The Arcadian Cultural Center and Vermilionville are located near downtown Lafayette which is not very far from Broussard. I wanted to learn more of the history of Acadians and I had heard the Arcadian Cultural Center was a good place to start and get an overview. There is a movie at the cultural center that provides a good summary of the beginnings of the Acadian culture and people and how they came to settle in Louisiana. It is quiet interesting and I had somehow missed this piece of history. I had no idea that the Acadians had been exiled from their French colony way up north because they would not sign an allegiance to the English; that many had been exiled to the different colonies in the US only to disappear or be sent back to France; that some of the exiled Acadians eventually returned to Louisiana from France to settle. The Acadian Culture is an old culture with roots going back to the early 1600's but is most prominent to Louisiana in the 1800's.
Acadian music, ie. Cajun and Zydeco incorporates some of these instruments. The most common being the "squeeze box" or accordion.
Vermilionville is a cluster of old homes, workshops, barns, some of which have been brought to the district from other areas and restored. A walk through the village gives one an idea with it was like to live on the bayou in the 1800's. Vermilionville later become known as Lafayette. The name Vermilionville is derived from the reddish color of the bayou.
Palmentto Hut. It reflects the Native American culture Houma Nation, part of the Southern Louisiana tribes. The hut is made of cane and bousillage which is a mixture of mud and Spanish moss, much like the adobe clay of the west.
Bousillage oven which Native Americans did most of their cooking in.
Inside of the Palmetto Hut
The Acadians lived on the bayou so boats were a main form of transportation.
The are crawfish nets. Crawfish or mud bugs are natural creatures to the bayou .
Cotton was one of the major crops and this is a good example of the loom of the 1800's.
Naturally dyed cotton.
Ecole, or school. At the very bottom of the black board is "I will not speak French 100 times" . The French children were not allowed to speak French in school.
Examples of many of the woodworking tools needed for the many crafts and building of the time.
An example of a mud wall or bousillage:
Note how the shingles are laid on the ridge line.
Example of master bed
Note the iron. What a way to build up your muscles!
The interior of a kitchen. Most of the kitchens were housed in a tiny building separated slightly distance from the main house.
Dining room. Note the pull fan to keep the bugs away.
Family style!?
Inside of the barn with lots of tools.
Church which looks over the bayou.
Cemetery. The crosses are made of metal. This is much different than the cemeteries around Lafayette today.
The bayou.
This is how you get across the bayou. Looks like Peter has his work cut out for him while Carolyne directs.
Flowers? What do they have to do with Vermillionville? These were out side the Acadian Cultural center. While we were driving across Texas I saw fields of these cacti in bloom but there was no place to stop and take pictures. We were on a two lane road with no shoulder at the time. When I saw these I had to take a picture. I didn't know there were cactus in Louisiana.
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