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Cajun culture swings in backwater Louisiana
Vermilionville, Louisiana, is a replica of a French settlement dating from the 1800s and a popular tourist attraction located just outside of Lafayette, the “capital of Acadiana.”
You’ll find Lafayette about 190km west of the big city of New Orleans as the crow flies. This is pure “Cajun” country, comprised of swamps and backwater bayous. Many little towns in the region are, literally, swamped by dance music. The aroma of tasty Cajun cooking wafts through the air and old-fashioned French is often spoken.
Acadians were French Canadians thrown out of Canada after a French/British war back in the 1800s. They eventually found a home in the swamps of what is now known as the state of Louisiana. Today, these refugees are known as Cajuns, and Cajun culture has stayed largely off the map for hundreds of years because its inhabitants live in one of the most remote regions in North America: the Atchafalaya Basin.
This 595,000-acre swamp – 32km in width and 240km in length – contains significant numbers of rare reptiles and amphibians, many of which find their way into the Cajun cooking pot. A good “gumbo” might include anything from snake to alligator.
Swamp tours of the Atchafalaya can be arranged through tourism operators in Lafayette; millions of birds can be seen and gators are sometimes sighted. In the deep recesses of the swamp, it’s easy to imagine that you are exploring the Amazon or lost in the heart of Africa.
Cajun culture is a unique world unto itself. No matter where you go in Acadiana, you’ll hear pulsating dance rhythms. At the Parc International in downtown Lafayette, free concerts in a huge amphitheatre draw large crowds to boogie to Cajun and zydeco (an uptempo form of Cajun) dance bands.
For those fascinated with dance music, the legendary Back Porch is found at the back of the Blue Moon Saloon on the outskirts of Lafayette. The tiny bar features live Cajun and zydeco bands playing nightly. Crowds jam into the tiny space, everybody high steppin’ in their best boots, fiddles wailing, accordions crying and guitars ringing late into the night. To this day, much of Cajun swamp music is sung in provincial French.
In a world of mini-malls, fast food outlets and endless freeways, it’s wonderful to learn that such places as Cajun country still exist. Excusez moi, anybody want to dance?
- Photo and text by Michael McCarthy
