QCBF : Quoi C’est Beausoleil Ferait / WWBD : What Would Beausoleil Do

He’s become a larger than life figure in Acadian and Cajun folklore, that bougre Joseph “Beausoleil” Broussard.

On one side, he’s revered as a resistance fighter hell-bent on defending his people’s French language, catholic faith and way of life. On the other, history might reveal him to be a domestic terrorist determined to destroy the British presence that, by right of military victory, would impose the English language and protestantism.

It’s a curious kind of relationship that Louisianians have with this guy. Many are proud to claim him as a direct ancestor, have “Beausoleil” tattooed on their biceps or forearms. He’s a symbol of strength and…resistance.

But what are they really resisting ?
Certainly not speaking English.
Certainly not assimilation.

It’s a hugely important question these days.
Filled with irony.

Especially when people lament the forced assimilation into English that was imposed in 1921. They tell stories about their grandparents being punished for speaking French on the schoolgrounds.

I wonder QCBF ?
Quoi c’est Beausoleil Ferait ?
What would Beausoleil do ?

Since 1921 we’ve been taught our history as French and Creole-speaking Louisianians from an anglo perspective. Our relationships to our language and culture have morphed into assimilated ghosts of that once-upon-a-time when we were

Proud to speak French.
Proud to not be tout à fait Américain.
Proud to resist.
Tout comme Beausoleil.

I wonder how many proud Cajuns in Louisiana today would actually follow him if he appeared
in Lafayette
or Houma
or Thibodaux
or Eunice
or Church Point
and said that the very survival of what remains of our language and culture were threatened ?

At this very moment, I wonder how many Louisianians actually realise that
our musicians
our artists
our writers
our festivals
are threatened with extinction ?

How many people actually understand that these bearers of our language and our culture are able to do what they do thanks to
the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) and
the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) ?

We’ve seen the effects of 1921.
But now It’s 2017.
We can resist.
But will we ?

QCBF ? Quoi C’est Beausoleil Ferait ?
WWBD ? What Would Beausoleil Do ?