Creole, Cajun, Acadian, and French

Acadian: Native or inhabitant of the French colony of Acadia ,a descendant of the French speaking inhabitants of Acadia expelled after the French loss
of the colony in 1755.

Cajun: A member of a largely self contained communities in the bayou areas of southern Louisiana, formed by the descendants of French and French Canadian
that speak an archaic form of French.

Creole: To be very frank, this name has had many meanings throughout my life, Ill give all the meanings here and explain what it means to be Creole during
the my lifespan to the best of my ability. 1. A person of European decent born especially in the west Indies, or Spanish America’s, or United States of America. 2.Persons of a diverse or multi-cultural background speaking any dialect of French.

3. A French admixture, including but not limited to West Indies, French
Guiana, Portugal, Latin America, Dutch, German, Canadian, Native Indigenous, and various African groups, commonly Catholic in denomination. 4. A tri-racial group of French speaking peoples who live in the state of Louisiana.

I have found, the definition to mean very different things, I feel that the truest version of the definition would be the FIRST definition listed. I have to add to that, In our culture, Creole was simply stating that you not born in France or Acadia, skin color is not a factor. I have seen various colors of skin in the respect of creole people, all uniquely beautiful in their own rite. All of my cousins have different colored skin, all of there features range from beautiful milky white skin to dark ebony. None of us are the same in that respect.

However, our eyes, noses, amongst other features are very similar or almost exact. I have been married twice and listed as many different races over the years and the
marriage license in 2024 was stamped Creole. I have 2 DNA tests that register as a “Creole of Color”. For most of my life, I have never been aware of how creole I was or was not. Here in Louisiana, racial identity was not something we struggled with until introduced to the more mainstream ideas of society. I believe this very same thing was apart of the reason we were exiled from our home in Acadia all those many years ago. Concluding, I do know that I am a person. A person with a very unique and rich cultural background, an amazingly large family that may not be perfect, but they are mine.