Louisiana Culture, What do these words mean:

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: be very frank, this name has had many meanings throughout history, 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. 2.Persons of a diverse or
multi-cultural background speaking any dialect of French.3. A person of a mixture of French and other cultures including but not limited to West Indies, French
Guiana, Portugal, Latin America, Dutch, German, Canadian, Native American 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 third definition listed. I have to add to that, In our culture, Creole was simply stating that you are a much more diverse mixture of people, 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 to Clinton Vidrine was stamped Creole. I have 2 DNA tests that register as a “Creole of Color”. At the time I was not sure of how creole I was or was not. I do know however, 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.