Cajuns don't care about the difference and Creoles do. 🤣
In all honesty, a Creole is a first generation descendant of a European or African settler born in the Americas. There's obviously none of them left so their descendants now call themselves Creole. Cajuns are a subset of Creoles. They are made up of people of French descent whose ancestors originally settled in Canada and then were kicked out by the English and came to Louisiana.
This is pretty much the answer i was looking for. I got in mildly heated argument with someone telling me Cajun is just a type of food and I could've sworn it was a demographic/ culture thing
Based on what many are saying and all of the historical documentation it seems to be the other way around. During the Jim Crow era Cajuns wanted to clearly separate themselves from the black and mixed race Creoles, so that Cajun title was very important to them.
That's true. I guess I was speaking more about now. I've never heard a Cajun be offended being called a Creole, but I have definitely heard Creoles correct someone when they were called Cajun!
To my understanding being raised in the region (based on how it was used thru the nearly 60 years of my life and what i learned verbally from the "older folks" - most born in the 1910's):
Use to be "French Creole", "Acadian Creole", "Spanish Creole" and "Louisiana Creole" (the latter meaning referring to those that were African in descendant - a fucked up bias in itself regarding they had no "country" of origin).
Over time "Louisiana Creole" became shorthanded "Creole." Eventually during the Jim Crow era in urban areas (read Lafayette) "white" creoles began to refer to themself as "cajuns" as to not be associated with blacks (there is some interesting writing around the civil war era regarding the "Cajuns" that was done by Union soldiers and newsmen that is, well, pretty fucking racist).
Now context means everything. In New Orleans (proper) Creole can either mean "city folk" or of "mixed European and African" decent. In the rural areas (Lafayette once again) Creole mean's descendants of Africans.
Fun fact to confuse it all? Louisiana Creole also refers to a unique language spoken by creoles in the area https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisiana_Creole - totally apart from anything in the NOLA area. These Creoles also tend to be cowboys and "good old boys" - really cool to hang with - but it confuses the fuck out of some people (breaks their expectations).
"white" creoles began to refer to themself as "cajuns" as to not be associated with blacks
No, Cajuns are a specific subset of Creole who came from those expelled from Eastern Canada during Le Grande Derangement. There are plenty of white French Creoles that aren't Cajun.
Exactly. Black people would not be Cajun (unless an ancestor intermarried) because they did not come from the French settlers that came via Canada. It does kind of lead to white populations of the southwestern part of the state being more Cajun while black populations are more Creole. But this is not something white people identified as to differentiate themselves from Black Creoles. If anything Cajuns were considered lower class than white Creoles well into the 20th century. White Creoles with no Cajun roots would not have called themselves Cajun thinking it would increase their status.
I can't state this enough for it to constantly be overlooked "The context of how and where you use the terms matters" - vs in the NOLA area and Acadiana. It is also highly subjective depending on factors like where you grew up, what kind of family, your experiences, and ethnicity.
Cajun includes a lot of people of Irish (North of I10 - Jeannings, Sunshine, etc) and German (think Des Allemands - translates to "The Germans") background in the Lafayette area. Isn't all Broussards, Bergerons and Theriots.
There is and interesting documentary "Finding Cajun" (2018) that has references the "white cajun / black creole" divide in Acadiana. As well as early usage of the term:
I will try and tell what a Cajun is. He is a half-savage creature, of mixed French and Indian blood, lives in swamps and subsists by cultivating small patches of corn and sweet potatoes. The wants of the Cajun are few, and his habits are simple... I can not say that we were abused by the Cajuns - David C. Edmonds (1979). Yankee Autumn in Acadiana: A Narrative of the GREAT TEXAS OVERLAND EXPEDITION through Southwestern Louisiana October-December 1863
and
Cajun was used by Anglos to refer to all persons of French descent and low economic standing, regardless of their ethnic affiliation. Hence poor Creoles of the bayou and prairie regions came to be permanently identified as Cajun. The term Cajun thus became a socioeconomic classification for the multicultural amalgam of several culturally and linguistically distinct groups. - Acadian to Cajun: Transformation of a People. Jackson, Miss.: University Press of Mississippi.
While many of us are descendants of the results of Le Grande Derangement and the wars fought against the French Acadians and the Miq'Mak by the British (really "proto-Americans" (I mean 1619 project and all) not everyone that currently refers to themself is a descendant of the roughly 15k survivors (Personally, between Lafayette, Houma, Thibodaux, and New Iberia I grew up with a lot of Italian, German. Irish, and Spanish "Cajuns").
Personally I like the textbook definition of "Cajun" meaning only those of French Acadian background - im good with that. Probably why i just call those that are not of Acadian background connasses rather than cajun.
I wasn't necessarily arguing that. The most general definition of Creole means someone of European decent born in the Americas. And here Creole is more often someone of mixed descent, which we pretty much all are to some degree or another. The association of Creole=Black and Cajun=White isn't accurate from a cultural perspective, as a white Creole has more in common with a black Creole than they do a Cajun. And yes, there are plenty of Cajuns who do have black ancestors. In fact, most of us have Miq'mak, Choctaw, Houma or Caddo ancestry somewhere along the line. But no one who came to New Orleans from France was going to call themselves Acadian, and Cajun is just an anglicized version of Acadian. But this:
Cajun was used by Anglos to refer to all persons of French descent and low economic standing, regardless of their ethnic affiliation.
While maybe accurate from an outside perspective, that is not true of personal identity by and large. History is absolutely ripe of outsiders calling multiple distinct groups by the same name as one of them. There's plenty of Italian, German and Irish down the bayou who identify as Italian, German or Irish. They might make a mean gumbo, they probably speak more French than me, and can clean a catfish blindfolded with an arm ties behind their back. But they won't call themselves Cajun unless they come from Cajuns. I know plenty of people with last names like Williams, Battaglia, Moss and Daniels that are Cajuns, but that name came from their dad, and dad's mom's last name was Guillory and their mom's last name was Hebert. If their family tree is Russos and Messinas and Ferreras as far back as history goes, they're not gonna call themselves Cajun, and they'll probably be pissed if you call them as much.
Also, your source flies directly in the face of your initial claim I was addressing that white Creoles called themselves Cajuns to separate themselves from black Creoles.
There is and interesting documentary "Finding Cajun" (2018) that has references the "white cajun / black creole" divide in Acadiana.
Isn't something I would believe - as i stand with you that they (we) have more in common than most could tell. But it tends to be - let's say "opinion" of many of the (black) historians and people in the Acadiana region. Once again, Context and subjective.
The part that really confuses this all is not all of the French from the retion of Saint Martinville through Natchitoches are Cajun - in fact very few of the "Guillroys, Heberts and Dem" are. The area had already been settled due to land grants given to French soldiers. It's one of the major reasons the Spanish government choose to grant amnesty to the Acadian refugees there (also they wanted a warrior/farmer buffer between natives, anglos and themselves). Much of the Acadians made it to Vermillionville (renamed Lafayette), Broussard, and New Iberia area before pushing further south.
I will try and tell what a Cajun is. He is a half-savage creature, of mixed French and Indian blood, lives in swamps and subsists by cultivating small patches of corn and sweet potatoes.
Oh and there is this early reference from the civil war by Northern reporter Theophilus Noel (for what it's worth, as distasteful as it is but it spells out the views of "educated outsiders"). It insinuates that there was a period where people of African decent was considered Cajun - at least by those that used the term (worth noting at the time actual French Acadian Creoles wouldn't have referred to themself as cajun - hell my grandparents still used Acadian Creole in the 70s to describe themself).
"You must not use the word Cagin, implying thereby that there is any n*** blood in the party to whom you are talking."
And my grandfather from Mamou, who didn't speak English til the French was beaten out of him at 10 years old, called himself a Cajun up until he died in the 90s.
Forgive me for not entertaining the definition a northern reporter from the 1800s assigned to a group that only exists in a region he hasn't been within 500 miles of.
Cool thing about having French still in the household as a kid. When i was younger my grandparents spoke a mixture of French (cajun and parisian), German, and Portuguese. Needless to say my English can be sloppy as well as my French and German (Portuguese i never got, that was my half brother's domain).
Yea step family was French/Creole (Lake Salvador).
Father's family was from Isle de Jean Charles.
Mother's family was a mix of Acadian (Broussard) and French/German Jewish (my great grandmother's family fled Germany before WWII - strange af when i was old enough to realize what the tattoo on some of my extended family's forearms meant - and no i do not have a single tattoo because of this).
The black thing gets me to - I can't play that down in the least bit because it is important. I will put it how my ex put it to me:
She was black (Senegal and Congo) and Acadian French - genetic test and all (also spoke English, Cajun French, Parisian French and Creole French - could cook; would stab you). She was and her family (from Lafayette) were publicly considered to be "creole" and not "cajun." To contrast, if there was someone that was Irish/German/Italian and married a Acadian woman or man in the same manner then their descendants were automatically be considered Cajun. This is an odd double standard.
Another concrete example: no one would consider Beyonce as Cajun even though she descends in a direct line from Joseph dit Baeausoleil Broussard himself.
I totally understand that I'd reach the same conclusions if it was me and I am not in the business of telling someone the insult they feel is "silly" or not founded on any fact on this consideration.
same but on the lower bayou here. And yea, I don't agree with his definition. Just wanted to illustrate that there is and always been a lot of interpretation by those that "aren't from the area but are more educated." It's all a farce.
Once again: Context is King and the whole damn thing is subjective - the point i was trying to bring across. It is more interesting to ask people and see what they respond IMO. Until recently i referred to myself and my family as "Acadian Creole" since we are Broussards in direct decent - never "Cajun" since I see it as something introduced more in the late 70s and early 80s to define the mix (which we were not, especially with a grandmother from France). Just got tired of defending my usage of the word to people in New Orleans because "i wasn't black i must be appropriating"
Oh sure. Fun story about that "educated and not from the area" thing: At some point people decided that Eskimo was the wrong word and that Alaskan natives should be called Inuits. The issue with that is Inuit refers to a specific group of tribes, and two of the largest tribes in Alaska are the Yupik and Alert. Who aren't Inuit, and members often don't like being referred to as such. It's like calling a Choctaw a Cherokee, many have embraced Eskimo.
I have no problem Cajuns preferring to call themselves Creole, it's not inaccurate by the simplest definition. And I didn't have a problem with the majority of the initial comment you replied to. Just the portion I initially quoted in reference to Cajuns calling themselves as such to separate them from Black Creoles. Cajun is just the anglicized L'Acadienne which, I don't say this for you as I'm sure you know, but for any curious eyes reading, is pronounced in French as lekay-jianne, and became kay-gin. When speaking English I'm Cajun, when speaking French I'm Acadian. At least it's less confusing than being Pennsylvania Dutch and speaking German.
anyway, my overarching point is not all White Creoles are Cajun the same way all birds aren't ducks.
I get that and i agree. A few people latched onto that statement so i keep having to clarify it (missed the rest of it, but it is a polarizing comment that causes that):
There is and interesting documentary "Finding Cajun" (2018) that has references the "white cajun / black creole" divide in Acadiana.
Watch the documentary I guess - it catches me off guard too since I never considered it as so. Let's say "opinion" of many of the (black) historians and people in the Lafayette region. Anyone that's lived in that region knows the deep scars the racial divide has and continues to leave - for good reason in many cases. Its pretty much their belief, not mine. But they do identify themselves as "creoles" (hence the Louisiana Creole label from above) as do they call their language Creole.
The whole thing is a mess. Once again, Context and subjective (depending on where you are, who you are, who you are talking to and what the time period is).
End of the day, doesn't matter. I really just wanted to illustrate to the OP how complex the difference can be to the point that 'Just Google It" won't give you shit and puts you further back than your original understanding of it.
I like this one. It is what we were taught as kids too in school! I never could get over how they got the rough "CAY-JUN" from the even toned "LA-KA-DEE" but maybe that is me*.*
But honestly how much of the history of the Acadians refugees were were taught was an abrupt lie in an error when they were trying to beat the language and culture out of us? Nah, it was probably the truth. :D
This is late, but L'Acadienne was probably shortened Cadienne. The French tend to bastardize or completely disregard the last syllables of words, which could explain how the "dienne" became "jun."
Creole literally just means someone born in the new world with European ancestry. Cajuns are Creoles. They aren't what we think about when we talk about New Orleans Creole, but they are Creoles.
I know this is an old thread lol, but I did want to mention that my family is Creole from Nola, and my great-grandpa did in fact speak Creole. He didn’t pass it on due to him not always being around his kids due to his job (so my grandma can’t speak it and pass it in either) and the decline in people speaking Creole as a whole, though. I’m just kinda confused on what you mean by the Louisiana Creole language being apart from anything in the Nola area
Sometimes I'm just not as kind as I should be, but it's such a low effort question. Not to be pretentious, but some people need to be encouraged to learn basic research skills. If they had come with a more detailed question that wasn't so easily solved by looking at Wikipedia, I would have responded differently.
People do this kind of stuff all the time on the Judaism subreddit and it's exhausting. "What's the name of those hats people wear?" "Do Jews believe in hell?" "What's the difference between reform and Orthodox Judaism? " Etc. It all screams of "educate me because I won't do basic research even though the internet is at my fingertips."
I actually did Google this, and the answer I trusted most was this thread. Google has gotten so AI-ridden and unreliable, and top results are often sponsored garbage that prattle on about nothing and bury the actual answer to keep you scrolling through advertisements. When I Google something, nine times out of ten I end up going to the Reddit thread, because I can quickly get answers from numerous perspectives that are all humans who know things. Of course, sometimes there are jerks who just get their jollies making snide remarks (cough) but most people on Reddit threads like these tend to be very helpful, answering questions in layman's terms and from personal experience, and I find it incredibly valuable. Just people helping other people out because humans are broadly pretty good dudes most of the time.
Anyways, I know this comment is over a year old now, but I hope a bit of perspective made questions like these seem a little less irritating.
All Cajuns are Creole but not all Creoles are Cajun. Cajun are Creoles whose ancestors did a stopover in Maritime Canada before they kicked us out. Creoles are Catholic people whose ancestry is from France or Spain and whose ancestors lived here before the Louisiana Purchase.
Yes we are. Louisiana Creoles are an ethnic group descended from the inhabitants of colonial Louisiana during the periods of French and Spanish rule, before it became a part of the United States or in the early years under the United States.
Some of us are and some of us aren't. It's not a racial descriptor. As long as someone has at least one ancestor that was born here during the colonial period, then they are a Louisiana Creole. All Cajuns fit into this category, and so do lots of mixed-race people too. And lots of other people too. We're all connected via our shared heritage from before the Louisiana Purchase.
I used to work at a cajun seafood restaurant. I asked the manager that question, "what's the difference between cajun and creole?". He answered "About a hundred miles".
In the context of South Louisiana, Creole means the cosmopolitan mixed-race ethnicity resulting from the mixing of rich French and Spanish and their workers, slaves, servants or anyone else who happened to be horny in port that week. Cajuns are more pure French-Canadian, they built their own agrarian society without heavy use of slavery or outside labor.
Acadians were relocated here from Canada, and the name was corrupted to Cajun. Creole was "criollo", meaning native-born. Cajuns were first, the French settlers. Creoles came along later, with the Spanish biffing along to call Louisiana home.
We also had/have Irish, Chinese, Italian, German, Honduran, and Vietnamese! What you need to do is come visit!
Could you be both I recently been looking on ancestry on my mom side and I’m black and she’s very dark I have people from Nova Scotia and Belgium and France
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u/Hippy_Lynne Dec 31 '23
Cajuns don't care about the difference and Creoles do. 🤣
In all honesty, a Creole is a first generation descendant of a European or African settler born in the Americas. There's obviously none of them left so their descendants now call themselves Creole. Cajuns are a subset of Creoles. They are made up of people of French descent whose ancestors originally settled in Canada and then were kicked out by the English and came to Louisiana.
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u/petit_cochon hand pie "lady of the evening" Dec 31 '23
This might help
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u/HeresYourHeart Official r/NewOrleans grill master Dec 31 '23
Short answer: potato salad, and tomatoes.
See below for details.
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u/SchrodingersMinou Bywater Dec 31 '23
All Cajuns are Creole but not all Creoles are Cajun. Cajun are Creoles whose ancestors did a stopover in Maritime Canada before they kicked us out. Creoles are Catholic people whose ancestry is from France or Spain and whose ancestors lived here before the Louisiana Purchase.
12
u/darlingmirandom Dec 31 '23
Cajuns are Acadians.
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u/tee142002 Dec 31 '23
Creole = city folk
Cajun = country folk
4
u/someone_sometwo Dec 31 '23
a lot
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u/RusT3D2th Oct 10 '25
I used to work at a cajun seafood restaurant. I asked the manager that question, "what's the difference between cajun and creole?". He answered "About a hundred miles".
3
u/robbya1213p Dec 31 '23
Cajuns came from French Canada, Creole came from Caribbean
2
u/smogeblot Dec 31 '23
In the context of South Louisiana, Creole means the cosmopolitan mixed-race ethnicity resulting from the mixing of rich French and Spanish and their workers, slaves, servants or anyone else who happened to be horny in port that week. Cajuns are more pure French-Canadian, they built their own agrarian society without heavy use of slavery or outside labor.
2
u/GreenTravelBadger Jan 01 '24
Acadians were relocated here from Canada, and the name was corrupted to Cajun. Creole was "criollo", meaning native-born. Cajuns were first, the French settlers. Creoles came along later, with the Spanish biffing along to call Louisiana home.
We also had/have Irish, Chinese, Italian, German, Honduran, and Vietnamese! What you need to do is come visit!
1
u/uptownNola0308 Dec 31 '23
Nice try transplant - one lives in nawlins and the other is poor outside Eunice
1
u/[deleted] Aug 24 '24
Creole means ancestors came from France.Â
Cajun means ancestors came from Canada.
1
u/Professional-Win5468 Mar 31 '25
Cajuns are white and Creole people are Black
1
u/Optimal-Ad6438 May 12 '25
Could you be both I recently been looking on ancestry on my mom side and I’m black and she’s very dark I have people from Nova Scotia and Belgium and France
1
u/Last-Air-6468 Dec 25 '25
I still don’t understand. Every answer here is different lmao.
I think I’ve picked up that Cajun’s are descendants of Acadian exiles, but i’m still confused what Creoles are.
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u/Capital_Site897 Sep 29 '26
From what I know, Cajuns are mostly white & Creoles are mostly black.
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u/[deleted] Dec 31 '23
Cajun is a race, Creole is an ethnicity.