Introduction
In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, France founded several colonies in present-day Canada, one of which was Acadie. When Britain gained control of these colonies, and the question of loyalty arose, thousands of Acadians found themselves homeless and deported. Many found their way to the former French colony of Louisiana. When the United States purchased Louisiana in 1803 and eventually granted statehood in 1812, the Acadians confronted a much larger, foreign culture. As little written materials survive from Acadians it is difficult to discern what the Acadians and eventually the Cajuns gained from their neighbors throughout the centuries. One piece of Acadian culture that has survived through the centuries is the music of the Acadian culture.
Michael Doucet, a Cajun fiddler who started playing in the 1970s, observed that Cajun music is like a newspaper: it tells the essential feelings of the Cajuns as a people, and it updates itself regularly as there is always something new.[i] Doucet’s comment provides a thought-provoking analogy for a topic like Cajun music. Many people outside of the culture see Cajun culture as something from the past and not the present.[ii] Tracing the historical development of Cajun music can provide a different perspective of the Cajuns’ culture. Examining Cajun music from 1920 to the early 1980s will provide a glimpse into the influences of other cultures that have mixed with the Cajuns' culture and what styles of Cajun music have evolved from these influences and adaptations.
Michael Doucet, a Cajun fiddler who started playing in the 1970s, observed that Cajun music is like a newspaper: it tells the essential feelings of the Cajuns as a people, and it updates itself regularly as there is always something new.[i] Doucet’s comment provides a thought-provoking analogy for a topic like Cajun music. Many people outside of the culture see Cajun culture as something from the past and not the present.[ii] Tracing the historical development of Cajun music can provide a different perspective of the Cajuns’ culture. Examining Cajun music from 1920 to the early 1980s will provide a glimpse into the influences of other cultures that have mixed with the Cajuns' culture and what styles of Cajun music have evolved from these influences and adaptations.