CREOLE CULTURAL NEWS FLASH: AN OPEN LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF THE VILLE PLATTE GAZETTEDear Editor, On behalf of all educated Creoles and Cajuns I would like to address Mr. Barney Ortegos recent comments and concerns appearing a week ago in the Ville Platte Gazettes Letter To the Editor. First, of all, it is a big, but common mistake for people to assume that the term Cajun exists as a general term for all French people of Louisiana; a very deliberate and rude presumption first started in the Anglo-American 19th century press in Louisiana. In other words, after we became Americans in 1803, American writers indiscriminately, and ignorantly lumped together all French-speaking people of Louisiana as cadjins. See Dr. Carl A. Brasseauxs Acadian To Cajun: Transformation of A People: 1803-1887, University Press of Mississippi 1992. This original spelling of the contraction of Cadiens was equal to the n word for African Americans. According to Dr. Carl A. Brasseaux, a true Acadian/Cajun scholar, this word was derogatory and equal to white trash. Clearly, no self-respecting Frenchman -Acadian, Canadien, French, Creole or Euro-franco found this word to be flattering, and needless to say, none of them-including the children of the first Acadians-embraced it as their cultural identity or label. In fact, when black Creoles were insulted by the n word, their Creole children returned the compliment to white Creole children by calling them cadjins! The older members of both our diverse French Creole and Acadian/Cajun communities continue to REJECT this term once coined by people who hated our religion, interracial and intercultural people and languages, even in its revised form of Cajun. An example of a living Acadian/Cajun is Mr. Pem Broussard of St. Martinville, Louisiana who is a direct descendant of Joseph Beausoleil Broussard, our Acadian folk hero. Noncle Pem and I had the happy coincidence of meeting on Indian Day at historic Vermilionville in Lafayette, La., a year ago. I was amazed to hear him speaking in Louisiana Creole, and not in Louisiana French which is incorrectly, but traditionally referred to as Cajun French, so you can understand my, uhh, wonderment. Noncle Pem, also flatly rejected any suggestion that he was a Cajun insisting that he is Creole! And, of course, knowing that he, like my Acadian ancestor, Francois Pitre (Josephs bel-ami or best friend), was born and acculturated in la louisiane of Spanish-French Louisiana, I certainly could not disagree! Clearly, Noncle Pem did not imagine Creole to have anything to do with race or ones color! And, lest there be any doubt among ye racially-sensitive; yes, Noncle Pem is white; oh, so white! And, of course, hes so RIGHT, too! The earliest descendants of the original Acadians did, in fact, refer to themselves as Creole, along with all other native-born colonial French, metis, African Spanish, some Italian and even Irish families. See Dr. James H. Dormons, The People Called Cajuns: Introduction To An Ethno-history. In Louisianas colonial history-far beyond her American status since 1803, and long before the Acadian arrival in 1765 with Francois Pitre and Joseph Broussards first Acadian families from Saint-Domingue (now Haiti), where they spent nearly a decade awaiting their future destination to Spanish Louisiana in 1765-ten years after the Grand Derangement began, in 1755-they were introduced to the very rich and prosperous French Creole culture of Frances once wealthiest sugar and coffee plantation colonies. Many of these French Creoles are described by Napoleon Is wife Empress Josephines cousin/lawyer/historian, Elie Moreau de St. Mery in his three-volume French work Les Creoles de Saint-Domingue.... Whats interesting about his work is his use of Creole for all of the three categories of people he describes in Saint-Domingue historic society: whites, their mixed-race children, and native-born black slaves. All of these groups are referred to specifically; as first, white creoles (creoles blancs), second, creoles de couleur (creoles of color/mulatto or some version, thereof), and third, creoles negres (blacks). According to scholar Bernt Ostendorf (whose research has superseded Virginia Dominguezs research), who studied the documents in French, Spanish and Portuguese across France and Spains colonial empires, from the 1600s to modern times, which includes Louisiana, the word creole was never limited to any single race but, simply referred to anyone who was native-born in these colonies, being the children of foreign-born parents, regardless of whether they were black or white; European or African. But, in Louisiana, these native-born people and their high quality products and lifestyle were to change that view of themselves, as they gained wealth and France had to look to les Creoles for financial support. Dogs, tomatoes, yams and yes, people were all creole, if native-born. (See images below) See by Bernt Ostendorf, found in Dr. John Lowes excellent compendia of scholarly essays entitled Louisiana Culture From The Colonial Era To Katrina, LSU Press 2008. This is the pre-American historical, correct and original meaning or definition if you will, for what creole has always been. And, its also the consistent use and meaning found in the Galvez Expedition muster rolls where meticulous cultural identities such as Creole or Acadian or American were used to distinguish Louisianas participating soldier/defenders. And, consistently, throughout French and Spanish Louisianas courthouse records, Creole is used as a generic term for anyone who is born in the colony, regardless of their ethnicity, in contrast to their foreign-born parents, whether European or African, or even American! And, yes, Mr. Ortego creoles were viewed as lesser quality citizens of not only France and Spain, but also in Africa; and in Europe this meant that they were not likely to ever attain prestigious seats in governmental posts! Of course, New Orleans born heiress, Michaela Pontalba, daughter of famed Spaniard, Juan Almonester y Rozas of St. Louis cathedral and Jackson Square fame, was to definitely give the Parisians something to talk about, and still their prejudice toward Louisiana and other colonial-bred Creoles wouldnt ever really change. See Christina Vellas, Intimate Enemies: The Two Worlds of The Baronessa de Pontalba, 2004 for more details. It remains a case of them and us, much as white Creoles were to view their/our Creoles de couleur relatives at a later time. And, that later time came after we became American in 1803. In the 1880s Creole with the capital letter, came to represent a new, but racial-social definition for high class WHITES ONLY; compliments of legislator, lawyer and founder of the Louisiana State Library, Charles Gayarre who feared the Anglos would confuse creole as mulatto! Louisiana license plates also sported, due to his influence, the special motto: Louisiana The Creole State. After the Civil War (1860s), Creoles de couleur (Creoles of color), rightfully reacted including themselves as Creoles since they had come from the same WHITE ancestors and did not wish to be confused with former freed and black slaves. See Dr. Lawrence N. Powells (retired Tulane University) The New Orleans of George Washington Cable: The 1887 Census Office Report for more details. This only heightened white Creole fears of racial confusion, resulting in all kinds of Jim Crow and Reconstruction-era laws designed to deprive Creoles de couleur (Creoles of color), of long-held rights and social status nearly equal to that of their white Creole cousins. The infamous one drop rule for example, came into existence in 1910, as did a variety of anti-miscegenation laws designed to keep whites and blacks apart; all worsening relationships which had been remarkably harmonious between these two groups in French and Spanish Louisiana. Eventually, on the heels of the Civil Rights era which kept old fears and racial hatreds hot, a new cultural identity opened up when Lafayettes tourist bureau and a handful of then, young Acadian activists who would later become UL professors, were to force a misspelled version of the old Cadjin (a corruption of Acadien, and a label long abhorred by all French people since it meant, white trash), as a safe, but guaranteed WHITE alternative to then, socially unsafe Creole. The 1970s saw a young, Governor Edwards under the tutelage of the infamous Senator Dudley Hadacol LeBlanc and proud French Creole Jimmy Domengeaux (CODOFILs first president), who insisted upon modern French to be taught in Louisiana schools, together introduced a bill creating a fictional, but economically-promising region of imaginary Acadian settlement know as Acadiana, and the rest is truly a big and forty-six year long myth-history which was to re-label our Louisiana French as Cajun French along with our food and music traditions, as well. But, its been a prosperous Acadian-based cultural fairytale, complete with its mythical princess, Evangeline from which fable, Paulin Fontenot derived the namesake for our parish in 1910, foreseeing a potentially prosperous American tourism emerging; as did many poor Creoles, who desperately needed an economic boost. Our beloved Jimmy C. Newman, of recent and fond memory, passed as a Cajun as did Chef K-Paul Prudhomme of Opelousas, and most of the whites of our historic French colonial and Creole parishes and made fortunes from this cultural Mardi Gras! Of course, their were other men of greater scruple who provide us with historic exceptions to the rule of profit-at-the expense-of-historical reality. The late Tony Chachere of Tony Chacheres Famous Creole Seasonings was and remains one of the most successful entrepreneurs who chose not to sell his Creole cultural shirt for the new Cajun identity. He was proud of his familys ethnic and historic cultural heritage and chose to continue to identify as Creole, in spite of the silly racial fears played upon by politicians of that sad time. Old Noncle Dud certainly made a fortune from selling his Hadacol juice, and his Acadian Miracle (fairytale-history books giving the Acadians credit for our 500 year old multi-ethnic and international culture which has never and still doesnt exist in Acadie, Canada) and others continue to do so, today. Such is the power of the dollar, cher! With honest commerce, I have no quarrel, nor with a persons choice of how to identify culturally. So, if anyone chooses to identify as Cajun (whatever that means, since its meaning has changed several times according to the economic and sociological objectives out of Lafayette), he or she, is certainly free to do so. But, for those of us who, like Tony Chachere, remain proud of who we are and of our shared historic French Creole and/or metis cultural identities, we stand on the better side of history, and so deserve respect for our integrity to truth. And, I am glad to see from the front-page feature of the recent edition of the Bonnes Nouvelles magazine, those of us who stood up for our historic and shared culture-for our history-that respect has come for ALL of us; black Creoles, Creoles of color, white and metis Creoles, who were all in attendance. Among such outstanding representatives were Evangeline Parishs coroner, Dr. Charles Fontenot, Evangeline Banks president, Mr. Jake Ardoin, Pharmacist Blake Vidrine, a wide variety of lawyers such as Tony Dupre and Cathy Mayers, the Semien Law Firm of Lake Charles and many other professional people including our president, Gene Buller and Editor in Chief of Bonnes Nouvelles magazine, Bobby Dardeau. Our effervescent Mayor Jennifer Vidrine, who kept things lively, along with many other honorees, scholars and guests including KLFY TV 10, and home radio KVPIs Martel Ardoin and coverage in the Ville Platte Gazette as well as, in other regional newspapers.! We also had true Acadian/Cajun descendants such as the honorable Boisy Pitre, my cousin attend, in full recognition of his own Louisiana-grown Creole cultural heritage on Creole Families Bastille Day Heritage Festival, on July 12. And, two very special ladies, my beloved and self-proclaimed cousin Mary LaFleur, daughter of the great hotel entrepreneur Hosea LaFleur of New Orleans by way of Ville Platte, and her daughter Youlanda Stevens also surprised us with a visit. Scholars Brian Costello of New Roads, Dr. Ina Fandrich of New Orleans, Alexandra Giancarlo of Canada, Editor of Cultural Vistas magazine, David Johnson of New Orleans were all in attendance, as was author, entrepreneur Mary Gehman of Donaldsonville. We also deliberately celebrated our historic faith as represented in the Roman Catholic Churchs presence with two of our openly-Creole priests, Father Jason Vidrine, Pastor Sacred Heart of Jesus, and Father Brad David Guillory, Assoc. Pastor Our Lady Queen Of All Saints, who officiated, along with our Indian Creole, Chief John Sitting Bear Mayeux, all illustrating the triumph of good over the evils wrought by the French Revolution, while we celebrated our beloved democratic and Christian values of freedom, equality and yes, brotherhood of all our good people! It was historic, memorable and remarkable. With only the best regards, Mr. Barney Ortego, I hope your concerns have been answered. I am always available to answer anyones genuine concerns or inquiry. John laFleur II, Louisiana Creole Author, Independent Scholar & Educator
Posted on: Fri, 01 Aug 2014 19:56:53 +0000
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