests give me.

Guillory is a popular French Creole family name here in south Louisiana. It came from a French family that settled Louisiana during its colonial days, but once their children were born in Louisiana, so began the family’s Creole history. Creole in colonial Louisiana meant born in the colony. There is a convenience store in my parish not far from my house called Guillory’s and it’s a green painted building, but we just call it the green store because of the color. But I know plenty of people named Guillory, in which all are whites. Those in greater New Orleans mostly claim a creole (French Creole) identity, but I know a few in Acadiana and they claim a Cajun identity (the misbelief in action), in which they have no idea its French creole (and they are too, at least partly if not wholly). I’m speaking of the white Creoles, not the mulatto ones.

If you want to see Guillory is a French Creole name (a couple of your other family surnames are here also), you can see here is a comprehensive list of common French Creole surnames showing that (a few surnames may be Spanish creole or German creole also):


Collection of Creole surnames:

https://www.acadianmemorial.org/ense...ajunrootsc.htm

[Boudin]

Many Cajuns are a mixture of Acadian, French, Spanish, German even some have English or American Indian admixture. Some “Cajuns” are not even Acadians, as they descend from French Creoles completely. This is more common around Avoyelles, St. Landry, Pointe Coupée and Evangeline Parishes where there are still populations of French Creoles (white French descendants) that still claim a creole identity, but many have been assimilated into Cajun identity.

There are still Cajuns of full or near full Acadian descent which most of these live in parishes along the gulf like Vermillion, St. Mary, Lafourche and Terrebonne. But much of the Cajun population in the rest of south Louisiana is mixed with others ethnicities besides Acadian.

Any idea of percentage Acadian ancestry for various parishes in Acadiana?

[Boudin]

This is more common around Avoyelles, St. Landry, Pointe Coupée and Evangeline Parishes where there are still populations of French Creoles (white French descendants) that still claim a creole identity, but many have been assimilated into Cajun identity.

There are still Cajuns of full or near full Acadian descent which most of these live in parishes along the gulf like Vermillion, St. Mary, Lafourche and Terrebonne. But much of the Cajun population in the rest of south Louisiana is mixed with others ethnicities besides Acadian.

This thread of mine illustrates that really well, with Terrebonne (bottom right) having the highest French and Amerindian ancestry. I was confused when I posted it, but after reading your post, it all makes sense!

[Boudin]

Your idea that “Creoles” are mulatto and “Cajuns” are white, is sadly a misbelief that took root in Acadiana (Southwest Louisiana) after the Cajunization of Acadiana in the 1960’s which absorbed much of the white Creole population

What do you call someone who's part Cajun, part Creole?

[Isleño]

What do you call someone who's part Cajun, part Creole?

Well technically there is no such thing as Cajun vs. Creole as Cajuns are white Louisiana Creoles. Too many people today have taken believe in this imaginary idea that Creole is something other than it really is. Louisiana Creoles are the Louisiana-born local people of any race who descend from the colonial Louisiana population, of any race. So there are white Creoles, black Creoles, mixed race Creoles and there are even Filipino Creoles (Filipinos that arrived in the 1700’s aboard Spanish Galleon ships and settled in various southeast Louisiana parishes such as St.Bernard, Jefferson, Lafourche and Terrebonne Parishes. Before the 20th century adoption of the term Cajun as an identity, Cajuns were identified as Acadian Creoles. So for the white Louisiana Creoles there were 4 types: French Creoles (whites of a mixed French and Québécois ancestry), Spanish Creoles (whites of Spanish ancestry such as the isleños and malagueños of Louisiana), German Creoles (whites of German descent whose ancestors been in Louisiana since 1721) and lastly, Acadian Creoles (Cajuns). The mixed race Afro-French-Spanish race (a minority of them have minor Amerind of a few percent) that many Creole-ignorant folks think are THE Creoles are historically known as Creoles of Color. Why of color? Because there are white Creoles too.

But I do want to add that today’s Cajuns are not the same people as the Acadian settlers that arrived in Louisiana in the 1700’s. A minority are nearly, yes. But most are a three-way mixture of Acadian, French and Québécois. And that’s because starting in the late 18th and mostly in the 19th century, there was heavy mixing and intermarriage between Acadians and French Creoles in south Louisiana, especially the Acadiana area. And this 3-way mixed group, some absorbed Spanish, German or British/Irish ancestry from other Louisiana folks of those ancestries. And because of that, today there are more non-Acadian surnames among Cajuns than Acadian surnames. I can name dozens of them.

So you see, there really is no such thing as Cajun vs. Creole. It’s an imaginary thing that many folks today are trying to make a real thing.

Same like many people calling the food, food style and culture of the Acadiana area of Louisiana as Cajun. Well the real truth is that the entire south Louisiana cuisine and culture from one end of south Louisiana to the other, is traditionally called Creole, just like south Louisiana’s local people of any race. And we all put in to create it. Just because Cajuns adopted a new identity in the early to mid 20th century, it didn’t magically make the cuisine and culture to stop being Creole. Cajuns cook and eat Creole cuisine, celebrate Creole culture just like everyone else in south Louisiana because we all contributed to creating it. The only major differences in the culture is regional as in west of the Atchafalaya vs east of the Atchafalaya and even Acadiana vs greater New Orleans. But that’s about it. It’s all one big culture and cuisine just with regional differences and styles.

As for ancestry per parish, it’s really a mixed bag. Some have more French than others, some have more Spanish than others, some have more German than others etc. But you wouldn’t know which at first due to all the mixed ancestry people claiming to be Cajuns as if they were the same exact people as the Acadian settlers. Lots of bending the truth going on, on all fronts…culture, cuisine, identity etc. Not only that, there are other peoples in south Louisiana besides Cajuns too.