You're truly lucky Joey and you've got the right attitude -- and an open mind musically. If you're a non-LA state resident like myself, never having the opportunity to grow up knee deep in the culture, the key that opened the door was my diverse taste in music. I consume music like it's air -- it's a huge part of my psyche. And like you my tastes run the gamut and the globe.

My first experience of Cajun culture was on a drive from Dallas to Pensacola, back in 1985. I found myself hungry and while passing through Breaux Bridge on I-10, I saw the billboard for Mulate's. Sounded good to me and after missing the right turn a couple of times, I found it. What I didn't expect to see (and hear) was music. Dewey Balfa was playing to a very sparse crowd on a Saturday afternoon and I had never heard of this guy before. I was hypnotized. I couldn't believe what I was witnessing. After an hour and a half of the experience, I thanked him, shook his hand and walked away hungrier than I was went I went in -- hungry for the quest of this music and culture. I was 22 years old then and felt gyped that I hadn't known about this music sooner.

I began collecting Cajun and zydeco music via mail ordering and built up a sizeable collection. In 1987 I began DJ'ing on Dallas' Community Radio, KNON 89.3FM. I started off doing reggae but soon requested to switch formats to Louisiana Music. I've been spinning it ever since and have no plans to change that. In Dallas, I'm known as that "zydeco guy on the radio" -- and it's true, I do spin mostly zydeco now; it's what I love most. But I do keep on top of Cajun music as well. I love the classics and the neo-traditionalist too. Glad I took up the accordion 15 years ago 'cuz this genre of music is too good to just listen too!

So you see, even an outsider like myself can embrace and be welcomed into a vibrant and rare culture like that of Southern Louisiana. I may not be Cajun blood, but I'm getting there as quick as I can. My soon to be wife hails from Lake Charles and the wedding is there June 30th. We have plans to move there in the next few years...

Who'd a thunk it? That Mulate's billboard should've read, "Your future now, exit 31." That's my story. Hope I didn't bore ya!

R!CK

Now that's a cool story. It ought to be good for a 2-3 beers on elaboration.

Joey,
The one thing I'd disagree with is the idea that it's their parents' fault that they don't speak French or have a connection to their culture.

If their parents are of the same generation as mine, they were beaten (literally) for speaking French in school. They were forced to stay in during recess writing lines, "I will not speak French on the school grounds." Many of them were forced to soil themselves because they couldn't even ask to go to the bathroom.

When they chose to raise their children in English, they thought they were doing their kids a favor. For them, French was something shameful, and these well-meaning parents were trying to spare their children the humiliation that they went through.

Some of them began to think differently after World War II. But many still carried that stigma from their childhood. It wasn't until Dewey Balfa's return from Newport that the Cajun renaissance really began. Not until the 1970s was it acceptable to be Cajun.

So, this isn't about morals or values. It's about doing what you think is best for your children. You were just fortunate to have a grandmother who found it easier to communicate in French rather than English.

A weird twist to this story, is that I'm one of that generation who, almost subconsciously, tried to "protect" our children by not teaching French a home. And in my battle to reach the door to "escape" the culture and language that caused me all sorts of problems, at school and almost anywhere else that I went, I am almost overrun by all of these people that were trying to come in to learn my culture/language. Lucky for me, my son was of one of these, and helped me to see what was really happening. From that I can sense that there is a chance for our music and culture to survive, and probably even the language, with some losses.

Dowell Lafleur

If France was as close to Louisiana as Mexico is to South Texas, there would be no shortage of fresh blood to keep the language alive.
Never quite figured out why Spanish was taught in my Texas little town high school when everybody spoke it already. Especially when taught by an Anglo woman with a horrible accent. Why teach a language in a classroom and then discourage native speakers from speaking that language on the playground?
Why delay music and band until 6th grade? I will never understand the American Public School system and the complete lack of foresight by those whose job it is to help our kids become more complete human beings.
Luckily, we can keep learning our entire life, no matter how meager our formative education might have been.
JB

Very interesting conversation folks.
As I said previously: The language is never dead until YOU decide it is.
As long as there will be a criticall mass of people interested in speaking it, promoting it and passing it on to their kids, there's hope, and it will always be there.
Nothing can change the devastating effect of the american melting pot phisolophy to the prior generations. However, every one who has a an interest in the French language and cajun culture can attest that there is a renaissance movement going on.
Having said all of that, assimilation is also taking its toll on Acadian communities here in Canada too (to a lesser degree than yours). The challenges are very similar to yours however. Although in Canada we enjoy a better support system (where multi culturalism is embrace vs. melting pot), and where francophone minorities have a constitutional protection in our Constitution, it is a fact that a in a large percentage of cases, when an anglo and a franco get together and create a family, only about 75% of the kids from these unions will maintain French. That's a scary statistic.

And, Dowell, a lot of these people also come from Europe. Here are just a few of them that play good Cajun music :

France

http://groupebelisaire.free.fr/index.html

http://perso.orange.fr/accordeonsericmartin/index.htm

http://perso.orange.fr/alain.gatay/


Netherlands :

http://www.genuinemusic.nl/cajuncomeng.htm

http://www.riverzydeco.nl/index.html


United Kingdom :

http://hackneyramblers.co.uk/cajun/index.htm

http://www.cajunmusic.co.uk/zz/z_frames.htm



Denmark, Sweden, Norway :

http://www.cajunmusic.dk/bands/cajundunord/cajundunord.html


Christian

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Replying to:

A weird twist to this story, is that I'm one of that generation who, almost subconsciously, tried to "protect" our children by not teaching French a home. And in my battle to reach the door to "escape" the culture and language that caused me all sorts of problems, at school and almost anywhere else that I went, I am almost overrun by all of these people that were trying to come in to learn my culture/language. Lucky for me, my son was of one of these, and helped me to see what was really happening. From that I can sense that there is a chance for our music and culture to survive, and probably even the language, with some losses.

Dowell Lafleur

Oddly, I was reading an article in Hawaii magazine, regarding the diminishing effects of the "old ways and language of the Pacific islanders".

Same?
Yes perhaps it is, as a matter of fact.
The article was dated Sept. 04 ... so it's somewhat of a contemporary view of a diminishing cultural effect, very much like the cultural segment concerne posted here.
Simply titled "Teach your children well."

Any wonder as to why? That is to say; why would any elder hope to cling to that which was, and, hope to enrich a generation that is vastly influenced by outsiders in a contemporary media world? Roots? Hope? Legasy? Rememberance?

The answer to that, is contained (though varied)in the view point of each and every person, and,it may never come to a single hopeful conclusion. Sad? Perhaps it is, and it may not be totally understood for decades, once gone (of the importance).

Chris Miller, Jude Moreau (and many others): What you are doing for your children (and theirs to come) is a lesson for us each... you and your wives have my total respect. Others? well what can you say beyond .... "Teach your children well"

A person from another time