Cajun Music Live » Cajun Culture

[INFILTRATED] – Fiesta Culture Fest 2009

admin — Tue, 22 May 2012 10:03:13 +0000

Kathy J infiltrates the Fiesta Culture Fest at St. Philip's and…. rides a Mechanical Bull… Sort of.

Duration : 18 min 24 sec

Elise Chassaing – Arte Culture

admin — Wed, 16 May 2012 04:49:31 +0000

Elise Chassaing – Arte Culture

Duration : 3 min 45 sec

German Culture Project A Day in the Life of Hector Lara

admin — Tue, 15 May 2012 04:13:13 +0000

Final Project for German I class, starring Hector Lara, Ben Reimold, Derek Sheehan, and Tim

Duration : 19 min 27 sec

is it ok for my teenager[14] to drink alcohol occasionally?

admin — Mon, 14 May 2012 02:45:05 +0000

we live in louisiana.and in our area it seems ok to alot of the people for teens to drink at family gatherings.and parties.we live in cajun country,and eating good and partying it up[drinking]is a BIG part of the culture!I personally don’t drink with any regularity;and don’t think it is good for teenagers.especially aspiring athletes.to drink .am i wrong to not allow it?i think it is a big deal;and everyone around me says to just let it go.should i stand my ground.and demand more,for even safety,not to mention legal,and health issues?

I’m almost fourteen. No, No and NO!

Is cajun an ethnicity?

admin — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 06:38:18 +0000

I am proud to say that I am of Cajun ancestry. My father’s family comes from a small area in southeast Louisiana that was founded by a small group of people with their own language, customs, etc. Unfortunately when he grew up (he is in his 60s) cajuns were discriminated against so he was not taught to speak cajun nor could he say he was cajun. I am always seeing on applications a section for race and/or ethnicity. Well, I have learned cajun. I was taught by my grandfather as a child and am proud of the culture. I therefore claim cajun to be my ethnicity in the same way someone would say they are hispanic. As far as race, I am caucasian. I am bringing this up because I was corrected today on an application by another race. For my race I put caucasian but for ethnicity, cajun. I was rudely told that I cannot put cajun I would have to put caucasian for both. Why? As far as I understand the definition, I should be able to claim cajun as my ethnicity.
To honey, cajun is a style of food derived from the cajun people’s lifestyle. Cajun people do have there own language, cajun. the cajun language is based off of french but is entirely different in pronunciation as well as some vocabulary differences. Most French people cannot understand Cajuns. Also, cajun and creole is totally different. I am cajun not creole.

Cajun is most certainly an ethnic group. I found this in Wikipedia:
"…Ethnic group of national origin….
The Cajuns retain a unique dialect of the French language and numerous other cultural traits that distinguish them as an ETHNIC group. Cajuns were officially recognized by the U.S. government as a national ethnic group in 1980 per a discrimination lawsuit filed in federal district court. Presided over by Judge Edwin Hunter, the case, known as Roach v. Dresser Industries Valve and Instrument Division (494 F.Supp. 215, D.C. La., 1980), hinged on the issue of the Cajuns’ ethnicity. Significantly, Judge Hunter held in his ruling that:

"We conclude that plaintiff is protected by Title VII’s ban on national origin discrimination. The Louisiana Acadian (Cajun) is alive and well. He is “up front” and “main stream.” He is not asking for any special treatment. By affording coverage under the “national origin” clause of Title VII he is afforded no special privilege. He is given only the same protection as those with English, Spanish, French, Iranian, Portuguese, Mexican, Italian, Irish, et al., ancestors." …."

Tupper Arts and Culture Week

admin — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 00:24:26 +0000

Performances by over 200 students in Sir Charles Tupper Secondary's 2010 Arts and Culture week. To be aired on Shaw TV for Access TV

Duration : 36 min 50 sec

1987 The Big Easy Opening & Closing Themes with Credits

admin — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 22:51:42 +0000

Here is the opening and closing themes, with credits, from the 1987 New Orleans film “The Big Easy” starring Dennis Quaid as Renny McSwain and Ellen Barkin as Anne Osborne. The opening theme is the fantastic Beau Soleil with their rousing rendition of “Zydeco Gris Gris”. The closing theme is provided by legendary Buckwheat Zydeco and his “Buck’s Nouvelle Jolen Blon”. I fell in love with Louisiana and the Cajun/Creole culture from seeing this movie before I ever lived there.

Duration : 0:6:21

Dewey Balfa in performance and conversation

admin — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 22:14:34 +0000

Cajun music evolved in Louisiana from the 18th and 19th century blends of French, Spanish, Celtic, Native American, and African origins. Despite its long history and popularity, by the 1950s Cajun music, as well as Cajun culture in general, was in serious decline. In the post-WWII era, Americans were urged to discard regional cultures for a more modern, albeit homogenized, national one. Many Cajuns were embarrassed by the regional French they spoke and the “old-fashioned” music still being played in their communities.

Dewey Balfa, a musician responsible for the reinvigoration of Cajun music in the 1960s, plays a Cajun fiddle tune and speaks to the importance of regional culture.

The content and comments posted here are subject to the Smithsonian Institution copyright and privacy policy (www.si.edu/copyright/). Smithsonian reserves the right in its sole discretion to remove any content at any time.

Duration : 0:2:48

Elise Chassaing – Arte Culture

admin — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:50:10 +0000

Elise Chassaing – Arte Culture

Duration : 3 min 56 sec

Have no idea what I would name a girl? Name suggestions please!?

admin — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 14:13:07 +0000

OK so I just found out I’m expecting again. Me and hubby are already pretty sure about the name we want if we have another boy but we have no idea about a first name for a girl. I’m not even sure if I want it to be a girly name, or a unisex name or an elegant/old fashioned name. I have no clue. The only thing we are sure of is that we would want her middle name to be Angelique, after a beloved family member of mine who is terminally ill. Please give me first names to go with the middle name Angelique! My family is of ‘Cajun’ descent too if that helps (hence the name Angelique), but I am open to names of any culture.

Here are some suggestions:
Celeste Angelique
Chloe Angelique
Belle Angelique
Bella Angelique
Laila Angelique
Victoria Angelique
Emma Angelique
Calista Angelique
Sophia Angelique
Catalina Angelique
Olivia Angelique
Ella Angelique
Isabelle Angelique
Vivienne Angelique
Liliane Angelique

My favorite is Liliane Angelique. Liliane is pronounced lil YAHN, not LIH lee en, and is French.

Hope this helps!