I don’t always get things right, but I promise that I really do try. Can we talk about representation for a second?

In just about every French textbook I have seen and also in the daily narrative, there is overwhelming mention of the Acadians/Cajuns and the messaging basically implies that they are fully responsible for the French language and culture in Louisiana. The other French and Creole language groups who were here before and after the arrival of the Acadians are completely ignored, most especially THE AFRICANS.

Albeit FAR from scientific, this is the information I was able to glean online about 18th century populations in Louisiana. In 1763, before the first Acadians arrived in Louisiana, there were already 8,252 Afro-descendants, significantly more than the 3,000 Acadians who arrived over a 21-year period from 1764 to 1785. Between 1764 and 1784, the small Acadian groups who came to Louisiana numbers 1,400 +/-. The last, largest group of 1,600 people (including my Longuépée ancestors who had spent 25 years in France) arrived in 1785.

Even given the fabled fertility rates of the Acadians, it seems rather impossible that 1,400 people could have been responsible for a population increase of more than 21,000 live births in 14 years, especially given life expectancy during the time period. You’ll also see that in 1795, the number of Afro-descendants outnumbers the total number of Acadians who arrived in Louisiana more than 10 to 1.

Simply put : In 1795 the number of people of African descent in Louisiana was TEN TIMES GREATER than the total number of Acadians who arrived here over a 21-year period. It’s easy to guess why we know one story, but not the other.

Again, I don’t always get things right in the way I say or present things, but these numbers speak for themselves. People of African descent were historically equally, if not more, carriers of the French and Creole languages as the Acadians.